Hypocardriac

[Buick35]

I think I'm becoming a "hypocardriac" because I worry about every little new  thing that could go wrong while driving my old car.Especially after I worked on it.I'm sure I'm not alone.

[Matt Harwood]

You are most certainly not alone.

[Gary_Ash]

That's what an AAA membership is for:  flatbed service back to your home.  As long as a wheel doesn't fall off at 60 mph, you'll be OK.  It's all part of the adventure.

[Buick35]

3 minutes ago, Gary_Ash said:

That's what an AAA membership is for:  flatbed service back to your home.  As long as a wheel doesn't fall off at 60 mph, you'll be OK.  It's all part of the adventure.

Thanks,that's good to know.

[60FlatTop]

I have a friend who has been severely handicapped all his life due to his fear of failure. He generally takes a project to 90-95% completion and never finishes.

 

I once told him he was slowly climbing the ladder rung by rung gripping tightly as sweat poured from his brow while I just danced along the yellow brick road taking things as they came.

 

In the middle there is a wise man.

[69merc]

You don't need AAA, most car insurances offer roadside assistance and free towing. But what the op said is true. I used to worry a lot more in the past than now because I take my car out for regular drives. The more I drive the car the less I worry. Oh, and I always take my phone and wallet! 😊

[ABear]

You are in good company..

 

My cars seem to love to break down at the moment you least expect it..

 

As far as AAA and insurance cos paying for towing, not all levels of AAA pay completely for the tow and many insurance companies only pay for a tow if it was involved in an accident.

 

The level of AAA coverage I had was only enough to pay for the "hookup fee" and did not pay for mileage, at one time they would pay mileage to the nearest AAA approved shop only and if you wanted it to go to your home or another non approved shop you were on the hook for the entire mileage.

 

Dropped AAA many yrs ago, and the savings is put back and will easily pay for a lot of towing if ever needed.. The last time I paid for AAA membership they had raised the basic level to around $60 per yr and never once used it in 30 yrs of having it and basic level doesn't have much benefits to speak about.

 

As an alternate, I do have a flatbed trailer large enough to handle hauling my vehicles if push comes to shove.

[Larry Schramm]

4 minutes ago, ABear said:

As an alternate, I do have a flatbed trailer large enough to handle hauling my vehicles if push comes to shove.

 

That is true if you are close to home.  If you are a long way from home, it might be a different story.  I like you also have a flatbed trailer but I also have AAA plus Rv which will tow up to 100 miles and it covers all of our cars as long as it is licensed. 

 

Having AAA is cheaper than paying for towing on each of the cars insurance policies.

Edited Friday at 04:56 PM by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

I have enough stress in my life that driving my car is a way to relax and get away from that nonsense. I try to not to worry at all about things. Not that I am complacent or non caring, but I dont sweat the small stuff. My son is new to car ownership. He bought an '04 GTO a little over a year ago. Great car in mint original condition, semi low miles. He worries about EVERYTHING, and not just car related stuff. In reference to his car he was worrying about the coolant, if the trans needed its fluid changed, how was the brake fluid, not sure how the clutch was holding up etc. etc. I told him if its that much of a bother now is the time to sell it and he would have one less thing to worry about!

[60FlatTop]

My daughter started driving close to 25 years ago. She started during High School with a 1965 Buick Electra (my duty to embarrass her). I bought her a good jump starter box and told her jumper cables couldn't be used on her car. Turned out she impressed a few when they had trouble and she pulled the booster out of her trunk.

 

We also got her an AAA membership.

 

A few years later I bought my first Jaguar. I told my wife anyone driving a vintage Jaguar needed extended towing. Every once in a while she likes to get that barb in there and remind me the only car towed home with AAA is my '60 Electra. She has been retired 7 years now and I feel like they should have given her a rolled up newspaper to whack me every time I say something wrong, like the Jaguar comment.

[LARRYCAROL]

I worked in car dealers almost 50 years & have seen enough to make me a worrier, So my wife got AAA premium. When or Jetta fuel pump died at 10 o’clock on Sunday night, they were there in 20 minutes. We have taken trips in our 65 Galaxie and I worried about breakdowns. Traveled to Vermont & Hershey (9/10 times) only to have our Ford die 10 miles from home😄. Again AAA was there in 20 minutes with flatbed. No charge just give your number & sign. I say enjoy the ride 😎, but have towing insurance is good to have.

