You Know You Want It, But Won’t Once You Get It.
My 1964 Corvair I had in Collage. Still looking for it.
T bird Bucket seats
Torque Thrust rims
got that decal on ebay 20 years ago
This morning I found my old Country Squire on ebay, its also on Barnfinds, and online. Thats my car for sure. I sold it for around 9K I think over 20 years ago after doing a ton of work on her. Anyway, here she is. $42K Mother of god! Anyway, I thought, oh that would be fun to have back.
This is the day I sold it. Years ago. The Garage and house have been scraped and a McMansion is going in there. WTF!
And then I sat and used the 20 years of wisdom I have collected since selling her. And thought. Egh, NEXT!
We got Yip yap back last year, and it was a joy, but she just sits like she did before. But this little water sucker has soul for sure. And always regretted selling her.
What happens when the dog that chases cars catches the car? YA? There is some real inner searching that needs to happen when you are chasing dreams. Some “its” are just that. An it. A thing, they have zero soul, and just look cool, which can be fun for a second and then.
SPEEDY, my 356 Convertible. I never wanted to sell her, but had too. Along with a 1969 Bronco. And even if I found her today would not be able to afford her anymore. Sold for $15K, today would be way over $150K… But as much pain as it causes those two boys are priceless and my real soul, and maybe one day will be rich enough to buy it back, and then I can be board of it because it’s just an “it”. That smells like Ggas all the time. Ya, I need a boat ride.
The hardest part of all this over thinking, is knowing when your brain is tricking you. When you know you want it, but wont once you get it. BTW, thats a great headline. Hold on I am rewriting this as I go. Oh boy, I will just let you all fill in my deep thoughts in the comment section.
1979. 69 912 What a pile of SHIP.
Another pile of crap. 1974 Carrara – Almost died in this thing. Too much snap in the back. Sold this to move.
Another 912 pile of crap. Same fence as SPEEDY
I truly regret selling this one. Original paint 911E was amazing. Sold for 8K
Same Garage as the Country Squire. Bought it, drove it, sold it for more. Fun car, and I would be dead if I still bought these cars.
Did you have a cat dealers license back in the day?
I should have, I actually was at that point. Over 80 cars and very few brought me the joy as one dumb boat. So there ya have it
Funny how all the cars stopped coming in once I got my driver’s permit. Ha! Stinky (the Country Squire) has a special place in my heart. I’m sad pictures don’t exist digitally of what it looked like before my dad restored it. It looked like a junkyard find…
Seeing pictures of it on eBay flashed a childhood memory in my head I hadn’t thought about in years! Still 20 years later, the same wheels we put on the car are there, which has a funny story to them. For whatever reason the mechanic who installed them did not tighten the bolts properly, nor in the correct order, so halfway through the drive home with my dad, the car started shaking HARD. My dad hops out with a lug nut wrench and fixed it — and was PISSED! That wrench stayed in the car from then on.
To see ‘Stinky’ again on eBay is like a blast from the past and I’m sure it’ll make an awesome weekend driver for someone. But for 18k-40k looks like that speeding metal death trap will stay a memory for me!
All I care is YipYap is back for good!
So I am guessing “Stinky” is kind of a family name that has just come around again?
It is a rare gift to be able to buy and sell hobby vehicles…. and then again, there are those that are YOU and part of your soul. My first car was a 1954 Chevrolet Bel Air… and I still have it! Drove it every day except for snow days my senior year of HS, and my first year of community college. Then I put antique plates on it and have enjoyed it ever since. It is part of my identity, of who I am, and I’ll never part with it. My wife once suggested I sell it to be able to afford another hobby vehicle I was lusting after… I turned to her and said “Honey, we will be living in that car before I ever sell it”. Never have had that conversation again… and Yes.. I have a vintage bumper hitch on it and use it to tow my father’s 1956 Lyman with 1954 Evinrude to shows and parades… This car has been everywhere and used for everything… just too much fun!
Thought you all would get a kick out of the bumper hitch and the vintage Gator trailer details.
And I should have added… I’m not quite 40 now.. I bought the car in the late 1990s when I was 17.
that is awesome……and very unique I would say amongst owners of collectibles cars, boats, etc. Chase had nothing to do with this story,
The picture of the 356 brought a tear to my eye. I can still recall 1980 as if it was yesterday. My 56 190SL rolling up onto the ramp truck looking down at a check for $6000 knowing I’d regret some day. I don’t miss my Corsair.
Before anyone starts chirping about the increase in the value of the car, if it was 20 years exactly and it is worth $42k today and Matt did sell it for $9k, that equates to an annual return of 7.9% over that 20 years. That is gross return, before repairs, maintenance, insurance, storage or any other costs. If it was over 20 years ago, the annualized rate of return is less. That gross return also fails to account for any return of value to the owner through qualitative ownership enjoyment, actual use or any other utility he managed to eke out of it.
Including dividends, the S&P 500 has done roughly 9.3% in that same period. Both the car and the S&P trounced inflation.
This is when we are apparently in a classic car bubble, a description which can be ascribed by anyone attentive to sites like BAT or car auction results. These don’t usually end well.
So, the appreciation of this car has been significant over time, though I suspect much of it has occurred in the past 12-24 months. Costs of ownership would likely reduce this net return, and potentially very significantly so, and we don’t what has been done to it since Matt sold it to help it present as it does today. In comparison to other options overall, it has most likely been a poor investment through most of those 20 years.
