Walking on the Edge.....selling my M491

[NY65912]

For a while I have pondered cashing in the '85 M491 and getting something else.

I'm getting older, 62 and really do not look forward to maintenance and the associated costs on a P-car, read $$$$

I figure that I can payoff a HELOC, put a few $ in the bank and by a nice Model A.

Mind you, I LOVE my car and I know that once it's gone it's gone.

I have always liked Model A's. There inexpensive, cheap abundant parts and fits in my garage. Plus my wife thinks they have style.

Please either bring me back off the ledge or push me over.

This is VERY difficult for me to contemplate.

Thanks

[HardDrive]

Hell no. You will regret it. Big time.

[aigel]

If I had debt at age 62, I'd sell the car and move on.

G

[Por_sha911]

Do you still drive and enjoy the car? If not, sell it.
I don't see it going down in value so if you are still working and can handle the HELOC then look at the Porsche as a retirement nest egg.

[Yorkie]

Buy the A. My Dad has a couple and apart from the driving experience he really enjoys the Model A community. Very laid back.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I'm 42, 6'2", 240 lbs. and have a Model A. It's fun as hell to putt around in, but getting in and out SUCKS. And I'm only 42. My 74-year-old father can't even get in the car anymore.

Also, it's fun to putt around in but NOT to drive spiritedly. You're talking about a COMPLETELY different driving experience. Keep that in mind.

Honestly, if I was 20 years older with a HELOC, I'd sell the 911, pay off the loan, and buy a lightly used FRS/BRZ or some other lightweight 2-seater that won't be a maintenance problem.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by BlueSkyJaunte

buy a lightly used FRS

Just looked up an FRS. Jeebus. A modern Supra looking car. I got a spot on my trousers.

OP is 62. He is not young like us. I am 62 next August so I still got a year before old like NY

Me, I would kill for the 78 Westy I bought in Anchorage in 89. However, runs counter to the low maintenance issue you bring up.

I like something, anything, odd and pay off the loan. Like an old ass Land Rover Defender odd.

[pwd72s]

Debt free is a very nice feeling.

[speeder]

I want die deep in debt. I want to spend all of my $$ plus a lot of the bank's.

[sugarwood]

I doubt you would drive the A very much.

[944 S2]

Get out of debt! If you don't like it you can always borrow more!

[LakeCleElum]

My wife's cousin in Missouri has a Model A.......I thought it was cool till he let me drive it once....I didn't fit at all. It was slow, noisy and drove like like a lumber wagon. Cured me on the spot.

[id10t]

One of just over 1000 made from '84 thru '89... the makings of a special car. But if it isn't special enough to you...

And 62? Hell my Dad didn't buy his M491 ('84 coupe, since sold to Shaun) until he was a month short of 64!

[Heel n Toe]

Just for fun... poke around in here and read a bit: Oregon to Georgia in a 1930 Ford - Slotblog

There are lots of photos... for example, this is the "Home at last" thread: http://slotblog.net/topic/54936-home-at-last-but-it-was-a-struggle/

[onewhippedpuppy]

Well, that's a new one. I grew up riding in my grandfather's multiple Model As, they were cool for nostalgia but also slow, rough, and totally impractical for any real use. But if you want one, go for it. You only live once, and no way I would want to have debt at 62. I'm desperately trying to get out of debt way earlier than that.

[NY65912]

Thanks for all the insight. The problem is the internal struggle of emotional attachment and practicality. PS: I do not plan on retiring, maybe at 70. Too much invested in the business.

[jwasbury]

If the car doesn't do it for you anymore, sell it.

I sold my 930 a couple years ago, and I don't wallow in any sort of regret. There are fleeting moments where I think about how it would be fun to drive it, but then I think about how much I hated driving it in the rain because water leaked in, or how painful it was sometimes rolliing across our lovely NYC metro area potholes.

I love the 911 for the experiences I had because of it, but am not "attached" to the inanimate object itself.

I've enjoyed experiencing other cars. I briefly owned a 997 turbo cab I bought after selling the 930. Beautiful, expensive and utterly ridiculous. Now I have a 2000 Benz SL500 which I am loving, and cost a tad more than 1/10th of what the 930 was worth.

Love the one you're with.

It's just a car

[bob deluke]

NY;
Sold my 77 Targa last year after 10 years of ownership. Turning 71 this summer and got tired of working on my back fixing stuff. Sad to see it go, but had it long enough and the money I got made the pain of letting go much easier. If a model A floats your boat, go for it. I bought a 996 cab that's a fun car to drive, but completely different experience from an early air cooled. That may go down the road too. Always wanted an Audi TT so that may be my next ride. They're just cars man, sell sell it and move on to whatever makes you happy. Life's to short to agonize over a car...

[NY65912]

The operative word here is agonizing,

I think I am approaching the point of letting go soon. I hardly use it. Hate to drive it in the horrible traffic and roads around here. I'm always on edge in it.