What kind of car guy do you self identify as and why

[alsancle]

12 hours ago, JV Puleo said:

I like extremely well made cars, brass to about the late 20s. I have opinions about body styles but they are always secondary to the mechanical aspects...

 

Joe when I think of you the vision of a 10 HP Reo going down a 2 lane highway in 25 degree weather pops up.     Also,  anything after 1928 is probably going to be too new for you.

[JV Puleo]

Actually, it was a 30HP Model R - the predecessor to "Reo the fifth".

 

j

[alsancle]

1 minute ago, JV Puleo said:

Actually, it was a 30HP Model R - the predecessor to "Reo the fifth".

 

j

 

See,  this is where my issue is:  anything that is not as big as a fire truck engine falls in to the 10 HP bucket.

 

Was I right about you freezing your rear end off or am I embellishing?

 

 

[JV Puleo]

It wasn't quite that cold but I was wearing a lined, heavy duster, a hat, goggles and heavy leather gauntlets & boots so I was almost impervious to the weather. I was a lot younger then too. I'm not sure I'd weather it as well today.

 

I say that as I head outside to change the alternator and belt on my truck... the alternator dies last night and I had to come home on a flat bed. The belt is so badly worn that I'd be a fool not to change it but its working outside, in the driveway and it's supposed to snow later today. I really hate modern cars.

 

jp

 

Edit...It's  amazing what being able to see the problem does. The idler pulley that puts tension on the serpentine belt had disintegrated. It just so happens that I have a "parts car" - my previous truck which I should have junked months ago but a tree fell on it. When I went to cut the tree up, the chain saw wouldn't start, so the truck with the blown engine is still there and I was able to scavenge the part. My real problem is that I live alone in a fairly rural area so if I have to go out for parts I'm really stuck.

Edited December 1, 2019 by JV Puleo (see edit history)

[TexRiv_63]

I started out as a "Ford Guy" only because my Dad was one. That lasted through my first two cars and then I moved on and have never owned another Ford. If you go by quantity of cars bought and sold I guess I would be an "Oldsmobile Guy" as I have had more of them than any other make. As you can see by my signature list I have been deliberately eclectic, there is a long list of interesting cars in my head that is constantly changing. The few times I have bought duplicates of cars previously owned have generally been disappointing, although the 63 Olds Starfire currently up for sale kept me interested for 9 years. I really enjoy the discovery and education part of owning a car I have no knowledge about and solving problems on such a car is very satisfying, which is why I keep moving on to something else.  "So many cars---so little time"

[Robert G. Smits]

3 hours ago, alsancle said:

 

But George is a Stutz guy.   When I think Stutz,  I think of Ernie Toth,  John Grundfor and George plus a couple of other guys who's names are slipping past me

 

Would Richard Mitchell of Montgomery Texas Qualify as a "New" Stutz guy?  The last time I was at his home his 15-20 thousand sq foot of storage buildings were filled with Stutz automobiles including the 1929 Stutz, Lancefield Bodied, Supercharged Coupe custom build for the Woolworth Brothers.  Richards grandfather used modified Stutz automobiles to transport oilfield equipment across country in the 20's because of their reliability.

 

I started out as a Cadillac guy but fell off the wagon and now own Buick, Dodge, Pontiac, Corvette, Jag, and Oldsmobile along with two race cars and a 1912 Garford.  Time to start thinning the herd!!!

[auburnseeker]

I would probably be the oddball guy.  I usually buy the unusual.  Not necessarily independents but like the Dodge Sportabout.  Hudson Pickup. The local guys were surprised when I ended up with a 40 Ford Coupe.  They figure when I told them I had a new car to show them it would be something unusual.   

[Aaron65]

15 minutes ago, auburnseeker said:

I would probably be the oddball guy.  I usually buy the unusual.  Not necessarily independents but like the Dodge Sportabout.  Hudson Pickup. The local guys were surprised when I ended up with a 40 Ford Coupe.  They figure when I told them I had a new car to show them it would be something unusual.   

 

I get it!  After buying a '74 Firebird, everybody thought I'd gone mainstream.  I try to explain that the '74-'76 models are the stepchildren of Second-Gen Firebirds, but nobody believes me. 

[John_Mereness]

This Lincoln floats my Boat - love a good close coupled sedan !

[John_Mereness]

And, this Pierce Arrow is striking too !

i

 

Edited December 1, 2019 by John_Mereness (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

By the way, this is the current project (about 3 years ago - good to restore a car that lived from new until 70's in Pasadena, CA) 

Edited December 1, 2019 by John_Mereness (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

And, PA looks good in blue too !

Edited December 1, 2019 by John_Mereness (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

And, grey is good too !

[John_Mereness]

[edinmass]

Any Pierce Arrow with a custom body looks good..........

