My first editorial column

GRM folks feel free to can this topic if this falls under canoe territory, I won't be upset.

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/articles/templates/generalArticle.xhtml?articleId=55490&entityId=55490

There I am on the front page. Eleven years of mucking my way through the automotive world and this is the first time I feel like I've actually done something. Nevermind the 70+ car part catalogs I have written or the websites I have orchestrated. This time it is my ugly face out there for a reason. I'm supposed to be the "voice" and "image" of our company. Not sure what that entails completely but they seem to like it.

Congrats dude.

Nice

Congrats. Thats pretty cool.

I totally agree with your article. My family owns quite a few antiques, from steam engines to tractors to cars and trucks. Every one gets used as per it's original intention. They just get cleaned up and put away when we're done with them.

My father just got done restoring his 1930 Chevrolet Sedan Deluxe (now his nicest car), so he drives it. Often to church, sometimes to work, and sometimes just for the fun of it. A VCCA (Vintage Chevrolet Club of America) judge told him it was now a 920-930 point car, and if he'd quit driving it and detail the undercarriage, he may get closer to 1,000 points. My father decided to never have the car officially judged, but to keep driving it as is.

Good column. There are a couple reasons for those cobwebs. One is, "out of sight, out of mind". That's why storing your collector car elsewhere is usually a bad idea. The other is, if it doesn't really pull at you to drive it...maybe it's time for it to move on. When I realized I was housing a car more than I was using it, I figured I no longer had the passion for it I once did. Sold it. Haven't regretted it. Replaced it with something else that I still hop in to take short errands. It's a car. If it isn't being used, why have it?

ddavidv wrote: Good column. There are a couple reasons for those cobwebs. One is, "out of sight, out of mind". That's why storing your collector car elsewhere is usually a bad idea. The other is, if it doesn't really pull at you to drive it...maybe it's time for it to move on. When I realized I was housing a car more than I was using it, I figured I no longer had the passion for it I once did. Sold it. Haven't regretted it. Replaced it with something else that I still hop in to take short errands. It's a car. If it isn't being used, why have it?

I admit I am a victim of the "offsite storage syndrome" with cars. My poor Mirage turbo hasn't moved in three years because it is at my parent's garage. My '61 Olds needs carb work but is moving forward slowly. The only real driver I have is my '69 Olds. But I am looking for an old econo car to DD as an experiment. I should have bought that Opel sedan that OldOpelGuy was selling for peanuts on here a few months ago.

This is my first editorial piece. I am writing one a month from now on. I already write event coverage articles (including one about the Mitty which is pretty good I say).