"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
08/19/2016 at 12:53 • Filed to: Because racecar
9
71|
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
08/19/2016 at 12:53 • Filed to: Because racecar | 9
| 71 |
Last year in my many threads about the tale of selling my ‘74 Buick Apollo, one of which is !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I took a fair bit of (good-natured) crap about selling such a cool car. I did it anyways, and I don’t regret it one bit.
Our own MontegoMan562 is now going through !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! the same thing as he embarks on selling his Montego (what will his name be in the post-Montego era?) to make room for a rallycross car.
A lot of you seem puzzled by our similar decisions. I think I can explain it to you. Both of our classics were/are good looking driver-caliber cars. Classics like these are good at precisely two things: Looking cool, and sounding cool. That’s it.
They handle terribly. I could best describe the handling of my Apollo by saying, “It handles like a bag of ball bearings.” They’re slow, they’re hot, the brakes are terrible, the list goes on.
The problem with cars like these, is they’re really only good at cruising. They don’t handle well enough to autocross, they’re too nice to rallycross (and would suck at that too), they’re no fun to take a long trip in, they can’t win a car show (not that that would be any fun anyways). All they can do is cruise.
Cruising is fun for like, the first month or two. After that, it’s freaking BOOOOOOOORING!!!!
I sold that Apollo, bought a beater Roadmaster for 1/4 of the price, and have far more fun pounding the ever-loving snot out of it, than I ever did cruising around in the Apollo. Sometime in the next six month I’ll move on from the Roadmaster, and get something else to beat on. Variety is the spice of life.
Driving is fun, racing is funerer, cruising is the smooth jazz of car enthusiasm. I’m glad I owned the Apollo, but I have not spent one millisecond regretting selling it. Life is too short to spend it cruising.
For Sweden
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 12:59 |
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-_-
Roadster Man
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:02 |
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Tru dat. Cruising is fun, but not too much fun when it’s the ONLY thing you can do with your car. Sure it was cool to drive around town in my ‘71 El Dorado, but it quickly got boring since the thing handled like an boat and smelled like old people. 6 mpg from the 500cid V8 didn’t help much either.
I’ll take a car that can actually handle over a cool-looking but crappy-handling classic any day.
dogisbadob
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:02 |
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pssssssssssssst... restomod :)
KnowsAboutCars
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:06 |
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Why isn’t it fun car to drive longer trips? If I had something like that it would probably be my summer daily driver.
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:09 |
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Thank you! I’ve got ragged on for not liking old cruisers for this reason. Cruising in a cool car is fun for the first few times, and then you realize you are bored of the one thing it is good at.
fourvalleys
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:17 |
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What’s that about old cars being boring?
Could my car win a show? Maybe if it was cleaner. If it’s a regular old cruise night or a Cars & Coffee, it gets tons of attention regardless of condition.
Even cruising is fun. The looks (and waves, and smiles, and thumbs up) I get are a ton of fun. Though it isn’t great about going through the drive-thru...
And as much as it’s a city car, this car is great for eating up the miles on a back road. It’s slow, but speed isn’t the point.
It sounds like you didn’t have an old car, you had an old boring car. :-P
Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:19 |
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This is why I want a classic compact like a Falcon or a Chevy II. Fun to cruise, but you can restomod them into race cars, too.
AfromanGTO
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:21 |
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My 71 Firebird Formula was a blast to drive, and so was my 72 Super Beetle! I loved taking the Bug to the beach, and you could pick up so many girls with it. You can’t fit them all in it, but you have to choose the right ones to take with you!
bob and john
> fourvalleys
08/19/2016 at 13:22 |
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wow. pictures of the only 7 times that mini has ever run right :D
Tripper
> fourvalleys
08/19/2016 at 13:23 |
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Classic mini is one of the most fun cars I have ever driven. I’m constantly on the hunt for a good one.
