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Is owning a classic an impossible dream for me, or do I have hope?


Billy Kingsley

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I've been a hobbyist since literally 5 days old when my brother read me my first comic book. If I could cut my other hobbies out completely, or never started on them, I would have had enough to get almost any car I wanted, I suspect. (probably not a Duesenberg) But I can't bring myself to leave them behind...Earlier this month I spent a week in Ohio built around a convention for my model car building hobby. The trip cost almost $4000...

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If you do not have enough space to build a garage does a neighbor have one that you can rent at a reasonable rate? If you get a car you need a garage or you and the car will suffer from the weather.

It is not just the winter, but the dampness from the rain that just sits and clings to your "toy" and does the damage. While you are looking for a car also be looking for some kind of storage. Chalk up your bad luck with Chrysler products to the particular cars/vehicles you had. Chrysler made some quality stuff , but I am not knowledgeable enough about them after the 1960s to make any comment. We had them in our family for years in the 1950s to 1970s and all went over 100,00 miles with no real mechanical issues but yes rust after they got to be a decade old did start to take its toll. I live on long island and the cars were used year round .

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Just thinking aloud now....would a car cover keep the dampness off it? I'm not sure how weatherproof they actually are, since I've not researched it at all. If I do ever get a car, I plan to get a cover for it even just for the nights spent here before a car show, because of the pollen and non-potty trained birds.😁

 

The oldest Chrysler product we have had was a Cordoba...

199013265Cordoba-vi.jpg

That's me in the background...and the Chevelle I mentioned earlier's wheel as well.

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I always liked the lines of the Cordoba, "rich cornithian leather". That is a two door sports coupe that will not be seen everyday and drives modern. Best is with the 360 or 400 engine. Have you thought about one. Craigslist has one here in no-rust land.

 

Obviously a garage is best, need to keep out of the sun since that does the most damage, heat and ozone destroy interiors in particular. Carport is next and there are even portable shelters that you can consider disposable.

 

 

 

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Billy, welcome to the forum. Your dreams are  pretty much like the dreams we've all had.. Looking for a hobby  car,  be it classic, antique, special interest, or an older daily  driver is something each of us thought of when we wanted have fun and  get into the hobby. Set a goal for yourself, and make a list of cars that you can afford, and see what is available out there. There are more   bargains than you think  for  nice original cars.  Check out the forum on cars for sale, and don't be afraid to travel to look at something that interest you. There are a lot of  friendly and knowledge folks here that ithat will be happy to help you with  something that you may find interesting.  Good luck on your quest. Keep us posted. John

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Have you thought about going to a public car auction? Sometimes you can get lucky and get a really decent car there for about 1/2 of market value. Last Mecum auction I went to, I saw a number of clean 50's-80's sedans sell in the $3-7k range. I also saw a very presentable 1950 Buick Roadmaster 2 door hardtop (older restoration) go for $12,500. The buyer turned around and sold it on Ebay a couple months later for $20k. I think you have to place a small deposit when you register and pay a 10-20% buyer's premium once you win, but you could potentially drive off in your dream car for thousands less than you were expecting. Bring a mechanically inclined buddy along to help you look over the car(s) and hang out for a couple days. It's worth checking out. 

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That's what I basically expected...those portable ones look neat but I'm not sure how you hold them down. A guy on the next street over keeps a motorhome in one.

 

I have considered an auction, but I don't trust myself to not bid on literally every 50s car and then some, leading to some serious trouble later on, hah. I went to the post auction show at the Saratoga Automobile Museum this year and saw many cars I was quite fond of. Could I restrain myself if there was a car I liked and could afford, but wasn't an El Camino or Edsel? I truly don't think so.  For example there was a Kaiser Manhattan in the auction that would have been in my price range, I believe...

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Auctions are indeed ways to get cars on the cheap. They are also an ideal way to spend good money on a bad car. I send my trash to auction; I am quite certain I am not alone. For your first car, I don't think an auction car is a wise choice, particularly if your skills or wallet are not up to a project.

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