What Are the Signs You’re Taking the Hobby Too Seriously?
We’ve seen the signs of taking something to the brink, to an extreme that’s unhealthy for both the person and the community surrounding them. The photo above isn’t necessarily a good example, as collecting one type of vehicle can be immensely rewarding for everyone associated with the collection. It mostly proves that we can become more and more serious in the car hobby.
Perhaps that means we are taking other aspects of our lives too seriously? Are there signs that our love of the automobile is heading us down a path of diminished returns? I believe so, and, for me at least, that mostly centers around the stress caused by Hagerty’s Project Valentino series.*
Perfection Is Overrated
My time with this 1983 Lincoln Continental Valentino Designer Series has been one of delightful highs and terrifying lows. I’ve managed to keep that stress in check, or so I’d like to think. Sometimes I’ll make a dark, disparaging comment about restorations (and restomods in particular) with folks in the classic car scene, and that’s likely because I haven’t come close to finishing this car. I try to be a positive person, and bitterness/sarcasm isn’t exactly great for my constitution.
So here’s the punchline to the joke (as it were): I have been chasing perfection with Project Valentino for years decades, but life as a writer with Hagerty Media made me change my tune. Now I just want the car done and clean enough to impress most folks at a local car show. Perfection is officially overrated for me. Both myself and Project Valentino will be better for it.
What about you, Hagerty Community? What are the signs that you are taking things just a tad too seriously for your own good?
*This asterisk is for Hagerty Community member DUB6, as I have been neglecting this project for other vehicles that are closer to being running and/or restored. I see you, and I will get back on this car soon. I just need to make sure I, ahem, don’t take things too seriously.
When you care more about winning car show trophies than getting out in your car(s) and driving something you enjoy.
For me it’s excessive cleaning/detailing. Of course, “excessive” is up for interpretation.
I like to drive my cars and try and keep them reasonably clean and presentable, but I don’t obsess about it. Spending hours detailing cars does not peg my fun meter. I’d rather spend time driving them and treat the cleaning part as a necessary evil, a “cost” to pay for enjoying them on the road or the track.
I have a good car guy friend who also loves driving his very nice collection of 8 or 9 cars, but he’ll spend hours at his garage each weekend detailing them. Naturally, all of his cars look pristine all the time. I give him a hard time about it and call it OCD, he calls it his “therapy.” I guess if that’s what pegs his fun meter who am I to argue?
Note when I got into cars where I owned and detailed I was 235 pounds. I lost weight and got down to where I should be weight wise. To me it benefited my health. I call it Autoarobics.
Sure I could have gone to the gym but I would rather work out working on my car.
Look it is all about accomplishing what you want and like.
There is nothing wrong with a Rat Rod. But then again if you want to win Pebble Beach or the top level of a specific brand show there is nothing wrong there too.
It is all about targeting what you want and just what your goal are. Are they realistic for your time and budget. Do you have a car that can be easily made perfect or do you have one of those cars that was not really rare in the day but there is little support,
I was at a Pontiac show on Sunday. One guy had a STE 6000. Parts are totally rare and there is little chance for reproduction parts being made. He took this on knowing this and so he is fine having a work in progress to drive. Now if that is not you get a Camaro or older Mustang where you could build a new car with repo parts.
I have two cars. One I show and one I drive. The one I show is not one easy to restore but mine was my first new car and I had set out goals and accomplished most of them.
The car has opened doors for me as It was used by GM for display at one of their events. I got laps at speeds over 100 MPH at Indy, I have won best of shows and top awards at national events.
This month it is featured in Crankshaft magazine and has been in other publications.
It was on the turn table at Summit Racings retail store.
To me the car was made my own with the changes I did and I went to accomplish things many people never accomplish. It is not the trophies but the goals accomplished.
Is it a trailer queen no since I don’t own a trailer so it has been drive cross country to events.
Not all my goals were easy and many took time.
