B-Man 11 Report post Posted April 17, 2009 Why wait until after the military? I retired after 21 years and had a whole handful of cars including a 70 stang, GTO's, Firebirds, and even a Vette (which is still in Germany). Almost every base has a hobby/auto shop where you can work on your car and borrow the specialty tools you need. If you really want one you can find one. Just make sure you a) know exactly what you want b) how much you are willing to spend c) realize it may not be perfect and will not be overnite unless you have unlimited funds d) If you are in the military have a backup plan to get to formations on time Good Luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B-Man 11 Report post Posted April 17, 2009 Why wait until after the military? I retired after 21 years and had a whole handful of cars including a 70 stang, GTO's, Firebirds, and even a Vette (which is still in Germany). Almost every base has a hobby/auto shop where you can work on your car and borrow the specialty tools you need. If you really want one you can find one. Just make sure you a) know exactly what you want b) how much you are willing to spend c) realize it may not be perfect and will not be overnite unless you have unlimited funds d) If you are in the military have a backup plan to get to formations on time Good Luck Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cinestang 10 Report post Posted May 17, 2009 (edited) All of these guys are telling it exactly like it is. All it takes is money and more money. Any old car is going to be expensive to keep running and often when you need to replace what seems like a simple part you often end up paying quite a bit more than what you'd normally expect. This goes especially for any rare model trims or homologation specials. I had a '69 fastback years ago and stupidly sold it. I've now come to terms with the realization that I won't be happy without another fastback of the same year but I know from the previous experience of having owned one of these great cars that without the money, time or private garage space required to maintain it I still need to wait. And looking for an inexpensive, *plain* and unrestored 1969 fastback seems nigh impossible these days. I see ridiculously rusted and stripped fastback shells that would need thousands in replacement parts just to sit in with asking prices equivalent to what an unrestored but original and plain example was going for ten years ago. I'm still kicking myself for not keeping the old car. You can technically make these cars daily drivers with quite a bit of reliability (if you are willing to sacrifice a huge amount of the original parts, interior, engine, etc.) but in common practice most owners cannot afford to do this and in several cases aren't interested in modernizing their cars to the point of changing the feel of what it was designed to be in the first place. Make your decision carefully when you are ready. A good deal may come up unexpectedly, but it doesn't help to rush getting into classic ownership with near impossible expectations. Edited May 17, 2009 by Cinestang Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
