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

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I have a philosophy that suits me well.
It's more fun to drive them than work on one.
So don't bite off more than you can chew, gracefully.
Keep it simple. It's a rule of thumb that high performance modifications make them more temperamental.
And that means you will have more problems and not be driving it.
I see no point in have a car that will do 190 on the highway.
There are speed limits. I can keep up with traffic just fine.
And be Thankful for what you have. Don't try and keep up with the Jones.
This ain't Leno's Garage.
Keep it in perspective.
 
MileHighDart said:
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.
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Sure done it a couple times. Feels great. But usually even after a year or more something comes up and you get reminded, and you get motivated again. My advice - just park it and forget about it. You are not "your car". So go be you and when you get a car itch again the car's there.
 
When I stand back and look at my own life, the first thing I do in the morning is wake up to FABO!! Cars are bred into me, and there's no chance that will change! I don't strive to have the perfect car, I love the sounds, the smell, the whistles of air leaking through the vent windows, that coffee stain on the floor where the cup tipped over (alright, I do like cup holders), everything that makes these cars cool!! Take a break?? To me, that means not going out to the garage today!!! Not gonna happen!!! I got 4 days off, gonna be out there a lot this weekend!!!
 
I wont be "walking" away. I am trying to wholesale out all my stuff.
 
reminds me of the time I found a 71 GTX. buddy had mentioned it to me. 1989. out in the boonies, old farmhouse, in the front yard there sat, this '71 X (GTX), yellow, 4 speed, 440. 440 purring away, nice sound, glasspacks?? old fellow sitting in the seat, just listening to its sound. he looked like he was too old to drive. I walked up to the car, he turns and looks at me, he has this great big i mean, REALLY big, smile on his face!

he tells me how his hearing and eye sight is getting pretty poor, has hard time bring in his firewood, much less trying to do any work on his car. he bought it new. traded in his 67 hemi X on it. ( no he didn't bet boot!)... says he is 85 years old, his daughter lives just down the road.. she won't let him drive anymore...

he asks" what can I do you ya young feller"??? I told him I heard he was a REAL car guy and had a nice car, just wanted to stop by and meet, see his car I heard about, we talked cars quite a while, had a great time, many fun stories.... I brought in some firewood, and asked I f could do anything for him? he said, maybe take him for a short ride and maybe put my foot in it a little! we did!

and told him I would love to stop in and visit cars if he liked. he said of course!



we all find our passions in life where they lie.
 
That would be a tough decision. But it will happen eventually.
Parting with my Barracuda wont be easy.
The relationship started in 1981 in a junkyard for $100 and blown 273.lol

The wifes relationship started in 1991.
Theres been times where I thought I might have to choose,one or the other.

Much cheaper to keep em both, for now. lol
 
bruceo2011 said:
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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I also live in snowbelt state. I have a grease board in garage that as the summer goes on I keep adding winter projects to take care of on the car. By fall the days are short the weather getting cold I'm ready to park mine for the year. I then look forward to getting in garage (with heat) and working on some of the things I wrote on grease board over the summer.
Had radiator fixed
pulled harmonic balancer added sleeve to fix oil leak
fixed p.s. pump leak
saw 8.25 3:23 posi on Craigs list, bought & installed a couple of weeks ago (said I wasn't going to do that & keep 7.25 butttttttttt)
took dash out and had updated electronics (APT Instruments, Bloomington, MN)
still thinking about new p-s-t torsion bars

We hit 70 Tuesday, took Dart out for quick test drive to see if everything was working. It was great, I know I had a big smile going down the road before parking it. I didn't get everything done on list but there's always next winter! :coffee2:
I know I've put more money into this car then I'll ever get out of it, but like the other guys have said it still brings a smile to my face.
 