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fourvalleys
> bob and john
08/19/2016 at 13:23 |
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Shockingly, the only times it’s been off the road were all user error! Mostly a wire that came loose that I missed.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
08/19/2016 at 13:26 |
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Tampering with a Falcon? The hell you say.
camaroboy68ss
> KnowsAboutCars
08/19/2016 at 13:27 |
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There are a lot of reasons. Seats are hard on your back, not much insulation from the firewall, same the floors. My 68 is miserable on a hot day in the summer. No A/C, loud on the highway to the point my ears will be ringing for hours afterwards, your sweating like crazy, you will fuse to the vinyl seats. You have to on the ball all the time because you can brake in a short distance.
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shop-teacher
> fourvalleys
08/19/2016 at 13:28 |
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That was exactly my point. Some old cars can be lots of fun to drive, but most frankly aren’t. Could’ve made that clearer.
64Mali
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:29 |
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This is why I decided to upgrade the suspension on my 64. It should run an auto-x when I am done.. (if I finish)
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fourvalleys
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 13:30 |
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Haha, I’m just giving you a hard time. I only drive fun cars, so owning one that wasn’t fun would probably make me go mad. I can’t blame you.
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shop-teacher
> KnowsAboutCars
08/19/2016 at 13:50 |
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They’re hot, the seats aren’t supportive in anyway, the radios are garbage, etc.
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Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
08/19/2016 at 13:52 |
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Hrrrrn....
I want to rub my face on it.
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shop-teacher
> dogisbadob
08/19/2016 at 13:55 |
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Restomods are the best. I’m not nearly able to afford one. Someday!
V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:02 |
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DynamicWeight
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:03 |
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Had a very similar thought today.
A buddy of mine who is at all the Monterey car happenings right now posted an instagram of a bunch of classics cruising down Highway 1. I guess I’m getting old because I watched the way they were bumping up and down all over the road and I could think is: “That looks like it would be fun for about half an hour”
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shop-teacher
> 64Mali
08/19/2016 at 14:03 |
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An will be awesome! I couldn't afford to do a restomod.
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shop-teacher
> fourvalleys
08/19/2016 at 14:04 |
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I wasn’t taking it personally :)
The overarching theme is fun > all
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shop-teacher
> DynamicWeight
08/19/2016 at 14:05 |
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Yep, that’s about it. It’s fun at an “event”, but the rest of the time ... not so much.
RallyWrench
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:06 |
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That was a cool car, as is the Montego. You guys made the right decisions in your cases, no doubt. I, however, wish I had something to replace my old Fairlane. Most of the cars I’ve ever owned have been driver’s cars of some caliber, whether European or Japanese. Cruising low and slow wasn’t really part of my automotive lexicon, and having had a taste, I love it. I’ve had my share of hauling ass, attacking corners at every chance. I’m not giving up on that, but the big American classic experience is new to me and I love it. The Fairlane was slow as shit and had drum brakes, but it made me feel good, one hand on the wheel, arm out the window, looking out over a long hood, collecting thumbs up. I don’t see that getting old for me any time soon. The next one will have a proper engine though.
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shop-teacher
> V8Demon - Prefers Autos for drag racing. Fite me!
08/19/2016 at 14:06 |
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Yeah someday, but that stuff is expensive and I have two kids in daycare.
DipodomysDeserti
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:07 |
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That’s why you have one classic vehicle for cruising, and another classic vehicle for scaring yourself.
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RallyWrench
> fourvalleys
08/19/2016 at 14:08 |
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That’s a driver’s car though, I think he meant the large classic. Damn I miss my Cooper, that car was the most fun I’ve ever had at the autocross.
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shop-teacher
> RallyWrench
08/19/2016 at 14:09 |
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If you’re having fun doing it, that ALL that matters. I’ll never be a track hero, or any kind of competitive racer (I’m just not a competitive person by nature), but right now for me I just want to beat the sweet merciless hell out of something on a rallycross track.
crowmolly
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:10 |
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Stock muscle era stuff gets old fast. Stuff is just crude. Looks cool, kind of fast, but tiring after a while.
Which is why so many of us don’t stay stock. ;)
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shop-teacher
> Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
08/19/2016 at 14:10 |
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I love me a restomod, and someday I shall have one. It’s just not in the budget for me anytime soon.
