The mentality behind rotting classics.
Discussion
I can't understand why some people with classic cars, allow them to sit unused in a corner rotting away? I appreciate there is perhaps a period of time between say, realising it's in need of restoration before actually starting a restoration, but part of me wonders how long this period will be before they loose interest and decide to move on by either selling it as a bit of a barn find or just keeping it but ignoring its rotting presence.
Today I went to have a casual look at a car I'd got a tip off on, found it sitting between some trees on the edge of a road looking pretty sorry for itself - somewhere beneath the algae, dead leaves and twigs was some 45 year old black paintwork, the interior leather had mould, rubbers looking a bit perished. Unfortunately the owner wasn't in as I'd love to have had a chat about it with him but it does make me wonder, why leave something valuable outside rotting under a tree?
According to the web, it's SORNed and hasn't had an MOT for a couple of years, but failed on relatively minor things. Nothing that couldn't be fixed over a weekend. However that was two years ago, now it would need a lot more work than that to get it presentable and roadworthy again. Bit of a shame really.
Today I went to have a casual look at a car I'd got a tip off on, found it sitting between some trees on the edge of a road looking pretty sorry for itself - somewhere beneath the algae, dead leaves and twigs was some 45 year old black paintwork, the interior leather had mould, rubbers looking a bit perished. Unfortunately the owner wasn't in as I'd love to have had a chat about it with him but it does make me wonder, why leave something valuable outside rotting under a tree?
According to the web, it's SORNed and hasn't had an MOT for a couple of years, but failed on relatively minor things. Nothing that couldn't be fixed over a weekend. However that was two years ago, now it would need a lot more work than that to get it presentable and roadworthy again. Bit of a shame really.
Could just be a lack of roundtoits.
OK, I'll admit I don't actually know where A8HEX is right now, but LadyB8 has finally agreed I can get a quote to see how much it would cost to put her right again
MitchT said:
Maybe an attachment to the car but a lack of the funds needed to get the work done. They really don't want to part with it and, one day things will change and they'll be able to get it restored and garaged, but "one day" keeps on not arriving.
Or it's difficult to explain to the misses (or perhaps the mister) why you want to restore it when it will cost more than the car is worth, but you don't give a f*** about that. OK, I'll admit I don't actually know where A8HEX is right now, but LadyB8 has finally agreed I can get a quote to see how much it would cost to put her right again
Simes205 said:
I used to think the same.
My dad has a few old cars from the fifties. One partly restored one in regular use but also a Citroen CX that is slowly melting into the ground.
He is in ill health (serious asthma) and can no longer work on them....perhaps this is the reason for many others.
Sorry to hear that. Do you think that even when working on cars becomes more difficult or impossible, the emotional attachment is still strong enough to make you hold on to the car, even though you can see it slowly getting more and more covered in leaves? My dad has a few old cars from the fifties. One partly restored one in regular use but also a Citroen CX that is slowly melting into the ground.
He is in ill health (serious asthma) and can no longer work on them....perhaps this is the reason for many others.
Or does there come a point when you're happy to see the car given a new lease of life?
Muddle238 said:
Simes205 said:
I used to think the same.
My dad has a few old cars from the fifties. One partly restored one in regular use but also a Citroen CX that is slowly melting into the ground.
He is in ill health (serious asthma) and can no longer work on them....perhaps this is the reason for many others.
Sorry to hear that. Do you think that even when working on cars becomes more difficult or impossible, the emotional attachment is still strong enough to make you hold on to the car, even though you can see it slowly getting more and more covered in leaves? My dad has a few old cars from the fifties. One partly restored one in regular use but also a Citroen CX that is slowly melting into the ground.
He is in ill health (serious asthma) and can no longer work on them....perhaps this is the reason for many others.
Or does there come a point when you're happy to see the car given a new lease of life?
In my case it is because life changed its course and funds are short. My car's not deteriorating as it's in a dry garage but it's been there for seven years and I simply don't have the money to spend on it. Maybe things will change again and it will be all good again but it will have to stay there for the moment.
I don't want to sell it as it mine and I want it. I suppose that's what most people think.
I don't want to sell it as it mine and I want it. I suppose that's what most people think.
Tasmin200 said:
I don't want to sell it as it mine and I want it. I suppose that's what most people think.
I can understand this. The car I saw today would be a dream car for me to own, if I had it in the same rotting state I'd still be reluctant to sell. To the casual observer, it's sad because it appears to be neglected but to the owner, by keeping the car in some state it at least keeps the hope that one day it'll run again alive. I have seen this myself and put it down to emotional attachment.For about 30 years outside a large bungalow in a very affluent area of Coventry was parked an Hillman Minx convertible,a Scootercar along with another car which I can't recall.They were owned by an elderly couple and I guess they had many offers to sell the cars. I watched the bungalow and the cars deteriorate ,eventually the Scootercar and the other car disappeared but the Minx remained. One day I took a walk up the drive to look at it ,it was completely rotten with no floor.In front of it was a garage ,I took a peek inside and in there was a car of about 1940's vintage ,I guessed it was an Austin. About 3 years ago the bungalow got knocked down,I guess the owners had passed away ,the Minx or what remained of it appeared on Fleabay ,the garage still stands....I wonder if the car is still inside it.......?....the grounds are all fenced off now ,I guess several expensive houses will be built on it.
