Tough Times call for Tough Decisions

[low&slow]

Never in the 10 yrs (I'm only 22) that I've had my custom truck, I would have Ever thought about selling it or anything off of it. Well, tough times came and the tough decisions had to be made. Luckly I still have the truck, but boy am I sure going to miss that hopped up 500 caddy I had in her. Guy should be here in a couple weeks if not next week to take her out of the truck.

I'm sure there are tons of you who have sold your trucks and regret it. Myself included, but how many of you have sold something off your truck just to make ends meet?

[lowbucktrucks]

I sold my first 70 shortbed (305/350/4.11) have a down payment for my farm. Don't regret buying farm, but miss that truck.

[simplepeddler]

I think you show us promise! Not to many 22 year olds will make ANY tough decision for ANY thing!!

Not trucks because I just got my first one....but I have sold many guns and other toys to make ends meet.

I think that is what makes things like guns, watches and trucks fun investments.......you can get some bones out of them when you need to.

way better than a "My little pony" collection

[hugger6933]

I sold my drag car Chevelle only for mere pennies just to see it running in a fastest street car races that makes some circuits around. I found it years later and I knew it was it cause the red I had used was special and nobody would know that and when it was painted on it didn't match [way off]I had it offered back to me but the spark had died and I didn't want to race anymore. Jim

[aris_unlimited]

I sold a 72 cuda I had because I didn't have the money to keep working on it. It had been 3 years since I had even touched it and it was just a rolling shell (granted it was now a pristine rolling shell). I massively regret that one. A little sad I sold my 72 camaro, but then I remember the 8 mpg I got with it (had a 454 and bad gearing for hwy) and I don't miss it as much lol. Also sold a 69 camaro, which I regret a little but I tripled my money on it so that helps with the pain a little.

[Rod Run]

Since I was young, all of the older guys that I knew always said, "never sell your toys if you think you'll regret it".

So with that being said, I've never parted with any vehicle that I wanted to keep. Since I was 20 years old, I've never had less than 3 vehicles at one time. Even during the times when I was without a "real" job for months at a time, moved to places with no parking for my cars, couldn't afford to have them all on the road together (insurance, repairs, etc...) and during multiple other situations, I've always found ways to keep them all.

Sometimes that meant asking for favors so I would have someplace to keep the cars, working 70+ hours a week at multiple jobs and/or paying storage costs that really weren't financially worth it, but I never had to let go of my stuff. I figured I could always make more money in the future, to replace the funds that I wasted, but I could never replace my lost toys.

I'm now in my mid-forties and still have one of my cars from when I was younger than you. It would have made sense to get rid of it at least a couple of times, but I'm happy that I never did.

It sucks that you have to do what your doing, but it's pretty awesome that you will still have the truck. Chances are that you probably would have changed out the engine in the future anyway (as most of us do), so I would look at what you're doing as just getting ready for an upgrade down the road


Good luck with whatever you have to do and I hope things turn around for you in the near future!

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by low&slow

Never in the 10 yrs (I'm only 22) that I've had my custom truck, I would have Ever thought about selling it or anything off of it. Well, tough times came and the tough decisions had to be made. Luckly I still have the truck, but boy am I sure going to miss that hopped up 500 caddy I had in her. Guy should be here in a couple weeks if not next week to take her out of the truck.

I'm sure there are tons of you who have sold your trucks and regret it. Myself included, but how many of you have sold something off your truck just to make ends meet?

I think you made a good decision, a compromise. You DO get to keep your truck, and you CAN put another engine in it. Once the truck is gone, however, it's gone. I assume it's your first car, and BELIEVER ME if you are forced to let it go it will haunt you the rest of your life.

I still have dreams of my 65 Sport Le Mans. I'd give up almost anything to have it back, I don't care what condition it may be in. I heard it got totaled, and it's probably been melted down.

Family and personal welfare are worth more than any vehicle can ever be.

Take care.

