Although I’m sure we don’t share the same priorities, I know EXACTLY how you feel. Except I have completely given up on the car scene for a while. It was too much money and a lot of time that I don’t have.
The bike is far easier to have fun with and mod on the cheap. And I have to dedicate so much time to school/work that I just want to relax or have fun through other less demanding sources when I’m not busy.
It happens. You’ll find that passion again when you settle down a little more. From what I hear, you have a lot going on for you. :tup:
In with all of you… its just not as fun as it used to be… Fuck now that i can afford to drive an Audi i miss the days of my Nitrous powered 14sec cavalier =( I wanna be 16 again… I miss the loop with Joe/Toda/Raven/Smith/Jay/Jim(blackxtreme)/Realdeal/Pumice…Etc
Cars are a part of our lives (especially mine) and they always will be. I look at it as money spent on having fun and enjoying life. I don’t think you can put a price on that stuff. We have friendships and will be telling stories about blowing motors up, beating your buddies lap time, doing cruises with 20 other awesome cars or getting to lap a real race track right after and Indy Car for the rest of our lives. That stuff is priceless, not to mention all the pictures we can show our kids to prove we used to be cool.
Im in the same old man boat. Just like you im keeping the car, but not as passionate as I once was about it. Im more interested in getting something now thats closer to an actual racecar setup for lapping days.
I think that extra circumstances, especially in the last 3 or so years, have had as big as an effect as age for many automotive hobbyists. The economy has gone bad to worse, and gas prices have gone all over. When the gas prices doubled, the cost of each of those 1-2 hour cruises also doubled. Not to the point of being out of the price range, by far, just to the point of you noticing when you put more gas in your tank, how much it’s costing you.
Maybe I’m wrong, and most of you guys make so much more money than I do weekly that it doesn’t matter to you. But if I had more money than I’d be twice as involved as I am right now. Work gets in the way, and that money has to go somewhere important, can’t just go to your cars. Mortgages, families, whichever. Just my 2c
I’m with you too as I haven’t even seen my Mustang since April when I visited it in storage to see how well it survived LAST winters storage. I haven’t driven it since last November…in the 11 years of owning the car this is unheard of from me.
Here’s how I looked at it. I’ve been in a house now and those projects have become more rewarding. Back in the day when my car was my most valuable asset, that got all my attention. I finally reached a point with the car where it would need a ton of money and time into to take it to that next level to keep me interested. Knowing that this wasn’t the right time for me to do that, I decided to hold off and just enjoy it for what it was and concentrat on the house…
The other way I’ve dealt with this, and this is this summer in particular, is to take what little knowledge I’ve picked up in the many years of playing with the Mustang (and even my SHO) and put all my free time towards a project that holds more meaning than my Mustang or house ever would, and that’s the build of my dad’s '55. Knowing that I’m building him the car that he lacks the knowledge and physical ability to do is all the motivation I need, and I can honestly say I’ve pretty much forgotten about the Mustang. I’ll never sell that car as it represents my youth, and I know years from now I’ll give it the love again.
Hell Im 19 and I’ve already prioritized, and I have you guys to thank for that LOL, it just makes so much more sense to me not to spend the money and the time to have a toy, Clean comfortable classy DD will be my next purchase.
Seem like it’s happening with a lot of people this year. I haven’t even bothered touching the 86 at all this summer, it’s just sitting away in storage. I’ve drove it only once thus far. Priorities have shifted away from cars at the moment for me.
the other thing i’m noticing the older i get… the more i want to have an older car, that doesn’t necessarily have to be “fast”, just something clean that i can pull out for a weekend drive
And I am by no means blaming your wife. Just saying that your priorities are shifting as your life is changing. You’re growing up.
Me? I was too busy changing my kitchen from suck to not-so-suck, taking MBA classes, and going to a different friend’s wedding every other weekend to even want to buy a bike or autocross beater, which is usually this quiet hum in my brain every summer.
None-the-less I hear ya. Think of it as something fun to do when you have time for something fun (If it ever happens). Then you have something to look forward to. The difference between a 2k house mod and a 2k car mod is the fact that you can drive one. The “value” of where the money goes should be based on priority. Putting your hobby aside for family simply means you are thinking about other people. Not a lost passion. That is very respectable.
Cheer up, Your hobby will never die. It just gets put aside so you can plan on making something sweet like a CF enigne cover…did I just get the gears turning??