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shop-teacher
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/19/2016 at 14:11 |
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I like them ... but I’m done owning one.
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RallyWrench
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:12 |
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If I had Rallycross events anywhere nearby, I would too. I’ve done loads of trackdays and gotten away with some really dumb stuff in fast cars when I was younger, so I drive like a grandma now, for the most part. Something about age and wisdom, right?
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shop-teacher
> crowmolly
08/19/2016 at 14:12 |
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Believe me, I LOOOOVE restomoded muscle. I shall have one someday, but it’s going to be quite some time before that’s in my budget.
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shop-teacher
> RallyWrench
08/19/2016 at 14:13 |
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Yep. I don’t have any kind of need for speed, especially on the street. I need to stay alive for the kiddos.
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RallyWrench
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:15 |
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That’s it, exactly. I like the idea of piling the family into a big old Galaxie and going for burgers. New motivations.
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shop-teacher
> RallyWrench
08/19/2016 at 14:17 |
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My wife wasn’t comfortable putting the kids in the Apollo, she didn’t feel it was safe enough. That was the final nail in its coffin for me. Cruising the same old loops by my self after they went to bed was just not interesting to me anymore.
Ironically the couple who bought it, bought it so they could have something with a back seat and a seat belt to take their kid to car shows :)
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Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:25 |
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Same here.
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Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:36 |
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I enjoy looking at them, but I wouldn’t want to own one.
Rykilla303
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:45 |
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nope. that is all.
Jonee
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:45 |
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Life is too short to drive a boring new car.
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RallyWrench
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 14:49 |
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My wife was never confident in the Fairlane, but she hasn’t had any interest in understanding any of my cars. Also, in fairness, it had holes in the front floor. She trusts me and got the minivan she’d been asking for though, so we’re square. The kids are almost never in my cars anyway because she stays at home, so I can more or less drive whatever I want. Classics aren’t regular kid cars, in any case. Just putting a seat in the back of the Fairlane was hard, because the lap belt buckles end up in the middle of the seat, and the seats themselves are so cushy that I had to put all my weight on the kid seat to get it pulled down securely. I’ll need to find another solution in whatever I get next.
How the hell did we ever survive childhood? Lap belts, no belts, open truck beds... it’s a miracle. Now if you drive anything with less than four airbags you’re a murderer.
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shop-teacher
> Jonee
08/19/2016 at 15:09 |
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My “new” car
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Jonee
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 15:28 |
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All right. You can still be in the gang.
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shop-teacher
> Jonee
08/19/2016 at 15:41 |
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Yay!
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crowmolly
> RallyWrench
08/19/2016 at 15:48 |
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How the hell did we ever survive childhood? Lap belts, no belts, open truck beds... it’s a miracle. Now if you drive anything with less than four airbags you’re a murderer.
Because we were the ones that did. Plenty of others were not so lucky.
Jobjoris
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 15:50 |
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They handle terribly. I could best describe the handling of my Apollo by saying, “It handles like a bag of ball bearings.” They’re slow, they’re hot, the brakes are terrible, the list goes on.
Now go try and get yourself a European classic and see if you’re still thinking this way.
Nothing
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 16:29 |
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The Cougar is going to be a restomod-ish. However, for me, my toy vehicle is instantly interchangeable the moment I get bored with it. I got bored (and tired) of the overly track focused Miata I had prior to the Cougar.
Generally though, for me, it’s not about the car. I like the building aspect. My projects have been nothing more than adult Lego. Take apart, but together. Once I get bored with that on a particular car, it’s on to something different. One thing for sure is that the fun car will never be the daily driver.
I do hope to hold on to the Cougar though and simply add another vehicle to the stable.
I hear ya about variety though. I rarely hold on to a vehicle longer than 18 months. I’ve already gotten the itch to replace my 2015 Tacoma that I bought last April.
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shop-teacher
> Jobjoris
08/19/2016 at 16:44 |
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I do have a secret “thing” for 2002s. Shame they’re getting so pricey.
