Buying An Old Muscle Car, Where does it all end?

By Mark Weisseg

I started buying old muscle cars with one car and a dream. But, that is all it was, a dream. I was thrilled to have one car that I could take to a show and drive around. It was mine and rarely did anyone ever give it a second look at a show. Once in a while some poor sap had pity on me and stopped and asked some question but generally it was me alone.

I kept the faith alive that someday I too would join in the bigger pond and have something of real value. I hung around with a few guys who were like me. One car, one car only. But, there was one guy in the group that seemed to have a money tree and he bought some very expensive cars. Obviously we were all green with envy but he kept his cool and never showed us up. In fact, he was not even a part of our small group until I invited him to join our little circle. As time marched on I listened, learned and kept planning on another vehicle. Two would be cool because now I could mix them up once in a while and have deeper roots.

Well, I did not stay part of that original group as I wanted another person I knew to join us figuring the more the merrier. One guy in my current group had no love for this outsider and said he would leave our circle. Instead, I left. I left because I thought the other guy was being childish. He did not have any real facts but he pouted enough to make me see a side of him I did not know. So, I split off and discovered new people, new cars, and a renewed interest in my collection. Suddenly, I added a third vehicle to the roster.

It was a car I always wanted and the resources finally came of age. But, you know the problem…. Where do you keep three vehicles and more importantly I need to start really paying attention to my costs. Gas, insurance, upkeep and so on was a bit tough. But, a fourth vehicle fell into my lap and I figured well four is only one more than three so I can manage. It was and is a bigger issue than I imagined. Where do they all go in the winter months? How much is storage? Again, insurance? And, who can drive four cars anyway? But, I hung in there and really enjoyed the differences between all four. Suddenly people were calling me a car collector.

I laughed because I thought of a car collector as someone with like fifty cars in an air exchanged building and a staff to tend to them. Heck, I am one guy and not a collector. I just love cars. Then, it happened. I found another car I have been looking for and yes, I bought it. Five now plus my personal cars that need servicing, gas, inspections, and so on. Parking is really an issue now so I went on the hunt to buy a building were I could store all the vehicles in one place and keep track of everything. This task is much more difficult than imagined. Real estate, commercial properties, an old church, an old general store and so on and so on. Suddenly I was overwhelmed. Who was I to need a special building to keep my so called collection under one roof? Should I park the jet and yacht in there too? Kidding of course.

So, now I was searching hard because winter comes fast. As we all know as you age time goes very fast. I knew my time was limited and so was my budget. Next I thought well if we buy another home with more property around it I can construct a pole barn and resolve all these issues. Of course all the issues cost money and I was beginning to see how this whole thing spiraled right in front of me. What was one car and an easy task has turned into nine total vehicles and a scooter to boot. How am I going to resolve all this? Well, the word was out on the street that I was searching for the place to store all of these vehicles by this fall. What happened next threw me for a loop.

A guy that was a client of mine when I was working told me he owns a building very close to where I live. It is so hidden I did not know it was even there and that bothers me. Why? I have been living in this area since 1983 and how did I not see this? But, he and I are meeting anyway now so I can look it over inside. I have seen it from the outside and I was impressed. It sits behind locked gates and as I stated very well hidden. If he and I can come to a reasonable deal here soon my issues will be resolved for this winter. That buys me additional time I need to get this issue resolved once and for all. Meaning, I find a home with the property as mentioned earlier or I downsize. I do not want to downsize at all. I worked all my life for these vehicles and certainly do not want to start dismantling it. But it brings me full circle as I still wonder how I started with one and it mushroomed to where it is today. It’s a marvel but hopefully you understand the issue. I am not suggesting pity but where does it all end? How did this slowly turn into the monster it is now? It’s a blast and a lot of work and I never imagined this but here we are. Do I still look for cars? Of course. I kick myself at times when I pass on what I know is a great deal but lack the room to park it. It’s a good problem to have folks.

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