RANT!!! The circle of life..The car guy version.

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CarMichael Angelo

my rearend will smell so minty fresh,
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
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Birmingham, al
Just got a IM from another member who used to be active here. Writing to tell me that he’s left the hobby for at least the next four years while paying to put his kid through school. When I first started talking to this individual, he was on his way to get his new fox mustang, and was contemplating stopping by my house to see the red car that I was building at the time. I watched as he went through the cycle, stock gets modified in typical HCI fashion. Next, the thing gets turbocharged,....then “too much“ power is the goal, followed immediately after when sht started breaking.

And the car sat. It gets labeled as an unreliable, no longer fun to drive money pit.

The guy blames the turbo for the unreliability, and justifies selling off everything in pursuit of a more reliable ”Fast car”. He gets a lobotomy, and buys a new S550....that has a 600.00 a month payment.
With a warranty.
And just as quickly realizes that it’s not any different. It’s never fast enough, it’s not a comfortable daily driver, forget about a rear seat passenger, and now it’s the same as every other mindless S550.
Unless you start modding it,..so it can become an unreliable, no longer fun to drive, money pit.

And then bad things started happening in life. Hurricanes hit, house gets flooded, priorities change.

After a little more than a year after that, the 16-17 year old son that was involved in the hobby a year ago decides he wants to be a lawyer, or a doctor.And,...anything that can even be construed as a hobby now takes a back seat to tuition/room/board/ fees.
For at least the next 4 years.

So,....The two door pony car gets traded in for a four door sedan,...effectively ending any chance that the guy will go out into the garage and tinker.
For at least the next 4 years.

Now here’s the moral to the story
A. If you’re a car guy, sooner or later, it’ll start back again.....the itch. This part of life is just another bump in the road. And this guy will be on the hunt for a “ nice, unmolested LX”. Something that he’ll keep stock,..maybe some new wheels,... a few cosmetic changes here and there....that’ll be the plan......right up until a Dart block shows up in a crate at his house.

B. If you’re not a car guy, you’re done. You got in the game, played a few rounds, took something that you could drive and made it undriveable.
Too loud, too smelly, too hot, miserably harsh to drive, and...unreliable,...... for even a 50 mile drive.
And sold it for a huge loss.

If you’re a B guy,..try not to fck the car up too bad....there’ll be an A guy along shortly to pay you .50 on the dollar.
 
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Seems like less of a rant and more of a "and that's the way it is".

I think the key to avoiding the cycle is to simply know your limits. Admittedly, that is extremely difficult. Or just keep your ambitions in check.
 
I bought a used V. It's a sedan, it has more than enough power, a great sound system, and the most comfortable chair that I own to include heating and air. This is my OEM (don't effin mess witit car).

That leaves the Mustang(s) to be as overpowered and unreliable as they want to be (though I don't apply those adjectives to them). They are my toys and my friends. :)

The trouble now is finding time and space to enjoy them all. :bang:

It never ends :shrug:
 
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I can relate to some of that, I have two in college which is mind numbly expensive !
But as most of us parents I want them to have all the tools necessary to succeed in life.

I still have my fox, but if I'm being honest I have contemplated selling it and eventually picking
up something newer that I can just wash and drive.
Currently I don't have the expendable income to have more than one weekend fun car, at least
until college is paid for.....hmmm.
 
Hmm. That sounds an awful lot like someone I know as well. He traded the fox off for motorcycles. I've tried getting rid of them and it never lasted long. I guess that means I'm type A but keeps clawing my way down to type B.
 
Damn, it sounded almost about me, until the part about buying the new S550. I'm slowly moving along on mine. It actually runs now. I could tag and insure it and drive it, but that's another $200-$300 a year I don't need to spend right now.
 
I am on a similar path as “that guy.” Mine sits, about 60-70% of what I want it to be. It drives, is reliable, but needs a good amount more work to be what I want it to be. Committing to this old house renovation has left me with barely enough time to attend my kids’ activities. Selling it will allow me to scratch my itch with a newer belly button car that doesn’t require the time a project car does. That’s really all it boils down to. Do you want something to work on, or do you want something to drive. Obviously Mike, you enjoy the build over the drive.
 
I think those lessons get learned on Stangnet. The hard way for some. Especially financially . As a young car guy I learned to f..uck the car up and loose all your money ,so some other guy can buy it for nothing. I had thirty years to think about all my loses. Luckily I am somewhat grounded this time . I hope the day comes where I can at least break even. So far so good . Its been a fun hobby that I have fully enjoyed . Its nice to be fifty six years old and still have a little teenager in me . When I was young I screwed cars up so fast that it left scars that I felt most of my life. Nothing like being a kid from a small town and walking again after wrecking you car. Four years with the same fox and I appreciate it, and it really is fun to have people get a kick out of my car. Its mostly stock and very clean. Drives like a new car with no rattles .
 
I kept my HS car. Never stopped dreaming of the day I’d actually be able to mod it. Set my sights low, focusing on reliability and then will call it a day.

As for college, my three are still young. I only just finished off my student loans and still paying off my wife’s masters degree.
 
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Two and a half years til my college bills start, so I better get to wrenchin’.