Great post! We have all gone through it, I am going through it right now too. 48 years old, got a drag car (Henry J gasser) and just finishing up a street car (67 Coronet). Have restored a few mopars over the years (74 Challenger, 71 Duster, 63 Belverdere, 68 Barracuda, 69 Dart) and tended not to enjoy them as much as I should have and move onto another project. That said finding the energy and time to work on the street car is getting more and more difficult for some reason?? But I always look forward to racing the Henry J so that is not going anywhere soon! But tough to find the time for the street car, not really into sitting in a parking lot and bench racing with other guys and their cars, house needs work and daughter is off to university in a couple years so do I really need a street car?? But I know if I sell it and just put the money towards 'other' things I will enver see that money again or be able to save up enough for a street car on my modest income. Decisons decisons we all go through them.

One thing I can say though is don't think selling your old car and getting something newer will satisfy you craving for that muscle car feel. In between those resto's I did I tried the newer car thing with a mint condition 2009 Challenger R/T........I was bored of it in a few months. They just aren't the same!!
 
MileHighDart said:
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.
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Several of the guys in the Indy Mopar Club have sold their older cars for new Challengers and are now in Modern Mopar Club. Yes they are nice cars but just not the same going down the road or at a car show when you can go to any dealer and see the same thing.

I'm in the same place as you, my dart just isn't what I want. Would like to do a gen 3 Hemi, Reilly kalteration, gear vendor, but do I want to spend that much more money on it. NO but would I like to be able to drive it anywhere, yes, so the delema is, spend more money, sell the car or quit whining......... LOL

I will probably redo the 340 AGAIN, a gear vendor and try and be happy, the $10,000 I save can buy a lot of gas
 
I have thought about selling the car and maybe get into flying or some other hobby, but I just never have pulled the trigger... Yet....
 
Oldschool said:
I have thought about selling the car and maybe get into flying or some other hobby, but I just never have pulled the trigger... Yet....
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hey, old school, I got one of their t shirts hanging out in my garage ! I`m wondering about my build now too. thinking I might have gone too far w/ the engine to be a good driver .(tube front end too) taking a forced break from a 4 wheel atv roll over. still don`t want to sell it tho . :wack:
 
Have you checked your blood sugar lately? Sometimes when it is out of whack you get lethargic and or bored.
 
I get it, I realize how lucky I am to have my car. My wife and teenage boys have no interest. I go to shows and cruises by myself, don't get me wrong I love it. But occasionally I think I am being selfish. and just want to sell it and move on. It was my first car I sold it in 1992 and three years ago got it back. I am very lucky! Somedays I just feel like making a for sale ad.
 

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No, but I pretty much have walked away from here.....
 
I did motorcycles for a little while late 90's early 00's.

I thought they might be cheaper and easier to work on, plus have added Japanese reliability.

Boy was I wrong.

The only thing "cheaper" is that you don't have to have insurance in FL, and that means you can technically own and ride as many as you want, not being bound by how much insurance you can afford.

After rebuilding Mikuni's a few times (one every season), paying extra for bike oil, paying extra for bike brake pads, paying extra for bike tires, paying extra for bike batteries, and losing the chrome on a bike that sat in a closed shed for one FL "winter" (it looked worse than my 1966 car bumpers that sat outside in Texas for 40 years), I finally decided that I needed to go back to cars.
 
Like many, my gut says you would regret selling. I fall into the "take a break" recommendation group, but would also add that, if possible, you store it elsewhere. Keeping it out of sight makes it more exciting when you go to see it. Seeing it in the garage every day can act as a reminder and a poke in the side that you just have it sitting there and you that you should probably do something with it. Store it off site - and at some point, something will spark the fire again - and if it doesn't, well, the car will have certainly not gone down in value and then you can sell it.
 
I want AC and power windows.
But I had a Small block Chevy here that would see 8000. Ran 11.20's consistant . fully loaded 91 chevy short truck. The guy ran it with the AC on. The compressor frooze up at maple grove raceway. It snapped the snout off of the crank. He kepted tearing belts so he bought a kevlar. very expensive belt.
 
