People with no mechanical skills buying old cars

The only thing required to own any car is a driver's permit and insurance, no where does it say you must be "gifted" in order to own a classic......blue collar snobbery aint cool.

 

In your opening post you said people have more money than brains when taking an old vehicle in for repairs because they can't do it themselves .And tied to your thread title it comes off as arrogance on your part because you do the repairs so therefor they somehow shouldn't be owning old stuff. That's how I see it . Now I don't know you personally,might be misjudging your statement so perhaps I might be a bit arrogant or elitist for my statement.

 

Some guy my dad knows wanted to buy his coupester for some ungodly amount of money. The catch was that he wanted my dad to be his personal pit crew because he didn't know shit about how to work on a car.

He passed on the deal....

 

I am a motor head and not a fucking poet and probably could have worded it better but what I was wanting to say is I hate seeing people who are clueless get a old car and end up over their head and having everyone that touch it rip them off while not doing the job correctly,in the end it makes a cheap car for us when they give up on it. I think the people who have the money to have cars built are the arrogant ones,try asking them questions about it and see what answers you get. A couple years ago I was loading up my fishing boat at the lake and a couple comes up with a 40s wood boat and since I am interested in them I tried to ask some questions about it all, I got was the year since he knew nothing about it and has it worked on when it quits and if I was not there those two would have scraped it up getting it back on the trailer since they had no clue on how to do it. Yes people who do not have a clue should not own certain things and I am done.

 

some times its not a lack of skill i busted up my hip 3 years ago and just cant
do the work my self any more i'll give up the money long befor i give my old cars

 

would rather see someone with no ability get an old car than someone with no style

 

Unfortunately it seems that more often than not, these two go hand in hand

 

Let me know if you need help we can both learn. I am in Friendswood.

 

there is only one way to learn Buy a piece of shit!!!

 

Thats my issue - no time to work on them, & I'm an ex-mechanic!! Now I'm a paper-pusher working 12 hr days

I wish I had more spare time to learn welding though.

 

Skills schmills! With todays technology anyone can have an old car, things such electronic distributors, efi conversions, and power disc brakes/steering who really needs to know how to work on em? Top off the fluids and go.

I'm not condoning these things, just sayin'

 

I do all my routine maint (oil, rotations) on my OT dailies. Mechanic gets most anything more complicated - I don't want to deal with getting in over my head on a car that's GOTTA get me to work tomorrow. That's stress I don't need.

But my deal with myself is that on my old cars, I do everything I possibly can myself. (a) I learn stuff, (b) I save some dough - so I can afford to have them, and (c) sometimes it's even satisfying. If I get stuck on something, I just close the shop & think it over or check with my forum buddies - no rush, no deadlines, no stress. Would I still turn wrenches if money wasn't an issue? Probably at least some. I like being hands on. Do I care if YOU turn your own wrenches? Nope - none of my business.

There are times when I'd like some help on the old cars - problem is I need to find a good quality mechanic willing to touch 'em. Most won't.

 

The genesis of our sport is being lost or in some cases was never found or sought by persons in our sport that desire the "old cars" ! For a lot of us enthusiasts it's a "job lot" to have our finger prints passionately emblazoned on all that transpires on our rides & projects, for others that passion, either by design or necessity does not exist! The source of knowledge available to all HAMB ers in this forum is a powerfully learning resource to persons that are seeking some of that knowledge! Hillbilly, technology may not be the catalyst for people who want automotive simplicity at its incipient stages! This thread was always going to generate imotive response, which is expected with so many people being as passionate as theft are, that's my 5c worth to!

 

I fix your computers, I love cars if it's something beyond me YOU can help me fix it for me.

 

Just to provide a little perspective. I frequent "alot" of forums, and there have been many times I've been left to wonder where the author learned to form a sentence. I know I can't do everything, like prevent run-on sentences, or not end sentences with a preposition like this. I know there are a bunch of people out there who have more money than brains, but I just can't see how they obtained it without the basic ability to form a paragraph. If I couldn't put together a mediocre paragraph, I would be in debt, so, why do people who don't bother to proof read use text based forums?

Don't take it to heart, just meant to point out that we all have our flaws.

 

Who says you can't buy Cool ?

 

Just to provide a little perspective. I frequent "alot" of forums, and there have been many times I've been left to wonder where the author learned to form a sentence. I know I can't do everything, like prevent run-on sentences, or not end sentences with a preposition like this. I know there are a bunch of people out there who have more money than brains, but I just can't see how they obtained it without the basic ability to form a paragraph. If I couldn't put together a mediocre paragraph, I would be in debt, so, why do people who don't bother to proof read use text based forums?

Don't take it to heart, just meant to point out that we all have our flaws.



You didn't spell "welder" correctly in your biography, or "a lot" in the above paragraph. Don't take me seriously, I never do!

 

Buy it or build it.

Just don't buy it and claim you built it.

 

As a weldor, I can assure you, I did, and "alot" was in quotations for a reason.

I don't take me seriously either, but, my OCD is freaking out right now.

 

This is your chance to teach him something...

Encourage the man to use his hands. He will be less of a 'poser' and you will pass down the tradition of hot rodding.

 

I sell projects and parts for old fords, and not all my custermers have the time or the ability to build the car, they are busy making money and lots of it, which in turn gives me and my friends jobs so we can survive, I don't sell enough to make a living from just the sales, so god bless them, some times I'll sell one to a young kid and I'll try to help him as much as I can.
None of us was born with knoledge and I learn something every day I work on a car, botom line , some of us learned to make money and others learned to work on cars, it's a win win situation for both parties.

 

read this guys thread...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=695145

 

Also, somethingelse to consider.
I earn a tad over a 1000 a month, and with this pay here in europe chances to do anything are scarce. I had to learn to do everything in order to have the car where i wanted it, and in all honesty if i made 3 times that some of the work would be farmed out.
You dont have to enjoy every single aspect of buildin a car. I hate body work, but i cant afford it as its the most expensive thing to have done by a 3rd party.
makes sense?

 

Thank you, I needed that.

 

Plumbing is easy! Shit goes downhill and payday is Thursday...

 

You forgot "the hot goes on the left".

 

X2 short, sweet, and to the point...jack

 

Hell, people with no mechanical skills also buy new cars! And they're expensive!
If you get an old car you can spend the money you would have spent on new car payments on maintenance for your old car.

 

As long as they understand that when they buy that amazing deal of a $200 field car and think they will fix it up themselves for $100 and finish it in a weekend, don't call me thinking that I will enjoy putting the next 2 years of weekends working for frozen pizzas and warm beer..
There are far too many projects bought that they buyer bit off more than they can chew, unless their intent was to learn various skills and enjoy the experience for many years. I always recommend new individuals with limited auto repair knowlwdge to buy something already running and driving. There is always more than enough stuff to do on a car to just keep it maintained and repaired, add on the desire to personalize / customize is a full plate already.
A second car for a long-term project can then be added as skills develop.

 

I think if someone wants to buy an old car for what ever reason, be it bring back memories of their dads ect, and they arent mechanical, but can financially afford the repaires or restorations, then who am I to say nay, or otherwise ridicule???

I wish I had their money...