Thoughts on this Hobby

[SoCalCoupe]

Originally Posted by 19Fordy

It's all relative to the cost of earning a living. Labor rates are through the roof.
As has been mentioned in other comments in other threads about the future of our hobby, auctions show the price of early Fords is dropping.
Younger folks want muscle cars and old cars with modern technology and drivability at highway speeds.

One way to look at the hobby is that it was started by young people without much money who couldn't afford new cars hopping up used cars. I've run into a young woman a couple of times at local cruise ins who has a 4-door Saturn in good condition but not worth much. Apparently a reliable daily driver though. She wears a pink fur jacket, pink tights, pink boots and pink sunglasses. Her Saturn has a pink wrap and she obviously hasn't invested a fortune in her ride or restored it to concourrs condition. She does the cruises with her boyfriend and it's fun to chat them up.

In my opinion, she's got the hobby right as much as I do with my pre-war flathead. She's doing her thing on a budget she can afford.

[BlueSunoco]

Some guy I see driving around town, has a mint condition Saturn I have no idea what year the thing is. He takes really good care of it it is always show ready. Two door kinda semi fastback looking thing.
AND, that little thing really stands out in a crowd. People walk right past the new Mustangs, Vettes, forever seemingly endless Challengers, whatever, paying little to no attention to them, and always motate over to see that little car. He just grins from ear to ear

[ford38v8]

Originally Posted by BlueSunoco

Some guy I see driving around town, has a mint condition Saturn I have no idea what year the thing is. He takes really good care of it it is always show ready. Two door kinda semi fastback looking thing.
AND, that little thing really stands out in a crowd. People walk right past the new Mustangs, Vettes, forever seemingly endless Challengers, whatever, paying little to no attention to them, and always motate over to see that little car. He just grins from ear to ear

Well shucks, I never knew who made Saturn, and didn't know they went out of business either. Had to google it to get the straight skinny. Now I know. And I still don't shive a git.

[34fordy]

Originally Posted by slowforty

Some days I fix cars.
Other days I stare at them wondering what life choices brought me here.

Probably not choices slowforty. It came in your DNA and runs through your veins, just like the rest of us! LOL

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by 34fordy

Probably not choices slowforty. It came in your DNA and runs through your veins, just like the rest of us! LOL

Sometimes it skips a generation. Some of my earliest memories are about old cars. My dad was a marine insurance broker, worked downtown in a suit and drove base-line second hand plymouths. I distinctly remember telling him at about 12 ys old that I was gonna buy an old bobtail semi tractor and mount a pickup box on it someday. In school I drew hot rods and trucks hidden by my open book. But my grandpa and great grandpa, both of whom I never met were wheeled pioneers. Grandpa, Benjamin Bailey Sisson owned and operated Sisson's Garage, the Ford agency in Wareham Ma , and his dad Harvey Handy Sisson ran a livery stable in West Harwich Ma, on Cape Cod and ran a stage coach line between there and Boston.

[BlueSunoco]

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Neat story GB!


Man, you wound up about as far away as you can GET, from Massachusetts!

[GB SISSON]

Originally Posted by BlueSunoco

Neat story GB!


Man, you wound up about as far away as you can GET, from Massachusetts!

My folks were the runaways. They moved to Seattle in 1947 and I was born there in 1953. There is still a 'Sisson's Corner' in West Harwich.

[91A-77B]

Survived colon cancer. Survived prostate cancer. Survived the passing of my dear wife. Without my Flatties, any one of those events would have put me down. Now, at 84 I'm about to launch my 37 Tudor with B&M blown 46 Merc 284 cid, and heading 1700 miles to the Atlantic Nationals in Moncton, NB Canada. Its wonderful being a male...we never grow up!

[farmertom]

Originally Posted by 91A-77B

Survived colon cancer. Survived prostate cancer. Survived the passing of my dear wife. Without my Flatties, any one of those events would have put me down. Now, at 84 I'm about to launch my 37 Tudor with B&M blown 46 Merc 284 cid, and heading 1700 miles to the Atlantic Nationals in Moncton, NB Canada. Its wonderful being a male...we never grow up!

