RE: IML: Why We Collect

We’ve been gone (RV’ing) most of the last month, but this thread caught my eye. I have no wisdom to impart, but I can contribute my own story.

I started at age 10 with a career of accepting anyone’s cast off (read “free”) junk bicycles, repairing and painting them and selling them for fun and profit (this was during WWII, so there were few new ones available, and no money to buy them).

As I got into my teens in 1947, I did the same thing with cars, although now I sometimes had to pay $10 to $100 for the junkers. This kept me in spending money all through my school years and on into college, although I had less time to play by then. One of the cars I was first in love with was a 1940 Packard – just the cheap 120, but even that car was heads and shoulders above anything else I had worked on. Thus, when I found I finally had some money and time to get back to my hobby in the 60’s, I first went after distressed Packards – accumulating quite a yard full of them (most of which I still have). In 1977, I bought out a long time “Packards only” wrecking yard in LA. The proprietor had given up on the business as it was getting really sloooow. I still have a barn full of low mileage parts from his operation (he only saved the primo stuff, the rest went for scrap to pay his bills).

In the 80’s, Packards became much harder to find in the condition I like (unmolested original cars), so I searched for another high quality brand to learn about. I had Cadillacs (4), Lincolns (4), Hudsons (6), and Chryslers (3), and of course Imperials (9). In addition, I became somewhat interested in Packard’s step sister Studebaker (I had 8 [they’re small]), and built up a beautiful 62 GT Hawk with all the bells and whistles for my wife to drive as a surprise anniversary gift in 1977 (she drove it for 17 years and 110,000 miles!). That experience led me into Packardbakers (I had 7 of those too).

Because our kids (6) and grandkids (15) are into funny little foreign cars, I got into learning about some of them too (“Grandpa will fix it”). So, I bought a set of metric wrenches and busted my knuckles on those tiny little things too – Honda, Subaru, Mazda, Toyota, Datsun, Daihatsu, Suzuki, Isuzu. I can’t say those brought me much pleasure, other than the hugs from the kids who could drive off and spend their money elsewhere.

Lastly, since we retired to a small ranch in the country, I had an excuse to get into some moderately heavy equipment to maintain my own roads, and prepare the land to build our home. Thus I rebuilt a tired John Deere Dozer, a Massey skip-loader, a “pettibone” 4 WD forklift, and an International backhoe. I got to learn about fuel injection, diesel engines, hydraulic pumps and rams etc, and of course had to learn to weld. Of course I also had a succession of trucks and trailers starting in the 70s, and still have 7 of them to play with (basically one for each day of the week). I own nothing newer than my 81 Imperial, except for my wife’s current Toyota, and our RV trailer pulling GMC, and I do all my own work (excepting only chrome plating) on all of this stuff. I’ve owned 136 cars/trucks at last count, and still have about 40.

Am I obsessed? No, I don’t think so – just a normal hobbyist, don’t you agree?

Dick Benjamin

From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mark McDonald
Sent: Saturday, July 02, 2005 7:21 PM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: IML: Why We Collect

Over the past few years I've had to sell off my collection of Imperials, but now I'm starting to rebuild it and the whole process has got me to thinking about why we collect cars, and how we go about it.

First of all, there is the issue of HOW. And by how I mean, what is the system you use? Is there a pattern to your collecting, conscious or unconscious? Or is it strictly random, a result of happenstance and luck?

For example, I once read about a man who bought only cars from 1957, because that is the year he graduated from high school. He didn't care what it was as long as it was from 1957. Then there are those who only go after particular models, such as Corvettes or Imperials. Some only collect muscle cars, some only sedans, some only British cars, some only Italian, some like perfectly restored cars, some only like cars that aren't in good condition and present a challenge to restore, etc., etc. I'm just wondering what are the criteria are that some of us use to collect cars?

For me personally it seems to be that cars from about 1960 to 1971 interest me the most, with the year 1968 being my favorite. At one time it was my goal to collect one of everything Chrysler made in 1968. I wanted (and still want) a Dodge Charger with a 426 hemi, an Imperial LeBaron, a New Yorker coupe, an avocado green Fury III, a Satellite, a 300, etc. I doubt I will ever own all these, but that's my "organizing principle," if you will.

The second big question is WHY.

Do we collect to impress people? To show how much money we have? Or how much taste and intelligence? Do we collect Imperials in order to make the statement that we're "different"-- or do we do it in order to fit into a particular group whose approval we need?

I know one person who buys old Imperials because his grandmother owned an Imperial and he was very close to his grandmother. I probably like Imperials because my favorite uncle sold them when I was a child, and because I was the "rebel"-- a Chrysler lover-- in a "GM family." Others buy cars because they owned a similar car when they first met their wife, etc.

I never really gave any of this much thought until now, because I am faced with a choice of getting a really flashy "high dollar" Imperial in great shape-- or buying a somewhat rough, somewhat undesirable, and very cheap Chrysler station wagon. Part of me says "Go for the wagon! It'll be fun!" And part of me says "Go for the nice Imperial, it's a smart investment!" And so on. (And yes, I know, you don't buy old cars as investments. I just mean I'm far more likely to get my money back from the Imperial if I have to sell it later.) And part of me says "Nah, get a VW!"

So I guess I'm just wondering which voice to listen to and how others decide what they'll buy when they buy.

Mark M