[STEVE POLLARD]

Dad had a Ford Crestline, Chrysler Saratoga, Karmann Ghia and a Corvair, but he made the mistake of taking me and my brother to the Chevrolet Dealership in the fall of 1969. The new '70 models were parked out in front of the dealership and the left over '69's were in the back lot. Mom and Dad picked out a '69 Impala Sport Sedan and I was hooked.

I've had four over the years.....I currently have two, original 327 Impala and a SS427 Impala that I'm restoring now.  I restore a Custom Coupe years ago and painted it black.

I did have a 1974 AMC Javelin during High School... very cool car and fast !  ( did some street racing with that one )

 

Steve

 

 

 

 

 

[keithb7]

I am a course thread pre ‘54 Mopar guy. Some of my early cars as a teen were Mopar. I fell into the marquis. Now that I am gaining so much vintage Mopar knowledge, I like the idea of sticking with the brand. 

 

I figured out I am not into collecting vintage cars. I’m into the vintage car hobby. Revival, wrenching, repairing, driving and a social network around the old cars sorta defines me. 

 

Shop towels, hand cleaner, degreaser, oils and countless parts come and go thru my garage very often. Laying on my back or over a fender is not a problem at this age.I crave the new knowledge and experience I gain every week. 

 

I’m pulling a tranny apart right now to repair. This is right up my alley. I’m enjoying the heck out if it. 

Edited December 1, 2019 by keithb7 (see edit history)

[alsancle]

21 minutes ago, keithb7 said:

I am a course thread pre ‘54 Mopar guy. Some of my early cars as a teen were Mopar. I fell into the marquis. Now that I am gaining so much vintage Mopar knowledge, I like the idea of sticking with the brand. 

 

I figured out I am not into collecting vintage cars. I’m into the vintage car hobby. Revival, wrenching, repairing, driving and a social network around the old cars sorta defines me. 

 

Shop towels, hand cleaner, degreaser, oils and countless parts come and go thru my garage very often. Laying on my back or over a fender is not a problem at this age.I crave the new knowledge and experience I gain every week. 

 

I’m pulling a tranny apart right now to repair. This is right up my alley. I’m enjoying the heck out if it. 

 

Smart.  That flathead 6 is indestructible and simple to work on.    My dad bought me a 9k original mile 49 Special Deluxe 2 door when I was 11.  It cost him 300 bucks and another 300 for new tires and paint.    In retrospect it didn't need paint,  or whitewalls but my dad couldn't help himself.    I may still get a wayfarer roadster one of these days.

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, John_Mereness said:

And, this Pierce Arrow is striking too !

 

If I listened to Ed I would have the only Berline version of that.   The one that was in Harrahs.  Oh well...

[alsancle]

2 hours ago, Robert G. Smits said:

 

Would Richard Mitchell of Montgomery Texas Qualify as a "New" Stutz guy? 

 

I would agree.  Stutz guy.

[alsancle]

1 hour ago, John_Mereness said:

By the way, this is the current project (about 3 years ago - good to restore a car that lived from new until 70's in Pasadena, CA)

 

If I had a brain I would be an Auburn guy like you and Curt Schultz.

[auburnseeker]

38 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

If I had a brain I would be an Auburn guy like you and Curt Schultz.

I have to worry about the money part first,  then I'll worry about the brain.  

[auburnseeker]

58 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

Smart.  That flathead 6 is indestructible and simple to work on.    My dad bought me a 9k original mile 49 Special Deluxe 2 door when I was 11.  It cost him 300 bucks and another 300 for new tires and paint.    In retrospect it didn't need paint,  or whitewalls but my dad couldn't help himself.    I may still get a wayfarer roadster one of these days.

Mine will eventually come up for sale.  After I'm done sorting it out and having fun with it.  Too many great cars to hold onto any one for too long.  The only way to play on a budget is rotate the stable. 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

Mr. Seeker seems like the right kind of guy to buy a car from, regretting the pass on the (pretty well sorted it seems) yellow Plymouth convertible.  Timing is everything.

[auburnseeker]

Especially with forum members but with most of the cars I end up selling,  I really like the buyer to look them over first. As many of us would , especially if they aren't flawless I want the member to be happy with what they buy.  It all depends on what's important to the next buyer.  Like Matt said before,  an inspector will pick a car apart so that it sounds terrible,  especially on something like paint,  yet miss the important aspects of running and driving, but only a personal inspection will determine if OK I can live with the cosmetic flaws that to me might seem big,  but to others may be insignificant.  With my Dodge I told my wife,  figuring at the price it was at,  there are some things I found that might have turned me off if I was there in person to buy it,  but would i have really walked away from it? Especially when you look around and see other guys are trying to sell 4 door sedans for similar money.  Or even had that same chunk of change looking at all say pre 1960 cars has there been anything I would have rather bought.  I still come up with no.  I just went through the latest Hemmings and didn't even fold a page over.  Though that real Estate Section is starting to look more interesting with the latest snow storm that rolled in. 

