What a shame...
 

I had an interesting discussion about cars in general.

Some people look at a hot rodded car and think "too bad they modified it."

Other people look at a car someone has had all their lives, afraid to changed a single thing and think "what a shame."

Personal tastes.

"Car people" are inherently irrational. Why we obsess and pour so much money/time/blood/sweat/tears into depreciating (or tapped-out depreciated) assets is just silly from an economic standpoint, although that's not why we do it. We do it because it's what we like - and "likes" run the spectrum.

In a throwaway world where 99% of people look at cars as an appliance to be discarded after being ridden hard and put away wet every day for a few years, it's nice to come across some folks who actually value their cars - especially more unusual ones that have "soul" and inspire passion and emotion rather than just being designed to be practical.

My biggest fear is that when my own, lovingly restored 911 with hundreds of hours of my time in it (not to mention thousands of dollars) finally rolls out in a couple of years, some jackass in their McSUV slams into it at a light while yammering on their cell phone and ruins it.

But those are the risks we all take to not be part of the herd...

Yep, so many folks think of their car as an disposable appliance. They are proud that they managed to get 6 to 10 years of use from it before trading in for a new car. The actually prefer a car that is just like every one in a parking lot.

Some modifications ARE a total shame however. How many of you think the fart can exhaust on a Sliver Honda sedan is cool? How about the 26 inch rims?

I am the embodiment of this quandary...

I commute 40 miles a day on the lost Angeles super slab... the last ten of those miles is creepy crawly into the downtown area. No need for a nice car and once I get to work a "nice"car would be a trouble magnet (work in da hood)

Buy a Hyundai, put 90K miles on it, rinse and repeat.

On the other hand I have a 1984 944 rotting away in the garage that I can't let go.

Wife has been all over me to get rid of it... I finally countered with "honey, it is a 1984 Porsche, it will only go up in value"

Wife also can't imagine why anyone would buy a car with more than four cylinders.

While I lust after a big block muscle car.

Whatever floats your boat.

It depends; we debate this endlessly in VW circles. Examples of which there are lots of survivors, mod it until the cows come home. For the rare cars, keep it stock.

I will contend that it takes a lot more skill to do a correct, concourse restoration than to Foose up a car.

Example: a rare Hebmüller police car that should have been kept stock

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1313593826.jpg

I wonder how many rare cars survived long enough to be restored precisely BECAUSE they had been modified along the way instead of crushed?

The way around the argument is to use bolt on mods that can be reversed. This is totally in keeping with the hot rod spirit.

My friend Bill's 1957ish Austin Healey is probably one of those. He bought it around 1970 for $50 from a junkyard before it could be scrapped and it's been a drag car off and on most of the time between now and then. It'll probably go back to original someday... all the rare and hard to find bits are still there. Bu if it didn't spend all those years modified the car would've disappeared decades ago.

It's nice if you can have a combination of the above. I like a tastefully modified car. I enjoy a restored car, but even more so, I enjoy the occasional car that pops up that's essentially all original except for parts like tires, belts, hoses, etc.... I like it when they have some patina too.

I don't mind if someone takes a basket case and hot rods it. I do hate stories about the cherry old car/truck with low miles and no rust that someone chopped, channeled, flamed, etc etc.

BTW a guy brought a 1938(?) D series cab-over semi tractor to our truck show a couple of weekends ago. It has 20 (twenty) miles on it. He has full documentation from the original owner, who is still around.

I've owned bugs all my life, if I had to live with the stock engine I'd drive a chevy.