[Tom C]

I just worry about getting in traffic and whoever’s behind me. One late afternoon on my way to a local cruise in there were some young girls following me down the boulevard. The driver was looking down, probably texting and in her right hand was a large drink, I could see the whole top of the cup and a straw. How do you think I may have felt ?  I really don’t worry too much about the car just other people.

[Marty Roth]

12 minutes ago, Larry Schramm said:

 

That is true if you are close to home.  If you are a long way from home, it might be a different story.  I like you also have a flatbed trailer but I also have AAA plus Rv which will tow up to 100 miles and it covers all of our cars as long as it is licensed. 

 

Having AAA is cheaper than paying for towing on each of the cars insurance policies.

Your J.C. Taylor or Hagerty, or other Antique-specific Auto Insurance Policy typically also offers Flat-Bed Towing for an extremely minimal amount.

My J.C. Taylor policy covers flat bed towing any and all of my covered vehicles for a single flat fee of only $12/year - hard to beat that !

And I also have the same AAA coverage as Larry, including an additional 200 mile tow and RV coverage.

As our friend Paul Dobbin has said on numerous occasions,

If you don't drive them, You Might As Well Collect Stamps !

 

We have driven all of ours a great many miles, hopefully serving as an ambassador of the hobby, sharing with the public. Yes, sooner or later something may act up, and not all of our cross-country drives have been completely trouble-free. Most have had no issues at all because we drive them and work out potential concerns before we could be left stranded. Of course I also carry an assortment of spares and tools.

[Marty Roth]

9 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said:

My daughter started driving close to 25 years ago. She started during High School with a 1965 Buick Electra (my duty to embarrass her). I bought her a good jump starter box and told her jumper cables couldn't be used on her car. Turned out she impressed a few when they had trouble and she pulled the booster out of her trunk.

 

We also got her an AAA membership.

 

A few years later I bought my first Jaguar. I told my wife anyone driving a vintage Jaguar needed extended towing. Every once in a while she likes to get that barb in there and remind me the only car towed home with AAA is my '60 Electra. She has been retired 7 years now and I feel like they should have given her a rolled up newspaper to whack me every time I say something wrong, like the Jaguar comment.

Our kids and grandson learned how to observe an engine compartment and look for anything obvious, and to change a tire, long before they earned their driver's license.

Each also was eventually awarded "Youngest Driver" on AACA and VMCCA tours, having been properly brought up to respect both the vehicles and the people in the hobby from the time they were in safety seats. Of course, back then we were the young folks in the hobby and our kids had multiple surrogate grandparents. I was lauded as exceptionally brave (absolutely not!) to take my 3 year old grandson on the Founders Tour in Madison, Wisconsin in our '52 Caddy convertible when my wife couldn't attend. The car, the kid (now 28), and I all survived and even got to enjoy the Barnum & Bailey Ringling Brothers Circus at their Baraboo, WI home.

Now a classically-trained professional musician, he also drives towing & recovery to pay off a mountain of student loans, and helps other folks on the road.

 

We, ultimately over the past 55 years of touring have replaced an alternator in Ft Stockton, TX, a rear wheel seal in Pennsylvania, a U-Joint in Cleveland, TN, a fuel pump in Canyon City, Colorado, and many, many years back a wide white wall tire in Chattanooga, TN (thanks to Harold Coker - of blessed memory). But all of these things could just as easily have happened to our modern transportation too.

[Larry Schramm]

43 minutes ago, ABear said:

As an alternate, I do have a flatbed trailer large enough to handle hauling my vehicles if push comes to shove.

 

That is true if you are close to home.  If you are a long way from home, it might be a different story.  I like you also have a flatbed trailer but I also have AAA plus Rv which will tow up to 100 miles.

[ABear]

2 minutes ago, Marty Roth said:

Your J.C. Taylor or Hagerty, or other Antique-specific Auto Insurance Policy typically also offers Flat-Bed Towing for an extremely minimal amount.

