But Is It Really A Blight Issue?

[nick8086]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/classic-cars/a-michigan-town-is-forcing-this-man-to-sell-20-old-cars-off-his-property-every-month/ar-AAs9snb?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout#image=AAs9snb_1|20

 

Some one should help him save the good ones..

Edited September 19, 2017 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[mrspeedyt]

man. that is sad. but it is true that he needs to liquidate most all his stuff while he can. i'm younger and have much less... but still a daunting task. hope the 'powers that be' cut him slack.

[mrpushbutton]

If you are his neighbor, and cars are just a means of transportation, yes--they are a blight issue. He's hasn't been doing these cars any favors just letting them sit outdoors and rot. It's time for new buyers for everything. Ron's not going to live long enough to salvage or restore 1/10th of them.

[Guest]

I don't see much there in the way of valuable collector cars.

[Gunsmoke]

While he may not have intended to, it is a junkyard period. Aside from being a general eyesore and it's potential to devalue adjacent property, there are serious potential environmental issues related to oil and other fluids seeping into ground and possibly wells in area. I think the local government is doing him a favour by forcing him to get rid of the junk and avoid a potential longer term disaster. Locally we have a Resource Recovery Board that pays owners and wrecking companies a few hundred dollars per vehicle and comes and removes old vehicles from your property. If his community has/had one, he could make $40,000 on 200 cars.

[JFranklin]

He needs to call an auction house or a junk yard and be done with it in a flash. Or, he could license the ones he can and dispose of the rest. I can see the towns point as he does have close neighbors.

[emjay]

Most municipalities have the same regulation, but typically are not enforced unless there is a complaint.  Since his has been going on for a while, it's probably more likely some official decided it was his job to clean up the area.  It's also possible that he was there before the ordinance went into effect.  Very likely a case of the municipality (or a particular tax payer) thinking they have more power than they should.

[1912Staver]

Not valuable vintage cars but most appear to be cars with strong followings. The big problem is being able to sell so many so fast. No doubt given more time most could be placed with enthusiast owners. Civic officials tend to be people with very little understanding of the old car hobby.  You know the type, everything neat, tidy, ordered , sterile.

 

Greg in Canada

[Hudsy Wudsy]

The only plan he ever seemed to have for these cars was to own them. Perhaps he had some vague idea about fixing them up and doing something with them, but I don't see a lot of evidence for that. He's simply a hoarder. He may even be fortunate that the township has indulged him this long. It's long past time to press him to clean up his mess -- for many reasons. The fact that some of the cars are of interest to particular enthusiasts just reflects his own personal tastes when he bought them, but doesn't justify their continuing to sit and rot in this place.

[Zimm63]

Hoarder.    

 

[Matt Harwood]

Since we're in the AACA, we often feel that all old cars must be saved. That's a mistake. These particular cars, regardless of value, have been discarded and are now rotting. That's not to say they can't be saved, but there are good versions of these cars all over the place for not a lot of money. Nobody's going to grab one of these for a restoration project (don't give me that "poor kid just starting in the hobby" crap--it's a fallacy). They're only going to sit and sit and sit until they return to the earth from which they came or this guy's heirs or the city have to come in and spend a small fortune to clean them up for him after he's dead. That's not fair. At least if he's alive, he can decide what goes where and maybe benefit from the sale. The heirs or the city are going to crush them all as cheaply and as quickly as possible.

 

Saving cars as part of history is a noble cause. Saving all cars, no matter how garden-variety, is a fool's errand. Right now there are more "collector" cars than interested asses for the seats. We don't need to put more junk out there hoping to snag a sucker. Old doesn't mean valuable or interesting. Dump them, crush them, part them out, whatever, but hoarding them until the end of time does nobody any favors. It's the hoarding sickness, plain and simple. We don't feel obligated to protect the shoes collected by the crazy hoarding lady, this is no different. It offends many of us to discard something that could potentially have use, but you have to draw the line somewhere. Affecting other people's quality of life is that line.