For Drivability I will say that little Plymouth ran and drove really well.  It was one of those cars that always started and ran well cold or hot,  though a flat 6 Mopar usually does without too much complaint.  It was what it was and with the interior chrome  top and mechanics it was a great little beater.  It just needed that next big step, or drive it as is.  For me it wasn't worth the investment as I was ready to move on to something new.  I have missed having a ragtop since i sold it.  Hopefully this Dodge will fit the bill.  If someone just ground the Plymouth down and threw a coat of that tanish primer or hell even black primer,  it would have looked 10 times better.  That might have been my next step if it didn't move.  I let that go for 14,500.  The next guy did strip it all down and repaint it.  I saw it back in the area a year later,  with a 35G price tag,  which he was never going to get.  The market on those peters out at about $25,000.  

The good thing with those Plymouths is there is always one for sale in really nice shape at around 20G in nice shape.  I have noticed with the Dodge Roadsters not quite as much variety and the more i look at it,  the More I like the 51 over the 49 and 50.  Which I guess would leave a pretty small pool to pick from. 

 

[CHuDWah]

I'm a car guy.  I like pretty much all of them, but I have a particular affinity for MoPar and FoMoCo.  Oh, and I'm also a hot rod guy. 

[Brooklyn Beer]

Like most kids my age in high school I was supposed to start out with a SB chevy. But at 16 I found this "really nice" 72 Mustang with a 351 (and not a single piece of metal not rusted from Long Island winter salt) which I proceeded to destroy through high school and sold (gave away) when I went in the Marines. But I never became a Ford guy except later in life when I needed a good diesel trk.  I did tinker with camaros for a short time between tours in the service but it never stuck. Never played favorites with daily drivers. Owned and drove all makes and models. My work car is a chevy 2008 HHR with close too 300k on it and the best car I have ever owned actually. Just replaced my 97 Ford trk with a Tundra that tows just as good.  But when I finally settled down and built my house and found the time to get back to cars.?,  Call me a MOPAR guy.   They have always been around our family history in some important way and outside having the 49 Buick to pay homage to my grandfather, a mopar always shows up in family photo's and is where I focus.  And I love the blue collar heritage that Plymouths and Dodges just seem to exude. They speak of American greatness of manufacturing and what every working class family pushed to achieve.  A 25 year old WW two vet working at Grumans,  2 kids,  putting that down payment on a NEW Levitt home and parking the used 1949 Plymouth sedan in the driveway ? That is something I think about every time I take one of them out. The feeling of success was as easy as that in 1950's America.  I have always loved the history associated with and around a car as much as the car itself.  Just added a 32 Plymouth PA (31 titled as a 32) and can see why they garnered such a dedicated following back in the day when released. Boy were they quite a bit ahead of Chevy and Ford even if a smaller motor for another year. Looking forward to really learning about this car  But at the end of the day I am a driver of old cars. Not a fan of shows. None of mine would even come close to concourse. But I do love driving one of the old girls to the supermarket and spending a good 15 minutes talking about them with strangers. Even better when I can load up a grandfather out with his grand kids and take them for a spin around the block.

Edited December 2, 2019 by Brooklyn Beer (see edit history)

[63RedBrier]

First and foremost, I am a "Corvair" guy, but I also like FC Jeep/Willys and Edsels; however, my daily drivers include a '05 Suburban (bought new), '01 Dodge 2500 Cummins (built in St Louis!), '06 Chrysler 300C (my Dad's last new car before he passed, now my son's daily driver), a 2015 Holden SS (with all three options!  My wife's daily driver.), and a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Classic (206,000 miles, given to us my a neighbor, now my daughter's daily driver!).  Someday, I would like to be the next caretaker of a Classic pre-war vehicle...   

[Big Beat]

I'm a preservationist/contrarian kind of guy. I don't restore cars, I tend to find a good one and just preserve and maintain it as best as I can. I like underdog cars - unpopular models and body styles, orphan brands, etc. I usually gravitate to stuff that has either never been mainstream, or had once been all too mainstream but has since fallen off most folks' radar. My interests are primarily "mid-century modern": 1940s to 1970s. My dream garage would include both an AMC Pacer and a pre-war Packard. For the past twelve years, I've been in a long-term relationship with a '79 Monte Carlo. If I could ever afford more than one hobby car, my second one would be something from the 1940s or early 1950s. 