[low&slow]

Originally Posted by mechanicalman

I think you made a good decision, a compromise. You DO get to keep your truck, and you CAN put another engine in it. Once the truck is gone, however, it's gone. I assume it's your first car, and BELIEVER ME if you are forced to let it go it will haunt you the rest of your life.

I still have dreams of my 65 Sport Le Mans. I'd give up almost anything to have it back, I don't care what condition it may be in. I heard it got totaled, and it's probably been melted down.

Family and personal welfare are worth more than any vehicle can ever be.

Take care.

Not my first truck. I sold my first truck I got when I was 11, 2 yrs ago. It was a 69 c10 with a 454. Posi rear end. Beautiful truck and sold it for pennies. But the truck I have now (got when I was 12) is the only connection I have with my grandpa. Only time I met him, he was helping my put the caddy in the truck. I'm most defiantly going to regret selling it. In fact, I started it today. I would call the guy and change my mind, but I've already done that once to the same guy. The guy even feels bad buying it from me, but he wants the motor offly bad too.

[mechanicalman]

Originally Posted by low&slow

Not my first truck. I sold my first truck I got when I was 11, 2 yrs ago. It was a 69 c10 with a 454. Posi rear end. Beautiful truck and sold it for pennies. But the truck I have now (got when I was 12) is the only connection I have with my grandpa. Only time I met him, he was helping my put the caddy in the truck. I'm most defiantly going to regret selling it. In fact, I started it today. I would call the guy and change my mind, but I've already done that once to the same guy. The guy even feels bad buying it from me, but he wants the motor offly bad too.

Plenty of Caddy engines out there when the time is right. Don't worry Grandpa would want you to take care of business so that's a great way to honor him.

[sneakyfast]

The thing I've learned over the years is that trucks, cars, motorcycles or any other toy will never satisfy you. You are setting yourself up for heart ache if you are so attached to an inanimate object that losing it gets you down. I've learned that these toys can be enjoyed but if your contentment or identity is tied to them it will always be a cause of stress and strain as you work and worry to try and keep them. Don't anchor yourself to them.

And yes I sold off my Souped up Mits Spyder Eclipse turbo....no regrets though it was by far the best vehicle I've ever owned.

[GASoline71]

I don't "regret" selling most of the rigs I've had over the last 35 years. Miss them all... but the 3 I do regret selling are: 1971 El Camino SS, a 1967 C10 short bed stepper (small back window) and a 1963 K20.

Gary

[EdSevered]

Originally Posted by sneakyfast

The thing I've learned over the years is that trucks, cars, motorcycles or any other toy will never satisfy you. You are setting yourself up for heart ache if you are so attached to an inanimate object that losing it gets you down. I've learned that these toys can be enjoyed but if your contentment or identity is tied to them it will always be a cause of stress and strain as you work and worry to try and keep them. Don't anchor yourself to them.

And yes I sold off my Souped up Mits Spyder Eclipse turbo....no regrets though it was by far the best vehicle I've ever owned.

I agree and disagree, at the same time. My possessions don't define me, but most of my vehicles have either "spoke" to me, and that's why I bought, or they came to mean something in the context of my life.

There are cars I look back on fondly, such as my '73 Buick Riviera (my first car, tried to replace years later, by putting two together, my heart wasn't in it, just wasn't the same, ended up donating the project), '73 VW Super Beetle (taught myself to drive stick on the way home from the purchase with that one, an absolute blast to drive in the snow), and my '85 BMW 528e (catalytic converter started on fire, took rest of car with it).

But I truly miss my '93 BMW 325is (pure driving fun) and my '94 Harley Sportster 1200 (was my first HD, had custom paint that I selected, and marked a milestone in my life). Thinking I may have to sell my current Harley, '98 Softail Heritage (my second, and my dream bike since I was a tyke, again, as typical, highly personalized, and marked another milestone in life) to help finance down payment on a house. Not sure, I might cry. But dam!t, come h3ll or high water, I'm keeping my truck.

-Ed

[Dave K.]