 

That tingle you feel when you think of these cars being crushed and that they should be saved--not for you, but surely for someone--that's the hoarding sickness. The only difference is that you have the mental fortitude not to act on it.

[Larry Schramm]

My vote would be for an auction.  With that many cars and some promotion I would guess he would get "market value"  which is the price a willing seller will sell to a willing buyer.   Being in Michigan, he would need to do it in the next month or so or they will be buried in snow. 

 

He could pick maybe the "best" or "most attached to" cars and be able to keep them for his entertainment.

 

Just my thought.

[nzcarnerd]

The whole business of what it and isn't collectible is ongoing and changes all the time. Each to his own.  Who would have thought that stand up delivery vehicles were worth collecting?   http://carzhunt.blogspot.co.nz/search?updated-max=2017-08-29T03:03:00-07:00&max-results=7

 

Edited September 19, 2017 by nzcarnerd (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

I get your point Matt, up to a point. Were you not the person 2 years ago advising us that BMW 2002's were the car to buy. Looks like there are a few in this group.  I think that many of the cars in this mans yard are definitely better than cars to be recycled. Yes, we can't save them all . But what is anyone going to do with a good one without similar model parts cars being in existence. I don't know how much work you have done on imported cars , but parts cars are nearly essential . I always try to buy at least 2 parts cars for every good car I own, and I keep the parts cars intact as long as possible. If you own a older imported collector car ; assuming you regularly drive it, then sooner or later you are going to need a parts car. If you don't own one yourself then you will soon be making the owner of one quite a bit wealthier. To some of us this won't matter, but not all of us are rich.

  If you dismantle things and scrap the shell you soon have a very large pile of parts to deal with, easier and better to leave them intact. I am deep into a 1966 Lotus Cortina. 20 years ago I could have bought any number of parts car MK 1 Cortina's for peanuts. These days anything MK 1 is gold. And I find myself paying hefty prices to replace things I would have probably at one time thrown or gave away myself.

 

Just my opinion, Greg

Edited September 20, 2017 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Xander Wildeisen]

If the property was not overgrown, and the cars were in a line side by side, nice and neat. With tarps/covers over each car. He would be in a different spot. I know people who had to move or crush cars because the city thought it had to be done. Clunker laws have been in place for a long time. Removing the BS that a person is forced to deal with. The owner should, out of respect for the people who would be the ones dealing with the cars when he passes, deal with them before something happens to him. Every car that is crushed/scrapped is one less paint job, one less interior job, it is taking away work from shops in the future. He could reach out to high school auto body shops and give them some cars for students to learn a skill/trade on. You wonder why the youth is not getting involved with the old cars? Here is one of many reasons why. Try and rent a house if you have an old car that you are working on. Most rental contracts around here state, no automotive work. Auction would be his best choice, if the city will not work with him on a realistic time line to make that happen, then the city is being unreasonable. If it was not for people like this guy, many of our cars would not be around. Someone had to hang on to them, before we bought them.  

[mike6024]

I did own one of those, '76 Maroon (Malaga?) 2002 with light tan interior 4 speed stick. Owned it from about 1980 to 1988 I think it was.

[padgett]

Probably rotting from the bottom up, have seen before. What he needs to do is find one of those hoarder reality shows or an auction house and keep 4 or 5 properly. Red Merc looks in the best shape but is probably from this century (SLK230 ?)

 

BTW two fit nicely in a conex.

[pont35cpe]

Must be a problem for "the big eye in the sky".. The only place it can be seen..  Remember, it all started with Lady Bird Johnson..

[John348]

He is not doing any wonders for the value of anyone's real estate living near by. As a collector I would be one of the first people to call if he lived next to me. He could have put a fence up, but no. 

[Xander Wildeisen]

He might have been there first. And then neighbors move in, and can not stand what is next door to the house that they just bought. People like this get hammered when other people want their property.

[pont35cpe]

1 hour ago, John348 said:

He is not doing any wonders for the value of anyone's real estate living near by. As a collector I would be one of the first people to call if he lived next to me. He could have put a fence up, but no. 

