Definitely quality. Ive have multiple cars in the past and have always had issues with enclosed garage space and keeping up with all the cars and giving them the attention they deserve.

Ive never had an interest in multiple low quality cars. Or any amount of low quality cars for that matter, lol.

Answering the above question? Yeah, 1 nice car for 50.

 

When I lived in America, I had collectors plates on most of our cars. Registration was basically free. Insurance went down with each car added.
Now I am in Australia. Registration is murder. Can't imagine paying for Rego on 6 sports cars over here!
I am down to the very first corvette I ever purchased.
I try to keep it as nice as I can. But paying rent and eating also seems fairly important. I do the best I can.
Boy she sure could use a paint job. But WAY beyond my means.

 

I guess an offshoot question of Quality or Quantity is: build it or buy it?

I bought my cars cheap. For example, my latest car, the yellow 69 Coupe, had been sitting for many years. Yes, it's low mileage, but it is a base engine, 300 horsepower automatic. So buying it in a non running, non functional condition allows me to put the sweat equity into it. The body is decent and the paint is serviceable, so when I get it all sorted, it'll be a pretty nice little buggy.

So a third possibility of your $50,000 cash question: In my house, I could squeeze out $10-$15K on buying a car. the rest of the money would go towards other things like house projects or investments. Then I'd work on that $10-$15K car and make it nice(er) over time. In all cases, mine are driven. In fact, my 69 will become a regular driver car.

 

If you had FU money and could purchase a boatload of perfect quality cars and had your own private mechanic, you wouldn't know what to do with your spare time. The projects you've completed over the years is what makes you what you are. When your wife's talking about some house project she thinks you're listening, but you're thinking gee....what else can I modify on one of my cars. I'll bet the gears in your head are always spinning about something car related.
Good luck on your future projects.

 

the metropolitan and the karman Ghia are really cool!

 

You know, I don't know if many or any of you people here are roadkill and/or roadkill garage viewers on motortrend but I believe hardcore in what David Freiburg says... "Don't get it right, just get it running!". A running driving car and/ or cars you can enjoy is far more useful and enjoyable than a car just sitting there waiting to be fixed up or worked on to reach perfection! Pile your garbage together, get out there and drive it!

 

As I have always been on a limited budget, I had no choice but to do all the engine building, mechanical, body, and paint myself. The '55 is gone, replaced by the C6. Bought the van in '82 for $500, ex General Telephone van. now sporting a built 350 and a four speed on the tree. Bought the Met for $200 a couple of years later. Has an MGB 1800 and four speed with overdrive, and the roof comes off. Got the Ghia in 2014 for free in exchange for some work I did, but it had no motor and the front end was totaled. Bought a '65 rolling shell for $300 and now it has a 2110 cc motor that puts out about 150 horsepower. The roof comes off on it as well. Bought the C3 in '05 for $900 with no motor or trans and a wrecked front end. Got it done a year later with a built 350,T5 trans for under $8k in total outlay. Cost me another $2k for the convertible conversion including the two tops. Bought the '55 for $1500 as a father and son project, and although it turned out ok, it was never quite right and not much fun to drive, sold it for a little more than I had in it, which wasn't that much. Bought the C6 at the right time three years ago, six speed, dead stock, except for the NPP exhaust.. I spend about $450 a month on registrations and insurance which also included seven motorcycles and scooters (which is another saga). This I can afford. Forty years ago $15k had the buying power of $50k today in terms of old cars and parts, Twenty years from now, who knows what things will be like. But I know this:

A hundred years ago, you could buy a cheap new car (Model T) for $200.
Fifty years ago, you could buy a cheap new car (VW,Pinto) for $2,000
Now you can buy a cheap new car for (Nissan Sentra) $20,000
Fifty years from now you will be able to buy a cheap new car (if there is such a thing) for $200,000.
Can't argue with the time value of money, these are the good old days.

 

Yes the Good old days

 

Mmmm. Don’t want to bring the gloom but will.

My best friend inconveniently dropped dead at 59. I had to clean up all his stuff. One of our hobbies was guns and I had 125 firearms to deal with. The majority of it was crap. He ‘collected’ aka hoarded. Well, I’ve got my own pile of crap but my point is anything I have I used and still use.

