how can I love cars and not love a car?

I can't figure this out. I love cars as much as anyone and I've had hundreds of them..but I don't have a car that I love. I keep seeing things that I really like and I get it home and it's just not THE ONE. I think it's a little weird. I really want to find one car and be happy but I don't think it's possible. It ****s.

I've got some really cool cars right now and I was standing around them today trying to figure out if I actually want to build one and I really only want to build one of them despite half wanting to keep all of them. Even the one I want to build is just because I want to drive it once or twice and then I'd be done with it. (it's a 49 Ford coupe with a Lincoln 430 and I think it's gotta be a gas to hammer a few times)
I see all of you guys putting thousands of hours into one car and I'm jealous of your patience and desire to see that one car through like that. I hear so many guys say "that's IT. It's THE car."

The Model A roadster is too small for me and doesn't fit the family.
The 59 F100 I keep and it does make me smile to shred to Radirs with a big block and an empty bed but I can't take the kids anywhere in it.
The 64 crewcab dually solves the above problems but isn't really all that cool otherwise.
The 57 lincoln is really cool and I've got great speed parts for it but it's still just really cool and not ultimately cool.
The 60 Savoy is the same deal is above.
The 61 Imperial has some awesome features and great parts for something else
The old 49 drag car is killer and just so nostalgic and neat that I want to keep it but where can you really drive a 12:1 Lincoln motor with six dueces outside of a dragstrip? I think this could maybe be the one if I could get over it's general uselessness outside of it's phenomenally high fun factor.

I know there a lot of guys with a lot of cars so I'm guessing I'm not alone in the problem here.

I like finding stuff and I love putting it in the hands of guys who have a true p***ion for that particular car or part and just couldn't find it. I also love all of the people I meet doing this and I get a great education in the process.

My dad had a hot rod Model A sedan in the 50's and I've always wanted to build one like his except that it just doesn't speak to me either. So I can't say I want a car like Dad's and the first car I had *** in was a yellow 74 vega station wagon and technically it was with a farm animal so that doesn't really conjure up memories I need to relive either.

What is it about your car that makes you think it's the ONE?
Those of you with collections, I understand, but for the rest of you...
what is it about your one car? Is it just because you built it yourself or what?


I guess that is why I like the HAMB. I get a little dose of everything (sometimes with kick *** in-car videos too). It fills the void for me. But I would like to know, honestly, what makes a car your dream car?

 

I have not found the "one" either. I think the fun/thrill is in the search, buying and building it. Then I sell it and go do another-and another and so on. I think my dream car is the '49-52 fleetline. When I find the right one, hopefully I will know and keep it. So many cars and so little time!

 

Glad I'm not alone!

 

I'm the same way.. I have my '49 in the same state it was 6 months ago, just cause I keep seeing other things I'd like to play with. Now I have a '53...I'l probably get bored with after long or see something else interesting... It's like Car ADD or something.

 

Okay, so let's look at my list
54 Ford 223 six with too many doors.
Hmmm...whatever sickness you got p*** it on.
I guess I'm just beginning my affliction and I aspire to be 'ill' as you one day. You're a lucky dog in my book...and good luck finding that perfect ride. Hell, I'll even trade if it'll fix ya.

 

I have alot of cars, and many ideas for each one. My problem is that I collect up parts for all of them at the same time, getting to the point that I have everything I need for one, then banging one out.

That started out with 2 cars, then another, then more good deals came along. Then cooler stuff came along, then something better.

But the focus was not lost on the previous cars, so more parts are bought daily. My wife would leave me if she knew how much I've spent on car stuff. Maybe..

And I am buying more. I have to. If somewhere down the road, I sell one, or parts, it just injects more cash into the car fund.

I think someone needs to take my money away from me so I cant keep doing this forever...

Nah, **** that.

Sick for life. And I dont have the "one" either..

 

I do not know if you are curable ...

I knew from the first time I rode in a 32 Ford coupe .. ( 1960 ... I was 12 years old ) I KNEW I was a Deuce Guy. I have owned a 1932 Ford most of my life. I did get side tracked by a few 40 Ford coupes ... But always had a running/driving 32 during that time.
I think I am finished buying or selling.

I have one open and one closed 32 Ford.

Hopefully ... you can find " THE ONE " ...

 

Iv got the same problem, I cant hold onto a car, I thought I finally bought one id keep, but only having lil over 2 years I want to sell it. And my first car I had was a 60 impala, and i sold that b4 I got my license, then bought and sold a 58 chevy, then bought a 55 buick and now im not sure what im going to do with that.

