Old cars you've bought before or after marriage.

[Buick35]

My old car was bought and restored before I got married and that will be over forty years ago soon. Good thing,I don't know if I could convince the other half into such an endeavor afterwards.Any similar experiences?

[joe_padavano]

My wife is into horses (thoroughbreds, no less). I don't even have the most expensive hobby in the household. 😁

[Paul Dobbin]

When I met my future wife I had a 1951 Merceded 170 VA.   A Pre WWII body style, replaced shortly there after with a 1957 Porsche Speedster.

She knew I was a car nut from the beginning and enjoys the Glidden Tours and others.  Does not care much for shows  Her first car was a 65 Mustang Conv. (Pony) which we kept for 24 years.

115 cars and 55 years later, the Speedster and the Mustang are 2 that Id like to buy back, and my only wife agrees. 

Edited April 27, 2022 by Paul Dobbin
added a thought (see edit history)

[Buick35]

My wife's dream car is a 65 mustang convertable.

[Steve_Mack_CT]

All but two of mine came after marriage.  I will say car #1 was the only full restoration I ever did, I know enough that the time committment is really heavy.  

Wife likes cars but loves automobilia, she has a great collector's eye and can be a tough negotiator.  She really likes Esso oil drop stuff and found most of those items here. 

Edited April 26, 2022 by Steve_Mack_CT
Spelllling (see edit history)

[John Byrd]

I had some "old" cars before and after marrying. Matter of fact, when Karen and I were dating, she helped ...on her own decision.... me to take apart a Golden Hawk junker I had bought, and then "fixed up" and painted our Sky Hawk. Can't imagine having a mate that we both were not interested in the others hobbies. Here's one pic of us getting ready to rip into the Hawk back in 1975, and many years later her working on our Mini in 87, then  4 years ago putting flames on her Miata, and most recently ( last year ) striping her Mustang and sewing up a convertible boot that "matched" the interior instead of the factory black one. Car gals are good to have around, lol ! Can't find the really good one of her attacking her Avanti's front end during a rebuild and repaint, ha !

[Buffalowed Bill]

I met my Sweetie at a car show. She loves cars as much as I do. We both had our own collections and she had a 2400' garage. My former wife had been deeply involved with the social aspects of the car hobby. She was for anything that I chose to do as long as it didn't include another ten year restoration mucking up the garage. The divorce was the hard part-she took all the money and left me with the cars.

[SC38dls]

Married 52 years (not sure why she puts up with me) and had one old car before we were married, an Austin Healy and 3 MGB's, a Ford F3 pickup and the Studebaker. Between these cars she put up with four Nissan Z cars and a Honda S2000. I feel very lucky to have such a lady as my partner.

dave s 

[Guest]

I'd only been married a year or two, my wife knew I was a car nut when we met, and I remember driving home from work every night past a car lot that had two, almost identical used Corvettes parked in the front line.  I stopped in a couple times to look at them and got to know one of the salesmen pretty well.  After a month or so, I'm heading home again after work on a Friday night when I have this epiphany "I can afford to buy that car!  I love it, I want one, I'm only young once, what's holding me back?"  So I stop in and buy the car.  I'm grinning like the Cheshire Cat all the way home I'm so happy.  And all the way home I'm thinking "Just wait til my wife sees this, she'll love it!"

 I park it in the driveway, head into the house where I'm greeted with "You're late!  You know we have a dinner engagement at the Robinson's and we're due there in 15 minutes!"  I say nothing about the new car but I shower and change in record time, still grinning to myself, knowing when she sees this car she will go bananas just like I did and all will be forgiven.  

We walk out the door and turn the corner from the garage to the front driveway where my new Corvette is gleaming in the evening sun, my moment is here!  And cool as a cucumber she walks past, and says "You better not have bought it" and heads right to her car, opens the door and gets in. 

ooooh....chilly reception, not at all what I'd expected.  Learned a little bit that night about how a good marriage is really supposed to work.  

I see no need to shame myself here, for all my internet pals to read, with the depths of groveling I pursued that night, however I can tell you it all did work out well in the end.   So much so, that after a month you couldn't get her out of that car with a crowbar.  She started driving it to work every day, fell in love with it and through osmosis it just became her car.  She was young, pretty and enjoying life too.  I was OK with that. 

