Car guys live in a world where they have two simple choices when it comes to their retro rides: Drive ‘em or park ‘em.
The park side of the choice means the old car or truck in question rarely (or never) hits the road, unless the very short journey to a nearby trailer is counted as a drive.
Jim Sutherland
The reason for not driving a vintage vehicle boils down to one major point, namely its value. A car guy who has invested in a low mileage survivor in excellent condition will not want to rack up many miles on his investment because every mile chips away at the vehicle’s sticker price.
For a collector, racking up miles on the investment vehicle is a little like painting a moustache on the original Mona Lisa, so they will avoid driving the old ride at all costs.
It may be a soulless approach to ownership, but they want to protect their investment.
The same rules apply to an overbuilt restoration or resto mod vehicle. The amount of dough sunk into a vintage car or truck project has a direct effect on their willingness to drive the old warhorse after the transformation. In short, the bigger the price tag-the less it will be driven.
The good news is car guys have other choices for their road warriors, so we at MyStarCollectorCar decided to compile a list of vehicles that are ready for the road and do not cause uncontrollable anxiety attacks every time they are exposed to fresh air, sunshine and pavement. Important note: our number five scenario will be slightly different from the first four.
The first esteemed member of our driver-friendly list is a higher mileage survivor car or truck from a bygone era.
These road veterans wear their history on their faded paint with its rusty highlights, so more dings and dents are not a cause for concern.
In fact, more road rash is just another page in an old ride’s history, so the possibility of real-world harm on the road will not get in the way of their owner’s decision to drive them.
The second choice is a rat rod.
These creative vehicles are built to follow their builder’s imagination instead of a quest for a perfect paint job on wheels. A rat rod gives its owner an opportunity to create a vehicle that oozes imagination and cool-but without a hefty price tag for a flawless finish. The net result is a vehicle that would fit right into any post-apocalyptic movie and own the chaotic new world in the flick.
The third choice is a mild resto mod.
These kinds of owners avoided sinking the family assets (including their first and possibly second-born child) into an expensive retro ride project and instead kept the build costs under control. The net result is a modest investment that does not scare them off the road when they are behind the wheel of their budget build.
The fourth addition to MyStarCollectorCar’s drivable old vehicle list is one sold by a car guy who invested an insane amount of money in the project and will never recover his costs because he spent well beyond its market value.
The vintage vehicle may become a fire sale because the former owner was divorce- desperate and had no hope to recover his investment. Consequently, the happy new owner’s shiny old car has a shiny new price tag that is low enough to encourage him to hit the road in it.
MyStarCollectorCar’s fifth and final choice for our driver list is simple: Every vintage vehicle is meant to be driven.
We were just kidding about the monetary reason not to drive an old car because the cold hard truth is 100% of retro rides need to be on the road and not leaking vital fluids onto a museum or garage floor.
Sell them to somebody who will drive them.
Jim Sutherland
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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