Hot Rods Where old hot rodders retire

This past Winter has been colder than most in the past, but a Texan is more likely to have a Port-A-Cool in his garage than a heater. Some even have A/C units. A few years ago, San Antonio had 59 days of 100%+, and some elderly people died. Austin has several speed shops and many hotrod-streetrods, AND the best car show in April called the LONESTAR ROUNDUP, but the taxes are exhorbatively high. You might try San Antonio. Good Luck in your decision. P.S. I hope you can make the LSRU, LonestarRoundup, April 17-18.

 

I agree with you 100%, Texas Webb. I drive our roadster nearly everynight in the Summer, and (usually) many days in the Winter. It is way too hot in the heat of the day for open-top rides or motorcycles.

 

Yes, the strands are threadbare. I think the wire was imported.

 

Well stated, TagMan. Well stated. Good Luck.

 

Moved to Naples, FL. 8 years ago from snowy Ct. With my deuce And never looked back. Hot Rod culture is alive & well, no state income tax, and the NSRA nats in Tampa as well as the Turkey run in Daytona are only a few hours drive.

 

You will find plenty hogs to shoot. Those medium-size sows are really tasty. Texans are members of PETA, People Eating Tasty Animals. Come on down.

 

Sounds to me like with a little tweaking, you've got it made!! As others have said, SNOWBIRD! Live in WI 'til after bow season, then load up the hot rod and drive to see grand kids. Pick a coast and put up a garage with an apartment above it. Fly over to see the other grand kids...... April? Come on back home.

 

I have lived in Ohio, ( 20 years ), Florida ( 8 years ) , Georgia ( 27 years ) and Alabama for the last 10 years. I live in Alabama because my Son needs some help but I would love to live in the North Georgia Mountains or nearby in Tenn or N.C. Not too hot, not too cold. Beautiful country and near by for car stuff. Great for motorcycle riding also.

 

I like Austin; but it's pricey. It's in need of infrastructure improvements. Great place to visit. I'm surprised I haven't heard anyone consider Arkansas or Louisiana. Like Oklahoma, it's cheaper to live there. Regardless how far south you go, winter weather is a factor; but don't forget earthquakes caused by oil drilling and tornadoes. Mother nature is always a factor. Just flip a coin or use a dartboard. Happy hunting.

 

I might do the fix up the garage thing since I like the area (except for the few winter months) and can afford to live here after retirement. I can always go to somewhere warmer for a couple of weeks at a time when I want to.

 

I knew a fellow that moved back to Wisconsin, he wanted to live where there were 4 seasons. We have two, WARM RAIN & COLD RAIN.

 

I would leave Pennsyl"rainia" in a heartbeat if it wasn't for my wife. It all depends on what you want to deal with. In places where it is "hot" you stay inside in the a/c. In places where it's "cold", you stay inside where it's warm. I can deal with the heat. I hate the cold and snow. I call snow "sky shit".

 

As much as I despise the Maine winter, we don't have to worry much about tornados, earth quakes, floods, hurricanes, wild fires, land slides, etc..

 

I think we need to start a retirement community where you have to own an old car. Also, along with a town hall is a large shop, heated and air conditioned. Centrally located and everyone has a key to the place so we all would have someplace to go and BS.

 

I'll offer a different viewpoint based on my actual life experience. All well and good to pack up and move in retirement, lot of good suggestions in this thread. But have a plan, down the road, when you need family close to help you in times of trouble. Recently there was a sobering article on NH radio about the number of Granite State families now having to "recover" their elders from places like Arizona when they found them in need of medical help/life help in their 80s. I haven't seen any comments in this thread that go that far down life's journey to the point where independence is threatened by reality and trying to get help from family a thousand miles away doesn't work. Not trying to wet blanket retirement moves to better climes, just saying part of that vision needs to include how/where you get family support/help when life throws you a curve. We all still think of ourselves as "immortal", maybe less than we did at 18, but nonetheless human nature is such no one really wants to think about serious life challenges until reality dope slaps us. Mine came when my wife with her memory issues could not care for me following a serious hospitalization and my daughter had to take FMLA time off from work to take care of me. She could do that as she lived just a few miles from us. So here I sit, surrounded by huge snowdrifts in NH where the average temp last month was 12 degrees but content in the knowledge all my kids are within 20 min of our condo. Just saying............

 

^^^Eye opening^^^

 

We don't retire!

 

Ha, thought about that many times.

I'm considering a second home in a place away from the SF Bay Area (native I am). But to keep in touch with family, friends, events etc. I wouldn't want to be too far away. But to be far enough away you really need an airplane to go back and forth because of urban sprawl and traffic. But getting a plane and learning to fly are a whole 'nother experience I'm not sure I want to get involved with at my age, trying to simplify life. Plus then you need hot rods at both locations. Wait, maybe that part is OK

 

I think there is one, sort of. Saw an add a few years ago on racingjunk. It had a circle track, drag strip and an airport were the small planes could be taxied to your garage. The pictures showed some of the roads being put in and work being done on the tracks. Probably a little rich for my wallet but pretty cool. I believe it was in Arizona and don't know if it was ever finished. The 08-09 bank bailout killed a lot of developments.

 

I wonder why no one wants to move to Connecticut?

