leaving an old dog in the woods...

[wolfswest]

I’m in a new topic mood…  How do I begin…   Some of you may know my car, for the others, here is al little description how it looks.  It's a 72' modiefied to look like a pre 67.  Naturally it has his mistakes, the little things so that you can see it's "fake"...     How this happened you can read in my topic in the works section.  I'm not planning to rebuild it very soon to a correct looking late looker because my favour is a pre 67 or a 67.  However, I'm a guy that is realy attached to the things I built.  I realy can't say goodbye to "my stuff"  I still have my mopeds around that I drove when I was 16 and also my bmx...  These things are my trademark you know...?
I thougt many times to search me a good 66 or 67 beetle and built my parts on it but then again, I can't say goodbye to my present first beetle...  This "frankenstein creature" is truly my "friend"...  It remains a part of the gang and if I bought myself another beetle it would feel myself as a betrayer...      just like an old loyal dog I left in the woods because I bought myself a new fresh puppy...    So, because of my guilty feelings I stick with my loyal dog even though it's not perfect and enjoy it as long as it could last...

I know the car can't possibly have feelings like a dog or whatsoever but it's more then just metal and wheels to me.  Hope to hear your feelings and thougts about it...

Dem

[Neil Davies]

it's more then just metal and wheels to me.  

Exactly as it should be. And exactly why when I sold my first Beetle to my brother I did with the proviso that I get first refusal when he wants to sell it, which he just did! Winter project coming up! And same as you Dem, mine is a later one modified to look early - a September '67 ('68 model-year) made to look like an August '67!

[Zach Gomulka]

I know what you mean! I haven't sold any car... yet. I finally threw in the towel on my Fastback project

[speedwell]

I know what you mean! I haven't sold any car...

the same here 

[Mike Lawless]

Years ago, (1973) I sold my first car ( actually not technically my first car, but the first one I bought with my own money and was able to drive legally), a 1961 Beetle. It was not the prettiest or fastest, but it was the product of my labors. Years later (1987) I sold another special car that I had owned for a long time and rebuilt from the ground up, ultimately becoming a tube chassied 9 second car (1970 Dodge Challenger). That car still survives and is raced locally and I see it quite often. I feel "nostalgic" when I see it as it isn't so different from the way it was when I sold it.

To this day, I regret letting both of them go for the very reasons you stated.

The Blue Car will be mine till I die.

[Jordy/DVK]

 I have the same with my sept. '67 (which still looks like a model '68). I would love to have a pre '67 beetle. I do have a splitwindow beetle (my first beetle) which I have owned since my 18th, but I've never driven it (it's a resto) and it doesn't feel it's mine. I have had thoughts of selling my red sept 67 for numerous times, but sometimes, when I come home from college with the train, when it brakes gently to stop for the little station where I have to get off, I can see my bug standing there, parked under the trees in a nice lane with cute little houses, overloaded with amber red rays of light from the setting sun shining through the branches that make my car glow like molten iron I suddenly realize that I should never sell it...
no matter how ugly it might be with one rusty red and one yellow fender... it is MINE...

 

[javabug]

I've always had similar problems, but have come to realise that sometimes ya can't keep them all.  I'm battling with myself right now to get rid of my first VW, a clean Rabbit GTI (off topic, I know).  I bought the car as a clean original, had a "mishap", rebuilt and modified the car totally so there is lots of history.  But for the last few years I just can't seem to be very interested in it anymore, I'm running out of places to safely store it, and could really use the money for either real life, or my '67 project.

Its very hard though, sometimes.  I try to think of it as "trading up."

[Rennsurfer]

If any of you still have your first car (especially if it's a Cal Look or stock air-cooled VW), take my advice: KEEP IT!

