How has the ressesion affected our hobby

My project started out as 2 year project, then 3 years, now???
I'll just plug along with it.
Economy sucks in Canada too!

 

Ford Man, you are D-man....well said.

Outlaw
______________________________________
Its never really as bad as it seems...well....mostly

 

X2!!!!

 

Wait a minute. Is the ressesion [sic] the reason stuff isn't selling, or is it because "most stuff for sale is overpriced"?

If it's the latter, then it's not the recession, it's because people are a little too proud of their stuff.

We saw this at the Nats North swap meet. Lots of rusty crap was priced as if were made of gold, and predictably, it was still laying on the ground Sunday afternoon. Things that were priced realistically DID sell, and quickly.

My wife, who is no expert on the value of old car junk, said, "You'd think if they really wanted to sell this stuff, they'd price it to sell, and not have to load it all up and take it home."

Yup, she's smart, that's why she picked me!

Brian

 

I guess being in Colorado I am lucky, we have a fairly low unemployment rate.

I survived a few lay-offs already, now my coworkers & I are extremely busy (mainly because we are now shorthanded and my employer is not currently hiring).

So, the economy has not really affected me at all (although I could get laid off tomorrow and that would change everything!). We also don’t have any kids, which also helps.

Even though my car is pretty much done, I get the small things I still may need for it. I'm building a few older café style bikes now for resale (although selling them may be an issue).

Not bragging or anything, just saying that it is not all doom & gloom everywhere! Hang in there!

 

I see that around here too. Seems if something is more than twenty years old, it's automatically classified as an antique and therefore worthy of a high sticker price. Right now I'm trying to find an old late 50s fridge for the shop and everything's $200, $300, $400 or more. One lady offered me a GM/Fridigaire for... $2000!

 

It has really hit me hard here in BC Canada as well,I used to be able to sell all kinds of vintage and 67-72 Chevy GMC stuff but not now,everyone is buying the new imported tin instead so most of the stuff I have had for the last 10 years that had not sold had to go to the recycler.My buddy had a 25 year collection of Mopar parts and he just did the same thing after not being able to sell anything for the last year and a half or so..Guys are still phoning me asking to sell stuff to me and I have to say no because of the dead selling trading market.I just retired after 36.5 years doing the same job and my pension is about 30% less than my former pay so that is killing me as well so folks we all seem to be in this together we just got to keep plugging away and maybe trading stuff might help us through it... just saying..

 

well its all but dead in my shop. i havent had a bike in all year and by this time a couple yrs ago we would have at least painted a few but no calls for custom parts anything.no one has even call for any kind of build. in the hotrod shop no one has wanted anything done. im broke.oh well, my wife makes good money so we still have our house and i filled up our shops with our own shit to build .when we got the change to buy what we need.

 

I think because of the recession people want to profit more then they want stuff gone. Or just need more money and everybody is lowballing, so the theoretical price goes up.

 

i,m doing for now the last things to the ford,need to remodel the shop next year.an than putting the e brake on for a while an get things straiten up cheers

 

it forced me to close my metal fabshop/hot rod shop down and go find a job wrenchin on cars again.from 6 employees down to just me and my dad and son to just me and my dad down to just me.all the while none getting a paycheck for a year

 

I am doing Ok but we have a rule at our house, if we need it we save for it and then buy. I follow Dave Ramsey's school of thought that you first need to build / save for an emergency fund to live on for 6 months, then pay off all debts and don't buy wnytyning on credit that will ose value faster than you can pay it off. In othe rwords we borrowed money for our home and save for everything else. We don't buy new cars and we don't put anything on a credit card that we can't pay for when the bill arrives. A lot of folks have lived like our government and now that times are hard a lot of people are hurting. I'm not saying everyone is doing this but a lot of my neighbors are in bad shape because of their spending habits. One guy has two large boats (22 and 27 footers) and a lot of other toys that the bank will own very soon because he lived on every penny that came in the door and the pennies have stopped coming in as fast. My family on the other hand lives a lot more frugal. My wifes car is a 98 model (well maintained) and is the newest car we own. We started paying ourselves years ago by putting a little something in savings every payday. It might only be $10 but it we still did it. We aren't rich and won't ever be but our home is paid for and we are debt free. Once you break out from the false teaching that you deserve every new thing that the commercials spout on TV it is amazing how much better life can be. Family first, everything sles follow that.