 

This and last winters have been hard for me. I have always said that I would not leave my home(Indiana), but I have been giving it a second thought. The problem is where I live it used to be a General Motors town with about 50,000 people working for GM in a town of about 70,000. GM has left town with zero GM plants left now. I just about shut the lights off when I retired. So houses are kind of hard to sell around here. I could not move my shop anyway so I am going to stay here for now and when I feel the urge, just travel to someplace warmer for a few weeks or more.
So next winter I told my wife we ought to go to California for a month or two or three. Jan., Feb., Mar. I would like to rent a house out there, anyone know of any? I would plan on driving one of my hot rods out and my wife would fly out. She does not think she could take the drive.

 

Kentucky is green, treed and rolling hills with loads of car activity. Excellent proximity to all kinds of rod runs in In, Tn, and Oh. We also have a beach house in the Florida Pan Handle which is truly Gods Country with less car activity. Best beaches and no crowds. Excellent hunting, fishing and seafood.

 

Like its been mentioned here, Lk Havasu & Prescott Az. are pretty good locations, except for the triple digit summer in Havasu. I moved from Mi. to Kingman Az. 3 years ago and I'm sure not going back. Taxes & real estate are good here. There's plenty of car related stuff to do in Kingman, plus Lk. Havasu is only 60 mi. away and Vegas is only 100. Usually if it snows here at all, if you sleep too late you'll miss it.

 

I've lived in Central Texas and loved it but it does get seriously hot in the summer and at least in the Waco area just up I 35 100 miles from Austin a 30 degree day in the winter is more miserable than a 0 degree day in Wisconsin. To me the hill country west of Austin would be a great place to retire If I ever moved back to Texas. My sister in law and her hubby live out a few miles sw of Ryan's home base and at their place you feel like you have the world to yourself but are a bit over 30 minutes from down town .

 

...And I'll be calling Bullshit on that one! Tell ya what, why don't you come out here this summer when it's 100-120 day and night from June through September, and we'll cruise my 430 horse avatar (My 20 year daily driver other then the 'bucket) around in traffic here with no A/C.... That'll be the test of how tough you are! I'll make it all day, but I seriously doubt you will. I get really tired of ignorant statements like that coming from folks that have no serious hot weather.

'Bout like me wondering why some would need a heater...

 

But it's a DRY Heat.

 

Just skip to the chase and come out to Arizona. The Phoenix area is where EVERYBODY that is into hot rods ends up at some point, and we have the most vibrant scene ANYWHERE out side of L.A. Today is rainy and only about 60, but I could easily go to 7 different car shows or events that I can think of around town, and all will be full up.

This comes with a couple of warnings though. If you are coming from the Midwest or upper Midwest, real estate can be shockingly expensive. It is offset by inexpensive taxes, so there is that. My uncle from St. Paul damn near had a heart attack when I mentioned that I managed to drop my water bill from 100.00 a month to 80.00. My summer time electricity bill for a 1200 square foot house is about 500.00 a month. That brings us to the summers...

Everybody hears about our summers and thinks, "Ya, it's a dry heat, I can do it just fine..." And then they lock themselves in from May through September. It really is that bad, and I have known several first year folks here that have completely freaked out the first week it never went below 100 or so 24 hours a day. It'll do that for months on end. And, I have lived here for over 40 years, more bad news, you never really "get used to it". Be ready, and have some space to be elsewhere for a month or two out of the summer and you'll have enough of a break that you can survive it.

A couple of folks have suggested Prescott, AZ. Damned nice place to be. It's at 5000 feet, and is about as mild as it gets. It'll get snow a week or two out of the winter, but it's more like 90 or so instead of 120 like we get here less than 100 miles away in the valley. Again, EVERYBODY that is a hot rodder ends up there at some point or another, and especially the town of Chino Valley just a bit north, is literally a hot rodder enclave where almost every garage holds a rod or collector car. the draw backs to Prescott? Again, high prices, and it is a smaller town, so someone like me that lives in the heart of a huge city might not be as comfortable up there. Then there is that pesky occasional snow kind thing... I personally don't do that - at all!

 

It's Tennessee for me, born and raised in Chicago (54 years). I have a nice heated 1200 sq. ft. shop but I need to get out, can't take it any longer, this city is crazy and cold in the winter, as soon as my house sells I'm gone.

 

One last thought on the Phoenix/Prescott area. You know all those bitchin' L.A. shows that you read about every year, and you always plan to take a "once in a lifetime " trip out west to go see? Ya, well they are only 5 hours away by car, so you go to them! GNRS or LARS weekend, I kid you not, this town is a ghost town! we all go over quite frequently to any and every event over there. I have always dug that.

 

About 25 years ago, my wife and I decided on a vacation to Phoenix for the indy car race at PIR, second weekend of April. We got on a plane in Minneapolis at 30 degrees and light snow, got off the plane in Phoenix 4 hrs later at 104 degrees. Oh my God, it felt nice, for about a half hour, then the search for shade (or any coolness) started. After 5 days, I was so very happy to get back to Wisconsin and 30 degree weather and spring showers and May flowers and all that is good in my life. I might get drawn away for a winter, but 3 of the 4 seasons here are very nice. snakes here are minimal and non-violent, yeah we have tornadoes as does a lot of our country, no floods where I live, kids and grandkids are all within 4 hrs driving time. After reading this whole thread, I think I will start running the numbers on updating my garage's winter-worthiness.