Decades later we still run into the odd friend who will ask "Hey Eleanor, do you still have your little black Corvette?"  

[gossp]

Take this as you will but I find myself equally immersed in the car hobby both before and after marriage…. Not so much during. 

[pkhammer]

 Lot's of old cars before and after marriage. '67 GTO, '68 Olds 442, '71 Torino GT, '57 Ford pickup, '70 Plymouth Duster all before marriage. Mainly into muscle cars in those days. Of course most of those cars were really not that old in the 80's. After marriage '31 Model A Ford, '32 Ford Pickup, '42 Ford Pickup, '51 Ford F1, '46 Jeep CJ2A, '64 Ford falcon, '77 Jeep CJ7. Thankfully my Wife likes old cars (especially pickups) as much as I do. I think she enjoys Hershey more than I do! She's a keeper.

[Soupiov]

I courted my wife in the 1930 Plymouth I purchased from the original owner in 1962 and still own..  We married in 1970 and she has allowed me to add 10 more antiques to the Plymouth since then!  She is not particularly into cars but enjoys touring and most of all making me happy. I got a keeper!

[Larry Schramm]

1 hour ago, GregLaR said:

Decades later we still run into the odd friend who will ask "Hey Eleanor, do you still have your little black Corvette?"  

 

When we got married, my wife had a '64 Corvair Monza manual four on the floor and I had a '68 Opel station wagon manual transmission.  Great car wife that can drive about anything including the truck towing a car trailer.

 

We bought a silver Corvette as a wedding present and we still have the car after 45 years.

Edited April 26, 2022 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

Before marriage I had a:

1959 Alfa-Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloce

several Triumph TR-2, -3, and -3A

1948 MG-TC

1952 Jaguar XK-120-MC

1949 Pontiac convertible 8/stick

1954 Mercury convertible

1956 Chevy Bel-air convertible Powr-Pak

1958 Impala convertible

1953 Allstate (Vespa) scooter

 

My bride of almost 53 years was driving a stick-shift 1966 Toyota Corona (with A/C) when we first met- supposedly the first one in the deep south. She had graduated from high school and chose to live at home instead of heading for an out-of-town university. She enrolled in Tulane University, just 2 blocks from home, and her parents offered to buy her a new car. She pointed out a Mercedes-Benz Pagoda Roof 2-seater, but when they considered it, but it had not nearly enough space for her German Shepherd, and I'll bet cost may have been a factor. She also enjoyed motorcycles during her college years.

 

She says her current favorite vintage/classic is whichever one we're touring at the time, especially the 1930 Packard Dual Windshield Touring,

   especially enjoys VMCCA, HCCA, and AACA touring, and previously excelled as my navigator in T-S-D (Time, Speed, and Distance) Rallyes.

 

She is an AACA Senior Master Judge with well over 75 judging credits accumulated in just her first eight (8) years judging,

and started out field-judging prior to moving into Judging Administration.

 

To this day, and despite our advancing age, she can spot, and identify incorrect items or features , even as we drive by other vehicles.

 

Her all-time favorite classic is probably the red Delahaye on the turntable at the Mullin Museum in California.

 

She loves and respects Jay Leno's involvement in our hobby, and appreciates his personal attention to us during our visit there when we drove out in our little red Corvette convertible.

 

Her currently preferred vintage car for her to drive herself is our 1937 Buick Roadmaster Phaeton,

saying it is one of the easiest big cars to steer, stop, and shift despite her meniscus and rotator cuff surgeries,

but the 1941 and 1954 Cadillac convertibles run a close second and third, not necessarily in that order.

 

Her past favorite driver was probably the Maserati-engined 5-speed stick-shift 1972 Citroen SM sport coupe.

 

She loves Brass-Era vehicles with lots of shiny brass, but no longer wants to help keep the brass polished.

 

The best part is that we enjoy the cars, and especially the people we've met through the hobby

[60FlatTop]

She knew what she was getting into.

 

Early in the dating I was able to get her to wash my '39 Buick. he bucket  the evidence. She's younger and wasn't used to a boyfriend who had two cars licensed and a couple others stored in various places. Not going Dutch was a new novelty as well.

As you can tell by her height standing next to the car I was pretty happy with a long legged blonde to go along with the Buicks I had.