If you lived next to him, put your own fence up...

[John348]

39 minutes ago, pont35cpe said:

If you lived next to him, put your own fence up...

Your right I could but it is much cheaper to go to the town to make him clean his eyesore

[Matt Harwood]

You guys are acting like this is some kind of conspiracy between his neighbors and the big, bad government. LOOK AT THE PICTURES! He's got a junkyard full of virtually worthless cars rotting into the ground outside his house. He's hoarding junk cars, not priceless artifacts, and they certainly aren't just a battery and a tank of gas away from running again. All you guys crying for him wouldn't want to live next door to him, either. If those properties use well water (it's likely they do if it's rural enough for him to have a hoard like that), then hell yes, I'd be upset about all those cars being there. And what if it wasn't cars? What if he collected old washing machines or broken lawn mowers or typewriters? Would you still be crying for him? Keep it in perspective.

 

Stashes of cars like this are BAD for the hobby. They make people (including the government) who don't know anything about the cars, the hobby, or the people think that we're kooks who just want any old rusty thing, regardless of what it is. They look at him and then see us at Hershey walking around with wagons full of rusty parts and think we're lunatics like this, too. This guy is making us all look bad, because when they see his stuff, they look at your single old car that isn't perfect as some kind of eyesore problem as well. YOU become the crazy old neighbor with old cars laying around. YOU become a target. We should all want nonsense like this cleaned up so that they don't come after genuine hobbyists. Yes, I said it--this guy isn't a hobbyist, he's a hoarder. It's a sad thing, but it's not the same thing. I don't want him punished, but I don't want the rest of us punished on his behalf, either. Look at the big picture.

 

And yes, I recommended buying a BMW 2002. I still do. But if you go back and look at that conversation, I told you to "Buy the nicest one you can find, regardless of price, and hold it for five years." I didn't say buy one that's rotting into the ground, spend $80,000 restoring it, and wait five years to sell it for $50,000. Junk is junk. Nice cars are nice cars. This guy owns junk. I'm sorry if you see your favorite car in there, but if it's truly something you love and you think is worthwhile, go get it. I bet if you go right now, he'll give it to you for free to keep it from being crushed. Go on, go! It's right there! Go save it! Bring it home! Put it in your yard! I bet you've got plenty of room just like he does!

 

After all, if he's not doing anything wrong, why should you worry about storing a rusty heap in your front yard, too? Why not go get it? So much apparently valuable stuff, just waiting for someone to take it home, right?

 

Yeah, I didn't think so...

Edited September 20, 2017 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[Xander Wildeisen]

9 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

Stashes of cars like this are BAD for the hobby. They make people (including the government) who don't know anything about the cars, the hobby, or the people think that we're kooks who just want any old rusty thing, regardless of what it is. They look at him and then see us at Hershey walking around with wagons full of rusty parts and think we're lunatics like this, too. This guy is making us all look bad, because when they see his stuff, they look at your single old car that isn't perfect as some kind of eyesore problem as well. YOU become the crazy old neighbor with old cars laying around. YOU become a target. We should all want nonsense like this cleaned up so that they don't come after genuine hobbyists. Yes, I said it--this guy isn't a hobbyist, he's a hoarder. It's a sad thing, but it's not the same thing. I don't want him punished, but I don't want the rest of us punished on his behalf, either. Look at the big picture.

 

..

 

[1912Staver]

Matt, like I said in my earlier post I get your point ..to a point. The old car hobby is a very broad spectrum, very broad indeed. Your particular thing is very nice shiny , easily re-sellable vintage cars . In a neat tidy building and probably used in a neat tidy way. Not all of us can participate in the hobby at this level. And indeed not all of us even want to. There is a huge world wide interest in diamonds in the rough, call them barn finds, junk yard dogs, car hoards , whatever.  The owners of very shiny cars  are often perceived as fussy and uptight by many people who are none the less true old car guys. Same holds true of many civic officials.  