So glad to hear you beat the cancer,and the distress of losing a loved one.driving my '37 almost every day helps me going although its getting tougher to maintain. how about some pics of your '37. Tom.

[Lawrie]

You have done well,
I too survived the passing of my dear wife .
My old cars sure help to stay out of the loony bin.
Im off out to the hotrod show with our blown flathead dragster next weekend , then a day or so later I,m off out to a very small locality in western Queensland called Boulia in the 33 and caravan (1950klms each way) for the camel races.
will post on the way.
Lawrie

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Lawrie

You have done well,
I too survived the passing of my dear wife .
My old cars sure help to stay out of the loony bin.
Im off out to the hotrod show with our blown flathead dragster next weekend , then a day or so later I,m off out to a very small locality in western Queensland called Boulia in the 33 and caravan (1950klms each way) for the camel races.
will post on the way.
Lawrie

[slowforty]

Speaking of decisions, I guess 35 years ago when I bought an extra rebuilt 39 transmission for 300$ was one of my better ideas.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by slowforty

Speaking of decisions, I guess 35 years ago when I bought an extra rebuilt 39 transmission for 300$ was one of my better ideas.

Consider this : If you invested $300 in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 1980, you would have about $48,856.17 at the end of 2025, assuming you reinvested all dividends. This is a return on investment of 16,285.39%, or 11.88% per year. This is for 45 years, not 35, but you get the idea.

Cars and parts are not investment vehicles.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by tubman

Consider this : If you invested $300 in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 1980, you would have about $48,856.17 at the end of 2025, assuming you reinvested all dividends. This is a return on investment of 16,285.39%, or 11.88% per year. This is for 45 years, not 35, but you get the idea.

Cars and parts are not investment vehicles.

Well, yes and no.
As you know it's all about when you buy and how much you paid and when you sell and how much you sold for.
Typically, as you have suggested, long term ownership does not do as well as simply investing well and "fogetaboutit".
I was a weird "kid" in that I took nearly all of the profits from my old car "adventures" and invested them starting at the ripe old age of seventeen.
At 47, twenty some years ago, I was able to retire with little worries primarily because of that strategy and well, lots of hard work and a great career.

[tubman]

Originally Posted by Kube

Well, yes and no.
As you know it's all about when you buy and how much you paid and when you sell and how much you sold for.
Typically, as you have suggested, long term ownership does not do as well as simply investing well and "fogetaboutit".
I was a weird "kid" in that I took nearly all of the profits from my old car "adventures" and invested them starting at the ripe old age of seventeen.
At 47, twenty some years ago, I was able to retire with little worries primarily because of that strategy and well, lots of hard work and a great career.

And great skills and perseverance, if I may add.

[BlueSunoco]

Originally Posted by tubman

Consider this : If you invested $300 in the S&P 500 at the beginning of 1980, you would have about $48,856.17 at the end of 2025, assuming you reinvested all dividends. This is a return on investment of 16,285.39%, or 11.88% per year. This is for 45 years, not 35, but you get the idea.

Cars and parts are not investment vehicles.

Tubman, now I am depressed


BUT after going through Non-Hodgkins Lympoma years ago, at the time they gave me two weeks to live, I made the realization that investing money for 'when you get old' mainly benefits the people you are giving the money to, to invest. Sitting on that examining table getting THAT news, all of a sudden interest rates and CD's and investments and all of that BS doesn't mean anything. Anymore.
I still subscribe to that, as our lives are fleeting past and we'll all be doing the dirt nap sooner than we think!i If something makes you happy you better get out there and BUY it today regardless of the cost. Tomorrow never comes.

The Legal Profession and Medical, Inc. are going to clean out those bank accounts. Best to die completely broke.

[slowforty]

Tubman The last price for a rebuilt transmission i got was about $1800 complete. I won on the price but lost on the storage.

[slowforty]

It is amazing what happens if you pay attention.
Grandma said
"Save a dime on every Dollar you earn."
I did not do that either.

[slowforty]

Too soon old and too late smart

[ronn]

you guys put a smile on my face!

ford 38 I enjoyed your initial summation. I liked mustangs and my buddies liked cougars. They came from the "rich" area and I was born poe.

them dam camels are a hoot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!