Do you have an 'exit' strategy?
 

I received a call Sunday that an old family friend had passed away. His wife of over 50 years had passed away just a few years ago, I I knew he wasn't doing too well so the call didn't surprise me. But it, along with what has been going on in my life in the past couple of years, got me to thinking. He owned two or three really nice older cars. No children, only a niece and nephew that he thought a lot of to pass stuff on to. Cars are one thing, but he had a basement full of desirable Chevy parts. He had worked at a Chevy dealership owned by his cousin from the late 50's to the early 90's. He probably did every job in the 'back of the house', from sweeping the floor on up to service writer and then parts manager. How he obtained some of these parts is story for another thread.

I don't know he niece or nephew. They may be car nuts, but chances are they are not. In my case, my wife is disabled. Both of my children live away and have no interest in my car or what little parts or tools I have. To those of you who have children who help you with your cars and/or have interest in the hobby, then you have no problem. You simply will your stuff to them. But how many of you are in the same shape I'm in??

And for me it's getting closer and closer. I live out in a rural area, so there are only a few events I can drive to. My 'friend' that has been helping me has suddenly abandoned me. I haven't heard from him at all since early October, right after my accident. Without help I can't load a trailer or unload, etc. so attending an out of town event is out of the question. Also if I want to attend something like Norwalk, or a National Convention, I have to get someone to come in and stay with my wife. Not an easy task when we have no family in our area.

So, do you have an exit strategy?? I'm seriously considering putting my car up for sale and just giving up the hobby altogether. It would be hard because I've been fooling with cars for almost 50 years. But I guess there comes a time in your life you have to realize you just can't do it anymore.

I have been clearing everything out for a couple of years now, down the bare essentials for a gear head and VERY happy to be shed of many things I didn't need.

why give up?..fight til the end, enjoy your car while you can...

just get in it, drive the wheels off it til you or it expires..screw the shows if its work..just drive it and enjoy it.

you should talk to friend or pastor or your doctor..i can hear you..and you are depressed,,,talk to someone..it gets better..

its just a phase and t will pass..dont give up your hobby because someone abandond you or someone you cared for passed..enjoy the breath you breathe..and enjoy your toy

Jerry, It sounds like your old family friend wasn't overly concerned about what happens to his stuff and you shouldn't either. Enjoy what you have and can do today and tomorrow. I have two cars and 35 years of snap-on and mac tools I am not concerned about them after I go. My son is not into mechanic's or cars for that matter so what he does with this stuff ??? Jerry everybody has a different take on things so I guess there's no real answer. Tom

I'm 56. Livin' the dream on 35 acres.

This year my older brother has been fighting a nasty cancer battle. It pushed me to do what I have been considering for a while. I started cleaning up.

I'm down to 2 hobby cars and have sold a lot of my excess car parts. For me, it's the right thing to do.

Steve summed it up well. I am actually happy to be doing it, especially knowing a lot of parts have gone to guys who need them for their projects.

I just worry about family members pitching everything in the trash and calling a salvage yard to haul away the car.

Your dead, what does it matter where your stuff goes? why not live now and enjoy what you built rather then worry about what happens to it down the road. As old as these cars are, it will eventually make its way into the hands of a car nut again.

I learned an important life lesson when I got divorced in 2001, had to sell the house and clear out a 1200 square foot pole building of things I'd been collecting for years, parts, tools, cars, because I had to move into a 1 bdrm apartment. Much of the stuff I gave away because of only having 2 weeks to clean everything out wasn't long enough to sell everything. I took 3 dump truck loads to a junkyard and got $0 for it. IT'S JUST STUFF!!!! there are other things more important than where your stuff ends up.

I was bitter for a long time about giving up some of my prized possessions it was making me depressed and the bitterness was eating me up. I finally let go of the resentment and I'm fine without my stuff. Life goes on without stuff.