  It's a big old car world. Diverse in the extreme. And old car collections are also very diverse.

 And yes there are several cars in this mans collection that I would be happy to give a home to except they are more or less on the other side of the Continent. Just because they are not in dazzling condition does not mean they are not of interest to collectors. Perhaps no interest to the old car trade, but certainly of interest to many of the rest of us.

Actually there are a couple of MGA parts cars in my front yard right now. Definitely not in sight from my neighbors yard.  My wife keeps mentioning they would make a nice planter.

P.S. , Great video Xander!  Makes me want to have 10 Acres in Cali.

Greg in Canada

 

 

Edited September 20, 2017 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

Several years ago my wife and I attended a British Car show in my downright scruffy driver MGA. As we entered the parking lot one of the persons directing traffic asked if we would park with the other MG's on display . I was hesitant but he assured me people like to see cars that are actually driven rather than being simply showpieces. So I lined up with all the shiny MGA's and a similar scruffy driver MGTD was placed on one side of me.  Know what , the two down at the heals MG's got more interest than any of the shiny ones. I was engaged by a seemingly endless stream of onlookers that wanted to know all about the car, it's travels and history. The shiny ones were for the most part glanced at and walked past.

 

Greg in Canada

[John348]

55 minutes ago, 1912Staver said:

. Definitely not in sight from my neighbors yard.

 

Greg in Canada

 

Isn't that the whole point! If his neighbors did not see it then they would not know it was there, shame on him for not being disrespectful, I would think he had several warnings about this. I agree with Matt 100% it gives us a bad name.

Edited September 20, 2017 by John348 (see edit history)

[Stude Light]

Going back to the title of the post....Yes, I would consider this a blight issue.  I was on our local Planning Commission for 15 years so had to deal with issues of spot zoning or folks "grandfathered in" or just situations that gradually developed, which is probably what happened here.  Regardless of how this came about you really need to consider the bigger picture. The collector (or hoarder) is in a zoning district that does not allow for this type of storage.  So if allowed to continue, the guy three miles down the road starts doing the same.  What happens when these issue are ignored is a precedent is set, so trying to enforce your zoning laws and ordinances becomes increasingly difficult and the situation spirals downhill.  So the local government is doing the right thing to address this issue (albeit late) before the next situation develops.  So think about living in a community that has no zoning or ordinance enforcement - one neighbor starts a kennel with 25 barking dogs, the other one has a few foul smelling hogs, the next guy puts up some super-bright yard lights and leaves them on all the time and then you have the guy with 200 cars rusting away, leaking oil, leaching lead and dribbling fuel on the ground, etc.  My point is....It's not just about this particular guy and his neighbors, you need to consider the community aspect of what continuing to allow this "junkyard" to exist does.  Sure, you feel for the guy but also consider his bad behavior brought this on and affects the entire community, not just his couple of neighbors.

Scott

[Matt Harwood]

1 hour ago, 1912Staver said:

Matt, like I said in my earlier post I get your point ..to a point. The old car hobby is a very broad spectrum, very broad indeed. Your particular thing is very nice shiny , easily re-sellable vintage cars . In a neat tidy building and probably used in a neat tidy way. Not all of us can participate in the hobby at this level. And indeed not all of us even want to. There is a huge world wide interest in diamonds in the rough, call them barn finds, junk yard dogs, car hoards , whatever.  The owners of very shiny cars  are often perceived as fussy and uptight by many people who are none the less true old car guys. Same holds true of many civic officials.  

  It's a big old car world. Diverse in the extreme. And old car collections are also very diverse.

 And yes there are several cars in this mans collection that I would be happy to give a home to except they are more or less on the other side of the Continent. Just because they are not in dazzling condition does not mean they are not of interest to collectors. Perhaps no interest to the old car trade, but certainly of interest to many of the rest of us.

P.S. , Great video Xander!  Makes me want to have 10 Acres in Cali.

Greg in Canada

 

 

 

So a car you want, given to you for free, in exchange for a few hundred miles of driving is too much to ask? I guess I rest my case.

