Getting Started in the Hobby

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Jugster
Posts: 159
Joined: Sun Jan 06, 2019 6:41 pm
First Name: Bob
Last Name: Coiro
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1915 Touring
Location: Commack, NY
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Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by Jugster » Mon Nov 29, 2021 10:57 am

Getting Started Brown flat Cropped.png

For the most part, the antique car hobby is a pastime of the working class. Oh yeah, there are the affluent Pebble Beach/Amelia Island aristocrats who own Thomas-Flyers and Stevens-Duryeas, but most of us car-guys eat at Red Lobster, shop at Target, wear Timex watches, own fifty-year-old houses with a little chipped paint, and tend not to be major patrons of the Ballet, Opera or Philharmonic. Established in middle-age lifestyles and gravitating toward suburbs and rural locales, most of us are neither wealthy nor poor. Oh, it hurts that a tank of gas now costs at least forty bucks, but still, we do okay—more or less.

For a young person, money will always be the biggest stumbling block to getting started in the antique-car hobby. You just can't compare it to, say, arts & crafts or bird-watching. Not only is there the acquisition and maintenance cost of a vintage car, one must also pay to keep it garaged. That means you must first be a mortgage-paying home-owner or a renter of garage space with lighting and electricity. Dollar-wise, either option is a significant prerequisite.

Then, because an elderly automobile is very maintenance-intensive, you're going to need to purchase a lot of support equipment. Lots and lots of it. That would include a floor-jack, jack-stands, lights, an air-compressor; power-tools like drills, a Dremel, an angle-grinder, an orbital polisher and some soldering equipment. Also necessary would be a standing army of hand-tools like wrenches, hammers, tire-irons, wheel-pullers, etc. Then you'd need a grease-gun, a battery-charger, a creeper, a fan and so on. In addition to that stuff, a solid, space-consuming work bench (with a vice) would be an absolute necessity. And then you'd need plenty of shelf space for lubricants, solvents, spray-cans, grease tubs, oil-squirters, Simoniz, a couple of empty drawers for clean rags and towels, and, if you're like me and prefer Brass-Era Model T Fords, lots and lots of brass polish.

And believe me, that's only the beginning.

As to the car itself; if you want an old car, get a REALLY old car. I'm talking hand-cranked engines and wood-spoke wheels (Hey, if you're gonna do it, DO it). And the best entry-level, brass horseless-carriage for a twenty-something-year-old beginner comes down to one solitary candidate: the 1915 Ford Model T (sound of herald trumpets blowing and angels singing in the background). As my aching, elderly joints and muscles can attest, it has lots of the dazzling brass that everybody loves. And though it represents the last word on the final page in the closing chapter of The Brass-Era, the HCCA does officially recognize it as a horseless-carriage—if only by the skin of its teeth (The 1916 Ford, which is almost identical to the '15, does not qualify in that official regard). Among the brass cars, the '15 Model T is just about the simplest to drive, the easiest to maintain and by far, the least expensive collector-car to buy (I recently saw a pristine example change hands for ten-grand, for Pete's sake). Replacement parts are ridiculously plentiful and can be ordered out of catalogs or from the internet. Besides that, this online forum is just chock full of technical experts who make a habit of sharing their good advice on a daily basis.

So okay, let say you've had your "starter car" for a while, the kids are grown up and moved out, the mortgage is just about paid off and you've finally got some extra money sitting in the bank. What's the next step up from that '15 Ford you already have in the garage? Well, as of this writing, the HCCA classifieds are showing a 1914 Hupmobile for an asking price of $18,500, a 1912 Maxwell Roadster asking $22,000 and a 1914 Olds Touring going for $22,500. Heck, a nice, fin-bearing '57 Chevy would cost more than any of those! The beauty part is that in this moderate price range, values don't vary much over time and you can get your investment back if you ever decide to sell.

If I had the extra money and the additional garage space, I'd get a second, "temporary" collector-car. This one would cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000 to $25,000. It wouldn't necessarily be a brass or nickel car, but it could be. Maybe something like a Ford Model A or a '36 Ford (You can't go wrong with a prewar Ford). Or maybe it'd be one of the cars my parents owned and drove me around in when I was a kid. Ah, nostalgia! That'd be either a '51 Merc, a '55 Pontiac Star-Chief, a '59 Chevy, '59 "Box" Thunderbird, '60 Chrysler Windsor, or a '62 or '63 Caddy. I'd buy one of those, keep it three or four years, then sell it for whatever I originally paid for it and use the money to buy the next one—which I would play with for another three or four years, then sell and use the money from that one to buy the next one. And so on, and so on. That 25-grand would be just about as secure as if it were sitting in the bank collecting a measly 1% interest. Some middle-class retirees will have that kind of extra cash lying around, some won't. I don't. That's okay; I have other blessings.

College students and marriage-age couples have a lot on their minds and need to save up for more important things than an expensive hobby. But once having started families, they'll discover that their kids grow up fast and life, like a roll of paper towels, goes quicker and quicker the further you get into it. When you find yourself reading large-print books and watching nostalgia TV, you'll know it's time to maybe take music lessons, learn a new language or find some kind of hobby. My advice? Buy a Model T Ford. It'll slow the aging process.


20touring
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Re: Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by 20touring » Mon Nov 29, 2021 12:29 pm

Any person, young or retirement age, can find the old car hobby enjoyable, rewarding, and a great way to connect with one another over generations.
Many of us have built memories with our kids and grandkids by entertaining them with our T’s and fostering interest with the younger crowd. My own daughter(now 25)grew up around our “Lizzie” and my own introduction to model T’s came from my fathers stories of owning 2 when on the family farm in the ‘30’s, and from local T enthusiast Don Hay who used to visit a neighbor with his 1915 Touring. His car left an impression on a then 5 year old kid that never went away. After I bought my ‘20 touring I reconnected with Don and we became good friends.
Model T’s are relatively inexpensive, parts are easy to find, and they are easy to work on. I think this hobby has a very bright future! Show a kid your car, take them for a ride-chances are they will find model T’s “cool”.


