As someone who has owned dozens of cars, I’ve had to make some really tough choices. You see, I don’t just buy cars for the content, I buy cars because I think they’re awesome. I never buy a car solely with the plan to sell it; every car gets a fair shake, and many cars end up causing me to fall in love. The problem is: I can’t own every car. There are practical considerations that force me to part ways with vehicles that have left lasting impressions on my soul, and this thread article here is the place for you to tell us about the automotive loves you’ve had to let go of. It’s a therapy session, and there’s no judgement.
My biggest automotive love that I ever had to let go of was my Postal Jeep. It wasn’t because the vehicle met an untimely demise only hours after I sold it (in many ways that just made the tale of the DJ even more legendary), it was that the Postal Jeep represented me in the most authentic, unfiltered way.
It was the very pinnacle of my time at my old work, Jalopnik — an insanely challenging project requiring to weld, do engine work, rig up a distributor, install new floors, fix a steering box, replace a bunch of suspension bits, and on and on and on.
It was a ridiculous project — madness on full display. A rusted-out $500 POStal Jeep has no business going on a 4,000 mile road trip from Michigan to Utah and back, and it has no business off-roading. But I didn’t give a damn. It sounded fun, it sounded difficult, and I was the singlest man on the face of the planet and just wanted to live the dream. And so I did:
I miss Project POStal. It captured my spirit better than any car I’ve ever owned, and it’s a vehicle that I’ll remember for as long as I live.
In truth, holding onto that POStal Jeep — and thus holding onto the past — is maybe not the right move if progress is the goal. I knew that, which is why I let go. I couldn’t use it as a daily-driver, I couldn’t really off-road it (since it was two-wheel drive), and I couldn’t use it as a truck (though it does fit more than you’d think behind the front seat). Keeping the DJ didn’t make sense, and I’m not upset that I let go of it, I’m just feeling a bit nostalgic that I had to part ways with my automotive best friend.
Let me know if you can relate.
Topshot: Alex Neville
When we got married in ’84 the plan was to travel the US in our ’76 VW ASI camper bus. That meant that most of my fleet of five air-cooled vehicles had to go. We had limited storage capability. I had no mental issuses selling a ’71 Honda CB350, the ’67 VW Sunroof deluxe bus (it broke every time I drove it), and the ’64 VW Baha bug. That left the ’67 VW squareback I had purchased in ’78 and the ’64 VW sunroof deluxe walkthrough bus. I knew that eventually the bus would be more valuable, but I sold it, and I still regret selling it. It was utterly reliable, but top speed was 54 MPH. I still have the squareback though.
2006 BMW 330i. I can’t say I loved the car. I liked it the least of pretty much any car I’ve owned. But I had it for quite a few years, and I finally had to get rid of it when the interior was flooded during torrential rains and some plugged sunroof drains. I couldn’t sell it in good faith, so i donated it to the local public radio station. When the tow truck came, I swear I could hear the car saying, “Please, don’t let them take me away!” In the past I’ve sold my cars to people who wanted them. There was something different about sending one away to its potential demise. (Weird, but that’s the way it was.)
My 2000 Jeep XJ. Got stolen last Friday and recovered Monday. They drove it through a gas station glass wall and robbed the store. Then drove off and robbed a liquor store with it. I saw it at impound, they also ripped apart some of the interior and the fuse box so it can’t be started. It’s too far gone to save. It was one of the best cars I’ve owned.
Damn! That sucks.
Sold my 87 Grand wagoneer when I had a kid. It didnt play nice with modern child seats. and it was my daily driver. It was also a thirsty car, maybe the worst fuel economy that I have ever had on a car. But man.. clean white, no chips in the pain, perfect woodgrain. Red leather interior, all the electrics worked, the 4×4 worked.. it was so god damn nice.
Two years after i sold it for 19k the prices went through the roof on clean examples.
About 13 years ago. Moved to a city with a longtime GF to stay with her family to get ourselves established. Within a year we broke up. I was left in a strange city with no network, no family, and little resources. Began a career in real estate, commission only. I sold my ’77 911 (with 3.0 swap and SC hips) and it funded me while I established myself. It was a net positive, but I’m afraid I’ll never be able to justify buying one again at current prices. Having had the experience at $”X” once, it’s a tough pill to now pay $”5-10X” for the same experience a decade later. It’s not like they got any better in the time since.