I guess nothing wrong with it unless you keep on losing money

 

I'm pretty lucky. At one point I had my two favorite cars in my garage at the same time. I had a '48 Chevy sedan delivery and my '34 Ford 5W Coupe. The coupe was in WAY better shape then the delivery so I started working on the coupe. Not long after starting on the coupe, I realized that if I were to even start on the delivery, I'd prolly be in over my head. That and I had in in the garage for over two years and never so much as turned a single bolt on it. I decided to let that one go and focus on the coupe. Enter Danimal. He and his two GREAT boys came down and rescued it and are actually doning something with it. Way to go Danimal and company!!!

Hopefully, another '46-48 delivery will come along later. If not, I really have no regrets as the coupe is still my favorite of even those two.

So the coupe it is and will be for a long time. I really don't see myself selling it even after I'm done with it. I like the idea of hanging on to my first hot rod that I built. I've already warned the wife about what the next project will be and she seems cool with it and that's half the battle.

Vance

 

For me, every car/truck I've had has been "The One" until the next one came along..... I quit counting a long time ago, but it seems as though the next right one cames along every 4-5 years. Been doing this for over 30 years.

My first love would be a 32-34 Plymouth coupe, but they are kind of small, and I'm kinda big and don't like being cramped. The 39 Plymouth I have now is a little bigger then I like, I think... Maybe I need a 35/36 Plymouth coupe? But unless I should stumble across one I can afford this, 39 is staying around for a while. Gene

 

cars are like women, there are too many good lookin ones to commit to just one

 

Did you post this so you could mention the chicken ***?

 

I couldn't agree more!

Malcolm

 

Ironic that you should ask that, because after a long winter of family related health problems.. plenty of time to think, I've decided what *my* car needs to be. I want to replicate (finish) my first car, a '55 Ford 4 door that I owned from Aug. of '67 until it was totaled by a drunken driver in November. I haven't found the right one as I need to sell another car to finace it, but it will happen.

The '55 was nothing special, just a half ***ed rod under construction when I lost her. After owning 200++ cars and not being completely satisfied with any, I feel the need to build this car for my own happiness even though the original was long since crushed.. My plan, modified little from the original intentions as a hick HS hot rod of the era wouldn''t turn many heads but I'm building this one strictly for ME! **** cruise nights, car shows and such.... I could give a damn about impressing others. Once I build this Ford, I may be free to build another, who can say? But I plan to keep the '55 forever, just as I had in '67.

Jan

 

i remember telling my girlfriend "if i had to choose between my 36' plymouth and her i would choose the plymouth" still got the plymouth 30 years later and 3 dozen other cars.

 

dude girls will come and they will go 'just like strippers' but your dog and your car now thats forever.

 

I hope you find the "ONE" for you. I think have found the "ONE" for me because I still get a little giddy each time I open the garage door to take her out. I smile when I think about it when Im away and feel good about her when I am here.

I gave the one behind it to my daughter.

 

I think for a car to become the one, it takes time. You pick up a rod that grabs you, make it yours and then over time you and the car develop a relationship. Of course this depends on if the car REALLY grabbed you in the first place.

The longer you and that car or truck stay together, the more places you go, the more times you brake down, the more stormy weather you travel thru, the more times you sleep in the back seat waiting for the gates to open at some swap meet, etc. etc. the more it becomes a friend you'd never be able to see get away.

 

I can't be a one car guy either. I will take quanity over quality any day. I have been a car nut since my teen years. I have owned more cars than I can remember. A 32 buddy asked me the other day how many 32 fords have I owned. I couldn't give a definate answer. Many cars I wish I still owned but sold way back when for pennies on the dollars today. .

Its the impulse that grabs me on new cars projects. I always have good plans for each project but eventually someone wants the car more than I do and down the road it goes. The novelty does wear off. Sometimes it takes a few years and sometimes a few weeks. I almost always make a buck or two and that just carries on to more cars or grocery money.

Its an affliction Scooby. Uncurable. Just make the best of it and enjoy. You might want to keep a log of the cars you have owned. Every few years update your little book. In your rocker on the porch in your golden years you will share stories of the old days and a little jog to the memory helps.

