Folks Of Interest How do you know when it's time to let one go?

^^^^^ Plan Deuce!

 

I confronted this issue myself last year. I sold my 57 Ford after 22 years of ownership.

I got the car the day of my senior prom. It sort of became a part of me, and after over 2 decades of owning it, I sort of became synonymous with the car. But it needed a lot of work that I frankly couldn't stomach doing. And in its current condition was a nightmare to drive, uncomfortable for my passengers to ride in, and so it got virtually no use in the last 5 years. I think I drove it 500 miles over that 5 years, where that has been a weekend of use for my 56 Olds Holiday.

It was time to move on.

I've been blessed to never have had to sell a car because I needed money. For me, the car has to serve a purpose, which usually is regular use and enjoyment. When they don't serve that purpose, it's time to go.

 

BB King said it all ........ When "The Thrill Is Gone".

 

When the next one is already in the garage and crazy Eddy is coming to get the money he loaned you

 

These days I'm not in love with any of them, a reasonable offer would see them all heading down the road.
I've built a couple that I drove until they needed redoing and didn't want to do the work again - gone.
A few I just didn't like driving once they were done - gone.
Some projects that I was excited about, I changed and couldn't see myself driving it - gone.
Sometimes they just don't hold the same fascination as they did before and become more of a burden than a source of pleasure. Time to sell.

 

It's Not just a car to me. It's a lifetime of memories, roadtrips, picnics, I dated in it, my motel, drag races, conceived, and raised kids in it. I know every sq. inch of it! So if it's that priceless to me? How could I ever find someone that wants to pay more $ than it's worth to me? More in Love than ever!

 

My old pickup is like that....47 years we've been together.

 

Like this...got it when I was 13. Seemed to have lost interest in it lately, but can't sell it

 

^^^^ I don’t blame you. For some reason, ‘55-‘57 Chevys feel like “home” when I get behind the wheel. I actually miss my ‘56. Can’t say that about very many of them.

 

For me it was; I knew I would never drive my Chevy for fear of getting a chip in the paint. Just not any fun storing a car, even if it has memories. I like drivers.

 

I am not normal...but typically once I have it so it starts and stops and I let it go...(sometimes before hand too if I get bored with it)

The thrill at that point is gone for me...

Finding it...

Saving it...

Sending it...

Not a big fan of driving old heaps on the roadways...

MikeC

 

That part is very important. So don't sell the Corvette. Like has already been said to sell Plan II go to a drag event and put a sign in the window.

 

I sold this a few years ago, almost bought it back with no motor but it wasn’t that fun to drive, had zero room in the cab, and honestly was just over it…

 

So there's a funny irony in this pic. Mrs Highlander liked the truck. It's in my past postings and I was having fun with it. 2 or 3 times she turned down going to breakfast in it, which was odd because it was kind of "hers" even though she only drove it twice, but I did driving duty. One ride of measure, about 20mi one way to a cruise event, I knew this truck isn't the one. Up pops the 39 std, locally, known Ford enthusiast family, "trades welcome", fuck it I'm in. I do the deal, swapped even. It looked like this:

She was so mad at me you'd think I got caught bangin her best friend! She didn't even see the 39 in person for the 1st 9 or 10 months we owned it. She had to come to the shop one day and as she walked by where she could see it she held her hand up to block the view. Time heals all wounds and she's actually warmed up to the 39. I did the 'V8' logo in the dash for her, made her a tiki shift knob she likes so much it sits on our TV table, and she picked the gauges.
This pic was fresh Thursday. It's of great concern to me whether or not having the truck in the shop picks a nasty scab. Can't get worse, right? Or can it? The truck now belongs to a wonderful couple, dear friends of ours, and he bought it for her. I'm so fucked. If she walks in any time soon to see this...
I sense the "hangout to look it all over" will be more often pretty soon if that happens.

 

I helped all our kids get neat old cars...but they didn't really ever get into them like I did, and they're all gone now.

 

A few months ago I talked with the grandson of the guy I bought the 57 from.
He told me to name my price. . . .
I still have the car

 

It’s simple I don’t know when to sell so I keep what I have, and add to it sometimes.

 

I never sell anything. I wait for some jerk to steal it from me so I can loose all my money completely.

 

@Irish Mike


Hey IM,

Very nicely done coupe. Black on black on black is a lot of hard work and that one is outstanding. But, I hope you did not sell that classic redwood infused surfboard in the rafters. I noticed that before looking at the black Ford coupe. Old habits die hard.

Talk about detailing and intricate design. When we ordered a new surfboard after riding a plain redwood center stringer model, we went a little cuckoo with the additional thinner redwood strips. My brother had an extra one each side. His board not only looked nice, but rode very stable in all wave conditions.

My design was a two inch balsa center stringer with very thin redwood stringers next to it. For me, it was more centered in the weight and a little less wiggly on the cutbacks/bottom turns. But, I did have a solid redwood tailblock. As things go in life, they lasted a couple years of fun and were traded in for new, lighter weight boards when the technology got less weight on the foam, glass and coatings.

Yours looks more detailed and stylish. Nice!!!

Jnaki

The only surfboard left in our garage is a 6’8” very lightweight tri-fin surfboard taking a long nap in its protected cover, just waiting for the next round of action… YRMV

 

Like many others on here have said, I hate selling anything which is something my father always said too. He and I built cars for years. Some for him and some for me. We decided years ago to just quit selling anything and instead, just build some more garage when we were out of room. Now all these years later, Dad has passed and I'm living in his old place which is a 1200 square foot home on an acre and when you pull in the driveway, there are garage doors on the left, right and straight ahead, 15 doors in all. People have mistake this place for a storage unit business. 5000 square foot of garage and I'm ready to build some more.

 

I finally got my coupe to my taste. Lots of mistakes along the way but loved this car. My aches and pains of my late 60’s got me to the point that I simply could not get into and out of the car without hurting myself. I wish it was still around.

 

Many of my old projects got sold because I had a clear vision of what they would look like once finished. That mental picture was good enough, why spend the time and money to finish it, gone.

 

Hopefully you mean the cars and not the kids.

 

"The wife will ride in it" Important factor. My chopped '31 Tudor was the first hot rod that my wife ever rode in. Her ex was strictly a stick-n-ball sports guy, no home repairs, no car stuff. I'm the polar opposite, I'm genetically predisposed to tinkering, with anything. The sedan helped her get the bug, and she really got hooked when I exposed her to Nitro at the drags. She picked a Corvair as her hobby vehicle and ten years later we still have it.
Although my '56 Chevy was the most comfortable and conventional car that I've built, she wasn't disappointed when I sold it. She loves my Austin gasser. It's stinky and as uncomfortable as can be, but the thundering, whining, blown small block brings her out to the shop every time. Even just a short drive around the neighborhood puts a smile on her face (mine too!) She loves going to cruise nights or driving around at the shows in it. Go figure. I'll be selling it soon and she's already expressed her sadness at letting it go. I'm looking at putting a blower on her Corvair but she says it just won't be the same.

 

The worse thing that can happen, is someone buying it to restore

 

Is it still available with no motor ?

 

No matter what anybody says or posts, It has to be your decision Jim, and one you can live with with no regrets. Its all up to you!

 

I was hoping he meant the kids not the cars.