I get to go to the races and enjoy them, knowing how much time racing dirt cars consumes. I just go home and go to bed and don't have to work all week to get a car ready for next weekend. I even stopped selling T Shirts at shows because I never got to see the race cars and show cars being tied to a T shirt booth. I have decided to build 2 project cars that if I had kept all my saved stuff I wouldn't be able to do. Funny how some events change your outlook and what you never thought you couldn't live without, you really can live without.

Just my reflections, each person is different and makes up their own mind.

I'm not suggesting anyone sell their parts or cars tools etc. Just step back and look and see what's important in your life at this time. Some things can be replaced later on, some things aren't as important as we'd like to believe. Everyone has different values and needs, so you have to decide what's right for you at this time in your life.

This is exactly why I am dividing all goodies up to my kids now; they all have open door to came ask and get anything they want right now, I prefer it this way. I get pleasure in seeing who wants what for the right reasons. On my young ones I am packing bags with my stuff and including letters of what they meant to me, why I am giving it to them, and any other important information. Books, redlines, WWII items, family treasures, guitars, and so forth. My brother is going to hold these bags for them until they are 18; a little money too for them ;)

I am VERY happy to know it all goes where it is wanted and will be used. The only one I am struggling with at this point is Shay, he wants all my car stuff left but has nowhere to store it. As it can't be guaranteed safe keeping here in my house after my wife takes over; I am 99% sure my wife will do the right thing, but something out of her control might happen.

I would love to give many things to Gary; but he has like 10,000 X's the stuff I have every had combined in my life, so he doesn't need more. I can't have a good conscious in giving him more; when I'm trying to get him to shed the majority of his load for his peace of mind.

You don't realize what a burden it is on your heart to have all this excess; until you shed some. Then you find a happier place; at least some will.

My favorite verses of all times, KJV Matthew 6:

This.

I'm in my early 50's and in perfect health but am cleaning up a bit.

I just don't need all that stuff that I will never use, nor do I want to stick my kids with the cleanup. I'm still dealing with all the stuff my dad had. I don't want that for my kids.

K

I just worry my wife will sell everything for what I told her I paid for it.

Just turned 50. Beautiful understanding wife of 5 years. No kids. All my sibs are POS idiots. I plan on continuing as if I'm still 20 until my body gives out. If I go suddenly, my wife can do whatever she wants with what is left - she is very smart and will get top dollar. If she goes before me, I'll probably sell most everything so it goes to a good home. I don't want it going in an estate sale to vultures.
I do need to find some local contacts in which to share this hobby with, but haven't gotten there yet. I plan on attending some local cruise ins as well as Norwalk once I get one of the projects road worthy. Maybe I'll make some local connections there.

I was worried about my parts as well. Somewhat worried about the cars to. So I told the wife that Lord forbid that I die before you. I want you to call X a forum member here and let him come and get the parts and any car he wants first and let him sell it off and then come and get another until everything is gone. Now I do have 9 grandkids 6 of which are boys and most have expressed interest in the cars. I told them they would be allowed to buy a car at a discount not a freebie. That money is designated for the wife. When she dies they can all split it up. I would be so afraid to let the wife sell anything. She would probably let them set for a few months then if they wouldnt start I would hate to see what she asked for them. A dead battery could get someone a 75% discount.

HAHA.... Ace post!!!

I've found that all the extra 'stuff' becomes a burden to how you want to live your life. I have been giving the kids stuff I haven't used for decades... in the hopes that they can use it.

Example: Being 58, I've decided that I no longer need a 32' extension ladder. Not only is it taking up space in my garage, I don't feel like climbing a ladder that high ever again. Why should I? I have sons and son-in-laws for that! LOL The kid who got the ladder is happy to do my climbing for me. Same thing with chain saws, heavy sledge hammers, etc.

I keep the stuff I really want and give the rest away.

Kurt

Exit Strategy :
Lord Forgive me for any wrong I've done and accept this one time offer coupon into heaven , And please watch over my friends and family until we meet again.
Because thats all that really matters.