I've got 8 vehicles at my house right now and it wouldn't kill me to sell any of them....... 1941 IHC M-1-4, 1942 Willys MB, 1983 Jeep Scrambler, 2006 Jeep Wrangler LJ Rubicon, 1989 Civic Si (My first car), 1974 Bronco Ranger, Bronco Stroppe Edition, 1968 Chevy Camaro with 29K original miles, 1989 CRX turbo diesel project ... okay, 9! I'm buying a farm and would sell all of them to get it..... notice I don't list my 68 Chevy K10 Shortbed Anniversary as a one I would sell!

[magwakeenercew2jh]

You all have said it so well, I should just shut up.

But, since I should now probably be considered an expert at buying high and selling low, I have one more personal take on it.

Getting any "material something", whether it be in the guitar, gun, motorcycle, or four-wheeled motor vehicle genre, has often been a
snap decision for me. Always fun, but I've never really known what's at the bottom of the decision. And, of course, there's no sense
digging around down in there.

On the other hand though, selling any of those items that I originally "had to have" has been a mixed bag of asset priority
(groceries, mortgage, another toy, or a college tuition...etc.). But, sometimes the decision to sell has been a sort of
quick-draw action that was unexplainable.

I DO KNOW this: Now that I've gotten older and seen so much nice hardware go under my bridge, it's easy to blow off listening to
the old guy's, "I wish I still had that Model A". Or, "If I'd only kept that house I bought in San Rafael back in '68".

Humans being human, if I get melancholy about...or start digging around on E-Bay or Craigslist for something to replace that
black '64 Buick with red leather buckets and a four speed, or the David Crosby Signature D-18 (guitar), or any of the fat-tired
Harleys, etc.? I just try to remember the fun I had with them.

If that doesn't work, all I have to do is look at the three fine women and their families that we raised with some of the sale's proceeds.

[Rod Run]

Originally Posted by sneakyfast

The thing I've learned over the years is that trucks, cars, motorcycles or any other toy will never satisfy you. You are setting yourself up for heart ache if you are so attached to an inanimate object that losing it gets you down. I've learned that these toys can be enjoyed but if your contentment or identity is tied to them it will always be a cause of stress and strain as you work and worry to try and keep them. Don't anchor yourself to them.

And yes I sold off my Souped up Mits Spyder Eclipse turbo....no regrets though it was by far the best vehicle I've ever owned.

My toys have never been part of my identity, or do they define me, but my passion runs deep with many of them.

I think it's an excellent thing, to become attached to your toys. It usually means that they will get more care than a "regular" vehicle would get. Most people that are passionate about their vehicles, are also more passionate in other areas of their live and show that they can be committed to taking care of things.

As far as saying what you did on an automotive forum, you may as well said "don't get a pet, because they only live a short amount of time and your heart will be broken when they die", or maybe even "don't ever fall in love with another person, because more often than not, they will leave you at some point and break your heart".

I don't think there are to many other websites that you could have stated what you did, and been more off-base with the majority.

[magwakeenercew2jh]

Originally Posted by Rod Run

I don't think there are to many other websites that you could have stated what you did, and been more off-base with the majority.

Maybe.
Maybe not.

[sneakyfast]

Originally Posted by Rod Run

My toys have never been part of my identity, or do they define me, but my passion runs deep with many of them.

I think it's an excellent thing, to become attached to your toys. It usually means that they will get more care than a "regular" vehicle would get. Most people that are passionate about their vehicles, are also more passionate in other areas of their live and show that they can be committed to taking care of things.

As far as saying what you did on an automotive forum, you may as well said "don't get a pet, because they only live a short amount of time and your heart will be broken when they die", or maybe even "don't ever fall in love with another person, because more often than not, they will leave you at some point and break your heart".

I don't think there are to many other websites that you could have stated what you did, and been more off-base with the majority.

I definitely did not state it trying to be in agreement with the majority. Certainly if you want to be like everyone else then don't listen to my advice.

[68shortwide]

Not me personally, but i know my dad really misses selling the 67 mustang coupe he sold for a down payment on our house back before i was born. And i miss the 96 impala he sold to make ends meet after he got laid off.

