how can I love cars and not love a car?

Your buying process is backward. You're buying what you find, and falling in love on the spot.

The cars you love were probably defined when you were 14. Start seeking those cars even if the apparent budget won't support it.

Overall, building one dream car is cheaper than building 2 others and selling because they were cool, but not "it"

You may not be buying nice enough? Even though you could build/repair a whole car, do you really need to every time? Sometimes the fun isn't in the patch panels, it's in turning a driver quality ride into a showstopper.

Functionality be damned.

 

My problem is I never owned the car of my dreams. Back in 1961 I got my first drivers license in a '57 Ford (my sister's) and I've loved them ever since. I've owned everything from a '51 Henry J (1st car) to my current ride '63 Thunderbird and still no '57 Ford, anybody want to trade for a nice '63 Bird?

 

also it helps to have time and a budget............
time to work on it and some sorta budget to buy parts or at least tools to make the parts. i worked on pre '74 cars for years just for the love of the cars and stayed at a slow shop (commision based pay) just so i could work there at nights doing what i loved. also the money was secondary to the cars so i charged very little (i know it was my fault) to keep the customers coming back. this left me with little time and even less money for my own cars or tools. i learned that i wasn't making customers for a business, i was making friends (i use that term very loosely). which brings me to now, i have a steady regular job (since march) that i can afford parts/tools, so i hope the fire to build will return soon.........

 

Wish I had this problem.

 

for some reason back in my formative years I decided that 49 - 54 chevys look really cool. this was back in the 70's, before they were really popular like today.

bought my 49 chevy coupe in 1976 and still have it. had about 40 other cars in between but this one stays. never even thought about selling it. if I were to win the lottory I'd build a ****load of 49-50's in all body styles from stockers to g***ers to wild customs. not sure why.. I just really like the lines of these cars.

 

I am going to sell the T and try again with an F-100. My wife and I had a nice long talk (she is cool) and she said "what make you happy?" I said "my truck" (2003 F150 - 5th F150 and favorite ever, it's a keeper)...so, I am getting out of the little 'gl*** rocket and going to try an old version of the truck I love so much. Anyone want to buy a really clean '27 roadster?
http://www.williamjamesgibson.com/Vehicles/Courtney/Courtney2a.html

 

Over 100 cars and they are all gone with the exception of the '32 5w that's been here over 35 years and my daily '32 2dr. I started on the 5w after my accident and when the ch***is was done it went under the 2 dr so I could have a family type ride.
The 5w will never leave and I've been collecting parts for as long as I've had it. With the price of gas going through the roof I'm betting that it doesn't get driven as much as the 2 dr when it does get done. Something about a 435hp 427/ 5spd/quick change doesn't sound like a long hauler to me so I'll just subs***ute MPG with smiles per mile.
Almost forgot about the '32 roadster, another project. That should get the NASCAR 9:1 motor so the wife and I can get what's left of our hair blown.
It seems that I'm not settled on "A" car as much as a make and year. Who would have ever thought that '32 Fords would hold anyone's interest? Hope I never find out what's wrong with me.

Frank

 

a farm animal?....... what? dont have anything im realy married to but anyway the car that speeks to me I have built in my head.....a 32 3 window channeled but not chopped, full race 331 caddy mill with 6 chromed stromberg jugs, Lasalle 3 speed, a quick change, like 20 coats of hand rubbed laquer , chrome finned buick drums, chrome dropped and drilled axle with chrome hairpins, white tuck N roll, 60 impala wheel, bias ply white walls all the way around with cheaters out back.a full tool kit in the trunk with all the tools hung up really cool lookin like they did in the 50s ect.... but i dont have a million dollars so that might never happen.....but just imagine how cool it would be

 

As much as I love modified cars, there's something here that I think often gets glossed over: Nothing drives, rides, sounds or feels like an old car. It is a unique experience, and part of the car's intrinsic value.

If you modify the car in ways that enhance its character and not just its performance or appearance, the experience gets better. If you disregard what the car is and just throw a bunch of new components and systems on it, you'll end up with a very capable but soulless car that bears no resemblance to what it once was.

Thanks for saying it like it is, Elrod.

 

+1

I can't figure why truly modern stuff like digital gauges, bucket seats, rack and pinion, and A/C are put in old cars. It isn't "old" any more if you do that. I'm not totally against upgrades but it's a slippery slope...

I had this same discussion with myself about the "perfect car", about 14 cars ago. Also about the "perfect bike", about 6 bikes back. I quit thinking about it, if I get tired of a vehicle, it's gone.