The only thing I think of is some money scavenger coming in and taking advantage of a bad time. But I don't think that can happen as long as my wife has any say.

I write Do Not Throw Away" on the boxes I have in the attic! lol. The only way that I have been able to get the wife to pay attention is when we are moving thing around (ie Christmas) I point thing out and tell her that they are hard to replace and very expensive.

I have health problems with no children or a will. :(

I think some of you may be missing the larger point...It's not so much about how much the stuff is worth and who will get it. The larger issue, and the one I worry about sometimes, is the fact that if something happens to you, it can be a MAJOR pain to the survivors to have to do something with all your STUFF. Especially, when they may have no idea what it is, much less what it's worth.
Believe me, it's a lot of work for your survivors to clean out a garage full of old car parts, tools, etc.....Especially one that has been gathered over a period of 30 or 40 YEARS.

I always try and keep in mind the things I need and things I want. If I have some extra cash I will buy things I want but things I need will always come first. Also when things stop being fun and become work in regards to my car then it is time to sell. I get to a point where I am tripping over stuff then it is time to sell I tend to hold onto things right now. The wife and I have 4 cars for just the 2 of us and my dad is talking about giving me his truck. I dont know where I would put it but I cant say no.

that struck me funny, so true

Jerry ,

There is no really good answer to this problem. I am in my early 40s but same ..
no kids... wife not interested in cars.. and we did have to take care of my Mother
in Laws estate after she died of Lou Gehrigs (ALS) and that sucked and it wasnt even
car stuff. So Ive already seen this from the 'cleaner-upper' perspective.

Best advice I can give is to sell now all that you think you can. If you have to 'bribe'
your kids to help that might have to be done.

On everything you still want to keep .. it might help to tag each thing with that it is..
how rare/expensive it might be and a ballpark asking price. .. or just create 1 list with
the info and paint little numbers on each part to identify what it is on the list. That
increases the chance that the kids will treat it all with the right care. Otherwise theyll
likely just crapcan it all in a deal just to be done with it. They WONT take the time
to figure it out but if youve already done all the legwork for them they would likely treat it right.

Another person suggested setting up an arrangement to have a fellow Pontiacer get
involved to take care of it and ensure that your kids dont get overwhelmed and just
toss it all for a pittance..

Sadly when death happens the vultures start circling..

Good Luck

John

Over the past few years I've had to liquidate 3 estates and like you say it is not an easy task.
A couple of things I learned.
No one wants your old furniture unless it's a single heirloom piece, few people even want the nice antiques.
Auctions will get rid of a lot of stuff fast, but expect pennies on the dollar for what you think it's worth.
No one wants any clothes.
You can throw most of the entire kitchen ware away.
No one wants an old used washer-dryer-stove-fridge, etc... give it away if you can.
Ask around enough and someone will take all the tools. Tell them all or none.
If you leave a house empty, offer the mower and trimmers to a neighbor in exchange for cutting the grass.
If there is something with a little value no one will pay you what it's worth, take .25 cents on the dollar and be happy about it. Don't store it in hope of selling it "someday"
No one wants any books, bears, beanie babies or figurines, although some of them sell good at auction.
Bedroom suites are the hardest to sell. Go low $ with good pictures on CL.

If you know enough about certain items you can try to sell them as a lot, but even then it's a royal PITA.
The only things I had decent luck at selling were cars, trucks and boats.


As far as my cars and parts I wrote most everything I have down with notes on how and who to contact to help liquidate it. Some of it would get posted on PY for sell. I'd rather people that would appreciate it get it, even at clearance pricing.

I'm fortunate to have a couple of sons that enjoy cars. That being said, having a will with specific provisions of who gets what is a good idea! Myself, I'm 62 and starting to clean up. Sold the Corvette, gave one 62 GP (easy project to a son and considering selling my other 62 GP project car as it will be a few more years before I can get to it. The 67 goat will stay till the end!

I left some "confessions" in the family trust file. Once my wife sees the dollars, there is no way she'll settle for less.

