I’ve been in denial about this for a while. “My cars aren’t holding me back at all,” I’d convinced myself for years. “If I wanted to, I could sell them all tomorrow.” Recently it’s become clear that this just isn’t true, as has been proven by my move to LA, which should have happened months ago but hasn’t yet due to an anchor made of tons of American iron. So I come to you asking for advice on how to move past this.
The truth is, I’ve been wanting to leave Michigan for years, but what happens is: 1. November rolls around, things get cold, and I tell myself “I’m out of here.” Then 2. I fly to Germany or Hong Kong to be with my family for Christmas, and stay over there for a month working remotely. 3. I get back, spend a few months in cold Michigan and then the sun comes back out in April. 4. Weather is absolutely perfect from April through October, and car culture thrives. My enchantment with Michigan swells. 5. I vow never to leave Michigan. 6. November hits again. 7. Repeat.
[Ed note: Right before the pandemic I had dinner with David and our bud Aaron Foley and pleaded with him to move. I offered to buy one of his cars. Anything to make it happen. It didn’t work. Then during the pandemic we hung out in a junkyard and had the same conversation. Next week I’m going to make him get an apartment. Just tell him to sell all but two of his cars for everyone’s sake – MH]
This has been the cycle for about five years. My upbringing as an Army brat has built within me an insatiable desire to move every year or so, and yet I’ve staved off this urge by traveling so often and for such long durations — I was just in Australia for a month earlier this year, I was also in Germany and Italy, plus I see my brother in Hong Kong relatively frequently. But I don’t know that I can push this off any longer, mostly because the long-term future of The Autopian depends on me being in LA and working with our talented behind-the-scenes crew out there.
So I have to go, and in truth — as a single dude who feels a little out of place in suburban Michigan, and who’d like to try listening to the buzz of a bigger city for the first time in his life (I’ve only ever lived in small cities) — I want to give it a shot. The problem is these beautiful mechanical anchors:
- Jeep J10 4spd stick: Store in MI (?)
- 1966 Ford Mustang auto: Drive to CA
- 1992 Jeep Cherokee auto: Store in MI (?)
- 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5spd: Sell
- 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5spd: Tow to CA
- 2000 Chevy Tracker 5spd: Sell
- 1958 Willys FC-170 3spd stick: Tow to CA
- 1979 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle 3spd auto: Sell
Let’s go through them one by one. Each car has a poll below it; I’m eager to hear your recommendations (it might make sense to read the whole article before going back and voting).
1985 Jeep J10: Store In Michigan Or Drive To California
I love this truck with all my heart, but I don’t think it’ll make it through emissions inspection in California, mostly because all the smog stuff has been ripped off. IÂ could fuel inject it using a Jeep 4.0-liter cylinder head, then throw on a 4.0 catalytic converter and hope the shop doesn’t care that I don’t have an air pump on my accessory drive. But I don’t know that this will work; California has a “visual” inspection, so even if my now-fuel-injected truck is cleaner, it’d likely fail. Logical? No. But such is life.
“Sell it,” you may now suggest, but I can’t. It’s the greatest truck on earth, and I can’t let it go. It’s true mechanical perfection in my eyes. As of now, my plan is to store it somewhere. Or maybe take it to California. I haven’t decided.
1966 Ford Mustang: Drive To California
Is there a place where this vehicle would be more at home than in southern California? Answer: No. I’m daily driving this. I have some security concerns, so I’ve purchased a GPS tracker and a “club” steering lock. I hope those do the job; I’ll also make sure to park it in a garage whenever I can.
I’ll likely drive this on weekends as my free Nash Metropolitan will be my true daily driver that I take to work and park on the streets without worry. I doubt anyone wants to steal that.
1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5spd: Sell
What you’re looking at is the most perfect Jeep Grand Cherokee on earth. It’s the first model year with a five-speed manual and manual windows and locks. It’s not only the lightest Grand Cherokee in history, it’s also the most reliable, and it’s the best off-road platform. Hopefully I can find someone who understands the rarity and value of what I consider the ultimate Grand Cherokee, as I’d like to get as close to $10 large out of this 130,000 mile, rust-free Jeep as possible. If not, I may have to keep it, which would complicate things.
