Just got a IM from another member who used to be active here. Writing to tell me that he’s left the hobby for at least the next four years while paying to put his kid through school. When I first started talking to this individual, he was on his way to get his new fox mustang, and was contemplating stopping by my house to see the red car that I was building at the time. I watched as he went through the cycle, stock gets modified in typical HCI fashion. Next, the thing gets turbocharged,....then “too much“ power is the goal, followed immediately after when sht started breaking.
And the car sat. It gets labeled as an unreliable, no longer fun to drive money pit.
The guy blames the turbo for the unreliability, and justifies selling off everything in pursuit of a more reliable ”Fast car”. He gets a lobotomy, and buys a new S550....that has a 600.00 a month payment.
With a warranty.
And just as quickly realizes that it’s not any different. It’s never fast enough, it’s not a comfortable daily driver, forget about a rear seat passenger, and now it’s the same as every other mindless S550.
Unless you start modding it,..so it can become an unreliable, no longer fun to drive, money pit.
And then bad things started happening in life. Hurricanes hit, house gets flooded, priorities change.
After a little more than a year after that, the 16-17 year old son that was involved in the hobby a year ago decides he wants to be a lawyer, or a doctor.And,...anything that can even be construed as a hobby now takes a back seat to tuition/room/board/ fees.
For at least the next 4 years.
So,....The two door pony car gets traded in for a four door sedan,...effectively ending any chance that the guy will go out into the garage and tinker.
For at least the next 4 years.
Now here’s the moral to the story
A. If you’re a car guy, sooner or later, it’ll start back again.....the itch. This part of life is just another bump in the road. And this guy will be on the hunt for a “ nice, unmolested LX”. Something that he’ll keep stock,..maybe some new wheels,... a few cosmetic changes here and there....that’ll be the plan......right up until a Dart block shows up in a crate at his house.
B. If you’re not a car guy, you’re done. You got in the game, played a few rounds, took something that you could drive and made it undriveable.
Too loud, too smelly, too hot, miserably harsh to drive, and...unreliable,...... for even a 50 mile drive.
And sold it for a huge loss.
If you’re a B guy,..try not to fck the car up too bad....there’ll be an A guy along shortly to pay you .50 on the dollar.
And the car sat. It gets labeled as an unreliable, no longer fun to drive money pit.
The guy blames the turbo for the unreliability, and justifies selling off everything in pursuit of a more reliable ”Fast car”. He gets a lobotomy, and buys a new S550....that has a 600.00 a month payment.
With a warranty.
And just as quickly realizes that it’s not any different. It’s never fast enough, it’s not a comfortable daily driver, forget about a rear seat passenger, and now it’s the same as every other mindless S550.
Unless you start modding it,..so it can become an unreliable, no longer fun to drive, money pit.
And then bad things started happening in life. Hurricanes hit, house gets flooded, priorities change.
After a little more than a year after that, the 16-17 year old son that was involved in the hobby a year ago decides he wants to be a lawyer, or a doctor.And,...anything that can even be construed as a hobby now takes a back seat to tuition/room/board/ fees.
For at least the next 4 years.
So,....The two door pony car gets traded in for a four door sedan,...effectively ending any chance that the guy will go out into the garage and tinker.
For at least the next 4 years.
Now here’s the moral to the story
A. If you’re a car guy, sooner or later, it’ll start back again.....the itch. This part of life is just another bump in the road. And this guy will be on the hunt for a “ nice, unmolested LX”. Something that he’ll keep stock,..maybe some new wheels,... a few cosmetic changes here and there....that’ll be the plan......right up until a Dart block shows up in a crate at his house.
B. If you’re not a car guy, you’re done. You got in the game, played a few rounds, took something that you could drive and made it undriveable.
Too loud, too smelly, too hot, miserably harsh to drive, and...unreliable,...... for even a 50 mile drive.
And sold it for a huge loss.
If you’re a B guy,..try not to fck the car up too bad....there’ll be an A guy along shortly to pay you .50 on the dollar.
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