Flip the script and sleep with one eye open ;)

This is a most excellent idea - thanks! I will also try to add something helpful here. Beyond having a will (critical if you want to have any say in what happens to your stuff), it's a good idea to make it very clear where your "finances" are. What accounts, what banks, who you have your stocks and other investments with, where's your insurance policy, pension, etc etc. Although my wife and I work as a team when it comes to finances, she probably couldn't tell you precisely where everything is. And in a time of loss - or when it's someone else acting as your executor - you want them to be able to find everything with as little stress as possible. People are at their most vulnerable after losing a loved one and they may not be thinking straight, or they can get conned/cheated.

I've witnessed a number of family and friends having to deal with the aftermath of a mess (hoarders, financial records, etc) after someone passes, and I've learned my lesson - I'll never leave a legacy like that for anyone else to have to clean up.

Me Too... Ruggles told me to tell mama every time she asks what something costs, just tell her its 40 bucks. Everything is 40 bucks.

Buddy I wish you were closer, I'd be Johnny on the spot lovin' to help you.

Thinning down stuff feels good. Do it! Forget long distance fun. Find joy in your own backyard. When you cruise around in a cool vintage car, you bring the fun wherever you go and people want to yack at you. You don't have to hang around know it all fools like us to have fun!

tip of the day: take a meditation class. you will be surprised. it is a stress reliever.

set it up in a trust as to what happens to your stuff..have an administrator oversee that and hopefully that may ease your mind. ill have stipulations as to what happens to my nice cars after i pull an elvis--and what is sold and what is on loan to museums etc.

That's exactly what I'm talking about. I'm not particularly worried about the value, I just don't want my kids with the burden of disposing of my stuff. I just went through this with my mother's estate. I was lucky enough to have enough nieces and nephews that needed furniture, etc. to get rid of all of her fixtures. We had to rent a dumpster to clean out her house; clothes, food that was odd or outdated, and just junk that no one wanted. We could have had a yard sale, but no one wanted to fool with it. When my daughter just recently spent 2 months at home taking care of us after the accident she mentioned jokingly of having to clean up our junk when we passed away. That was after she ran across my magazine collection.

when to start downsizing
 

This has been a great thread, I figure you guys are smarter than any 'experts'. The problem is 'when do I start selling off or giving away my stash of GTO and motorcycle parts?' I'm 65, good health and enjoy wrenching, restoring, paint & bodywork. I know my body is showing wear & tear, my back is troublesome.

What clued you guys into realizing it's time to minimize? Was there an incident, the loss of a close friend, poor health... I guess the list could go on for a long way.

I can't imagine not having my tools and workshop, now I'm starting to worry I'm being a hoarder and will leave a burden to my survivors.

Any advice, even bad advice, is appreciated.


I'm concerned....

I came to my senses when I caught myself keeping parts for cars I "might" own someday.

This is rather a deep topic and also somewhat sad as each of us will face come face to face with death the only real question is when....

Pick up any Old Cars Weekly or local newspaper and those estate sales are the results of someone passing that indeed had a lot of "stuff" and the surviving family members are looking for a quick out translation cash it in.

Having turned 66 last fall and will be collecting SS shortly you quickly realize you are on the downside of your life span on earth. Over the years I have carefully collected a variety of items that I have in my home office that have really shot up in value. Having one son who is into cars he knows someday all this will be his and he knows it is very valuable.

Having bought over 300 Turbo Regals I have purchase some where either the owner has passed away and was a customer of mine and the wife sold me the car and in at least 2 cases that come to mind I bought them from owners that were in such bad health they could only watch me from the window of their home as I trailered their Grand National away. It is sad.

More recently one of the major Turbo Buick vendors died unexpectedily and his wife called me to come and see about buying his inventory. A weird feeling comes over you in a situation like this as I bought what I could and also bought a bunch of his personal trinkets that he had in his personal office.