 

Between starting a family and cutting back on expenses, it proved difficult to build a car. My comet wagon project took a lot longer than it should have. I eventually finished, and I was careful to remain debt free in the process. My family wasn't neglected, but this can be a very difficult hobby in these tough times. I can bitch about the market and what parts and cars bring, but isn't there usually something to complain about there anyway? My job security is at an all time low. I've been looking around, and I see charitable orginizations, and school programs strapped for cash. I made the decision that instead of going to big shows that charge to get in, I would use the limited money I have to participate in shows that help a cause. I would rather help a high school band remain a viable school program then continue to line the pockets of large promotional orginizations. I think we need to take care of our communities first, even if the show may not be the exact type we want to attend. Also there is nothing wrong with attending a show sans car just to check it out and save a few bucks. To be honest my three year daughter loves roadsters, and it is more fun to walk around with her and see her reaction to different cars than to participate in a show.

 

never in my lifetime have I seen things this bad in the automotive industry

 

I've noticed that people are selling stuff off.In Canada, the recession wasn't as bad, It cost me one job, but I had another job in no time with the City. On my non HAMB project ( a 944) lots of folks are dismantling running examples and parting them out, making parts abundant. Same for older stuff too, Those little goodies that folks have been hanging on to all these years are coming up for sale.It makes building odd cars less difficult. We've had our house for a few years, It's tiny and there's no garage(!) but the mortgage is cheap so we're not too bad.

 

I am in the racing and HotRod world and I have never seen so many race cars parked this year and so few cars on the track at a time.My one friend just built a 55 Chevy Convertible and had to take a nice 2001 Corvette in trade so he did well on the sale but now he has to sell another high end toy to get his funds.That fellow that follows "Dave Ramsey"I am the converted but my wife and I just started listening to him this year so we are behind the 8 ball with his knowledge but we are following it now!

 

I have been working on rebuilding my '63 Biscayne for almost (18) months now, and still have body work and painting to do....
Five years ago I would have been done with it in less than 12 months.......I now have to wait to buy what I need until I have the cash.....
BUT, still worth it.
Cheers.......

 

What if we dropped the words hobby and social life, and shifted focus of the discussion to finding solutions for our life and keeping alive.
Alright, I know. We'd be censored for sure.
Tom S.

 

I retired after 36 years at Beech aircraft year ago august. Plans were to finish a car a year with 3 in process at any given time. With the rising cost of everything, utilities, insurance, food, gas, health insurance, ect. ect. i've cut way back. Put my 30 highboy roadster on hold, building my 51 shoebox custom but only doing the stuff that doesn't cost a bunch to do, redoing my 23 tee is stopped. Friggin health insurance went up almost a hundred bucks a month, house insurance more than that. Wouldn't it be nice to own a business that people depend on that you can just arbitrary raise the rates at any time without any notice or explanation. Enought of a rant, but it f$(^in sucks!

 

It has not affected me because I really never had any money anyway.heh! what recession? Or maybe I just don't listen to the media or believe the politicians.

 

You've hit the nail on the head...and when it's all said and done it is a hobby...when i start to get compulsive...I sometimes have to stop and think...selling my '31 pickup in retrospect could'nt have come at a better time...I didn't get top dollar...because I priced it to sell...no regrets...thanks for your honest opinion...dudley

p.s. it sold right here on the H.A.M.B in about 7 minutes

 

Having been a successful contractor for the last 20 years has helped me survive. Work is scarce and when things slowed I started doing repairs and fabrication on friends cars.
Fortunately construction has kept me busier this year but I need to keep treading because I am a survivor.
I feel for the good folks who worked hard. saved and bought homes, I don't feel for the ones who kept taking equity out of their homes to buy more and more toys.