I also find myself struggling at times with the build vs drive dilemma. Hands down, I like the work better, but obviously you want some drive time to show what you’ve done. I try to keep my projects smaller so I can have it back together for a bit and enjoy the drive for a while.
That’s also a product of limited space and budget, which I’m sure handcuffs others on here as well. I honestly think if I had the space, this car would have been completely disassembled already, and then further struggling with car parts budget.
Luckily I’m working out of a two car with one side occupied by the other half’s Jeep. I can easily see how a project can spiral out of control, so I’m thankful I’ve kept myself grounded and on task.
As much as I want the end result I see in my head, it’s truly become a hobby to escape from the stresses of life (mostly work) and think of nothing else but the next turn of the wrench. We’ll see how long it takes to get to that end result, but I will enjoy the journey.
 
I don’t know what category I’m in, but I always have something to “Tinker” with. As of now, the Mustang I finally got running / driving last summer-is somewhat apart again because of things I noticed while driving it over the summer lol
 
Hey man....I don't have a kid in college...I should though. My oldest is 20 on sunday. He's followed by my 15 year old...and two 13 year olds.

My s550 was supposed to be my " don't touch car ", so much for that pipe dream. I've got to modify everything I own. It's a sick disease. I did take a couple years away from modifying cars while I drove my pride and joy 89 GT daily. That car then sat for a couple years before going into memory lane with a couple other cars I scrapped.

The 87 460 car was sold for a long loss....only because I f'd that car up. The others were all parted out and scrapped. 12 different mustang foxes. The wife's 82 gt was sold for a small profit. She has given me notice that she wants a new GT. Lady gets what she wants after these 19s are paid off. Probably won't be for another 2 years.

I sacrificed everything I had for my family and would do it again without hesitation. During that time I was really unhappy. Tried everything to calm my modifying addiction. I even built a two story 12 by 16ft shed. It was super over built. That 3 grand was cheaper than renting a storage unit for 6 years.

Yeah, this car building thing definitely starts back up again if you're type A.
 
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Hey man....I don't have a kid in college...I should though. My oldest is 20 on sunday. He's followed by my 15 year old...and two 13 year olds.

My s550 was supposed to be my " don't touch car ", so much for that pipe dream. I've got to modify everything I own. It's a sick disease. I did take a couple years away from modifying cars while I drove my pride and joy 89 GT daily. That car then sat for a couple years before going into memory lane with a couple other cars I scrapped.

The 87 460 car was sold for a long loss....only because I f'd that car up. The others were all parted out and scrapped. 12 different mustang foxes. The wife's 82 gt was sold for a small profit. She has given me notice that she wants a new GT. Lady gets what she wants after these 19s are paid off. Probably won't be for another 2 years.

I sacrificed everything I had for my family and would do it again without hesitation. During that time I was really unhappy. Tried everything to calm my modifying addiction. I even built a two story 12 by 16ft shed. It was super over built. That 3 grand was cheaper than renting a storage unit for 6 years.

Yeah, this car building thing definitely starts back up again if you're type A.

Couldn’t agree more about the family thing. Gotta take care of that first. Luckily I enjoy the home renovation projects. You seem to have the wife on board with the car game, which is a big part of the battle. My daughter is in high school, and my wife is hinting here and there on a new Mustang for her now that the Jeep SUV isn’t needed so much. (I think she’s seeing the light) Daughter also points out every white Stang convertible she sees, regardless of the year! So maybe I can have my “hobby” car, and take her Stang out for “drive” time. We’ll see how this plays out.
 
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Its funny how we are all very similar. High school or college age kids , and most long term marriage . How the cars fits in is mostly the same . Maybe now that my car is pretty good I need to join some car shows....On a side note . I wish I could afford all the stuff to paint cars in my garage . It would be fun to get great older cars that just need a paint job . Clean them up for a year, and sell them . Some of you guys do such nice work . I find it very interesting.
 
I’m the old guy...bought my ‘86 Mustang GT new as a mid-life crisis solution. Daily driver for 13 years, then it sat outside for a long time. I’ve had numerous unsolicited opportunities to sell it, but heard too many stories about the one that got away. It’s now in the garage with an updated 5.0 (aluminum heads, cam, headers, etc.) and it runs! Lots more to do, but looking forward to getting it finished and getting to drive it!
 
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I’m the old guy...bought my ‘86 Mustang GT new as a mid-life crisis solution. Daily driver for 13 years, then it sat outside for a long time. I’ve had numerous unsolicited opportunities to sell it, but heard too many stories about the one that got away. It’s now in the garage with an updated 5.0 (aluminum heads, cam, headers, etc.) and it runs! Lots more to do, but looking forward to getting it finished and getting to drive it!
Nice! I owned an ‘86 GT once and it’s one of the cars I miss the most!
 
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Story of my life.--- every car-truck -Jeep I've had I built it up to much. Buy it stock sink my time and money in it - sell it just when i got it where I wanted it - get bored with it -because no more tinkering to do to it. repeat- That's why when i bought my Mustang, I knew what I wanted- Mostly stock- Daily driver- No crazy mods. Simple & Clean. I took the Vortech off- HCI from Trick Flow-rebuilt motor, I plan on Driving this car !!!! I've set the limit on this one.
 
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