I think a lot of it is emotional. Many years ago the garage in our village had a Jowett Javelin in the workshop at the back. I made tentative enquiries but it was not for sale. When the garage closed and yielded up some 50 or 60 years of junk and spare parts, the Jowett ended up under a tarpaulin at the side of the owner's house but still no go and visibly deteriorating. Then it went - the local truck builder and body repair business had made presumably a great offer and I saw the Jowett there under restoration. So sort of a happy ending, but there are one or two other cars around that are slowly dissolving.
This has been discussed several times already in the: Classics left to die/rotting pics section (both Volume 1 & 2).
There are several reasons why people hang on to "rotting classics":
The owner may not have the funds to restore the car and are waiting for a time when they can afford it.
The owner may have started a restoration, become ill and the restoration is on hold until they are well enough to carry on the restoration (Which may never happen!: see episodes of: "CAR SOS")
The car may have belonged to a relative who passed away and they simply cannot bear to part with it.
The owner may have died and the car was forgotten about/not known about.
The owner may have the car for sale but wants too much money for it and refuses to accept a lower amount.
Etc., etc., etc.
Some on Pistonheads have even come up with the frankly ridiculous suggestion that owners should be given a time limit in which to carry out restorations and put the car back on the road, and if they fail to do so in the specified time, then they should be forced to sell the car to someone else who will restore it!
At the end of the day, if someone has a classic car and wants to leave it rotting away, like it or not, that's up to them - It's their property to do what they want with!
There are several reasons why people hang on to "rotting classics":
The owner may not have the funds to restore the car and are waiting for a time when they can afford it.
The owner may have started a restoration, become ill and the restoration is on hold until they are well enough to carry on the restoration (Which may never happen!: see episodes of: "CAR SOS")
The car may have belonged to a relative who passed away and they simply cannot bear to part with it.
The owner may have died and the car was forgotten about/not known about.
The owner may have the car for sale but wants too much money for it and refuses to accept a lower amount.
Etc., etc., etc.
Some on Pistonheads have even come up with the frankly ridiculous suggestion that owners should be given a time limit in which to carry out restorations and put the car back on the road, and if they fail to do so in the specified time, then they should be forced to sell the car to someone else who will restore it!
At the end of the day, if someone has a classic car and wants to leave it rotting away, like it or not, that's up to them - It's their property to do what they want with!
Our situation is probably due to the fact "Out of sight out of mind"
Ok, so it's not a desirable classic (TR7) but we have a barn complex that could store six cars that is not attached to the house.
It was/is my Moms car and the reason she gave up driving it was the fact my late father had a BMW 520 auto back in the day and she drove it and liked/preferred the driving style of it compared to the TR. My dad had also just bought a Daihatsu Fourtrak and she preferred that too.
I'd like to think if it was in sight sitting on the drive it would of long gone,but due to the fact it can't be seen it's just been forgotten .
I still recall as a Twelve year old that my Moms cars on the radar was the TR7 or Fiat X19. It looks like X19's have favored better as a classic,but that's not obviously what she was thinking about at the time.
Still to this day I find it a strange choice of car when she had sons aged 12/14/ and 16 and a bit.
EDITED
I think also our case is because to restore it would have to be through love not investment,had it been an e-type,Aston V8 or just something nice I would of been on it along time ago
Ok, so it's not a desirable classic (TR7) but we have a barn complex that could store six cars that is not attached to the house.
It was/is my Moms car and the reason she gave up driving it was the fact my late father had a BMW 520 auto back in the day and she drove it and liked/preferred the driving style of it compared to the TR. My dad had also just bought a Daihatsu Fourtrak and she preferred that too.
I'd like to think if it was in sight sitting on the drive it would of long gone,but due to the fact it can't be seen it's just been forgotten .
I still recall as a Twelve year old that my Moms cars on the radar was the TR7 or Fiat X19. It looks like X19's have favored better as a classic,but that's not obviously what she was thinking about at the time.
Still to this day I find it a strange choice of car when she had sons aged 12/14/ and 16 and a bit.
EDITED
I think also our case is because to restore it would have to be through love not investment,had it been an e-type,Aston V8 or just something nice I would of been on it along time ago
Edited by TVRJAS on Saturday 22 April 12:34
How about this for a reason?
I know of a classic. Its relatively rare, one of (I believe) 873 ever made. It also has provenance. Its been standing outdoors, covered in tarpaulins for a good few years. As it stands, it is partially dismantled. By that, I mean all of the chrome has been removed and stored in a dry place, as has a lot of the interior.
