"Bandit" (2bandit)
05/26/2014 at 20:42 • Filed to: None
6
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"Bandit" (2bandit)
05/26/2014 at 20:42 • Filed to: None | 6
| 23 |
I decided to restore my Trans Am when I was 17 (I'm now 18) because I understood soon I will be drowning in student debt, have a house that requires money, have a job that takes all my time, have kids and a wife which means a potential end to my hobby, and that the price of the cars are only going to go up. We might as well enjoy ourselves while we have the time. Depressing isn't it.
Zipppy, Mazdurp builder, Probeski owner and former ricerboy
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:44 |
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I'm the same way, I don't like newer cars, too many little bits and pieces to break.
Big Bubba Ray
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:44 |
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Depressing as shit, but true. That's why I bought my Baja Bug a while back and also the reason why I plan to buy another car or two before I finish college. After college, life sets in and it can get in the way of having a hobby like cars. I don't want that to happen so I'm getting shit done before I get too old haha
No Prius Needed
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:45 |
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There's rust.
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No Prius Needed
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:45 |
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And more rust.
CPT Speedbump
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:45 |
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Psh, when I have a family, they'll have to put up with the fact all my money goes into a track car and keeping my Beetle alive :P
Slant6
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:47 |
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Yes. Mopar.
Think about it like this. Provided all these cars make it long enough (I have a theory enviromentalists will find a way to force people to recycle their cars) we'll eventually be old people who just spend outrageous amounts of money on showroom condition trailer queens. The circle of an enthusiast's life.
desertdog5051
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:47 |
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Because they love older cars.
Vince-The Roadside Mechanic
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:47 |
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Well, I am getting an AMC rambler, I love to watch Roadkill, I am a reader of Hot Rod, the AMCs were built near me, I don't want a cookie cutter car, I love the straight 6 layout, I love carburetors, ect.
dogisbadob
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:51 |
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Oh.
I thought it was just because they're cheap. I got my first car for $500, it was a first-gen Camry, almost 20 years old.
I was also looking at cars even older than that, from the 70s, up to $1000.
Older cars don't necessarily cost less to keep on the road than newer cars, unless they're Japanese. The 79 W116 I was considering certainly isn't known for being cheap to fix, and the single-digit mpg from the 76 Cadillac with its 500-ci V8 certainly isn't economical either—and it wasn't even cheap to drive when gas was $1/gal! A nice yellow 71 Mach 1 Mustang was slightly out of my price range.
Coty
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:53 |
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You think that's bad, I've got 4 cars that are technically classics. I'm 19.
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Slant6
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:54 |
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But to answer your question we love our old cars because new cars aren't works of art the way they used to be. Everyone else wants a car to get them from A to B and we want a car that will create a new alphabet. We realize the danger in driving these cars that caused Nader to introduce the concept of safety in automobiles and we embrace it. They're also really fun.
Jedidiah
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:56 |
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Just turned 19 today. Already restored one Cutlass. Got another one in the garage and a Olds 88 waiting to be restored with my dad.
You have a greater since of pride in owning an older car and working on it makes you appreciate engineering. You start to think about how certain things have improved and how certain things have gotten worse.
I know this sounds cliche, but they don't build them like they used to. My Cutlass and cars from the same era were designed to be used for only 4 years. They are impressive machines when you consider that it is now 10 times over the initial tolerance. (42 years old)
The old cars can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but they are much easier to work on than anything new and they can be kept running for a long time.
They are way more fun to drive as well. You won't ever have to hoon it if you enjoy driving it normally. I like a car that I can get and drive somewhere with a smile on my face. If you have to drive like an idiot to have fun with a car, then it's a boring car. You can get in an old car and smile, but in a new car you have to thrash it to have fun.
cabarne4
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:57 |
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22 now. Drove a '75 Beetle most of the time in high school... Damn, now I want that thing back. Gonna call up my uncle and see how much he wants for it.
yamahog
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 20:58 |
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have kids and a wife which means a potential end to my hobby
You know no one's forcing you to do that, right? And the job that takes all your time will hopefully be something that allows you to fund all your necessities and the fun stuff too.
