Ever just want to walk away from the old car thing?

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MileHighDart

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Just can't get into it lately, for years I've spent every available penny and huge amounts of time on my car. And still when I drive it, it's like, it's OK, but still not what I want it to be. Needs more power, or its too loud, or this still rattles,etc.
I'd like to do some big money things to it, like build a better engine, ad a gearvendors, or fuel injection. But don't really have money for that, and just don't ever feel like working on the car.
Just frustrating not being able to do the things that will make it more fun to drive.
Maybe I'm just getting to old and used to the comforts on newer cars.
 
Even grabbing a drink of any kind and driving is a pain in the arse. Prop it up in the console, and hope it doesnt spill.
The basics like a cupholder were nonexistent then.
Yes Dads has the odd creak/groan/rattle but its worth it in the end with the amount of smiles and thumbs up I get in it.
Most people ask if its got a 340 or 383, I would love to have either of those in there, but gotta tough it out with the lil ol 273.
My problem is now that I have the 67, Im always puttering/spending on it and the 69 sits and is getting a complex lol
 
The modern muscle cars have had me questioning what I'm doing with mine. I thought about a new challenger, but anyone with a good credit rating can buy one of those. Mine will be mine! One of a kind. When I drive it this summer, I hope all is worth it.

Cley
 
I think we all get in the rut from time to time. I have both modern muscle (06 Daytona Charger, GPS, Moonroof, A/C, Hemi, Pearl Paint, Power everything, handles like a dream, SRT hood, aftermarket exhaust, four doors and all and I Love it!
On the other side I have a 71 Sassy Grass 340wedge, go wing, V24, manual brakes, manual steering, radio delete, Rubber floor mat, and I Love it. Night and Day. Only one gets the garage, the Duster, only one has history, Duster, and gets more looks and thumbs ups,, Duster. The Duster doesn't handle all that well, although for what it is, it handles good, steering and brakes are no where near a new car, but it has a special feel, a sound, a smell, it takes me back to when young men bought muscle cars for fun, not old men using their 401K's. It reminds me of Led Zeppelin and what got me into cars since I was old enough to walk. There is no substitute. I love both but when one has to go, Goodbye Charger, The Duster is irreplaceable.
 
I've let cars sit and taken a break but never gave it up. That's through 4 GM projects, 1 Fox Mustang and 6 Mopars in 27 years. I have a 06 Charger RT that's mostly stock to get away in when a project is apart and grinding me down. Never have them all apart at once is what I learned. Couple of people I know who walked away regretted it soon after and were back from scratch. Taking a break is not giving up.
 
they will never make cars like they did in the late 60s and early 70s ...never again

they call the new ones muscle cars but it's just not the same and never will be no matter how many four door chargers you try to paint in high impact colors.

I feel like I am in an alien spaceship when I am in a new car and it has little voices talking and telling you where to turn and everything is plastic and smells funny. I get in my dart daily driver and everything is metal and there is no radio (radio delete plate) and the slant six has a familiar sound and I can tell when something is not right. I am one with the car the whole journey.

I will give up my old cars when I am dead and even still, I will probably persist.
 
Get in your car with the missus, pick a direction (NOT a destination), and just go.

Cures it for me....
 
Blasphemy.
Keep talking like that and your car will end up running away from home.

Try having one of your grown kids move back in with 8mo old twins, and you'll be pretty happy to find something to do on it. :D
 
The new cars are so nice!! 80mph at 2,000 rpm, and still click off a 13 second quarter or faster!
 
YES, every day. As time wears on I spend less and less time out in the shop. For me age,eye site,and the fact my patience is ever growing thinner BECAUSE of the age,eye site.bla,bla bla. My Valiant is much more forgiving and quietly waits for me to return,never ever has it complained........

Rainy Day, you are right.My daughter asked if I would change the oil in her 2016 Dodge Journey. When I got in I didn't even know how to start it,,no key?? Nope just lay this box on the dash and push this button........................Not for me please.My 79 Chrysler is new enough.
 
blueduster said:
Couple of people I know who walked away regretted it soon after and were back from scratch. Taking a break is not giving up.
Click to expand...

I walked away in 08, I had a race car; trailer, and motorhome- complete racing operation.. sold it all... fast forward to 2014... bought another car... 2016 back at the race track...

Lost lots of money selling everything. .. cost a lot more money to buy stuff now...

My advice.. take a break and do something else for a minute but don't sell it. You will regret it.
 
Trail Beast,,Or when your 90 year old Mother-in-law moves in with you....I think the Vailant will become my very good friend again.
 
Darter6 said:
Trail Beast,,Or when your 90 year old Mother-in-law moves in with you....I think the Vailant will become my very good friend again.
Click to expand...

Yep, and don't forget ya got to go for those test drives.