So I can't help on the one car theme. I can't do it. The more the merrier I say. Steve

 

I am an old schooler grew up in the fifties and sixties in Southern Cal. My first ride in an old car was my cousin took me and my sister to the beach in a 28 Ford woodie. I of course was hooked imeadiately and had to have an old car. As soon as I was old enough I bought a 51 Ford Country Squire woodie the rest as they say is history. After a Miriad of cars and trucks mostly hot rodded and customized I settled in on kustom cars for their beauty. Of course they had to be Caddy's and Buick's for shear cl***. So I ended up in a 50 seadanette two door Buick Special with a 77 Cadillac undercarriage and drivetrain. Yes this is the car I was born for there is no other and they are like a good woman when you finally get the right one. I live for my wife and this what I call the "Buidillac" the car I've always wanted. Don't get me wrong I like to look at other cars and enjoy their beauty but I always come back to my Buidillac the car of my dreams. Rags

 

Ron, you need to find a car that you and the family can enjoy. A sedan driver. Something that has a hotrod look...room for the wife and kids...a big enough engine to fulfill your compe***ive nature but tame enough for the street and highway. How about an "A" sedan thru '40 Ford?? I've had my '32 sedan 14 years now. It's been on the road 7 years and I would'nt think of selling or trading it for anything. It's like an old pair of shoes or jeans...really comfortable and showing it's age but it has a lot of fond memories with my wife...rod runs...and many miles of smiles. You just gotta find the right car and make it yours.

 

Well said. I fall in the same cat. I have way to much race in me and its really hard to put the 2 togather. I like the really old style but I also want to go well over a 100 in a 1/4 . I love my new 5 window but it reall hurts my back right now so thats working on me. My tudor with a 4" windshield I could drive all day long and I really loved it BUT it didnt have interior. Mabee a falcon will help me out... Good luck on your quest.

 

I brought the 57 Lincoln two door Capri to the house yesterday and never realized what a decent car that really is. Pretty good interior, great body, runs but needs paint and brightwork. Shamrock fell in love with it right away and now it's growing on me too. It's an elegant car that seats the whole family but still has a cool custom look to it. It's not fast and the speed parts are a waste on it so I'm not going to run them. It's got potential. I think I'll tool around in it a bit and see what happens.

I agree about cars growing on you. My 59 F100 and I have been through so much together that even though I take it for granted, I don't think I could really ever sell it. It's worth way more to me than to anyone else. I guess I just need to keep something else long enough to see if that happens again.

 

that ****s for you guys! when I saw her ( My Merc ) it was love at first site and everyday I work on here I fall more in love! "Cars are like women you have to go through all the wrong ones till you find the right one!" im just one 1 our of 1000 that happen to find the right one first = )

 

i thought i was the only one. i love the cars when i get them, can't wait to work on them, but somewhere near the end (or middle) i find myself looking at other cars. when i get them done i'm having fun driving them for a while, then it seems the shine where off and it's kinda like it just another car. then the process starts over with a new car. i cant tell you how many times i wished i be one of those people who find "the one" and be happy as a clam all the time with it and it only. i think some of has to do with me getting total piles of **** and spending many years bringing it back. doing work that i'm not the greatest at (body work) and it taking forever with little results each day. i think i need to start off with a better condition car then maybe it wont be so bad.

 

Well, I dont know what the 49 looks like, but Ive p***ed up many cars due to the 12.5 to 1 compression ratio deal. Personally Im just not into tearing into motors anymore. But it sounds like the 49 is a cool car, tah you really like but the fact that it needs good fuel is a limiting factor. What if you took the CR down to about 10.0 to 1, that way you could drive it on the street, provided its has lights, etc, as I said, I dont know if this thing is an all out race car or not. If the lower CR makes it less of an animal, you could ways add some gear to it.

 

Over the years I have found that I love them all..I started off thinking the 55-57 Chevy was the coolest, end of search. They became like belly****ons (they are still the coolest) now I'm into Studebakers..At one time, in the 80s, I had in my garage, 57 Nomad, 64 Riviera, 62 Galaxie convertable, 39 Chevy, Norton Commando and a BMW R90S, all drivers, you'd think that would be enough..But nooo..still haven't owned 33-34 Ford and 62 Corvette..I have driven old vettes and find that I really can't get my legs past the dogleg A pillar, but so what...I still have the Riviera, bought it in 79, it has been a long love affair...

 

What I like about my old cars is that they are WAY different than the modern car I drive.

My theory is if you put a bunch of modern stuff in an older car, like gauges, seats, steering column, automatic transmission, it makes it more like an average modern car.

I think old cars are cool because of the technology that isn't used today. I like them because they are old and still do the same thing.

if you put some 80s autozone gauges in an old car, it just looks like a dated new car, and reduces the excitement

 

Got a pic of the 64 crew cab dually?? I didn't think they had crew cabs back then---not sure what they look like..

Roadrat

 

OMG I thought I was the only one with this affliction. Maybe it is just the thrill of the hunt. Maybe we all need to meet up and swap cars for a weekend just to get it out of our system.

We could be like Hot Rod *******s. One weekend we have a Duece, the next a surf wagon, the following a Cabriolet and then the next a T-Bucket and then.......



See where this is going??

Scott