I agree with Matt on the chase part usually being the most enjoyable. Why else would so many ads state the owner has no time, developed other interests, item isn’t being used, project never got started/finished etc.? It’s because most of this old stuff was actually junk and requires A LOT of upkeep, effort and repair to actually use. My old boats are like this, I like my ’76 Eldorado convertible but it drives like a stroked out sloth looks. It’s terrible on the road in comparison to anything built since 1985, but most like the way it looks. And most don’t own one…..if they did, they’d probably like it less.
Maybe we all just prefer our mostly plug and play world?
Most of us at one time or another have purchased ‘things’ we’ve regretted and then unloaded at the earliest opportunity. I’m no exception in that department. As I get older though (and hopefully wiser), my need for ‘dream items’ declines, realizing some things are better left as inexpensive dreams. That said, I did make one purchase many years ago that still brings me much enjoyment. Our ’88 560SL always puts a smile on my face, whether cruising down the highway, a twisty road, or just seeing it in the garage. It keeps a little of the ‘kid’ in my heart and makes me feel younger. Boating in our Coronado has the same effect on Jan and I. Nothing wrong with that.
we are all in the same BOAT…got ya beat Dan J….I sold my 62 190 Sl Mercedes for 3 K….in great shape, both tops…almost bought her back for 20 ten years later….6 figures today…worst part:
I know where she is…….oh god….as Matt says….
John in Va
yep, 1968 280sl, both tops. brought her back from california when i moved back in 1993, sold year later for 10k
1965 tbird convertable, (thelma/luise) girlfriend (now wife hated it, it smells) sat for a year sold in mid 80’s for 4k
mike k
John,
I know the neighbor who bought my ’69 Mustang, wrapped it around a tree. Heard a group of college boys bought the ’89 Supra Bravura I traded on my Malibu Sunsetter & poured concrete in the bilge to make a bigger ‘boarding wake. And my former ’08 MINI Cooper track toy went to the scrapyard, after the team took it for endurance racing & rolled it – 2 different times. Maybe it’s better that I have no idea where the others are 🙂
Sold our 1963, 356 super 90 black on black with factory sunroof for $2,000 back in the early 70s. This car was my wife’s daily driver, we sold it to help with the down payment on our first house. We did keep the Hallet flat bottom ski boat. Priorities.
Guess I’m a bit unusual in that as much as I like cars & boats, I haven’t owned that many. Bought my 1st car at 17. In the 43 years since, I’ve only had 11 more & that includes the ’70 Chevelle co-owned with my brother. And 5 shared with my husband, 3 of which we still have. Still have 2 of the 3 boats I’ve owned. Just tend to keep things a long time. Never thought of any of them in terms of an investment. They are for transportation &/or fun. Enjoyed them all, but never give more than a moment’s fantasy to repurchasing any of them.
Of course the secret we’ve found is to “think small”. so plenty fit in the garage. That way you rarely have to part with any 😉 Yes, that’s 5 cars stuffed in half of a 30 x 40 garage.
I knew you loved Pcars, but didn’t realize you have owned so many!
I am sitting on a 69 911S, 89 turbo & 2019 4S.
They don’t spend as much time on the road as they should, but I just can’t part with them……
Now I see the difference. When I left Kollage I just left the convert a wagon there.
Jim,
LOL! Add roll cage, dress team in “Animal House” theme, enter in 24 Hours of LeMons race 🙂
Jim, that is one beautiful automobile. Those Porsche and Mercedes guys are green with envy!
The list – in order of acquisition: ‘66 MGB-GT, ‘69 TR6, ‘68 Volvo 142, ‘72 Renault Gordini, ‘78 BMW 320, ‘59 TR3, ‘64 Morgan +4(still have), ‘64 Volvo 544S, ‘74 BMW 2002 (rolled), ‘71 Jaguar XJ6L – all before I turned 30. After that, boring company cars… Boats, cars, motorcycles, planes, etc – it’s all the same sickness… I check Bring a Trailer daily, and almost none of those cars are available at a price I am willing to pay – but I’m a bit budget conscious – and have a few boat projects still in process! 😊
This is my matching numbers 1965 Corvette that I bought in 1980 for 4K. The next 2 years were spent doing a total frame off restoration. Estimating my hourly rate at o.25 and parts/paint at about 10K I had about 14K in it. I enjoyed it for 29 years, drag raced it, showed it, drove the hell out of it, enjoyed it, trailered it around the USA behind our motorhome as our daily driver. It was featured in a number of magazines, invited to the General Motors 75th Anniversary at the GM Technical Center, and GMs100th Anniversary Woodward Dream Cruise parade. I sold it for 74K and have never looked back!
WOW writing all this down brings back lots of GOOD memories!!!
Beautiful car, Art. And it sounds like you thoroughly enjoyed it’s time with you!
“It’s cool with fossil fuel”……..
Guilty as charged. If it’s got an internal combustion engine, I’m all in. I’ll even go with steam powered.
Two of my current rides shown and no, can’t drive them all but just like the boats, it’s comforting to just go out to the barns, open the doors, pat the covers and say “Hello ladies, how have you been?”
Electric? Yeah, but just like kissing your sister, it just ain’t the same.
Give me more cubic inches, a blower, open headers and Sunoco 260. Light it off and see what it’ll do.
Wind up your electric car so it hums louder? Uh, er, no.
Murdock, proves the old adage that you have to be rich to have an english car, because you have to have 2. one is always in the garage being repaired! great looking cars.
Short shorts and Porsches, the 1980’s.Never had a thing for European cars, the kids that had them (the rich ones),couldn’t change a flat. Always preferred American iron .Todays subject feels like Deja vu.
Everyone should go to right now to Off Center Harbor’s Worldwide Classic Boat Show live discussion and weekend boat show. NOW.