Peter S

how hard is something like this to work on?

Mark, I am thinking you are aware of the driveable 1936 Flying Cloud that's been for sale on central Ohio Craigslist. Intriguing car! Might belong to someone in the club... https://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/d/1936-reo-flying-cloud/6749833723.html

It's a dispiriting situation that works to no one's advantage.

Yes, it is a fixture on the street like the statues in the circles and squares, and I've eyeballed it many times while walking around the Hill. I didn't know the owners until I recently chatted with them. Apparently the car migrated with them from NC many decades ago. It is a little better looking in person than in their photos and I have the impression it was running until recently, as parking enforcement is brutal on the Hill. I am tempted to buy it myself but right now all my garage space, time, and funds are going into a 1951 Hudson. I guess I'm fighting off that hoarder thing. But maybe it's the car for you! I just hate to see it sitting out there like a dog at the shelter.

Craigslist has quite a decent original 1948 Olds sedan listed. I've been seeing it driving around Capitol Hill for years, though I understand it recently quit running. I haven't inspected it closely but it looks to have a decent southern body in original paint and the price is in touch with reality. Shame to see it sitting! Here's the link - https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/d/1948-oldsmobile-club-sedan/6746592760.html Current owners have had it for about 40 years - very pleasant folks. Peter Sefton Edited Tuesday at 02:38 PM by Peter S (see edit history)

Matt, I firmly agree. These Lincolns are a poor illustration for the point I was hoping to make; plainly they are an exotic breed and beyond the skill level of an experienced but modestly-skilled dabbler like myself. The love for the cars does shine through the comments. What sometimes disturbs me is that the old "I have a cool idea and I'm going to make it happen" spirit seems to be flourishing more on the HAMB. This kind of tinkerer's self-confidence that kept my 1960s & '70s generation going on cars or cycles or even starting a garage band is alive and well in the young people who are building apps and designing video games and it isn't something we can afford to lose with vintage cars. The notion that perfection is a goal or that a car needs a six figure restoration to be worthwhile is very discouraging to those who are starting out. Getting it running well enough to drive and buffing it til it can evoke the original feeling without being perfect in the details to me should be considered success.

it's hard to disagree with the points raised -- but I think there's a question of perspective. Sure, the asked price is ridiculous and the odds are that at most 1 or 2 of these cars will ever be "restored" to many extent. Most will continue to molder in somebody else's barn as "too valuable" to sell for what the market will bear until they're scrapped. But hopefully a couple will escape and provide somebody some pleasure as they tinker with them. I'm all for realistic discussion, but really there's such a different attitude here than on the HAMB. In the hot rod community people wax enthusiastic about taking on long-term challenges and there;s a general spirit of optimism, even though plenty of them will ultimately run out of cash, enthusiasm, or both. It's the sense that the process might be fun, not merely expensive, that is too conspicuously missing here. Owning a classic car is like having a sailboat; the most prudent financial course would be to fill it with rocks and drill holes through the hull, but the experience you'd miss is priceless. Peter Sefton

Craigslist has quite a decent original 1948 Olds sedan listed. I've been seeing it on the street around Capitol Hill for years, though I understand it recently quit running. I haven't inspected it but it looks to have a decent southern body in original paint and the price is in touch with reality. Shame to see it sitting! Here's the link - https://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/cto/d/1948-oldsmobile-club-sedan/6746592760.html

Doesn't look like a bad deal if as advertised. Its located in the Baltimore 'burbs. https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/1937-rare-find-chrysler/6715629032.html Peter S.

a lot of car for the price!

looks like a nice car, though I prefer thr 39-40s myself.

Said to be real solid. Take a look at that dark shadow it casts in the photo.

https://southcoast.craigslist.org/cto/d/1934-plymouth-sedan/6257161112.html Minimal info given, but seems like it has potential. In Massachusetts Peter S.

Makes me wish I had an Olds to put it in!

How time flies. I could have sworn I drove past it in the '90s, when Uncle Sam's striped pants were fading away on the signboards.