There are plenty of reasons why so many people are a part of the car hobby and we at MyStarCollector have encountered some good (and some bad) reasons over the years.
The good news is most car guys are in the hobby for the right reasons-the bad news is some car guys are in it for the wrong reasons.
JIM SUTHERLAND
One of the best reasons we have encountered is the car guy who has taken Winston Churchill’s famous “blood, toil, tears and sweat” speech (not to be confused with David Clayton Thomas’ music act) into a project. These are the hands-on car guys who learned through trial and error how to build something special in their shop or garages.
They are not trained in any of the automotive fields and somehow manage to create or restore mechanical masterpieces. However, a close second are any automotive tradespeople who spend their days repairing vehicles and somehow manage to find enough inner strength to work on a project vehicle in their spare time.
These two groups are in MyStarCollectorCar’s car guy Hall of Fame because they are in the hobby for the right reason: they love old iron and want to celebrate the vintage rides in a big way.
These car guys view their rides more as an emotional investment and much less as a financial investment. They own vintage vehicles for sentimental reasons and are willing to sacrifice a great deal of time and money for them.
The other side of the coin are speculation buyers who purchase vehicles with the same cold detachment as pork belly futures. Their investment in vintage rides is a soulless ritual that relies upon what’s hot and what’s not when it comes to vintage rides.
These people are not car guys. They are ruthless speculators with a financial crystal ball that focuses directly on flavor-of-the-week vehicles that will rise in value before they hit a glass ceiling and plummet in price. Rule one in the stock market applies here: Buy Low-Sell High. Their main effect is to drive up vintage vehicle prices and capitalize on their four-wheeled investment along the way. Once again, they are not car guys.
Another questionable addition to the hobby is any car guy who becomes totally immersed in the car hobby and suddenly drops it like the vintage car world was a radioactive bolt heated in a blast furnace. Their enthusiasm for the car hobby is a passing fancy that was never based upon a genuine commitment to all things automotive. Their commitment to the car hobby ran parallel to their commitment to a movie at a theater because once it was over, it was indeed over. Time to exit.
There is a simple test that will reveal whether people can be legitimately be categorized as car guys- and it comes in the form of simple questions: Did you buy your vintage vehicle for the next 5 years, 5 months, or even 5 minutes, or did you already buy tape for the For Sale sign because you bought it on impulse or under the influence of good intoxicants?
If your answer was Yes to either question, then consider yourself a vintage car investment broker — possibly with a drinking problem — but you’re not a car guy.
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.
- CLICK HERE to Sign Up for the Newsletter
- CLICK HERE to Like us on Facebook
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Twitter
- CLICK HERE to Follow us on Pinterest