Doug Swinger340 said:
I get it, I realize how lucky I am to have my car. My wife and teenage boys have no interest. I go to shows and cruises by myself, don't get me wrong I love it. But occasionally I think I am being selfish. and just want to sell it and move on. It was my first car I sold it in 1992 and three years ago got it back. I am very lucky! Somedays I just feel like making a for sale ad.
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I go to shows and cruises by myself ---- that's my problem and gets pretty lonesome after awhile buddies are one thing but family is better company
 
at 68 I guess I just get old age " funk". I have always had 2-3 or more mopars since mid 80's. (mopar disease?).. used to have a ton of parts, from junk to rare good stuff. finally got rid of all those extra parts in late 90's. just gave them to a friend one day. enough to halfway fill a big u haul.

so now I find myself with 6 cars, 5 are early A's. 4 painted . one in progress. just drivers pretty much, what I call them. mayhe grandson will want one? he turned 16, lives 4 hrs away. who knows what a kid thinks?? maybe sell a couple? rather take an *** whupping than deal with such.

somedays I have NO interest in going out to work on any of them. like today! why? don't really know......no mopar guys close to buddy with... get tired of needing parts and materials, trying to budget for such.

I still get a "rush" everytime I fix something, so why is it I lack interest some days?? gotta be something in my diet!!!!!!!
 
I certainly fall into the "Take a break" group. Selling it seems so final. My little Valiant and I have covered over 1.2 million miles together in the last 35 years and yes old cars can be a pain. I even bought a new muscle car, to satisfy my wife who was embarrassed about my old car in the parking lot at work, which I still have (but she's gone) but rarely drive. As others have stated modern muscle is just different, neither better or worse in my opinion. Given I'm in a different mindset, my valiant being a daily driver rather than a high dollar show car, I don't have a large investment of money to consider. The biggest satisfaction I get from continuing to drive my car daily is that I'm one of only a few who can. In a way I guess I'm showing off. Car knowledge seems to be dying off as cars become more disposable, so it is a source of pride that I can keep it on the road. And I love it when someone catches up to me at a gas station after I've passed them on the interstate and says something like "I didn't know old cars could keep up with traffic". I like to think I'll end up with a good neighbor like Barbee who'll take me for a ride in it when I can no longer drive it myself.
 
Sometimes our build doesn't hit the mark.After all the work,effort and money it ends up
falling short,not at all what the owner thought it would be.
How many times have you seen a number one piece with all the latest pieces in
the magazines for sale advertised that says only 500 miles since completed?
..It can be discouraging, but it's not always the case.
 
For me it was dealing with depression leading up to and through my divorce. I scrapped 3 ton of iron after trying to give it away. I was able to give away all my transmissions to one guy. Sold all the projects, found people to finish the side work I had going at the time. I literally walked away. The apartment I rented from a buddy had a shop on the property. And he let me drive one of his cars for the day as a birthday present. That, and finalizing the divorce got me missing them, and I went back in, albeit at a much healthier pace and attitude.
You gotta do what you gotta do.
 
Old cars will always be cool, but new cars are comfortable and fast. Zero maintenance and 171 mph plus (if you live by the autobahn) is a bonus. Having 4 doors used to be lame, but not anymore.

Dodge Chargers over 700hp
Cheby's new SS 4 door over 400hp
Cadillac has 600+ hp 4 door.
Ford has a super 4 door
Lexus has 465hp 4 door GS now

Then you have the euro cars that are uber expensive, so I wont mention them.

The list and trend keeps growing.......for under 25K (for a used, low mileage one) you can ride in style and smoke tires with one flick of the paddle shifters......leaves one hand to hold that hamburger, sayin.

I am slowly moving towards the new hot rod genre, having just aquired an 08 ISF........yea I'm getting old and sore, but I still love hot rodding! :D
 

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MileHighDart said:
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.
Click to expand...


From my perspective;at least you have the money,car is complete and driving and assuming your healthy lol..things could be worse,you might be in my position,disabled and broke...
 
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