 

As I said, those aren't really cars that people are dying to preserve. They're just cars people can worry about because they somehow still exist and someone is being forced to dispose of them. If you saw one of those cars sitting by the side of the road, you wouldn't stop and try to acquire it, so don't lie about that. There's no doubt they're viable projects and someone could have fun with them. SO WHERE ARE THOSE PEOPLE? You're claiming to be one of them, but in the very next sentence you're trotting out the same tired excuses everyone uses (too far away, I don't have any room, my wife won't let me, I already have a project, whatever). Waiting for that maybe could take the rest of that guy's life and then what? Oh, that's right, it becomes SOMEONE ELSE'S PROBLEM, probably the taxpayer's. Even the article said that someone REALLY wanted one of the cars, they agreed on a price, but the guy never came back. Another guy came to buy a car but ended up just taking the seats because the rest of the car was too far gone. If I want a Porsche 924, I can get one that runs and drives for $8,000. Or I can buy one of those rust buckets and spend five times that much to make it into an $8,000 car. A VW Scirocco? A bunch of late-model Mercedes sedans? A Passat station wagon? A ruined Saab? A rusty 280Z? Please. Cry your crocodile tears somewhere else. The nicest car he has, the bright red late-model Mercedes SL might be worth $10,000 if it's fully operational. IF.

 

It's nice that you'd like to cast me as a snob who doesn't understand not having any money or enjoying the project aspect of owning an old car, but it just ain't true. It's great to think that my only goal is profits and that I'm black and white if I can't make a buck at someone else's expense. You're totally wrong, but OK, you can think that. The problem is that many people seem to want to preserve EVERY old car just because it has managed to exist for X number of years. These are not miraculous cars. These are garden-variety, mass-produced, mass-market cars that have been permitted to decay to the point where they are not operational without a significant investment. They're cheap for a reason when they're running and worth far, far less when they're not. Go ahead with your dealer hate (we haven't had one of those threads for a while) but I'll stand behind my words and my actions because the cars I own personally are far from perfect and the scruffy ones are the ones I like best. I'm also upside-down financially on every car in my personal collection. The last car I bought was a very scruffy 1959 Pontiac barn find and we spent eight months bringing it back to life, all so I can sell it for $15,000. I thought it was worthy, even if I lose my shirt on it. A good car was put back into circulation, and it felt like the right thing to do, profits or no profits. Screw your holier-than-thou attitude, Greg, and smell the coffee. The hobby has changed and there isn't some young, poor kid hoping to acquire a piece of junk for pennies on the dollar to fix it up, and if he is, I I bet he's not dreaming at night of a 1986 Volkswagen Jetta.

 

You and I both know none of these cars are just "gas 'em up and go" survivors like your MG, so please come down off your high horse looking down at me for having the temerity to call a spade a spade. These are low-value cars made even more so by the fact that this guy let them rot for a few decades, and now his neighbors are unhappy about it. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but he should have gotten this nonsense under control 15 years ago, not let it grow into something completely unmanageable.

 

By the way, this is my personal car when I started and right now, so give me a break about how I believe only shiny cars have value and that I don't understand someone who wants a project:

 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2017 by Matt Harwood (see edit history)

[1912Staver]

Matt I am not trying to type cast you as a snob. I am sure in your own area of interest you are just as much a old car guy as I am. And I think your Buick is very nice indeed. By the way these cars are 2500 miles from me each way so I don't really call that a tired excuse.  My MG when I bought it in 1977 was in very similar condition to these "derelicts" and part of a loose group of cars that had at that time been sitting for several years. I still have the 1972 plate that was on it when I bought it. It took several months of work to make it drivable again. A second much rougher MGA from the same group was my parts car for a long time. Quite similar to these cars.

  I don't hate dealers, I simply can't afford the sort of cars they generally handle. If the right car was being sold at the right price I would not hesitate  buying from a dealer. I know you are very knowledgeable about old cars, and involved with the hobby as well as the old car market. Really my only point of difference with you is your insistence in calling the man a hoarder and your insistence that the cars are valueless.  

