57yo and I wish that I could say that I have learned those life lessons of taking my time and looking for the easiest way to perform a task. The 911 and Miata are fun to work on; it is the DD's that are the true PITA. Replacing a leaky gas filler pipe on the 4runner was the last project that simply took too much time because of original parts and connectors and my lack of experience with 4runners in general.
whenry wrote: 57yo and I wish that I could say that I have learned those life lessons of taking my time and looking for the easiest way to perform a task. The 911 and Miata are fun to work on; it is the DD's that are the true PITA. Replacing a leaky gas filler pipe on the 4runner was the last project that simply took too much time because of original parts and connectors and my lack of experience with 4runners in general.
I agree with the daily driver fix thing. This is my own fault: my wife's daily driver is a P38 Range Rover. My dream is to have no error lights on the dashboard without removing bulbs. And world peace.
I recently changed my MSM timing belt. I wasn't in a rush and spread it out over four or five different days. I'm guessing that I would've been in a hurry 20 years ago and would've broken something during the process. That being said, I could feel my back after the longer days in the garage. I'm only in my early 40's, but it is obvious that I am not in the shape I was in when I was younger. Smarter and wiser now, but not fitter.
I was telling a couple friends earlier today that over the past 10 years my attitude has changed from "Why would I pay anyone to do something I can do myself?" to "Why would I go through the aggravation of doing something myself when I can pay someone else?" I think that's a sign I'm getting old...well, that and the grey hairs, missing hairs, hairs growing in places that shouldn't have hair, etc.
My biggest problem is that my mind still thinks I am forty. My body disagrees.
There is a guy at my church who is 93. He says "I don't feel 93, I feel 24. Nevertheless, I look in the mirror and here I am."
You aren't old until they take your driver's license away.
wait … that happened to me when I was 18 … have I been old ever since ? 
In reply to bluej:
Not really. When I was 31, although I was one of the "older guys" in my field and I was in very good physical shape. I was in the army then and one of the senior NCO's in the unit. Exercised daily and did physical work daily. Now, although I do exercise regularly the old injuries from when I was invinceable are haunting me. Can't run - knees so I walk now. Bad shoulder from more than one motorcycle accident.
T.J. wrote: I recently changed my MSM timing belt. I wasn't in a rush and spread it out over four or five different days.
Boy that is me all over. I used to stay ahead of the curve on maintenance. Now I pretty much wait till it breaks. And I drive the other car when the DD is down.
43 and feeling every bit of it today. We had a beautiful weekend here in Michigan, so I spent almost all of it outside doing yard work and doing a very thorough spring cleaning on my wife's Taurus. I'm talking inside and out, shampooing carpet, leather treatment, wash, clay, wax, the whole bit. Ton of work, but it looks like a new car. And I'm moving like an 80-year-old.
We'd all like to roll back the clock 10 years. Dug a 50' trench this weekend and had to stop for a break every 15 minutes or so. It was only a foot deep....
The odometer 40 hits this fall.
"Boy that is me all over. I used to stay ahead of the curve on maintenance. Now I pretty much wait till it breaks."
Could be the car, could be the mechanic.....
In reply to spitfirebill:
It is a luxury to have more than one car. At other times in my life I would've had to tackled it over a weekend and would have to have the car back up and running Monday morning to drive to work. Now I rarely have to drive anywhere and when I do, I have several cars to choose from.
Just wait till you hit 70, take 6 pills a day, and have a 6" metal plate with 7 screws in your leg. It has slowed me down a bit but I still keep trying.
Sorry, I was gonna reply earlier. Could not remember my username.
I echo the above comments. Disease etc has slowed me down to the point I just drive one of the spare vehicles until I feel like fixing whatever's wrong or take it to My guy Richard to fix. I once heard "if you can afford to buy your way out of a problem you don't have a problem" That's becoming a motto.
Conceding that age is a state of mind, I think I'm 10 years older than I was 3 months ago.
On topic - yeah, I'm slower and more careful these days but I enjoy it more.
spitfirebill wrote: Well I don't feel so bad now for being 60. I thought it was just me.
Same here. Will be looking at 61 in Sept. Being retired makes it easier though. I get up when I want, go to bed when I want (Most times before 11 PM.) and yes I do get tired faster but I still get what I need to do done. I also do things for others that they can't do so that makes me feel good as well.
I'll be 51 next month, and yeah, I feel it. I did a bunch of yard work this weekend (planted grass, plants, etc.) and now I can hardly move. I've started working out again and trying to get back in shape, but so far it's MUCH harder than it was when I quit working out 7 years ago.
I think as you get older, times moves differently. No longer do you feel the need to rush everything, and planning takes on a whole new meaning. 
Everything has slowed down and gotten stiffer since the bike wreck a couple years ago. The saying "that which doesn't kill me makes me stronger" is a berkleying lie!
48, and getting slower. I am not an invalid, but notice a big difference over 45 or 38.
I can play this game!
I will be 35 next month and can barely work on anything for more than an hour without becoming a useless ball of uncoordinated pain. Yesterday, in fact, I failed at a simple job on my e30 and after 45 minutes I had just enough left to take a shower before a two hour nap.
The nerve damage from the spinal cord injury I suffered has me taking 16 (yes, ONE SIX) pills a day to keep going, plus sometimes a few ibuprofen for the minor aches and pains. At this point, I might stabilize, possibly heal some slowly or maybe wind up in a wheelchair sometime soon.
I will stop complaining, but I certainly can understand now exactly how difficult it can be to manage expectations and readjust to new levels of ability. I do that walk 24/7....
In reply to tb:
I was going to join the party complaining about what time has taken from me but your post was a swift kick in the but. It made me get of the poor me train and greatly appreciate what I can still do.
On a related note my daughter is dating a guy who has a spinal cord ingery from a rock climing accident. He is wheelchair bound. He has taught me a lot about life.
I'm with Dean on this one … I get into the woe is me game every now and then ….
then I read about someone else's problems, and I realize I really don't have it so bad
Sorry guys; I never really mean to be a wet blanket kind of guy. The internet makes it hard to convey emotion properly sometimes and I must confess that I get a little depressed sometimes...
In reality though, I remain a "glass is half full" type of person and am always reminded that there are many worse off than I am. "By the grace of God..." and all that stuff. 
I am still going to slowly wrench on my car, auto-x as much as I can and plan on making my fifth challenge appearance this year; it is just getting harder than ever at a steady pace. If I have any point it is just that it is tough to adjust to new realities about what you used to be able to do versus what life was like in the past. Trust me, I have shed tears over this issue, but in the end I realize that we all have to manage our expectations and just try to keep on moving... 
tb,
I had spinal cord injuries when I was 30. 30 years later, I had surgery to correct stenosis in my neck that was crippling me. Now at age 68, I am still racing SCCA at the National level and contracting myself out doing iron work with much younger guys. The key for me has been to push myself physically, watch my diet and rest and keep a positive attitude. After the original accident, I was told I would never work again. Prior to the surgery, I was told it was unrealistic to think I could race again. The mind is the most powerful muscle in your body!
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