Everyone is on a different clock. As my Dad always said Your health is our wealth.....
Its tough to scale down. I know a guy who is almost 80 years old and he has over 100 cars sitting and in his mind he plans to restore half of them. Most days he can't even walk out in the yard to even view them.

Sometimes its the mind that goes first and logic is long gone....

[email protected]

I keep tellin the wife I want to be buried in my 66. She has no interest in it and everything she's sold of mine in yard sales she practically gives away. Not gonna happen with the GTO. I'm takin it with me.

So with that said.....
If you decide to sell of your tools, cars, and anything else, get all you can for them now. Then while you're still healthy enough to enjoy it, take that trip you never could afford and see what's out past that place where you live. Do it, there's a whole world out there to see. I've seen most of the lower 48 States and Eastern Canada. I'd love to see the rest that I've missed, even out past the US borders to parts unknown. If you're alone, all the more reason to get out and explore the world. If not, then she's got one hell of a choice to make.... ;)

Boy....a deep subject. I have in my will what happens to my cars and parts. Cars go to auction and sold and $$ goes to Cancer charity. Ditto for parts. I have instructions on who to call to handle sale. I did this years ago before my Cancer ordeal. Being honest there was a couple of times I wondered if I would survive my Cancer experience. In remission but 3 years to go for all clear. My thoughts then were not about the cars & stuff...just living !!! Just saying if it bothers you now have a will/living will. Concentrate on your health man. I can't do what I used to do but happy at what I can still do..;)
Wish you the best Jerry..

My 93 year old father died in June, basically 70 years of tools, household stuff, you name it. Really didn't throw away anything even when my mom passed away 21 years ago.

Her shoes, Nurses uniforms, all her clothes, even the calendar the month she died was still in the bedroom, even a great deal of canned goods and containers of flower, her purse, you name it.

Was a lot of work to clean up all the stuff, took 4 family members 3 weeks to do.

But you know what at the end of day he was my father and always will be.

He got to do it his way, 93 still active, living an independent life, driving everyday, living in the house he built with his tools, blood and sweat and he died in his sleep, no regrets no worries to think about, just a sudden heart attack and he was gone.

Was it a little stinky, dusty, and he should have tossed away a lot of stuff, sure, but you know what as I said earlier he is my Dad so I will honor and respect him always because that is what made him happy, I owe him for so much and that I know he never really knew about or under
stood because he did things the right way in everyday life and how he took care of our family.

I found out along time ago don't judge others especially your parents and you won't be so hard on yourself and in the end does really matter?

I sent him money when I could afford it because he truly appreciated it and what we really ask for in life is to get some mileage out the money we spend anyway.

I am lucky my passions and dreams are shared by boys and family, my oldest has worked for me and my wife for 15 years.

My Stuffffff will go to someone who appreciate its, even my wife has 71 GTO.

The answer is whatever makes you happy, that's the way I did it with my Dad, God rest his soul.

Dennis Kirban, hell of a post brother....

What a thread this has turned out to be!!!!

Tonight my oldest came up to see Lone Survivor with me; as he was going to stay the night and we have a small house, my wife slept on the couch and Michael fell asleep in my bed waiting for Shay and I to return. We got home late and Shay climbed in bed with Michael and they are passed out together in my bed.

I can't sleep yet not tired; I sit hear reading this thread thinking all the deep thoughts, I turn around looking at my boys passed out and I smile.

I'm only 45 but gotta get a plan together. Single with no kids, have a few younger nephews and nieces but don't how they feel about my cars? My only rock solid plan is to give my 23 Model T to local historical society. The GTO is junk right know and probably would get scrapped along with my Nissan Patrol. All the damn Hot Wheels I have are worth pennies on the dollar! I'm going to do some selling at the next swap meet for sure.

My Dad is 85 & my Mom was 86 when she passed 2 years ago, so barring some accident I expect I'll be around for a while. I figure I've got 10 GOOD years left that I can enjoy this hobby, build & race cars, buy/sell/trade cars & parts. The next 10 will get spent selling pretty much all of what I've got so that by the time I'm 70 I'll still have a nice convertible for cruising and maybe a hardtop that scares the **** out of me.