P.S , I have a 17 year old son . Cars from the 80's like Jetta's are actually quite popular with his demographic at least around here. Definitely not my preference but they are young.

Greg in Canada

Edited September 20, 2017 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[60FlatTop]

I was probably about 25 years old and stopped everywhere I saw a roadside collection of cars. Heading north, out of Cicero, New York, on RT 11, there was a vine covered collection down an embankment along the road. I stopped to look. The owner was friendly and let me walk around while my girlfriend, unwittingly in training to be my Wife, sat in the car patiently.

The guy had a shoebox Ford convertible, very rotted, no top, and a shot interior. There was evidence it had been there close to a decade. During the conversation I remember the quote "I saved it." coming from the owner.

 

That is a memorable statement to fresh in my mind today, nearly half a century later. He didn't "save" anything. He just owned it. Same as a lot of open air museum owners. The guys affliction doesn't tug my heart strings. It does make me think "Whew! That could be me if I had worse social skills." At least I have been able to circulate around and sell the similar stuff I dragged home. And I always tried to get a premium price. Just for the sake of the car, you understand. If I sold it too cheap the new buyer might leave it sitting outside.

 

That body style on Matt's Buick looks like something a young guy in the hobby would own.

Like about 14 or 15. One of the few cars I can't remember selling.

Bernie

[nick8086]

 

And if that pressure isn’t enough, the court makes it clear that it will take no excuses for Ron missing that quota, saying in the court document mailed to Ron:In no event shall any of the following be grounds for relief from this Consent Judgement:

a. difficulty in obtaining buyers for the vehicles,

b. Failure of buyers to pick up vehicles,

c. any other problems in selling the vehicles,

d. weather

e. difficulty in accessing the vehicles, or

f. difficulty in obtaining title for the vehicles.

Clearly, the Township isn’t playing around. They want these cars gone.

 

At age 74 ..elder abuse.. Not nice  They should work with him.. Not send him to his grave..

 

every car collector had this at one time..

 

[trimacar]

The man is definitely a hoarder.  He has no interest in maintaining the cars, he just wants to own them.

 

Look at the one picture of him in his workshop.  Look at all the stuff piled up in the background, that he just can't bring himself to organize or get rid of, because he just likes owning it.....yes, he's a hoarder.

 

I agree with Matt that most of these cars aren't worth saving.  Sitting on dirt, rust does nasty things under a car.  Mother Nature wants everything back, and I'll bet she's been after some of these cars for a while.

 

 

[John348]

2 hours ago, trimacar said:

The man is definitely a hoarder.  He has no interest in maintaining the cars, he just wants to own them.

 

Look at the one picture of him in his workshop.  Look at all the stuff piled up in the background, that he just can't bring himself to organize or get rid of, because he just likes owning it.....yes, he's a hoarder.

 

I agree with Matt that most of these cars aren't worth saving.  Sitting on dirt, rust does nasty things under a car.  Mother Nature wants everything back, and I'll bet she's been after some of these cars for a while.

 

 

 

I agree with your feelings 100% Even if the cars had value or interest do something to preserve them better and not create homes for animals and insects. To me it is no different then if he had a pile of washing machines outside creating an eyesore. If he put up a fence years ago the problem could have been avoided 

Edited September 21, 2017 by John348 (see edit history)

[A. Ballard 35R]

Let's just be thankful that this hoarder didn't collect cars that were more desirable and rare. Some of you may recall the hoarder in Cheyney, Pa. who had a 645 Packard topless phaeton he used to haul chickens around in after removing the rear seat or the Locomobile with the Victoria top that was abandoned after it needed attention and could no longer make it to Hershey. The most incredible was the early 30's Dietrich bodied Packard roadster sitting in the barnyard where it served as a home for many generations of chickens. There were other cars such as the remains of an L-Head Mercer raceabout plus others that I don't remember. He was a very pleasant man well known to Philadelphia area antique car people but I don't know of a single vehicle or the remains thereof that left his farm while he was alive.