1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5spd: Tow Or Drive To California
Of course, I’m not going to sell all of my “Holy Grail” manual Grand Cherokees. I plan to keep the rougher 1994 model that I bought for $350. Why hold onto this one? Overly pretty cars are a pain in the ass to maintain, and this one being a bit rough around the edges will give me more peace-of-mind. Plus, I’ll feel less guilty when I put a mild lift and bigger tires on it; I’ve heard off-roading in California is pretty damn good.
The issue is that this Jeep is still far from being roadworthy. I swapped the guts from that rusted-out Holy Grail in Wisconsin that I wrote about years ago, but there’s still a lot to do before this thing can move under its own power. I could fix it over the next month or so and then drive it west or I could tow it and wrench later.
1979 Jeep Cherokee Golden Eagle: Sell
Oh man, this Jeep is one of my biggest regrets. It ran when I bought it, I removed a cylinder head to extract a broken exhaust stud, then I flew to Germany for a month. When I returned, I saw some surface rust on the cylinder walls, so I pulled the engine and honed it; I figured I’d swap the rings and bearings while I was at it, but sadly I could never get the motor back together properly. So I bought a rebuilt engine, which seized.
Honestly, the fact that this machine has been sitting for over five years is a result of only one thing: my own stupidity. I am ashamed, though I am twice the wrench I was back then. So should I fix it and then sell it for some heavy coin? Or do I sell it as is and give up the five grand delta?
This is a tough one for me because, if I’m anything, it’s a cheap bastard.
2000 Chevrolet Tracker: Sell
I should never have bought this Tracker, though I’m pleased with how far it’s come. I’ve fixed the crankshaft damper, cleaned the interior, bondo’d the huge dent in the quarter panel, installed junkyard all-terrain tires, fixed a few electrical gremlins, jerry-rigged a fix for the four-wheel drive system, and swapped out all the fluids. This thing is beautiful now, and I even have a buyer willing to throw me $3,000 for it. Not quite my $3,500 asking price, but close.
First, I’m taking it off-roading tomorrow (you’re all invited). This will be the second time I’m off-roading a car just prior to sale; the first time, I filled the engine with water, then that water froze, and when it thawed, I learned that my crankshaft bearings had been wiped. (You may recall my article “My 1948 Jeep’s Engine Is Ruined Because I Am A Dumbass”). I hope nothing similar happens this time around. I really shouldn’t be off-roading this thing before sale, but come on — I did all this work to this thing; I have to see how good it is in the dirt, right?
1958 Willys FC-170: Tow To California?
I want to do an EV conversion soon, and I really think this FC is the ideal candidate.
Could I just buy one on the west coast? Yes. That’d make my life easier. But look at the pedigree this one has!:
1992 Jeep Cherokee: Store?
This one’s a tough one. The Jeep isn’t in great shape at the moment; I flooded the rear diff, so I need to replace the axle. Plus the cooling system needs some work — likely a new radiator. These aren’t huge jobs, but they’re not nothing, either.
I suppose I COULD bring this Jeep out to California, or I could store it, or I could sell it. But this is my very first car. Should I sell the Jeep that started it all?
This Is Complicated
So I want to keep the 1992 XJ, the J10, the 1994 ZJ, the FC, and the Mustang. I could just bring all five of those, and sell the rest. There should be plenty of space to store these machines on the Galpin lot that Beau has so graciously offered up. Maybe I could tow the FC with the J10, then drive everything else out. Or I could ask an automaker for a big-ass heavy-duty truck and a car-hauler, and just tow the whole fleet out.
Or I could sell the original XJ and the FC, and just take the J10, 1994 ZJ and Mustang. Then I can find another FC out west and cry myself to sleep every now and then missing the ’92 OG.
I don’t know what the answer is. But I need to come up with something soon.
Get rid of everything except for the Mustang and the nice GC. Maybe store your OG Cherokee if you must, but if you do, it’ll be destined to become someone else’s barn find. What do you want for the J-10? (I’m the guy that talked to you a year ago about buying the Cherokee before the “nice lady” bought it back… I’m SO glad that fell through! The 1992 XJ I ended up with is better!)