I only do a couple shows a year most are Pontiac only. The awards are not so much what I am after but they confirm the level of my work and commitment. I pulled down a best in interior as one of the top awards at a large show this week. That just tells me my work was on target.
To be honest I am competing with myself. Each show is just a test.
But no one can tell you what is too much or not enough. We are all different and like the different cars we choose our goals are all different.
I have had a car focused life since near birth do to the people around me. It is what I like.
Some people drink I polish. I think my hobby is much more healthy than many others.
Note it takes little away from my family and it does not interfere in my work. In fact it has contributed to my work in a number of cases.
My other car I keep clean but it is a driver and one I love driving. I am not going to do much to the car other than care for it and drive it.
But even my daily driver truck is cleaner than most show cars. It is my work out and I like it. Just in my case my exercise results in better resale.
Sajeev, thanks for the call out, but methinks one of the things you are taking too seriously is my ribbing about PV. 😁
Don’t get me wrong, I love the car (irrationally as it’s nowhere near any type of car I’d say I lust after), and I’d really love to see it done, but honestly, then what would I rag on you about?
A sign that I think I see in others (not myself, I hope!) is the tendency to judge other’s tastes and opinions and attempt to tell them what they should do with their vehicles. Some people just take a holier-than-thou approach because, I presume, one is not doing things the way these lecturers would prefer. This hobby is very close to being art in lots of ways, and art is an expression of the artist’s taste and preferences. Like a piece of art or don’t, but when you tell the artist how they did it wrong, you’re over a line and taking your views too seriously. Likewise when you criticize someone’s choice of vehicle and what they do with it, based on your own tastes and experiences.
Definitley not taking it too seriously, I just get a smile when I think that other folks (like you) are encouraging me to get that darn car done. So thanks for that.
Ongoing project car stories are interesting. Spence Murray and the R & C Dream truck, the Popular Hot Rodding Project X, the industry the former-Hot Rod Staffers turned streaming/youtube personalities have created in naming project cars and revisiting them for new stories…
For a Hagerty-specific example outside of Sajeev, just look at Rob Seigel and his BMWs. I have learned more about those cars (and Lotus… and Armadas lol) then I ever would have bothered but he paints such a great journey. I appreciate BMW and Lotus now in ways I wouldn’t have guessed a few years back.
They do teach and we learn from others actions on what to do and not to do on their mistakes.
When it comes to the car hobby we all need to be open minded but also we are still entitled to opinions.
The key to all this is not to take other opinions to heart. Accept the compliments and ignore the criticism.
One of the cars I own is one that has taken a beating for more than 25 years of its existence.
I bought my Fiero when it was new and I was a celerity. 6 years later I was the village idiot for 20 years, Today the opinions and complement are back.
I was never in this for public opinion. If you are into cars in general you need to have a thick skin as you are going to get good or bad no matter what you own or do with it. Especially in the field of public opinion like the web.
The car hobby is not for the weak in sprit. Some of the best things to come from it are those who ignore the critics and do what they want.
The auto hobby is very competitive be it racing, Car Show, Brand Loyalty, etc. Like fans for a football team people have opinions and ideas and most are expressed often. You may not agree but you can opine too.
Hell Bench Racing was the ground zero for all this.
The auto hobby is not for the weak in sprit.
Many of the opinions come from others who are jealous of what we have.
Yes some do.
My life has always been a goal oriented life. My father instilled this in me. I’m not rich but I learned to look and work for opportunities to make life an adventure. Celebrate life win or lose. God has blessed.
If someone has negative ideas of that I feel bad for them.
Note in life we could use a damn bit more people willing to seek perfection. With all the poor products and conduct we have in the world a bit more perfection would not hurt in all areas.
One sign might be the fact that you own seven Feulie 63 split-window coupes and don’t dare let them get dirty.
One sign might be the tendency to bloviate about the subject. And I’m not talking about you, Sajeev.
Whew!
Hey the more post and his make better numbers. Better numbers equal more parts.
god knows I am trying to help your restoration efforts 🙂
Job security is a great element to have when performing a frame off (err, rotisserie restoration actually) restomod. 🙂
Job security is just good to have no matter what.