As for the hobby, it will survive. We all need to do something we enjoy. When times were really bad for me a few years ago I just focused on fabricating my parts and only buying what I absolutely needed to buy. The checkwriters may fall by the wayside but the guys who have this in their blood will find a way, any way to stay involved.
My friend who could no longer afford a rod would come over every Saturday and pitch in helping me on mine. When friends brought cars in I made sure he got hours on those paying jobs.

 

I own my own business , It is 50% smaller now from 2008. I was racing and doing car shows at will. But cut way way way back. When you have lay off people its ruff to go out and play. I have knuckled down, cut cut cut expenses. getting my ducks more in a row. I can't print and throw money at problems like the goverment can. Its to bad are children and there children are not going to have the fun we have had. There the ones who are really stuck with these mess. We are on the 17TH hole walking to the 18Th tee. I beleave it will come back, but a long ruff road. God Bless this country.

 

The job I had in 2009 cut my hours in half but I had a new job the next day... for more money. I've gotten 2 raises since then. I haven't felt a pinch. Hope that doesn't sound smug. It's still taken me 3 years to build a low buck cruiser out of a '64 Comet 202. Simply because I don't go into hock for anything. The only thing I owe money on is my house which is still appraising for more than I paid for it. The reason this country is in this mess has very little to do with the government and everything to do with people living beyond their means. This is really simple... It Is Bad To Owe Money. If we could all learn to avoid that we'd be much better off and a lot happier to boot.

 

I'm sorry to say I believe calling the current economic situation "the new normal" may be an understatement. Getting, and staying 'debt free' may be the only way to survive period. We all love hot rods and customs on this site, but it may be the DIY spirit and the skills and talents that we've developed as a part of our appreciation of our cars that gets us by when others don't. I will always love hot rods, even if it's just pictures and memories, but knowing how to build things, weld, fabricate , and simply 'make do' will probably be what puts food on the table, whether I still have a hot rod or not.

 

Today came by my neighbors place saw these people strippin siding off an old house trailer he has .I gave him a call and told him did he know it ,he said hell no to call the sheriff so I did while waiting for him I yelled at em come to find out they were 2 women and a 4 year old they jumped in the truck and busted ass,Thats how bad it is here what really makes it bad is my neighbor would have given it to them if they had asked.Caint say for sure but probably meth heads as brasin as they were right in the middle of the day to start strippin siding off a house trailer

 

I am really glad I started this thread, for one, I know I am not the only one having a hard time trying to make ends meet, and by reading the posts, you learn how diferent people have been resorceful . Ours is a noble hobby , and many a time , the old ford parts have put food on the table for me and my family. This recesion seems tougher than the ones of the seventies and early nineties, but it is not even close to the depresion.
Since I was a kid , I hung out with old timers who would tell me stories aboat how they survived the depresion, back then , it was common practice to redye your clothing when it was so worn , it lost its color, My mom would tell me stories aboat kids that had never seen an orange, My Grand father told me aboat the bank maneger selling apples on the corner because he had lost his job. Yet those hard times produced the greatest generation this country has seen, people learned to be resorseful, to help each other, and taught them selves to save for a rainy day and live within their means. this thread has reminded me to be grateful for what I do have, for there are many that are having a harder time than me , but most important , it showed me that the HAMB can be human and is not just aboat guys telling you how to bolt a widget on your car. Guys the glass is still half full, so lets toast and continue to enjoy life.

 

the recession has me jacked up on building my cars ,but the parts dealers ,even used parts people think they are selling gold..i bought some g-78's last week..that used to be around $75 per tire when coker had a competitor ..now that there the only company that makes these tires are $150 per tire.. its ridicules nowdays...i price shop tho..i will stay on the web and or phone for weeks until i find the right deal..i did end up getting the tires for $129 per tire because of my price shopping from someone coker deals with...once i receive the tires im going to post the name of the company on the hamb so everyone can benefit the cheaper prices ..im also getting a complete air ride kit with upgrades on on everything ..price shopping if you have the time does pay off

 

i can afford vintage chevy parts now, being that everyone that has 'em lost there homes and have to sell them all. vanetian blinds here i come!

 

Heck man I've all ways been broke. It looks the same to me.