 

Ten years ago while I was recovering from the artery pumping job I made a spreadsheet of cars I owned that weren't flips, about 150 of them. Most of them she wouldn't remember and probably didn't know the year when she was driving it.

Her all time favorite was a '62 Electra 225 6-window. #2 was a '68 Skylark 350-4.

 

Second picture is what swept her away, 1974

 

[erichill]

I married well. The last car I purchased was a 1931 Ford Model A speedster. My wife was overseas at the time and I text her saying I am buying a car. She immediately texted back" Cool, need any money?"  

[nick8086]

Before.. and After..

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

53 minutes ago, erichill said:

I married well. The last car I purchased was a 1931 Ford Model A speedster. My wife was overseas at the time and I text her saying I am buying a car. She immediately texted back" Cool, need any money?"  

She is a KEEPER

 

  Ben

[TAKerry]

My wife has little desire in the old car world. She puts up with it. I didnt have any old cars but I had a motorcycle. When I sold that bike a few years after we got married I told her I WOULD get another one someday and she obliged. I would rather seek forgiveness than permission and most of the times the car was pulled into the drive and her comment would be "what is that p.o.s. your dragging home now?" 30+ motorcycles, 7 or 8 old cars and 36 years later we are still together. 

 

Just within the last couple of years she has actually pointed out some cars she has either seen for sale or parked in the bushes. I think she is starting to come around, LOL.

[TexRiv_63]

I had owned, wrenched, and painted dozens of cars before I met my wife and during our fairly long pre marriage life so she was fully aware of the depths of my lifetime obsession. She is definitely not a car person but she has always supported this obsession - in return I have always kept the financial side of the hobby separate from everything else. We have been married for 48 years so I guess it all worked.

[John Byrd]

This is a great post Buick35 !  Thanks for getting us started, lol...  By the way, found a couple more of my "car girl" working on HER vehicles.

[1935Packard]

I had been dating my wife (then girlfriend) for a few months when we were in the garage with the Packards and she started asking me just how much these old cars costs to buy and maintain.  In our conversation, I responded that, if we were going to end up together, it was really important to me that she support my old car habits.  To this day, I remember that as the conversation when she implicitly agreed to support my old car habits.  Meanwhile, she only remembers that as the first time we talked about getting married. 

[Marty Roth]

8 hours ago, 1935Packard said:

I had been dating my wife (then girlfriend) for a few months when we were in the garage with the Packards and she started asking me just how much these old cars costs to buy and maintain.  In our conversation, I responded that, if we were going to end up together, it was really important to me that she support my old car habits.  To this day, I remember that as the conversation when she implicitly agreed to support my old car habits.  Meanwhile, she only remembers that as the first time we talked about getting married. 

Selective memory is a marvelous thing-

Treasure it ...

and don't argue the finer points when you have nothing to gain,

or --- in other words, be careful how you choose your battles

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Well, gee whiz, folks.  My wife is okay with my old car stuff. Used to make me proud. Until I wised up one day and realized every time I bought something or took a trip, new jewelry showed up.😁😁. Usually at a greater price than what I spent!!  I think she outsmarted ME. LOL

 

  Ben

[alsancle]

Step 1:  Marry someone that is happy you are happy.

 

Step 2:  Don't allow pictures of you being much happier at car events than family events.   Even if you executed Step 1 correctly this will screw things up.

 

Step 3: Rotate the cars fast enough that they lose track of what you actually have.  So if something new shows up you can act like it was there forever.

 

And Honey, when you are reading this you know I'm only kidding.

[TAKerry]

AJ, no.3 rings true!  I had one of my bikes in my shop area covered with a sheet to keep the dirt and dust off. My wife came out and as soon as she noticed it "What did you buy now?"  I showed her the bike, of which she had been with me to a couple of shows with it a few years ago. She still did not believe it had been in my collection and thought it was something I had just bought. Eye roll and out the door. LOL

 

And in response to Bruce, as soon as I finished my 77 trans am she picked out a nice Mustang convertible that she wanted 😁

[gossp]

On 4/28/2022 at 7:39 PM, erichill said:

I married well. The last car I purchased was a 1931 Ford Model A speedster. My wife was overseas at the time and I text her saying I am buying a car. She immediately texted back" Cool, need any money?"  

Does she have a sister?

[BobinVirginia]

3 hours ago, alsancle said:

Step 1:  Marry someone that is happy you are happy.