[auburnseeker]

1 hour ago, A. Ballard 35R said:

Let's just be thankful that this hoarder didn't collect cars that were more desirable and rare. Some of you may recall the hoarder in Cheyney, Pa. who had a 645 Packard topless phaeton he used to haul chickens around in after removing the rear seat or the Locomobile with the Victoria top that was abandoned after it needed attention and could no longer make it to Hershey. The most incredible was the early 30's Dietrich bodied Packard roadster sitting in the barnyard where it served as a home for many generations of chickens. There were other cars such as the remains of an L-Head Mercer raceabout plus others that I don't remember. He was a very pleasant man well known to Philadelphia area antique car people but I don't know of a single vehicle or the remains thereof that left his farm while he was alive.

Are there any photos of this on the web anywhere?  I would be curious to see the cars.  

I agree he's helping no one.  If he was in the middle of the desert and was actively selling some,  maybe a different story.  

I'm spending North of 100G to build a building big enough to house more cars.  That is a ton of money I could have bought more cars with but I have no place to properly store them.   My rule is if i can't keep it inside,  I can't buy it.  If I want it bad enough I sell  something else I have so I have a place to keep it. 

The only thing I have outside right now is my Excavator and chipper as well as a new enclosed car trailer,  all of which will go in the new 60 by 72 Garage when It's up.   I also have a wooded 7 acres.  

It's easier to take a free car or buy a cheap one (a few hundred bucks, more than likely the price this guy paid for most) than it is to care for one once you have it.

First criteria for any newbe collector when asked is a place to store the car you are looking at.  I have even stored old cars for Friends and relatives,  for Years! just so they wouldn't get left out because they had no place to keep them.  

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Agree with a lot of the points here about proper storage, etc.  That said, i think rising to the level of anger at this guy might be a little bit over the top.  Yes, if he's  out of zoning compliance he needs to clean things out and he would probably be  better served himself as well.  Bear in mind  it didn't happen overnight and it feels, at least to me that the local authorities could be a touch more collaborative.   Maybe someone spends a  couple hours with him discussing options.   Could be he ranks cars by condition and moves the worst right away, could be an outfit like yvette V. Auctions some of the better stuff.  Maybe even a few sell by way of the  publicity this story is generating .  Guy needs a hand, maybe some suggestions but not a  beat down imho.  

Edited September 21, 2017 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[auburnseeker]

From what I saw you are only going to get a local auction company in to clear it out.  Nothing big bucks to draw in  a big name company. 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

That's likely a great option.   My point being it might behoove the town to work with him a bit.  A little collaboration could go a long way.   Seeker, I am thinking you can relate to that idea.

  

[1912Staver]

Hi auburnseeker and all. I agree about the need for a decent building. I am in fact in the process of building a similar shop to yours. Actually 2 buildings , a very basic 30 x 50 for storage of parts cars , potential project cars and all the other stuff that accumulates over the decades. And once that's done a second 30 x 50 proper shop building for my antique and other "hobby" cars . The daily drivers can sit outside in the rain just like they always have. The small double garage that is built in to the house will morph into my machine shop.  Lathe, mill , and all the rest is already in that garage but not set up , just parked along the walls in order to leave space for stuff that will be relocated to the storage building.  I should have built the large buildings years ago but life got in the way.  I would give a body part for a wooded 7 acre site, in my area that will run about 2 Mill. assuming the house if there is one is a tear down. My lot is just over an acre with a so -so house; the ones the same size, up the road from me with newish houses are 1.75-2.5 mill.  Just across the boarder in Washington State  {about a 15 Min drive depending on how busy customs are}  I could have a bigger property with a similar house for 1/4 to 1/3 the cost. Vancouver Canada costs are nuts.

  Actually it looks like the "hoarder" has a number of decent sized buildings on his land, I wonder if that's where he keeps all his good cars ?

 

Greg in Canada

Edited September 21, 2017 by 1912Staver (see edit history)