I bought my first car in 1979 (the orange one in my signature line) and sunk over $5K into it right away & made it a Cal Look car. Drove it for six years and it was my main transportation. One day, I decided to sell it very cheap... car was sold after one day in the newspaper. I was sad, watching it drive away. Less than a month later, my friends were calling me and stopping by the house saying, "Hey, man... I thought that you were gonna put the Bug in storage and pull it out when you had kids, so you can share the fun with them." That WAS my original plan. Like a moronic tool, I opted to listen to my girlfriend (girl I almost married at the time) and since I wasn't really driving it too much during that time, due to my 1984 VW GTI (bought new the year before). Nothing but regret, ever since. The car was complete and to my liking. Now that I have two teen aged sons, it would've been nice to have that car.

My old friend, Dave Purnell, and I built our cars at the same time when I was a mechanic at his family's shop. He still has his perfect India Red '71 with the same huge fire-breathing 48IDA engine that'll embarrass most V8 cars. He did exactly what he and I planned... kept it in storage. Now, he has a 7 year old son named Matt and he's ready to pull the car out of storage, so they can enjoy it together. Lucky dog.

My problem is... I get too attached to cars. I guess it dates back to watching my Dad making sure that our cars looked better than showroom new no matter how old they got after we bought 'em new or used. Spending that much time detailing... I tend to get rather involved and that's where it must stem from, such that it is. (sigh)

[Mike Lawless]

To (sort of) quote a line from the movie, "Master and Commander"....

"There's enough of his blood in there to where it could almost be a relative"

Maybe that's what it is.

[roland]

This is just what happened with my 68..

Got it when I was 16, learned to drive with it, had friends drive it to shows for me, etc... Two years ago, when i started taking it apart, i realized it was really rotten so I had 2 choices: either put a lot of money in it and restore it or throw it away and start with a fresher one...

In the end i kept it and had a quick paint (i wish  ) and even if there's only the roof, the dashboard and a couple of parts left from the original car, it still feels like my car that i got when i was 16, but now it's really like i want it to be. Now i'm married to it and i don't think i'll ever sell it!

[ian c]

ROLAND , YOUR STORY REMINDS ME OF AN OLD FAB-SHOP JOKE ....

THE GUY SAYS " I REALLY LOVE THIS BRUSH , I'VE HAD IT FOR 20 YEARS ... IT'S HAD 15 NEW BRUSH-HEADS , AND 7 HANDLES "


 

[Gabetion2000]

Ive have had my bug for almost ten years. It is my first and favorate car. Too many memories to list. I am currently doing a (pretty much) full resto on it. I had the chance to do a full body swap. Everyone I know telling me Im stupid if I didnt do it ( my bug has alot of battle scars). But I just couldnt do it. Even though the chasis would be from the old car, It wouldnt be the same. I love her too much. BTW that broom joke is awesome.
Gabe

[Sam K]

I've had my '67 Bug (my 1st car) for 18 years. I've also had my '68 SS350 Camaro for 11 years. All my other cars can come and go, but I figure those two will be with me forever. This probably stems from all the stories my Dad has about his 1st car, a 1959 MGA and how he sold it in thge early '70's for $350. He still mentions it at least once a week. If I can ever afford to I'd like to by him one to replace it.

[Neil Davies]

I've had my '67 Bug (my 1st car) for 18 years. I've also had my '68 SS350 Camaro for 11 years. All my other cars can come and go, but I figure those two will be with me forever. This probably stems from all the stories my Dad has about his 1st car, a 1959 MGA and how he sold it in thge early '70's for $350. He still mentions it at least once a week. If I can ever afford to I'd like to by him one to replace it.

My dad still has his 1960 Austin Healey Frogeye Sprite. Bought it in 1968, married my mother in 1974, still got both! Ok, the car hasn't moved since 1989, but it'll be restored as soon as my Beetle is done!

[roland]

ROLAND , YOUR STORY REMINDS ME OF AN OLD FAB-SHOP JOKE ....

THE GUY SAYS " I REALLY LOVE THIS BRUSH , I'VE HAD IT FOR 20 YEARS ... IT'S HAD 15 NEW BRUSH-HEADS , AND 7 HANDLES "

Yeah that's about it..