 

Step 2:  Don't allow pictures of you being much happier at car events than family events.   Even if you executed Step 1 correctly this will screw things up.

 

Step 3: Rotate the cars fast enough that they lose track of what you actually have.  So if something new shows up you can act like it was there forever.

 

And Honey, when you are reading this you know I'm only kidding.

I like the way you think! 

[Flivverking]

I can only respond that early on.,30 years ago ,I thought to make a   proposal (first of 3),only to get feed back just prior that ,if and when?  ,I could then ditch all those hobbies and old  cars,because now you would have ME,and don't need them.

 Didn't seem right to me  some how ?

  

  

  

  

   

  

[alsancle]

49 minutes ago, BobinVirginia said:

I like the way you think! 

Listen to me Bob, and you’ll go far around here.

[Dandy Dave]

Which cars have I got before or after marriage. Short answer. All of them whenever I wanted. Dandy Dave!

[Flivverking]

Pure Love and people are more important.then crap always! 

If you chose to abandon yourself and give your whole being to another,absolutely beautiful but RARE!.

 I have sold off my life twice to help others in distress ,without regret ,as I loved them

,but in between it's all about me Lol.

 

 

..

.

 

 

.

Edited April 30, 2022 by Flivverking (see edit history)

[Paul Dobbin]

On 4/29/2022 at 12:45 PM, TexRiv_63 said:

I had owned, wrenched, and painted dozens of cars before I met my wife and during our fairly long pre marriage life so she was fully aware of the depths of my lifetime obsession. She is definitely not a car person but she has always supported this obsession - in return I have always kept the financial side of the hobby separate from everything else. We have been married for 48 years so I guess it all worked.

Don,

You did well and congratulation on 48 years.   I remember when you bought the 34 Packard

On 4/29/2022 at 12:45 PM, TexRiv_63 said:

I had owned, wrenched, and painted dozens of cars before I met my wife and during our fairly long pre marriage life so she was fully aware of the depths of my lifetime obsession. She is definitely not a car person but she has always supported this obsession - in return I have always kept the financial side of the hobby separate from everything else. We have been married for 48 years so I guess it all worked.

  Don,

 

On 4/29/2022 at 12:45 PM, TexRiv_63 said:

I had owned, wrenched, and painted dozens of cars before I met my wife and during our fairly long pre marriage life so she was fully aware of the depths of my lifetime obsession. She is definitely not a car person but she has always supported this obsession - in return I have always kept the financial side of the hobby separate from everything else. We have been married for 48 years so I guess it all worked.

  Don,

  You are better at keeping you wife than you are at keeping cool cars.   Congratulations on you 48 years of marriage.

   I remember when you bought the 1934 Packard and the 1934 Chevy, I thought they were both keepers too.

   Paul

[TexRiv_63]

2 minutes ago, Paul Dobbin said:

  Don,

  You are better at keeping you wife than you are at keeping cool cars.   Congratulations on you 48 years of marriage.

   I remember when you bought the 1934 Packard and the 1934 Chevy, I thought they were both keepers too.

   Paul

I have never been a "keeper" of any cars. I find one on my vast want list, research it, fix it up and then on to the next. There are some I wish I could have kept but even those would require a pretty big warehouse by now.

[caddyshack]

At my age it is hard to remember what I had for dinner last night let alone 60+ years ago getting my first old car. Might miss a couple but here goes.

Before;

  '27 Chevy Sedan

  '28 Chevy Sedan

  '26 Ford Sedan

  '30 Ford Coupe

  '56 Corvette

After;

  '29 Ford Coupe

  '29 Ford Sedan

  '24 Ford Touring

  '04 Cadillac B Touring

  '12 Brush F

  '62 Corvette

  '26 Ford Coupe

  '27 Ford Chassis

  '21 Ford Roadster

  '66 Chevelle (2) ss Convert. and std model

  '70 Chevelle ss cowl inducted

Most have changed hands over the years, but what a journey it has been. At least we have stayed married for the last 53 years and have stayed fairly healthy. Some friends have not been so lucky. Happy motoring to all. Skip in MN.

 

 

Edited May 2, 2022 by caddyshack
Missed a few autos (see edit history)

[nick8086]

The first car is on my list to buy.

 

The  other car is on my wife's list..

Edited May 2, 2022 by nick8086 (see edit history)