Our Son Allen read this article, and was impressed how much of it,
Pertained to most all of us.. in our wonderful Hobby
He shared it with me, I want to share it with YOU.
Jc
Thoughts On Enjoying The Classic Car Hobby
It's still the best way to spend time
Where the heck did 2023 disappear to? I just can’t adjust to how fast the months fly by as I get older. The year seems to have just completely disappeared. I remember being told that the older one gets, the faster time goes by—now I completely understand exactly what that means. I always thought that things would slow down as I aged, but it is just the opposite. At the speed time passes, one learns just how valuable it really is!
Thankfully, one great use of time that we’re all involved in is car stuff. Whenever I’m at a loss for something to do, I simply go to the garage, uncover my car, and usually find several reasonably easy things that I have put off in the past that I can now address. Plus, writing for this magazine is rewarding, and mostly fun every month. Due to having this advantage, staying busy is not a problem for me. I always find something that I can write, clean, fix, or polish. It comes with the old car hobby! When I was younger, time felt as though it dragged along at a seemingly endless pace, now it’s just the opposite, it flies by day after day.
With some of the things going on in other parts of the globe, I’m reminded that it’s simply wonderful to be able to live in peace in the United States. Even with our various social and economic issues, I believe that we have the best standard of living, and the greatest freedoms and opportunities, of any nation on the planet. I’m sure many of you feel exactly the same way. Just to be able to enjoy an old hobby car is something we take for granted, but there are many places in this world where even that would be impossible. Our advantage is the huge availability of cars, parts, fuel, fellow enthusiasts, and so on, much of which is virtually unheard of in some countries. So, the next time you hear folks complain about the cost of the hobby, remind them of how lucky we are! We are able to openly enjoy our vintage rides, and I think we sometimes take that for granted.
In fact, I might have been losing sight of those things several months ago when I was seriously considering getting out of the old car ownership and restoration hobby. The reason was that I was finding it increasingly difficult to work on the underside, inside, and outside of my GTO. Any car enthusiast reading this who qualifies as a senior citizen probably knows exactly what I mean. The old body just doesn’t cooperate like it did in the past, and I don’t expect it to improve in the future.
However, more recently I have been able to work around that by limiting the type of work I do. No more crawling under the vehicle to detail parts or bending over a fender cleaning and detailing the engine compartment for long periods. If I can’t get the work done standing up, or at the very least, just bending over for reasonably brief stints, I’ll have someone give me a hand. One way or another, I manage to get the tasks done that the GTO requires.
Meanwhile, some of my family members keep trying to convince me to sell the car I’ve had for many years and retire from the hobby. I’m sure many of you have faced similar situations. I keep reminding them that it is what I enjoy doing, despite my complaints, physical stresses, aches, pains, and cost. And now that I am down to only one car, much of that is also reduced. I think they all understand, but since not all of them are really involved in the hobby, they just think I’m crazy. And maybe they are right. But sitting in front of the television watching sitcoms in the afternoon is not for me!
I’m sure many of you know exactly what I mean—it’s a condition that we all suffer with sooner or later!
So, now we are about to start a fresh new year, and hopefully we all will remain able to continue to work on and enjoy our favorite pastime for many more years to come. I take encouragement from reading the letters sent to this magazine by loyal readers. They cover the gamut of the classic car hobby, from restoration to maintenance and everything in between. There is no bragging or complaining, just real-life owner experiences on real life classic cars.
Reading about other enthusiasts’ experiences reminds me of how spending time on our classics is very unlike working on current cars. With the classics, we are almost like historians, bringing back a lost treasure and using it for what it was made to for: driving and enjoyment. So, while there may be the occasional suggestion at home about parting with my old car, I have the good fortune to have two grown sons who are also interested in the old car hobby; with their help, hopefully, I’ll be able to do this for many more years to come! Now, where did I put that adjustable wrench? I just need to tighten this fitting….
Just thoughts to ponder…
Merry Christmas Everyone !