 

 

[oldcarfudd]

I enjoy seeing cars of many eras.  At Hershey, I will husband my aging energy to walk over to look at Model As, Model Ts, sports cars, full classics, tri-5 Chevies and HPOF.  Oh, yes, and trucks.  But my principal interest is touring in open cars of the brass era.  I enjoy driving them, talking to the public (especially kids) about them, giving rides in them, and hanging around with the other nuts who drive them.  I typically do 6 week-long brass-car tours a year, plus a lot of day rides, plus going to the bank, the pizza place, the barber, or yoga any chance I get.  I have five brass cars, which is probably one more than makes sense, and they’re all different from one another.  In those days, everyone was trying to figure out how to make a car work, and the number of ways they came up with was fascinating.  Nowadays, if you own a Chevy, you can rent a Toyota and have no trouble driving it, although you might not be able to figure out the radio.  But being able to drive my Model T doesn’t prepare you for the Curved-Dash Olds, or the 1912 Buick, or (heaven help you!) the Stanley steam car.

[Avanti Bill]

Great thread, thought provoking.  I didn't come into the hobby until I was in my mid 40's and was never a car nut when I was a kid but did enjoy anything mechanical.  My father never saw a vehicle of any kind as anything but transportation to be used until it could no longer move.  I guess I got into the hobby because I got tired of all cars looking the same with no sense of style or individuality, they all looked the same.   To me old cars are no different than art in that you should try to enjoy the beauty of the design, the visual impact and the uniqueness it brought at the time.  On the mechanical side I like innovative and advanced designs that made a difference going forward.  To me these are cars that mattered, that made a difference in the history of automobiles and excited us to see what would come next.  Oh and it is also helpful if they are supercharged or otherwise boosted!  

[Brooklyn Beer]

Funny that you mention the "art" aspect of it. I was in a discussion about this last week with a rice burner zipper mobile fetish guy I work with who saw my 63 Dodge 880 as nothing more then old scrap metal way past it's use.  I "kindly" explained to him that an old car is art in motion shared the miles over. Gawked at by many wherever it goes. Appreciated by all those who take the time to enjoy the lines and flow that makes it stand head and shoulders above the products of today. And that his fart cannon rice burner would only be achieving immortality in a few years after being fed into the recycling shredder and made into some cheap walmart filing cabinet. 

[Avanti Bill]

In terms of value the old "rice burners" are the hot lick right now, honestly never thought I would see the day.  Japan had a history of copying other peoples designs and then improving on them so it was a long time before we saw a lot of innovation but they came into their own and some of those cars are starting to take root in the hoby.  A good thing I think.

[Avanti Bill]

On 11/30/2019 at 1:27 PM, Rusty_OToole said:

Are you a fine thread nut or a coarse thread nut? The fine thread car nut can be seen, beautifully dressed, beside his shiny restored car at Pebble Beach. A team of flunkies are cleaning the tire treads with toothbrushes and polishing the chrome. If you asked him a technical question about his car, he would be stuck for an answer. He buys wax by the case.

 

The coarse thread car nut wears jeans and T shirt, dungarees or greasy overalls. You will find him in the garage, lying under his car on a piece of cardboard. He can tell you the specs of his engine down to the finest detail. If you ask the color of his upholstery  he will have to look at the car or think for a minute. He buys hand cleaner by the case.

I think there are some cross threaded nuts out there as well but not sure how they fit into the scheme of things.

[PONTIAC1953]

well i have to say that i'm a pontiac guy, especially 1953 - 1954 pontiac guy. when i was born in fresno calif. in 1956, my father started working as a used cars salesman at the local pontiac dealership there, i had to stay in the hospital for a few weeks, when dad got to bring me home from the hospital, the dealer let dad use a brand new 1956 pontiac safari station wagon. my maternal grandfather had bought a new pontiac in 1947, he passed away in 1950, i never got to see the 1947 pontiac. in high school my dad didn't want me to have a V8 powered car, in 1972 he gave me a 1962 chevy impala to drive, car happy ?, yes but it had the 235 chevy 6 and power glide trans, 6 months and 15,000 miles later the head gasket failed so dad got rid of it, he said i had buy the next car with my own money but still no V8 permitted, i found an ad for a 1953 pontiac for sale, dad said ok because it had no V8, i bought the 1953 chieftain custom catalina from the original owners for $150.00 in june of 1973, i was 17, now i'm almost 64, and i still have the car, have bought, owned, traded, and sold over 100 cars since 1973, but the 1953 pontiac has always stayed with me. in 1977 i join the pontiac oakland club international, in 1985 i became the club's 1953 pontiac technical advisor, and i still hold this position today. 

Edited December 6, 2019 by pontiac1953 (see edit history)

[Harold]

I'm a Plymouth P-23 guy (that's the '51 and '52 model years).   Not exactly a hot collectible, but I've had a soft spot for them my whole life.  I came home from the hospital in my father's '52 Cambridge and have been hooked ever since.  Have had several (a few were actually drivable…).  I currently have two 'someday' cars (one is a twin to the original '52).  I'm hoping to get at least one road-worthy eventually.