 

Brother I can relate! I retired a year ago Feb. and decided I would buy just one more car for a project and now fifteen months later I still haven't found "the one". Even at car shows I don't vote for peoples choice as no one car really does it for me. I have come to the conclusion that for me the thrill is in the hunt, so the hell with it I'm going to buy, sell, trade, work on, and just generally play cars for the rest of my life. I hope you can find the right one for you but if you don't you're certainly not alone. Good Luck, Mike.

 

Maybe you guys don't remember these pic's. The first one is the day I brought my Merc home(ran out of gas),and the second one is when my water pump went out on the way home from the Primer Nats 06. My wife gave me so much ****. I just told her "I don't care...it's the car i've always wanted...so what". My Merc IS the one! I still want to build a Hotrod,but my Merc will always be the one for me.

 

Lets just say I can't afford "The one". Someday I will build "The One". That will be a good day. Until then keep lookin and enjoy what you have!

 

I thought i was alone..but it seems there`s a few others with "the problem".What I find is that I start out knowing exactly what I want but by the time it`s finished,usually 4/5 years ,it`s lost it`s lustre and another idea has been formed.I agree with the poster who called it an addiction..he`s bang on..it`s a lifelong thing and no getting out, even if you wanted to.I have in the garage a cherry original 36 3 window that I searched long and hard for...I had to have one...18 months later I`m straying back to deuces in my mind.One big problem I have is that I love the look of the 36 3 window beater that appears on Dons HotRod Page(sorry I don`t know the owners name).but I can`t leave anything alone and always end up rebuilding everything back to mint condition, engine,trans,axles,body, paint, everything, and then it isn`t what I desire....My heart says "beater" but my head says"**** about with it",,,happens every time.

It`s also a fact, that I love hunting down cars and parts and get a real buzz out of landing them....maybe I`ll end up being one of them Hoarders with loads of stuff "thats not for sale"...

 

Must be certifiably Car Crazy!!!!!!!!!!

 

Some guys have the "love of the hunt". Others are just car guys. Some just love to build. My p***ion has always been for Mercurys. I have friends that only love VW's. One thinks ElCamino's rule the world. Who's right? They're all right! We all have our own poison. I just can't stand the guy who's in it just for the money. Or those guys who spend "****LOADS" of money to win the AMBR award. WTF!

 

i like the hunt but ive chilled cause at one point i had like five cars and i'm a dumb *** so when some **** brakes i can only fix it to a point then i look for help and thats what brings me to the hamb cause all these other people around dont know what there talkin bout and it just leads to more problems i cut alot of boat anker chains down to 2 projects see i dont know the first thing bout paint'n and i posted a thread and i got hate mail, dude the hamb's the best thing yet for me ~I LOVE THE HAMB~

 

Oh, man! I wish I had your problem: Which cool old car do I drive today? My car is "the one" because that's the only thing I could get my hands on. So I do the best with what I got, and I came up with something unique. I guess that made the decision easier. Kinda like marriage in a way. She was the only one that'd have me, so, she was "the one." Heh! Good luck scoob.

 

I was into imports for a while. Nothing there what-so-ever to be "the one". Chevy muscle cars came next on the obsession list. Lustworthy, but cookie-cutter. Everybody's got one and they're all just so-so. No personality.

I ran into my '62 galaxie just by chance. Let me repeat. Chevy guy. My family is full of chevy guys. Ford was the devil when I was growing up. And now i'm hooked. The damn thing's cantankerous as hell, leaks, sputters, and often won't start well. And I love it. Don't know why, but i've picked up quite an obsession with 60-64 fords and FE engines. Destiny? Maybe I've found that one right off the bat. Who knows?

 

In best Darth Vader voice: Welcome to the darkside... Seriously, as long as its old and neat, who cares what brand it is? Hopefully, my Galaxie will be the one, because my 1951 F-2 sure wasn't...I lost interest in that one pretty quick.

 

I was given a Model A body and frame when I was in the hospital battling cancer when I was 11 years old (18 years ago as I am now 29 years old). I battled cancer for 2 years and it nearly took my life. During this time my dad, my uncles (car guys) and my dad's car guy friends would bring me pictures or magazines with Model A's in them. I would sketch what I wanted the car to look like. Generally it's one thing that kept me going. I was given less than a 5% chance of living, but beat the odds and survived and went on living life. Over time I kept the dream of my Model A alive and now have 2 in the stable -- the 30 I was given when I was 11 and a 31 I bought a little over a year ago.