So with cars I say they were meant to be used. Use them. Having a big pile to impress your buddies only works when you have buddies.

 

I agree, but it's more than that. I'll be turning 70 this year. Don't know how many more good years I have left, I have friends who are my age. Some sit around, some can barely walk, some have money and spend it on cruises and vacations. I like driving and working on my old cars and motorcycles. It keeps me busy and keeps me feeling young. I don't know how long this train ride will last, but I'm riding it as long as I can.

 

This is an interesting thread. The ingenuity and creativeness of forum members is really helpful to me. The quality of these cars is amazing too.

For me, I guess it's been both (sorry OP, but it really is both). My wife and I truly support each other's hobbies. And she 'secretly' enjoys my passion for cars. We've owned pushing 160 cars over the years. Not a dealer, just a hobbyist. Used to make money restoring them. That changed. I've always done as much of my own work as possible. I had very supportive parents who let me work on their cars; including a 3 year old Oldsmobile that I slightly damaged as a 16 year old driver - which is how I got into body/paint work. I asked if I could try to fix it to their satisfaction and, if it wasn't good, I'd pay the deductible. I went to body/paint classes at night and began to learn. Turned out great. Super understanding parents.

• When first married, I restored early ('65-66) Mustangs. Did 21 converts and 8 coupes. Nights/weekends so we could make extra money while I worked full time for P&G. Got the loan for our first house by taking pictures of two '66 converts I was restoring to the local bank and said I would finish them and use the $ for the down payment. They looked at pics of my previously restored cars and said, 'this is unusual, but we'll do this'. So quantity and quality.
• Then over the years did lots of muscle cars - several Hurst/Olds and 442's; SS's; etc. etc. Had fun with them, and broke even or made money on most of them.
• Then I got a bit over the top; joined the ISCA and started showing my cars. By this time I had become pretty proficient at bod/paint as well as quite a bit of mechanical stuff. Bought an enclosed hauler and didn't really drive them much. Won some 'Best Paint' and several class awards. After 3-4 years of that I told my wife at the end of one of the shows "This is boring, I'm going to sell a couple of the cars we don't really use and the trailer". Her response? "Yes!!"
• Then we got into buying new high-performance cars and having them modified. Lots of fun, and learned where the weak points were in the drive trains and suspensions of cars like Firehawks, SC GrandPrix GTX's; SC Ford Lightnings; etc. That's when my car hobby turned from making $ or breaking even to a big $ loser but it sure was fun. Won several drag race events and the Muscle Car Nationals.
• Then we switched to just buying new high performance cars or trucks, enjoying them for a few years, and getting something else. CTS-V's, a few foreign cars, and such. We got a '20 CT6-V and I think we'll keep that car until it or we drop - really like that car. My wife also likes trucks, so she currently has a 3500 GMC that we use for towing and has a '24 on order. Need to keep her happy because I'm such a putz.
• Never had a Corvette until '15. Bought a '15 Z51; learned much more of the cool vette history; got a real solid '72; then a '17 GS; then a '68 L71 roadster. We really like the lines on the C3's. We have a deposit on an eRay. My favorite is the '68 and it's the only vette we have right now until the eRay gets built - but we'll keep the '68. I've put more into the '68 than I'll ever get out, but that's okay. I'm doing nearly all the work myself (with a ton of forum help!!) and really enjoying it (well, mostly ).

We are all so blessed. I'm lucky to have such a supportive wife of 48+ years, and to be able to enjoy a great hobby with so many who I've met, and others who I hope to meet someday like several on this forum. Stay well. Best, Paul

 

Enough can't be said about a supporting spouse. This year we'll be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary. Why she puts up with me sometimes I'll never know. How many countless occasions has she not blown up all the times I've said, "hey honey, guess what I just bought?..." And she never has owned and refuses to drive anything with an automatic transmission. Although her favorite car isn't either Corvette, it's the Metropolitan. And how many 69 year old women do you know that has her own motorscooter. Now that's quality.

 

Does. She. Have. A. Single..................Sister?????

 

Totally Agree!