Why the hell is “Store in MI” even an option and further why the hell is anyone here voting it?!?
I can understand leaving Michigan but I question moving to California. I don’t often say this but move to Oregon, we have no road salt, no sales tax, and no smog testing outside of Portland and Medford.
Otherwise, keep the Mustang, the J10 and the 92 Cherokee, she’d everything else including the manual ZJ and rusty FC170
Having Jason for your counselor is like having AOC do your taxes. Seriously, keep the Mustang and one other vehicle which might get through emissions. The rest you need to get rid of. Storing them in Michigan is just prolonging the agony. You need to cull the herd hard, so you can collect much healthier examples where rust isn’t the only thing holding your car together. California, and the nearby desert is Mecca for finding vehicles you will love. Storing stuff will cost you much more than they are worth. Sell while you can.
I think the answer is to get a winter place in LA and keep your summer place in Mich. Now you can have TWICE the number of vehicles
Keep the Mustang; it’s wonderful.
Detail the ’92 Cherokee and take some really nice pictures of it, then sell it for market value. Most people end up selling or otherwise escaping their first cars and are better off for doing so; the memories you have in that car are worth far more than the car itself, which is actually a burden.
Dispose of EVERYTHING else in the most expedient way possible. Sell them at half market value, drag them to the scrap yard, etc. Set up a GoFundMe to cover the difference; I’m sure your readers will be happy to chip in if you promise to buy at least one reliable late-model commuter car with the proceeds. It doesn’t matter how rare they are or how much it seems like a waste; you’re not moving cars from the rust belt to California. There will be similar cars for sale there, except they’ll actually be in good shape.
Keep the Mustang, the J10 and the Grand Cherokee, and sell the rest. I was looking forward to the FC electric conversion, but you should be able to find a much better donor in California than messing with that rusty hulk.
David, love you, and I’m sorry for what I’m going to say. I used to live in Michigan, and I’m now out on the left coast. I had to leave a lot behind in my departure, and it was the best thing for me. Granted, my items to keep are things like cameras or pens or radios or old Apple gear. Not stuff that’s too hard to move if I really need to. But here it is:
Sell them all.
All of them.
Start over, friend. Find new projects here. Don’t bring the old ones with you. You’ve loved them. They were a part of your time in Michigan. But that time is over. Leave them behind in the best hands you can find. Discover some new passions out here. There’s plenty to love.
I second this, there’s more to moving than stuff, it’s a new start, so if you can, make it a new start.
California will have many old cars available without Michigan problems.
Maybe……..maybe……..keep the Mustang.
Good luck!
I agree. I moved the opposite way across the country. I took what I could fit in a Penske truck (never use u-haul). I left tons of stuff behind. After 5 years now, I don’t miss any of it. I also live a simpler life now too.
My advice is simple: Sell the ones with automatic transmissions, Definitely keep the FC-170, and if you need to sell some of the manual transmission cars then do so, but only after you’ve sold the automatic transmission ones, and don’t sell the FC.
Cab overs and cab forward cars are so rare nowadays especially when it comes to 4x4s. The FC series are my favorite Jeeps by far.
Where is the “Push that junk into the woods, just go” choice?
Store the J10, bring the XJ and the Mustang to LA, and sell the rest. Free yourself man. It’s a new life out there waiting for you.
One or two of these are tough for sure, but the rest? You need to sell and move on. I think the J10 and the Mustang are the only cars that you should keep. The J10 would be a PITA to deal with regarding California emissions, but it’s something you would get more for out west than you would where you are. If you put an eRod motor (or CARB compliant equiv. from some other make) and cleaned it up you could get a pretty penny for it out there. It would be an actual financial investment, but I honestly think you could get a good return and you wouldn’t have to feel bad about it. Or just sell it in Nevada, Utah, Arizona, etc. Or make this the EV conversion. I think the FC is interesting, but the amount of work ahead of you to make that a usable anything is…large.
David, after years of reading your stuff, I finally created an account specifcally to give you this advice:
Sell everything you can bear.