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shop-teacher
> Nothing
08/19/2016 at 16:47 |
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I’ve hung onto my DD 2006 Sierra crew cab since new. It’s the only vehicle I’ve ever developed a sentimental attachment to. It’s too good, too reliable, too cheap to part with. My extra vehicle though, that will be my fodder for quick changeover. That’s why the Roadmaster will likely be gone within the next six months, onto the next thing!
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RallyWrench
> crowmolly
08/19/2016 at 16:53 |
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True. The only thing that irks me is that people who choose to drive old cars are often vilified by people who don’t, when the people who don’t are the problem drivers.
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Jobjoris
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 17:05 |
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You know I’ve got a few cars, right? Believe this: the one giving me the biggest smile of all has been the 2002. No doubt.
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Jonee
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/19/2016 at 17:30 |
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There is nothing as rewarding as owning, working on, and driving an old car.
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Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> Jonee
08/19/2016 at 17:35 |
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We had a BRAT, and I’d love to have one again, but I meant like American barges. They have one thing they do good, go in a straight line.
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Jonee
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
08/19/2016 at 17:40 |
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And look awesome. That’s the other thing they do well. I guess it depends on how nostalgic you are for the barges. I grew up riding in them, so I get a kick out of the experience as an adult. I much prefer small old cars, but I’ve had a few old AMC boats and they were a blast. So silly and comfy. A pain to park, but they have their merits.
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shop-teacher
> Jobjoris
08/19/2016 at 17:53 |
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I guess I have good taste :)
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Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> Jonee
08/19/2016 at 17:54 |
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I grew up in Volvos and Chevrolet’s, they had the opposite affect.
fryguy
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 18:13 |
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Great post.
Nimbus The Legend - Riding on air like a cloud
> fourvalleys
08/19/2016 at 19:50 |
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jealousy flows through me
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Nothing
> shop-teacher
08/19/2016 at 21:54 |
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Cool. I have promised my wife and son that the Tacoma is his when he turns 16, which is 9 short years away. That’s a heck of a long time for me to commit! Now, it might take me that long to get the Cougar in the condition I want it to be in. Ha.
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shop-teacher
> Nothing
08/19/2016 at 22:13 |
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I’ve certainly had the itch to replace the Sierra many times, but there was just nothing that filled the bill at a price anywhere close to what I paid for my it. Now I’ve had it over ten years, it’s taken me through so many life changes and accomplishments, I can’t imagine not having it.
I imagine it will be too rusty for my oldest daughter to drive it in 13 more years, but time will tell.
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Jobjoris
> shop-teacher
08/20/2016 at 05:13 |
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If that was a fact you’d have a European classic already ;-)
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shop-teacher
> Jobjoris
08/20/2016 at 05:48 |
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I don’t think the $1700 I spent of the Roadmaster, would buy me much 2002 :p
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Jobjoris
> shop-teacher
08/20/2016 at 07:58 |
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Of course you can, I’ve bought mine for 700 euros.
;-)
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shop-teacher
> Jobjoris
08/20/2016 at 09:06 |
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Cool garage furniture! Where’s the car though? ;)
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Jobjoris
> shop-teacher
08/20/2016 at 14:16 |
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This is where I got it. Just mounted the wheels, one more time to the shop!
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shop-teacher
> Jobjoris
08/20/2016 at 16:48 |
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Looking good so far! I love the wheels.
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Jobjoris
> shop-teacher
08/20/2016 at 17:31 |
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Those are just for getting it back to the shop. Been refurbishing me some Campagnolos for the final product...
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shop-teacher
> Jobjoris
08/20/2016 at 19:44 |
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Niiiiiiiice!
Spridget
> shop-teacher
09/05/2016 at 23:47 |
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The appeal of big classic American yachts for me is the idea of roadtrips. I’m sure they’d be awful, but a Mark V or Deville seems like it would be a great road trip cruiser.
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shop-teacher
> Spridget
09/06/2016 at 00:20 |
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Yes, as long as the AC works :)