Due to the owners ill health, it will never be restored by him. So, he has been trying to sell it. Despite the fact that it has been valued by an insurance company as it stands at £7500, and he has advertised it as "firm £3500, no offers" not a single offer has been made on it....
So, in this case, a car that is theoretically desirable is rotting away not because the present owner cant restore it, but because nobody will buy it and take it on.
I know of a classic. Its relatively rare, one of (I believe) 873 ever made. It also has provenance. Its been standing outdoors, covered in tarpaulins for a good few years. As it stands, it is partially dismantled. By that, I mean all of the chrome has been removed and stored in a dry place, as has a lot of the interior.
Due to the owners ill health, it will never be restored by him. So, he has been trying to sell it. Despite the fact that it has been valued by an insurance company as it stands at £7500, and he has advertised it as "firm £3500, no offers" not a single offer has been made on it....
So, in this case, a car that is theoretically desirable is rotting away not because the present owner cant restore it, but because nobody will buy it and take it on.
Got a nearly classic omega mv6 that's now approaching 7 years off the road and in my care for a year
Bought off aguy I knew who never got round to restoring all I've managed to do so far is accumulate a couple of spares cars
This year it's going on the road as a rolling resto and it turns 20 next year so a proper classic and cheap insurance beckon
Bought off aguy I knew who never got round to restoring all I've managed to do so far is accumulate a couple of spares cars
This year it's going on the road as a rolling resto and it turns 20 next year so a proper classic and cheap insurance beckon
If the owner is old or in ill health I reckon its more to do with "not giving up", the feeling that as long as there is potential, some job left to do, that they won't die. Same as someone who hoards anything including cash.
As you get older the feelings of time running out get more frequent. My dad refused to sell his TVR even though it wasn't used the last 10 years of his ownership. He knew that once it was gone, it was gone and there would never be another.
As you get older the feelings of time running out get more frequent. My dad refused to sell his TVR even though it wasn't used the last 10 years of his ownership. He knew that once it was gone, it was gone and there would never be another.
I'm partly guilty of this.
Here's the situation; 26 years ago I bought my first ever Lancer turbo, paid £400 for it. I abused it, buggered about with it, cut my teeth pulling the engine to bits and rebuilding turbo's with it and basically ruined it. I still own the car, I'm the second owner but it is rotting away on a farm and way beyond help.
The floorpan is gone, the A pillars have gone, the sills, inner wings and outer sills along with the doors, bootlid and bonnet are all rusted beyond repair.
To me it was always the £400 banger which gave me plenty of fun but never got looked after. That mentality followed right through to when I parked it up at my mates farm, only because I really couldn't be bothered to sell it. A few years later and by the time I realised it was worth saving, it was far too late, so it has been used for spares and has kept 2 other Lancer turbo's on the road (mine and a friends).
Now whether a Lancer is a classic in people's eyes or not (to some it is), but this isn't a new thing. Donkeys years ago (80's/90's) a friend of mine had a garage / workshop in Ipswich, one of his customers (an Officer in the Navy) stored his V12 E type there and left it for 6 years, untouched, unloved and gathering dust and other crap. It got moved to a rented garage somewhere and eventually sold because it turned out the bloke just couldn't be bothered after all, and it wasn't worth much at the time as the deterioration had ruined it.
Apathy plays a big part, along with the idea that it's worth more than it actually is.
Here's the situation; 26 years ago I bought my first ever Lancer turbo, paid £400 for it. I abused it, buggered about with it, cut my teeth pulling the engine to bits and rebuilding turbo's with it and basically ruined it. I still own the car, I'm the second owner but it is rotting away on a farm and way beyond help.
The floorpan is gone, the A pillars have gone, the sills, inner wings and outer sills along with the doors, bootlid and bonnet are all rusted beyond repair.
To me it was always the £400 banger which gave me plenty of fun but never got looked after. That mentality followed right through to when I parked it up at my mates farm, only because I really couldn't be bothered to sell it. A few years later and by the time I realised it was worth saving, it was far too late, so it has been used for spares and has kept 2 other Lancer turbo's on the road (mine and a friends).
Now whether a Lancer is a classic in people's eyes or not (to some it is), but this isn't a new thing. Donkeys years ago (80's/90's) a friend of mine had a garage / workshop in Ipswich, one of his customers (an Officer in the Navy) stored his V12 E type there and left it for 6 years, untouched, unloved and gathering dust and other crap. It got moved to a rented garage somewhere and eventually sold because it turned out the bloke just couldn't be bothered after all, and it wasn't worth much at the time as the deterioration had ruined it.
Apathy plays a big part, along with the idea that it's worth more than it actually is.
Another thing is whether the car is worth getting rid of. For example, I've got my old Audi coupe in the shed, and it'll be my next project. It's not going to be worth much money when it's done, I'll probably just use it as a runabout, but (among other reasons) it's not costing me anything to keep it there, it's not worth selling for the small amount I'd get for it, so there's no point scrapping it or selling it to someone else to do up. Now, if I was paying rent somewhere just for that car, maybe I'd think differently.
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