I understand the desire to keep the Mustang and a few of the running Jeeps, but get rid of everything else. They’ll just cost you money to move or store. And be honest with yourself: you know you’ll just replace the ones you sell with some new obscure, rusty, “Holy Grail” David Tracy Specials soon. And that will be fun, won’t it? So sell most of the fleet and have fun replacing them in California.
Vice Grip Derek moved recently. He has more than 8 cars… Look it up on YouTube.
So if you are not going to do the Great Autopian Drive-A-Thon, with the free help of readers with too much time and a lust for adventure, which I among otherts suggested last time you asked, load them on a big hauler and write something interesting about that.
*going to DO the* … could use that edit button 🙂
I wonder how Derek did that; Minnesota to Tennessee, wasn’t it? And like 97.69% of guy’s cars all have boat tanks and other bodge fixes.
He’s one of a few YouTubers that always gets a watch from me. Maybe I missed the explanation of how he moved.
I got you on that edit. 🙂
Might have been on his “VG Lodge” channel, but he hired out one of those super fancy car hauler guys, took like two or three trips.
Thanks!
Soooo…have you looked up gas prices out there? Throughout the pandemic I could get gas at $3.75-$4 at an Orange County Costco but it was normally closer to $5 everywhere I saw in the city. That same station is $5 now and has been over $6 most times I’ve checked the last year. They’ve got their own emissions blend so things can get screwy. My truck also got 15-20% worse mpg out there-not sure if that was traffic or the gas. you’ll be driving a lot to get to all the places you want to go.
Sell everything but the mustang, then buy a rust free ranger in CA for a parts hauler.
Edit: take the tracker or nice grand Cherokee too for off roaring.
Take them all.
There are the guys with pickups that have car haulers that are going out to the west coast all of the time to bring back California cars for used car dealers. But there’s not a lot of people in California that want Michigan cars.
You can probably get most or all of them shipped out there for peanuts because any load is better than dead-heading anywhere.
You don’t have to agonize about your decision, it might be cheaper than driving or towing a few out yourself, a truck driver makes a few extra bucks, we get to continue to revel in the grandest scales of your illness, and you keep your ‘collection.’
Wins all around.
David, having been one this planet for a few more orbits than you, I can say when I was your age I had my holy grail of other stuff- motorcycle, convertible, garage and tools- within a year it all went away. Life happens. Unburden yourself and you will see how much you actually grow when you have a clean slate. Keep one thing that’s full of memories because, in 10 years- that’s what important. I have a Cushman scooter my dad and I restored when I was 16- the rest was just noise. The new city and endeavor is perfect for starting fresh. Buy you a beer or three if you’re ever near Philly.
you will find less rusty versions of most of these in the high desert around LA for probably the same money you sell them in Michigan. sell it all except the smog except stuff.
https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sfv/cto/7545210439.html
Somehow not one single photo shows the shifter to confirm it’s actually manual.
Also, if you love the car, never sell your first if you can help it.
I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.
Week(s) long thrash to get everything mobile. Everyone that works at the Autopian picks a car. Caravan across the US. See the Grand Canyon. Drive down Route 66. Get lost somewhere in the midwest.
There’ll be enough stories for months
This is the best answer
David, I want to state up front that I am not attempting to be glib with the following statement: It may be time to get some counseling.
When maintaining a collection of items, regardless of their value, impairs your ability to move forward with your personal goals in life, that’s more hoarding than collecting. A specialized counselor can help you embrace the upside of making changes much better than some internet polling.
I have enjoyed your exploits with the rust goblins for several years now, but it’s better to have a happy life than a happy niche of readers. You write perfectly well about things beyond the collection as well.
Oh, I have a counselor.
His name is Jason Torchinsky.
Oh, David. David, David, David. Can’t you see he only loves you for your taillights?
Unfortunately that fails the basic lifeguard adage that you shouldn’t jump in to save someone if you can’t repair your RV. I think that’s it.
Put that ’93 on BAT or C&B. I’ll be a bidder.
Ironic that you’re moving to the one “big city” that doesn’t feel like a big city because it was built like a suburb.
David: 1-877-Kars-4-Kids.
I’ll help. Sell me a car. But you have to deliver it to me (and then you can hang with Merc).