My J.C. Taylor policy covers flat bed towing any and all of my covered vehicles for a single flat fee of only $12/year - hard to beat that !

And I also have the same AAA coverage as Larry, including an additional 200 mile tow and RV coverage.

As our friend Paul Dobbin has said on numerous occasions,

If you don't drive them, You Might As Well Collect Stamps !

 

We have driven all of ours a great many miles, hopefully serving as an ambassador of the hobby, sharing with the public. Yes, sooner or later something may act up, and not all of our cross-country drives have been completely trouble-free. Most have had no issues at all because we drive them and work out potential concerns before we could be left stranded. Of course I also carry an assortment of spares and tools.

Kind of my point.

 

For antique vehicles, insurance Co's specifically for Classic and Antique vehicles often offer far, far better towing coverage at a far, far lower cost than one will get with the likes of AAA or any normal auto insurance carrier.

 

As far as AAA RV+, well that is now north of $160 per yr for a one time event you "might" have in many yrs of paying for that coverage. Near as I can tell, they no longer sell RV+, new members will instead have to enroll in "Premier" level.

 

Say you pay AAA for 10 yrs and never ever needed it or used it..

 

$160 x 10 yrs of never needing it is $1600 which you could pay for a lot of tows out of pocket and still not add up to the membership cost.

 

Daughter this spring hit a deer with one of our trucks less than a mile from home, I drive it home and parked it, then called the insurance co.. Insurance co paid full amount for a flat bed to haul 10 miles to a repair shop.. Cost to the insurance co was $300 for the flat bed and mileage. Even hauling it 200 miles would not have cost what you would have paid over time to AAA.

 

AAA over the yrs have pretty much gutted their services as far as vehicles goes, they are more of a "travel agent" for cruise lines and less of an vehicle type travel service.

 

At one point in time we bought AAA coverage while our Daughter was in College, we did that because she was going to commute an hr each way to and from the College, I worked an hr away from home so it sort of made sense to have at least some roadside help for her in case of accident, lockout, dead battery, flat tire and especially in the winter as I was at a minimum 2 hrs away from her one way..

 

But if it makes you feel good, go for it.

 

Myself, I pocket the money and save it for those times when I can not make the flatbed trailer work.

[TAKerry]

I have had AAA premium for at least the last 10 years, While I agree with what ABear says I just renewed a couple of weeks ago.  I think I pay about $180 a year which covers me and my wife. In all of those years I have used it successfully once that I can think of, that was when she hit a curb pulling into her place of work and blew the tire on her car. She called them and they sent a shop over to change the spare, free of charge. One occasion I broke down in the middle of an intersection when my fuel pump went out. I thought my AAA had expired so I didnt bother calling. After a long ordeal and 2 towing companies later, my truck was in the shop. Quite literally the very next day I got an email saying my automatic renewal had taken effect. I called and told them of my situation. They gave me form to fill to back pay me for my out of pocket expense. I got word back after a month my claim was denied! Lastly, while bringing my sons GTO home last summer the trailer had a flat. I called AAA and found out I needed RV coverage for them to fix the trailer. So, I have not had very good luck with their service but for some reason I keep re-upping.

[ABear]

48 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

So, I have not had very good luck with their service but for some reason I keep re-upping.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/einstein-s-parable-of-quantum-insanity/

 

From link above..

 

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

That witticism—I’ll call it “Einstein Insanity”—is usually attributed to Albert Einstein.

Yet in playing dice, we act out Einstein Insanity: We do the same thing over and over—namely, roll the dice—and we correctly anticipate different results. Is it really insane to play dice? If so, it’s a very common form of madness!

 

Although, modern times, one could call it FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out), a paradigm that once in a blue moon you might need something that you may never had needed in the past but buy it anyways so you have that something just in case you actually need it. Sort of like a hoarder..

 

FOMO is deeply ingrained into everyone's life, we have been programmed to accept everything "as a service" which has a recurring fee or payment that one must pay in order for that service to continue..

[Jeff Deringer]

I have a small tool box with basic tools, mechanics wire, tape, etc that I always take with me.  But more importantly is to always take a small cooler of iced beer just in case.