I call my 73 Road Runner the "RoadKill Runner". I drove it on an 11,097 miles cross country trip last year. It has its issues and is cobbled together, but it runs and drives. We had a blast!

The "RoadKill Runner" in Glacier National Park



In Zion National Park



At the Badlands



Fixing a stuck caliper at New River Gorge

Now I know this is a Corvette forum and here I am showing a Mopar, but the thought and intent is the same... To me, having my cars sit in the garage is no fun - I get no pleasure in that. Driving them, sharing them and enjoying them is where it's at!

 

We talking like a vespa?

 

Quality, definitely.
Lost my bride of 50 + years last Oct.
Kind of lost interest in my hobby car at that moment.
The present '76 I bought specifically to restore and go cruising while we still had the chance.
We had one final short cruise last September.
My partner was very supportive of my Corvette hobby that spanned 32 years, starting with
a '76 bought in 1990, and '85 bought in 2002, and at her request (I dragged her along to look
at the current model) early last year. She was excited at the thought of going on a cruise.
But cancer took away any joy of that thought coming to fruition.
Back in 2008, I bought her a '79 Civic for Mother's Day. She had a '75 Civic back in the late '70s
as here daily driver, and was so proud of herself for changing a flat tire. Some dude asked if she
needed help, but she politely declined the help. While not a cycle rider, I once had her ride a dual-sport
Suzuki 250 - she took off out of control, throttle wide open in 1st gear. I had to run down the street about a block
were she laid it down in the grass, she just froze on it and couldn't work the shifter or brakes .
She never drove a cycle again after that. Still got the '76 bought last year, and a '94 FLSTC I bought in '97. The bike I'll ride this year,
still debating if I want to insure the car this year, as I have a daily driver ('21 Bronco), and another back-up Saturn if needed.
being retired, do I really need to insure 4 different vehicles? I'm struggling with this right now.
The Honda was sold a few years back when caretaker duties (her parents) took over joy riding.



Before



After

 

I've only been married 35 years to my wife and I can't imagine the blow it would be if I lost her. Please accept my condolences on your loss.

Now, I don't know your wife at all, but I would venture to bet she would want you to go on - and she'd probably like you to take the trip(s) that she wanted to take with you. Instead, take a friend or family member along instead.

So may I humbly suggest you insure that 76 and enjoy driving it? I'm sure your bride will still be with you as you drive it!

Best,

Hawk

 

Back when I was 18, and working at McDonald's for $1.45 an hour, I bought a tired '63 Chevy Biscayne with a dual quad 409 , with a Muncie and 4.11 gears for $400. Even though gas was only 35 cents a gallon, I could barely afford to drive it. So I got a 3.08 pumpkin and my 17 year old girl friend offered to help me change it out. All I had was a bottle jack and one jackstand and a bunch of 2x4's. We got it done, but we were both worn out greasy messes. I knew right then, she was the one. Over 50 years later. she's still my girl and will stop and help me whenever I need a hand. Mike, I feel for you bud, cherish your memories, and keep her in your heart. I celebrate every day, kiss her every morning and every night, and like Warren Zevon said, enjoy every sandwich.

 

So, I did insure the car, starting April 15th.
Then it snowed.
It got cold.
Today, I finally got it out.
Went to a all-car meet about 10 miles away.
(3) C3s, I was the only all plastic bumper C3. but I made it.
Kind of tough, didn't have my 50 year plus co-pilot along.
Kind of boring, I didn't know what to do.
Anyway, a few pix, I'm the yellow guy.

 

I count myself to be very lucky. I married my high school sweet heart 44 years ago. Still going strong. She has always supported my hot rod projects. I think she knew if I was out in the shop till all hours I wasn't out doing other silly things.
We've done the Power Tour a few times. The Car Craft show in St.Paul since it started.
Since retirement we love the mid- morning breakfast cruise. Or the late afternoon cruise with a early dinner.
Today was first real cruise of the spring. Top down on the 14 Mustang 5.0 vert. The weather here was a bit chilly the last few weeks. Had 1 plus hour drive with quick stop a local place for a beer. Sat out on the outside deck. 70 degrees and sunny. Left a big tip on a small bill. Great afternoon.