I don't NEED any of it and am not emotionally attached to it other than a couple of cars because of the few friends who owned them ahead of me.

I own a roofing company and I won't even get on a ladder that tall:)

This is a very good topic and there are a lot of great posts here.

I got my “wakeup call” when a co-worker, mentor and great friend of mine suddenly passed away due to a massive heart attack. He was in his 50s, seemingly in great health. It was very sudden and happened at home.
Obviously, his wife and two daughters were devastated, as was I.

He had been into cars most of his life. He had about 15 cars, give or take, some projects, some show cars, some drivers, and a life time collection of parts, parts cars and tools.
When it came time to start getting rid of the collection, his widow asked me for help since I knew what most everything was, and had an idea of what things were worth.
In fact, I’d been along when he had bought some of the cars and or parts in the first place.
She had absolutely no clue where to begin and her daughters had no interest in any of it. Right from the get go, I made it clear, as far as I was concerned, I didn’t want anything from the collection, and I also made it clear I didn’t want anything in return for my help. (We’ll, maybe a chance to buy the ’72 455 HO GTO but I couldn’t afford it at the time anyway) We went through everything, which was a daunting task, came up with a plan and got to work.
Wasn’t long before her relatives got involved and began to impart their advice on how she should be handling the process. Eventually, it became obvious to me that I was considered an “outsider” by the new parties involved, and as such, not to be trusted.
I figured the best thing to do was walk away and let her relatives take over, wasnt easy though.
Ultimately, they decided to auction it all off. I didn’t attend the auction.

Years later, now that I'm older, and not in fact immortal, this experience got me to thinking about what would happen if I died tomorrow? What would my wife and kids do with all my stuff? What do I want them to do with it all? Will it be easy for them to sell the stuff off, or will it be a protracted, painful process? Is it fair to leave my survivors with a huge mess?

All tough questions and what’s more, I realized I was heading down the path of being a hoarder. I had enough parts and car projects stacked up that realistically, even if I lived to be 100, I wouldn’t have enough time, money (or both) to complete them all. I had so much crap I started to forget what I had.

Time for some changes.

I began by reducing my parts collection to a more manageable size. Got rid of the junk, parts for cars I no longer or never would own, multiples of parts, ect.
I then tried to get most of the remaining items onto shelves and organized by make, model or commonality.
Once the parts were easy to get to, I labeled all the containers the parts are stored in, as well as many of the loose parts that I could. Still an on-going process.
At least this way, my wife will know what things are and it will be easier for someone setting up an estate sale – easier get it all properly organized and cataloged.
The side benefit, is that it’s now easier (for me) to find stuff!

I’ve narrowed down the car collection to the ones I really wanted and are also cherished by the wife and kids.
I also decided that if I wasn’t going to get to a car project in 2 years max, it had to go.

As for my tools, I’m not worried about those as much. I figure my wife and kids will probably want at least some of them and the rest should be easy to sell off in lots.

Just the same, I try to keep my garage very well organized so that if someone else walked in, they’d be able to easily figure out where/what everything is.
Not fun trying to sort through piles of tools, parts and debris all over the place. Been there, done that.

I know my friend never intended for things to turn out the way it did and leave his family with such a mess.
I guess life has a way of getting in the way of our plans.

Its just stuff, the truth will set you free we need to all believe in the Lord like we do our junk after all he allows us to have it. Its ok to love a hobby but not to the point of being GREEDY about it .

I'm a smidge under 40 and in good health, so I know my take on this may not mean much to some of you. When I was a teenager I was a bit of a parts hoarder, always looking at cars and parts in the paper, that sort of thing.

As I got older, I noticed that an awful lot of car guys fall into one of two camps: (1) have a perfect show car that they are afraid to drive very often, and (2) guys with 20 cars, thousands of parts, and not one nice driver out of the bunch.