[TAKerry]

I was once at a British motorcycle rally. I overheard one fellow talking to another. He said something to the effect 'The best thing to ever happen to riding an antique bike is the cell phone!'

[Buick35]

2 hours ago, Marty Roth said:

Our kids and grandson learned how to observe an engine compartment and look for anything obvious, and to change a tire, long before they earned their driver's license.

Each also was eventually awarded "Youngest Driver" on AACA and VMCCA tours, having been properly brought up to respect both the vehicles and the people in the hobby from the time they were in safety seats. Of course, back then we were the young folks in the hobby and our kids had multiple surrogate grandparents. I was lauded as exceptionally brave (absolutely not!) to take my 3 year old grandson on the Founders Tour in Madison, Wisconsin in our '52 Caddy convertible when my wife couldn't attend. The car, the kid (now 28), and I all survived and even got to enjoy the Barnum & Bailey Ringling Brothers Circus at their Baraboo, WI home.

Now a classically-trained professional musician, he also drives towing & recovery to pay off a mountain of student loans, and helps other folks on the road.

 

We, ultimately over the past 55 years of touring have replaced an alternator in Ft Stockton, TX, a rear wheel seal in Pennsylvania, a U-Joint in Cleveland, TN, a fuel pump in Canyon City, Colorado, and many, many years back a wide white wall tire in Chattanooga, TN (thanks to Harold Coker - of blessed memory). But all of these things could just as easily have happened to our modern transportation too.

I now have a three year old (soon to be four)grandson who loves cars mostly hot wheels and sitting in my old  car honking the horn and pretending to drive.Id love to take him to car shows but I can't put a car seat I my old car,no seat belts and wood framed. Well maby I could.

Edited Friday at 08:40 PM by Buick35
Spelling (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

4 hours ago, Buick35 said:

I now have a three year old (soon to be four)grandson who loves cars mostly hot wheels and sitting in my old  car honking the horn and pretending to drive.Id love to take him to car shows but I can't put a car seat I my old car,no seat belts and wood framed. Well maby I could.

Buick35,

 

We installed seat belts to hold the infant seat only in the rear seat of our 1934 Buick. We reinforced the mounting by using extra large washers and a steel backing plate both above and below the car's floor. Yours is the same as ours was, so it is possible. I couldn't find a reasonable way to install front belts. 

 

I once gave a friend who was a front seat passenger a pack of DOUBLE BUBBLE bubble gum and told him if he thought there was going to be a wreck, to blow up a really big bubble and use it as an air bag, but be careful not to mess up the woodgrained dash since we were going for AACA Grand National Senior the next month.

[Hemi Joel]

The old car hobby is about having fun and relaxing, providing yourself and others with enjoyable moments. Don't let worry wreck it. Just make an agreement with yourself up front that no matter what happens, you will deal with it. If something bad is going to happen, it's going to happen whether you're out in your old car or hiding under your bed. 

Do your maintenance, bring tools and spare parts, drive defensively, and have a blast!

Edited Saturday at 01:51 AM by Hemi Joel (see edit history)

[Stude Light]

5 hours ago, Buick35 said:

I now have a three year old (soon to be four)grandson who loves cars mostly hot wheels and sitting in my old  car honking the horn and pretending to drive.Id love to take him to car shows but I can't put a car seat I my old car,no seat belts and wood framed. Well maby I could.

I use one of these in my earlier cars so the kid doesn't take up valuable interior space.

 

😉

 

Regarding breakdowns, besides Hagerty, I have several car enthusiast friends with trailers and am not afraid to call them.

Edited Saturday at 02:07 AM by Stude Light (see edit history)

[Marty Roth]

15 minutes ago, Hemi Joel said:

The old car hobby is about having fun and relaxing, providing yourself and others with enjoyable moments. Don't let worry wreck it. Just make an agreement with yourself up front that no matter what happens, you will deal with it. If something bad is going to happen, it's going to happen whether you're out in your old car or hiding under your bed. 

Do your maintenance, bring tools and spare parts, drive defensively, and have a blast!

Thanks Hemi Joel, 

 

And as we step through the spotlight, I'll just say - Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are.