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Bandit
> Jedidiah
05/26/2014 at 21:12 |
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You sir share my exact thoughts. After the initial panic of it potentially not starting, my car always brings a smile to my face when I start it up.
BJohnson11
> Bandit
05/26/2014 at 22:51 |
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Realization: Not many young people drive old cars.
That said, I agree to a point. If you're lucky enough to have money when you're young, it's financially feasible because of no rent/bills/wife/kids/etc to pay for. But a lot of young people (especially high schoolers) don't have money saved up and will drive whatever they can afford or what their parents give them. That's what I did until I saved money to afford my truck. Drove the hand me down car that'd been in the family forever (I'm still driving it) so I could save up and work through college, and hopefully save enough where after college, I can drive the old car I really want because I can afford it.
So I'd say your situation is unique and a nice one to be in, but most youngin's aren't in the same situation.
Spoon II
> Bandit
05/27/2014 at 01:07 |
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I hope I still count as young at 28. But yeah, that was my thoughts as well. Drive things I enjoy for as long as I can.
themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> yamahog
05/27/2014 at 11:14 |
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Agreed. I've learned since buying my fiesta ST that chicks dig hot hatchbacks. A GTI can also baby quite nicely. Girls are also more than happy to be taught how to drive stick. What does that add up to? One of the best "family cars" for an enthusiast is a GTI.
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yamahog
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
05/27/2014 at 11:59 |
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I actually meant no one's forcing him to get married or have kids (personally I'm not a fan of either for myself), but that can work too.
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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> yamahog
05/27/2014 at 15:17 |
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Well if you do decide to go the family route, even the wrangler and WRX can do the whole "baby seats and cargo room" family stuff pretty well. You have to compromise a bit in a long term relationship (no, you probably can't have a ratty old miata or E30 as your only car if you have kids) but if you decide to marry someone and they make you abandon all aspects of your passion......what are you doing with your life?
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yamahog
> themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
05/27/2014 at 15:25 |
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Thanks but I physically can't form babby, so I don't think it'll be a problem :)
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themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
> yamahog
05/27/2014 at 15:51 |
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Ah, um, that wasn't "you" as in you the person I replied to but a "you" as in the reader. However, that is a pretty good bet of not having kids unless you really want them. And then they come pre-delivered if you do. You can even pick your own color! :D
crowmolly
> Bandit
05/27/2014 at 17:51 |
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Just saw this now.
No offense but be aware that of the "car guys" in your age group a majority of them are just going through a phase in life. I've seen PLENTY of young car guys come and go on various forums I'm on, and of my group of 12 from high school only 2 of us are still in it.
Anyway, this is way easier said than done, but here goes. All from my own humble perspective:
1.) If it runs that deep, find a partner that understands that your hobby is part of who you are, not just a phase in life. Make it known from jump street. In my opinion you should never choose your car over a good partner- and on that note a good partner should never make you choose. In my relationship the car has always come second and that's of my own doing.
2.) Make smart decisions with your money and develop a plan to save. My buddy Matt has looked wistfully look back at the Mustang he had to sell to buy his house, and in true dickhead-guy-friend fashion I told him he drank it away at the bar every Friday throughout college and his early 20's. A $250/mo beer and booze tab over 3 years is 9 fucking grand. You can get just as hammered on Svedka as you can on Grey Goose, or draft special beer vs. Dogfish 90/120. Same with going out to dinner, which was a killer for some people in my social group.
3.) Likewise for your daily driver. Even when I got out of school and had money for the typical "first job new car" I continued to drive my 12 year old beater that kept running. No car payments since the car was paid off, and that added up over time.
4.) Just be patient. When I was younger I could spend all weekend swinging wrenches. Now I'm lucky if I get to do that for a few hours each month. But that's the phase I'm in. Eventually kids grow up and you build more financial stability (hopefully) so I need to just deal with other things now. The car is still there and it's still a shit ton of fun, but it is just a bit of a colder project at the moment. I'd rather take my little girl to Sesame Place than dick around with a charging system that admittedly needs no real attention, and so on. When I get to work on the car it's still a lot of fun, and I can rest easy knowing that I can just take my time.