Why do self admitted "not car guys" buy project cars?

[LWJ]

So I went to lunch today with a guy who picked up a 66 Mustang this Summer and is apparently daily driving it. After it refused to start the first couple of times, it finally coughed to life. We lurched and groaned on sagging springs to lunch. I was sort of into his project as my Dad had a 65 notchback that I drove as a teenager, so we talked about it. Funny thing, he said repeatedly that he was not a "car guy."

So why did he buy a project?

Why doesn't he buy a set of tools and give it a shot?

Why did he spend $2000 on a brake job?

Why drive it when the car barely runs? Ever heard of a tune up?

Why is he going to do body work first even though the mechanicals are clearly suspect?

Just a rant to a bunch of car guys who might understand.

Larry

[vash]

my sister is like this. she buys some great cars, and lets the earth take it back in her driveway. too bad i cant hit a girl.

[nynor]

they are romantics. they see this car with 'potential'. they have the cash. they buy it. reality sets in.

[Schumi]

They're retarded individuals who buy cars for the wrong reasons.

[nynor]

that about sums it up.

[RANDY P]

There's a lot of that. I think they simply don't know any better- meaning, they know so little about cars they don't know if it's running right or not.

$2k brake job? Are you serious? Dang. You'd better save your lamb from the wolves. Note, by doing so you are now the builder of said 66 Stang..

I'm out.

rjp

[Racerbvd]

Originally Posted by Schumi

They're retarded individuals who buy cars for the wrong reasons.

Sounds like my Aunt's husband....

[serge944]

No kidding. I'll be balding before our buddy Bondo Bob gets his 914-6 together...

[Heel n Toe]

Originally Posted by LWJ

Why is he going to do body work first even though the mechanicals are clearly suspect?

He's watched a lot of episodes of OVERHAULIN'?

[herr_oberst]

Hopeless romantics. My BIL has owned:

A Datsun 2000
66 Mustang convertible
69 Cougar convertible
Jensen Healey with a V8 conversion (!)

He wouldn't know a torque wrench from a putty knife.

All of those cars had to be hauled off from his driveway on a hook.

[LWJ]

All good answers and all accurate. I guess where I don't get it is that working on something takes three things. Whether it is a house, appliance, or car.

1) tools
2) appropriate attitude
3) appropriate information

I find that no matter how talent-less I may be, I can stumble pretty well through a great many tasks that I really am not qualified to do. Funny, my results are usually pretty good.

My tools have come largely from garage sales and pawnshops. I am slow. I am not the tidiest. I am usually bleeding. That said, my wife criticizes our professional mechanic because he is not as effective as I am.

I guess my point is, if I can wrench on a Porsche successfully, what is holding this guy back from his Ford? I am just a little dumbfounded.

Thanks for reading.
Larry

PS - He bought an automatic! Couldn't you have guessed that.

[VINMAN]

Originally Posted by vash

my sister is like this. She buys some great cars, and lets the earth take it back in her driveway. Too bad i cant hit a girl.

lol! :d

[Walter_Middie]

I think it's partly our fault. We drive around in these old cars and they seem to run OK. Why can't just anyone go out and buy an old car and drive it around? We make it look too easy.

The old car goes in our garage for a few weeks, then comes out as a fairly reliable, good looking, unique machine. Who wouldn't want one of these to bop around in?

Someone sees the old car go by everyday and their only experience with cars is the Toyota or Honda that you don't even have to wash and it goes 200,000 miles. How hard could it be to own an old car?

For me, that's why I like old cars. Not everyone has the skill to keep one going. But then, not everyone knows that they don't have the skill to keep one going.

[David]

The same reason I own 2 guitars

[Sapporo Guy]

Well, at least you'll know when a good deal on 66 Stang comes up

[sammyg2]

They like the fantasy. They dream something and like fantasizing that it will eventually come true. Of course many of them will never allow it to be finished as the reality would not match up to their fantasy.

I know a guy who couldn't put air in his tires, but he's spent over $50k building a modified muscle car.
He pays someone else to do everything.
The project has been going on for at least 5 years and will probably never be finished as he's about to lose his house to foreclosure.
He really loves his toys (and he has plenty of them, believe me) but he's not too fond of paying his mortgage.
Every penny spent on bills is a penny he can't spend on his cars, his very expensive motorcycle, his off-road toys, his guns, etc.

He could sell the muscle car project or any of his other expensive toys and pay his bills, but NOOOOO!
Can't sell the fantasy. Maybe the taxpayers will step in and bail him out, again.

[fastfredracing]

I always end up with these guys as customers. I try to tell them when they ask me about a particular project, that if you are not doing it yourself ( own labor) it always cost more to restore/overhaul a project, than it does to buy a really nice example. Some guys just dont mind, they like to resurrect something, while most invest a bunch of money, then when they are about 25% done, they run out of patience,money, and or will, and bail out of the project.
My other buddy does pretty high end muscle cars for a living, and a good percentage of them never really get fininshed

[KaptKaos]

Some guys only have one tool in the tool chest. A checkbook.

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by LWJ

All good answers and all accurate. I guess where I don't get it is that working on something takes three things. Whether it is a house, appliance, or car.

1) tools
2) appropriate attitude
3) appropriate information

You left out the most important one of all...

4) Motiviation

[rcooled]

This issue has always mystified me too. I knew a guy who once bought a '69 Mustang fastback that he wanted to fix up and use as a daily driver. The problem with that decision was:

a) He has no mechanical aptitude
b) He knows nothing about cars
c) He has no tools
d) He has no place to work on a car
e) He has no money
f) He has no motivation

Why he bought this car, I'll never know. Some dirtbag offered to buy it and tells him, "I'll give you a few hundred now, you sign over the title and I'll pay you the rest over the next few months". Guess what? The guy disappeared with the car and my friend never heard from him again.

It's a good thing he's not passing on his genes to the next generation....there are enough idiots in the world as it is.