[67 cst swb]

My first 67 shortbox. Bought it in 1988. Sold it in 1994 or so.
67 small window short wide box
Red with Red interior
283 with Powerglide
radio delete with 1 visor

[Jake1971]

I regretted losing my '68 LWB C10 305/350/410 open axle with pontoon-sized tires to a thief while on vacation back in 1985 until I got my '71 lwb C10 350/350/342 open axle in 1986 that I still have today (which has not ran in 8 years). As with our trucks, I am dealing with the usual rot on my '71 but making headway in the form of gathering parts from our wonderful board vendors with the thought in mind that once I retire in a couple of years I will keep myself busy rebuilding it. Sell it? No. If I did, it would compare to losing a long-time best friend. (You will have to pry the keys and title from my cold dead fingers.)

[simplepeddler]

Originally Posted by magwakeenercew2jh

You all have said it so well, I should just shut up.

But, since I should now probably be considered an expert at buying high and selling low, I have one more personal take on it.

Getting any "material something", whether it be in the guitar, gun, motorcycle, or four-wheeled motor vehicle genre, has often been a
snap decision for me. Always fun, but I've never really known what's at the bottom of the decision. And, of course, there's no sense
digging around down in there.

On the other hand though, selling any of those items that I originally "had to have" has been a mixed bag of asset priority
(groceries, mortgage, another toy, or a college tuition...etc.). But, sometimes the decision to sell has been a sort of
quick-draw action that was unexplainable.

I DO KNOW this: Now that I've gotten older and seen so much nice hardware go under my bridge, it's easy to blow off listening to
the old guy's, "I wish I still had that Model A". Or, "If I'd only kept that house I bought in San Rafael back in '68".

Humans being human, if I get melancholy about...or start digging around on E-Bay or Craigslist for something to replace that
black '64 Buick with red leather buckets and a four speed, or the David Crosby Signature D-18 (guitar), or any of the fat-tired
Harleys, etc.? I just try to remember the fun I had with them.

If that doesn't work, all I have to do is look at the three fine women and their families that we raised with some of the sale's proceeds.

Things are things.......

this pic right here is the real deal........
I just hit 50 and I do not want to be the guy that sits back and says "one day......."

I am blessed today.......tomorrow I might sell it all to help my parents, my kids, and especially my grandkid.......

[low&slow]

Appriceate all the feed back guys. Things may have just worked out fine. I found another caddy motor. It's a 472 not a 500, but it's the same year and runs strong. All stock. I'm going to go buy it. I'll still have plenty of $$ left over from selling the 500 to get what I need done, done. And that's finishing therapy, learning to walk, and getting a job again.

I've actually tried to part the truck out prior to selling the motor. I figured I could always get another bed and front clip as long as I keep the cab, chassis, and motor. Needless to say, I gave up on that as the tire kickers really started wasting my time.

[cooperhw]

It's just stuff.

Me myself I have had tons of stuff and still have tons of stuff. Some of that stuff I loved and some not so much. Wish I had not of bought a lot of that stuff also wish I had not of sold some of that stuff.
Don't worry, there's plenty more stuff out there.

"We make the best decision we can at the time and move on".

Now don't get me wrong. I don't want to get rid of my stuff (especially if it's the wife telling me to), but, we were not born with it when we come into this world and we don't take it with us when we leave this world.

My friend used to use this old saying a lot; "Don't cry over spilt milk. It could have been whiskey".

[RanchTruck]

Originally Posted by low&slow

Appriceate all the feed back guys. Things may have just worked out fine. I found another caddy motor. It's a 472 not a 500, but it's the same year and runs strong. All stock. I'm going to go buy it.

Put a new timing chain in it before you use it. Resist the temptation to upgrade anything else "while you're in there" and just drop it in.

[low&slow]

Originally Posted by RanchTruck

Put a new timing chain in it before you use it. Resist the temptation to upgrade anything else "while you're in there" and just drop it in.

I won't be upgradeing anything on it for a while. Caddies are SUPER expensive to build. Why do say put a new timing chain in it?