View this email in your browser

The Healing Has Begun

Apparently, selling a collector car comes with its own grieving process. I think I’m finally ready to say it: the healing has begun.

If you’ve ever sold a collector car you truly loved, you probably know there are

FIVE STAGES OF COLLECTOR CAR GRIEF.

1. DENIAL: I can always buy it back.

2. ANGER: Why did I sell that car?!

3. BARGAINING: Maybe the new owner will get tired of it and call me.

4. DEPRESSION: I’m never going to find another one like it.

5. ACCEPTANCE: Okay…what should I buy next?

Yes, I’ve actually written about the Five Stages of Collector Car Grief before…including the shameful cookie-dough-stage…AKA Depression. Apparently, I should have taken my own advice.

I’ve spent a little time working my way through those stages lately.

First came the sale of my 1966 Pontiac GTO, a car that had been part of my life for years and had given me experiences I never could have imagined when I bought it—including appearing on Jay Leno’s Garage.

Then came the Mustang.

And as much as we like to tell ourselves these are simply machines made of steel, rubber, glass and gasoline, anyone who has spent enough time around collector cars knows better. We attach memories to them.

Newsletter Powered By…

One Last Drive

My final drive in the Mustang proved that.

It was one of those wonderful sunny Ohio afternoons that seems almost made for an old car. But instead of taking one last drive by myself, I spent it with my nephews and their dad, Aaron…sometimes known as A-Aron. And that made all the difference.

We drove the Mustang, enjoyed the weather and simply spent a last spin together.

Knowing the car would soon be leaving made me pay a little more attention to everything—the sound of the K-Code engine, the view over the Poppy Red hood, the feel of the car beneath me and, most importantly, who was sitting beside me.

Let’s be honest, pony cars from the 1960s are not known for their driving dynamics:)

Years from now, I doubt I’ll remember exactly how many miles we drove that afternoon. But I’ll remember the day.

That’s when you realize the cars themselves are only part of this hobby. They are the vehicles—quite literally—that allow us to create experiences with people we care about.

Someone Else’s First Drive

Then, recently, via text message, I experienced the first drive the new owners took in my old GTO. And I think this might have been the moment when the healing really began.

There they were, out for their first drive, windows down with three young kids along for the ride—and everyone having an absolute blast.

I loved seeing that.

For years, that GTO had been part of my story. It took me on countless adventures and even made an appearance on Jay Leno’s Garage. There were plenty of reasons to be sad watching it leave.

But then I pictured those three kids riding around with the windows down, listening to that 389 CI tri-carb Pontiac V8 and experiencing an old car the way I think old cars are supposed to be experienced.

Suddenly, selling it didn’t feel quite so bad. In fact, there was something wonderfully appropriate about it.

ONE PERSON’S LAST DRIVE BECOMES SOMEONE ELSE’S FIRST.

My final drive in the Mustang had been on a beautiful, sunny Ohio afternoon with my nephews—creating one last memory before the car went to its new home.

Now the GTO was doing exactly the opposite. It was creating someone else’s first memory.

One group of kids was there for the end of my chapter with a car. Three other kids were there for the beginning of their family’s chapter with another.

That may be one of the best things about this hobby.

We Are Caretakers

We call ourselves “owners,” but the truth is, we are caretakers. We enjoy these cars, add a few miles and create some memories before handing the keys to someone else to do the same.

And hopefully, they do exactly what those three kids were doing: ROLL DOWN THE WINDOWS. MAKE SOME NOISE. HAVE A BLAST. Maybe that’s what this hobby is really all about.

So yes, the healing has begun.

And Then There’s Stage Six…

The Enthusiast’s Guide to Collector Cars is now available online through Amazon, Walmart, and Barnes & Noble, making it easier than ever to find your next dream car—or at least justify why you’re still searching for it.

New To This Newsletter?

Then catch up on some of my previous blogs:

• The Headaches with Auctions…don’t be Gregless!

• We Lost A Great Car Guy 

• Meet My Grandma Mustang

• The Fernandina Find

• The Painful Truth About Porsches

• Chevy Novas are the Brussel Sprouts from my Youth

As always, thanks for listening, watching, reading, liking and sharing fun automotive content. I will talk to all of you this Thursday on The Collector Car Podcast.

Greg Stanley

Click here for MORE Automotive Content