Progress Thread SN95 "Project Father & Son" 1994 GT

hoopty5.0 said:

Man, I hear that loud and clear. I'm in a similar situation with work and free time and hence, dumped my project car for something else. My only comment is, what is keeping this next car from sitting for days/weeks/months while you make payments and then get jaded because you never drive it? I'm not throwing that out there to be crass, I am just curious because that seems to be the going rate for cars in that particular market.

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CarMichael Angelo said:

I think that you have to decide whether having a completed project that you drive is more important than having something to work on in pursuit of that, or ....resign yourself to paying somebody to do the work for you.

That said, I think there are two or three types of car guys...
1. Get in it and drive.
This guy doesn't have the time, or knowledge to work on the car and doesn't want to. Or, he can do all of that, but has the sensibility to know how much he can do....this time. He wants it to run and drive. Rarely making any mod that doesn't go towards looks/comfort/reliability, all in the interest of keeping it running. Perfectly happy to have the car in the state that it came from the factory, albeit with addition creature comfort/looks improvements as mentioned above.
(This guy is Iowa Nick)
2. It'll get done..someday.
The killer of the running car. Whether its budget, time, or pure lack of effort. This guy has a car that is covered up under something in the garage. It could be boxes, or dust..this guy bit off more than he could chew, and now there's a whole mouthful of unfinished stuff that'll never get done because the thought process " if I'm doing this, I might as well do that" outweighed logic. This is the car that if not buried for 5 years gets sold off for a fraction of what's invested, usually in pieces. ( you know who you are here)
3. Well,.its done. Now what?
Speaking from experience. This is the guy that prefers the work more than the finished result. The finished result is temporary, as there's always something left to do, make better, or change. This car is also probably one that'll get sold off purely because the owner gets bored with it, or decides that it's time to stop pouring time and money into it. ( me)
4. How much did you say it was gonna cost?
This guy knows his limitations like guy #1. He may be capable, he may want to do the work, and he may have the time, but having a running car is more important than the money it costs to get it to that state. Too many life obstacles stand in the way, and being able to drive the end result on Saturday is a priority. Every thing is on the table. Performace/cosmetics/convenience/comfort. it's all just a matter of time and money. Usually at the mercy of a shop that usually takes forever to get it done. ( again, you know who you are)

I know I'm far from typical here, but I'm getting there. The " obstacle" standing in my way is how bad my knees hurt after spending a day standing on pavement, working on the car. When the lease is up on the current mindless people mover, I mightconsider selling the monster to leverage myself into a BMW super car ( M2) that I ordinarily wouldn't be able to afford.

I might.

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