Don D
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Re: Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by Don D » Mon Nov 29, 2021 2:53 pm

My nine (9) grandkids are hooked. When seven (7) of them were visiting in June we had to make two (2) trips to the bakery for free cookies in the 1919 touring because we couldn't safely all fit in one trip. :-) My goal is to give each of the nine (9) a running Model T before I leave the planet. They are excited about it. They know they can keep it, sell it to buy a home or for college but Papa says, "Only one to a customer."

Dom

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david_dewey
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* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1916 touring, 1925 runaboaut, 1926 Tudor
Location: Oroville, CA
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Board Member Since: 1999

Re: Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by david_dewey » Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:15 pm

My '16 Touring qualifies for HCCA because it was made in December of 1915! So there are a few '16 year models that qualify! :D
T'ake care,
David Dewey


Norman Kling
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Re: Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by Norman Kling » Mon Nov 29, 2021 4:18 pm

If you have millions of dollars, you can find any antique car you wish. However most of them are not driven very far or often because of scarcity of replacement parts. Many of the older car parts must be custom built for that particular car. Now, if you are a machinist you can probably do much of the work yourself.

However, Model T's are so plentiful and lower in price than other cars of the era, they can be driven on long tours and find many club members along the way, if you need help. They are also easy to work on with just a handful of hand tools, and there are many local people with the skills to do the machine work. The tops are available in ready to install kits and most gaskets and other mechanical parts are still supplied by vendors. Also many used parts available from swap meets. Yet T's are now usually not seen as daily drivers, but seen as tours or shows occur in the area.

So if you get a Model T, you can either restore it completely as a show car, or you can modify it for such things as speedsters, you can drive it on tours. So a T is the way to go for fun and enjoyment.
Norm

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Craig Leach
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* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: 1919 Firetruck/1922 Speedster
Location: Laveen Az
MTFCA Number: 26647

Re: Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by Craig Leach » Mon Nov 29, 2021 10:42 pm

Norm don't sell people of means short, I know a gentleman of substantial means that owens many rare autos and will embarass most of us when it comes to getting them out and driving them. He is truely a enthusiast of the highest order.
Craig.


rprice76
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Last Name: Price
* REQUIRED* Type and Year of Model Ts owned: Former owner, 1921 Roadster, 1916 Touring Car
Location: Baltimore

Re: Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by rprice76 » Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:38 am

As someone who started out in life in a family that had collector cars I can certainly say the BIGGEST issue with 'getting into' the collector car hobby (or Model T's lets say to be more precise) is something the OP absolutely touched on.

Space.

Having space to store, and more importantly, to work on, a classic car. When I bought my first house, it had no garage and no option for a garage. The second place I had had a LARGE covered carport, but again, no garage. The second option worked for having a 50's or 60's car, but not so much a Model T. It could be made to work, but I was always of the opinion that 'I'll just build on to the carport and enclose it.' Sure - I could have, but never got around to it due to funds.

Now that I'm older and have a nice house AND garage I can seriously get into this hobby in a way I havent since I was in my 20's. And lets face it, to have a house AND a garage that can accomodate a T I have to have money. More than space, thats the biggest issue. Being able to afford a Model T? Not too much of a financial hurdle. You can get a T running gear for a few grand and build a body, but to do that you have to have a house with garage, or at least, a garage (rented or otherwise) on another property.

Now, when it comes to money, I'm not in this hoby to make money. I'm in it because I enjoy it. It sure is a lot cheaper than some other hobies out there, and better for the health (i.e. extreme bunjee jumping).


John kuehn
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Re: Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by John kuehn » Tue Nov 30, 2021 9:54 am

Your age may determine how far back you want to go as far as getting an old car. Probably the most popular reason for getting an ‘old car’ is finding one you grew up with or your first car in high school.
That’s the reason the classic car era is so popular because those are the ones you can get on most highways and drive 60 plus MPH. And these folks have the money to spend $25.30.000 and up to restore or buy one. Yes folks it’s the boomers!
Next in line would be the folks who like old and antique technology they can work on and restore and have fun with. Most cars would be in the T era right before and after.

For me it was Model T’s that I was first interested in since I inherited one. Then came high school and the 56 Ford I bought but it was the T’s that was my peak interest and still is.


Norman Kling
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Re: Getting Started in the Hobby

Post by Norman Kling » Tue Nov 30, 2021 11:26 am

My first car was a 29 A. After that I had 13 different A's. I have had a few other cars over the years and now for the wife's car and our trip car we have a Suburu.
When we moved here to Alpine I had a 30 mile each way commute through the mountains and on a freeway. So I decided to sell my last A. Then we went for about 20 years without any old cars except the ones we had been driving got older until we junked or sold them.
Then one day, a woman who worked in our office who remembered when I had an A Phaeton, said to me"There is an old car for sale" And she told me about a T which she had seen parked with a for sale sign.
I bought my first T when I was 53. I drove it a year or so and then had a problem with the transmission. I restored that whole car and then when I retired I bought a basket case and thought I would work on it for about 2 years to restore it. Well about a week later the phone rang and I had a job offer. So I worked until I was 72 when I had to make mandatory withdrawals from my retirement account. So I retired again permanently. So it took 10 years instead of 2 to restore that one. The thrd one I bought from an estate sale already restored. So now I have 3. They all run and I take them on tours and shows and in parades. I also help others work on their cars.
Norm

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