Makes more important things like house payments and eating easier.
You want a Duck? lol!
Friend of mine has 2 ducks. Drove one of them to a car show just last weekend
DKWs are cool!
Just don’t use in rough water. Those dumb accidents make it tough on those who preserve these things.
I would tend to say not driving them is a sign, but I also get that showing cars is as much of a hobby as driving cars… even if it’s not my hobby. What I would say is if you aren’t showing your car and you are not driving it… you might be taking the hobby too seriously. My neighbor is a perfect example of this… over-restoring a car to the point he was afraid to drive it. He ended up selling it at a significant loss and without a lot of drive time.
TG:
Thank you for saying something nice about the people who own and maintain cars for show. I’ll never understand why there is so much hate for the people who pursue that hobby. Hey, some people like to race their cars, some like to take them on long drives, some like to attend car club events, others just enjoy working on them, and some like to prepare and enter them in concours. Why is one considered as “too serious” while the others are OK?
I can’t imagine why anyone would want to play golf, but if that’s someone’s thing, I respect their right to do it. Why can’t the owners of show cars get the same treatment?
I think most of the gripe with show cars is it essentially takes that car out of circulation for those of us who want cool old cars as drivers, and I think a lot of us drivers get frustrated seeing the best examples, and in some cases almost all examples, of old cars getting drawn into the vortex of the show world never to be seen on the streets again. Not saying it’s not a valid hobby, but that’s the gripe
Most show cars are drivers.
If you really look at show cars from local shows to national meets to even Pebble Beach the cars are driven. Pebble adds points if they are toured.
The cars locked away and taken out of circulation are those by collectors that put them in anything from garages and barns to show place museum’s.
I see more cars sitting under junk collecting more junk and never driven or sold. The home across the street from me has a half restored 55 Crown VIc. The car has sat there for 40 years and never moved out but once to fix the garage door.
Those are the cars out of circulation and often they sit so long they can’t be saved.
I have won best of show and I own no trailers. My buddy won Amelia Island and he drives his Miura and other exotics all the time.
I think blame on show cars and well maintained cars is over blown.
What about a racer. He prepares his car to the highest degree to help drive the perfect race with full intent to win.
Is he over doing it with the intent to be competitive in his hobby?
Competitiveness is a human factor that can be attached to many hobbies as well work and social settings.
There is nothing wrong with it if that is what you choose.
Like these UFC fighters. I don’t get it but that is what they like to do more power to him.
Funny how some that don’t like people being judgmental are judgmental themselves at times.
When all you do is over obsess on something I suppose there is an issue there but it’s not all bad in all cases. I do think trying to own all of one specific model and not driving them is a bridge too far.
Who is to say that is right or wrong. Not my thing as one is enough but if that is what someone wants have at it.
There is no one way to participate in the auto hobby. Some folks do some odd things like a local guy with an airport on his truck hood planes and all. But if he is happy.
After reading today’s headlines there is nothing that can be taken too seriously. Especially cars. Have fun and take a nice drive today.
Happy just to admire others’ passions. Mine is building a diverse and inclusive driving collection: Sixties 2CV Fourgonnette and RAF Land Rover Lightweight, Jag XKR, ‘49 Lincoln convert, Nieman Marcus Blackwood, etc. You get to see just about everything at Cars & Caffeine.
If only there were a “block bloviating bloviators” button on this site, we’d all get to read a lot more and varied opinions about this and other subjects. Seems like a simple, effective way to improve the site.
No one is holing you back. Speak up that is just what we do. Sorry if not all of it is what you agree with it but we don’t always agree with it all either.
Simple way to improve is speak and don’t take things personal. It is a friggen web site.
In the Air Force Special Weapons area, the motto was “Excellence is the standard; Perfection is the goal”. I’ve carried that for over 50 years when working on all my projects.
Perfection is noted with weapons.
Too bad more do not take pride in their work. Keep it up.