In my house if someone needs to go to the store, or needs something from up town I'm the first one with my hand in the air. LOL
 
O.K., get over the cost of things. By the sounds of it you can do your own work. That is a very good thing. I have a 340 with a 6-71 blower sitting on top. Sounds like a ton of money, NOT. The entire engine from pan to scoop cost $4500. That is with brand new forged internals and machine work. It can be done you just can't be in a hurry. Figure out what you really want and then start picking up a part here and a part there when you see a great deal on something that you need to fulfill you goal. It took me two years to scavenge the parts I needed and that included a blower setup off a drag boat half a continent away.
The biggest part in all of it was deciding what I really wanted. Once I figured that out the rest just fell into place. The money was mostly a few dollars here and a few dollars there saving over a three year period.

Get back in the saddle and ride again, it's fun.

Jack
 
Rainy Day Auto said:
they will never make cars like they did in the late 60s and early 70s ...never again

they call the new ones muscle cars but it's just not the same and never will be no matter how many four door chargers you try to paint in high impact colors.

I feel like I am in an alien spaceship when I am in a new car and it has little voices talking and telling you where to turn and everything is plastic and smells funny. I get in my dart daily driver and everything is metal and there is no radio (radio delete plate) and the slant six has a familiar sound and I can tell when something is not right. I am one with the car the whole journey.

I will give up my old cars when I am dead and even still, I will probably persist.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^^^^^

What Raini said
 
hey - it's mostly a toy really right? You've got a nice car there that many would certainly pine for.. sounds like you need to do some heavy soul searching - - if you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong. Good luck. For me, the old 83 Harley and even older 71 Plymouth make me "that guy" around here (neighborhood) - so what if I have to wrench on them here and there even when I don't want to - I LOVE IT! LOL
 
I do vintage bikes and this is my first old car. It's nice because it's just a nice clean 4 door slant powered driver. The mod bug and hp bug kind of bit me with owning xs650s and kind of just enjoy the car for what it is which is an un fuckered with car to start with.

Another thing that really kills it is watching a guy at work with a bone stock infinity g35 spank stock ls1 powered cars and another guys decently built nova. It kills my drive for expensive hotrodding.

I get tired of **** being broken or running like ****. I just like to cruise. But don'tget me wrong. I love the old ways and tech still. I always think about a v8 swap....but then I rremember the giant parts list needed for an A body. I think bikes burnt me out a little.
 
I kinda wish I had never started on my Dart. Seems the more money I spend on it the more I find it needs to get done....Starting to feel like a money pit...Been working on installing the headliner for 2 weeks now...after about an hour my arthritis flares up so bad I have to stop.Really losing interest but would at this point lose my *** financially if I sold it. What makes it worse is the fact I live in a Condo complex and can only park it in the lot for short periods of time before I have to pull it back into the garage for a while.My Wife has been more than patient with having our DD sitting out in the Arizona sun while the project car takes up the garage. I think my biggest mistake was buying cosmetic items for the car before getting it in good mechanical condition. I know wa wa wa:burnout::):):???::???:
 
To hell with the new stuff! A few years ago I sold my 2012 Ram that I bought new, because I bought my old '77 D100. This past year I sold my '98 Neon R/T an started DDing my '64 Dart. Then I decided I wanted an old car, so I bought my '51 Plymouth Biz Coupe! None of them are restored, nor do I intend on restoring any of them. I simply drive them! Couldn't be happier!

Recently, while talking with some mopar guys, one of them made the comment that "you have to own a modern car". He continued by justifying why he just replaced his Hemi in his Magnum R/T which he daily drove, and that he couldn't bare the idea of driving his SRT Challenger on a regular basis. I challenged him, with "why can't you, I own nothing newer than a '77 model vehicle, and more often than not I drive my '64 or '51". It absolutely blew his mind!
 
340wedge said:
I think we all get in the rut from time to time. I have both modern muscle (06 Daytona Charger, GPS, Moonroof, A/C, Hemi, Pearl Paint, Power everything, handles like a dream, SRT hood, aftermarket exhaust, four doors and all and I Love it!
On the other side I have a 71 Sassy Grass 340wedge, go wing, V24, manual brakes, manual steering, radio delete, Rubber floor mat, and I Love it. Night and Day. Only one gets the garage, the Duster, only one has history, Duster, and gets more looks and thumbs ups,, Duster. The Duster doesn't handle all that well, although for what it is, it handles good, steering and brakes are no where near a new car, but it has a special feel, a sound, a smell, it takes me back to when young men bought muscle cars for fun, not old men using their 401K's. It reminds me of Led Zeppelin and what got me into cars since I was old enough to walk. There is no substitute. I love both but when one has to go, Goodbye Charger, The Duster is irreplaceable.
Click to expand...

I couldn't have said it any better than this.
 
Living in a snowbelt state, by the end of fall, I'm usually ready to put the cars away because they were a pain in the butt all summer. However, come spring and all is forgotten and I am always chomping at the bit to get them out and get at them.
 
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