I decided I would focus on one car only and not do anything else until I finished that one. My 65 GTO, my first car, is finally just about done. Sure, I have a few spare parts, but if I kick it tomorrow then it's not going to be a big deal if the rest of the stuff gets thrown out.

My suggestion? Pick your favorite car, the one you want to keep for the rest of your life. Keep only those parts you realistically expect to use for that car. Finish that car and that car only. And drive that car. Drive it every chance you get. If it gets a scratch, gets dirty, a little rust pops up on the bumper, don't sweat it. Get up the next day and drive it.

I have 3 68 Firebirds, 3 spare engines, 2 V8's and an OHC, intakes and carbs for both, several extra Spint 6 parts, hoods, bumpers, fenders, emblems, grills, two extra disc brake systems, extra Muncie and shifter, 10 bolt Posi, old parts off one restoration, several columns, steering wheels, gauge clusters, and misc parts from several parted out cars.
I've found as soon as I sell or get rid of something I need it to use, as a core or to barter, and with the convertible needing a restoration at some point I tend to not get rid of much.

At least most everything I have is for one model car.
If I kick off the market will get flooded with FGF parts.

Been 49 years last week for me breathing air.

I dropped the TH400 from my brother's 1970 Judge a couple days ago. Wondering if I'm the asssumed life-long mechnic for my 2 brothers.


Think he should light his load, give it up, sell em. He's probably going to pay me in old beercans.

Lots of points of interest on this heartfelt topic.....one point that has not been touched on that relates to this concerns the internet and affects allof us now that have an email account.

I never gave it much thought until a few months ago. Like many of you I get various emails from people I don't know that pass on interesting stories or tips etc. For several years I would get a email from a guy who I assume was older and lived in Michigan and was into the older Fords. I had sold him some zddplus for his cars.

Very intelligent and knowledgeable. One day I got an email from him that stopped me in my tracks. He went on to explain he was entering a nursing home for his remaining days and this would be his very last email. He went on to state please do not respond back as he has ended his use of his computer.

Sad.......

Makes you wonder what path you will take when the time comes and if you are even allotted time to make your "fairwell" post to whoever on whatever forum etc you are part of.

Twenty five years ago, it was probably just notifying the post office marking the outside envelope deceased......

[email protected]

At least you didn't spend a little over $4,000 for a storage building to keep a bunch of worthless crap :doh:

Several months ago I met someone very similar. In his late 70's and in very poor health, he has a metal building packed with some very valuable cars, probably 25. Many have the tags that were on them 30+ years ago when he bought them. He plans to fix most of them, and showed me everyone of them. I had to keep moving things so he could get his wheelchair through the building. It was sad in a way, but it also left me feeling he at least has a positive attitude, however unrealistic it is.
On a related note, eleven years ago a friend asked me to take on an old DeSoto he had waited more than 25 years to restore. During the process it became obvious that he was terminally ill and may not ever drive it. It got to the point he was calling me from the hospital to check on the progress.
One night I called his house to talk with him and see how he was doing. His mother-in-law answered the phone and tearfully told me Paul had passed away 15 minutes earlier there in the home. I was speechless. A couple of months later his widow called and said she wanted to pay me the rest of what I was owed. I lied and told her he owed me no money, I figured it was the least I could do to help her.
Someone else ended up with the car and had me finish it a few years ago.

I admit that I didn't read every post on this thread, but quite a few have mentioned something like:
"what do you care, you'll be dead anyway"
:confused:
Totally the wrong way to look at this issue.

We may think we are saving cars and valuable parts, but our spouses and heirs will most likely see this as a huge burden to deal with after we die.
Only the most organized collections will be able to be sorted out and sold on for what they may be worth. Of course, desirable, complete running vehicles
will be able to be liquidated with some ease, but a pile of dirty ram air parts will most likely be sold as scrap.

Estate planning with a trust or at least a will is a must in this day and age (which I don't have yet BTW)

Exactly!