How long will they last?

[Night Wolf]

hmmm, I was thinking about this, and it got me going.....

my 2 dream cars are a '59 Eldo drop top and a '54 Coupe DeVille (hardtop or droptop).....

I told my self, one day, first the '59, then the '54...one day I will own them, weather it be full out buy a restored one, or buy one and restore it myself, but I will own one...

but then I am thinking, how next year, and then in a few years these cars will be 50 years old. It is obvious I am in no shape to do any of that at this age and point in my life, so let's say, once I get a house and stuff, and settle down, i want to start my '59 Eldo project. Let's say that is, oh, I'll be generous, and say at the age of 30, so it is 14 years from now.

Well, every year that passes is another year that those cars get older..... that is another year of cars getting wrecked, another year of that car sitting outside in a field, in a barn etc.....

the cars will then be close to 65-70 years old....

Is it practicle to try and restore a 70 year old car? I mean, parts are non-existent, when you do find them, it would be hella expensive....the price for a fully restored one will be real high... and most of all..... I woudln't be able to drive it around, and that is the thing I love about both of those cars, the way they look, pure classic...... and they deserve to be driven around.....

.... it is like someone trying to restore a 1935 V16 Fleetwood or something, you NEVER see them around, parts are not around anymore etc......

....I am just thinking about this, and how, besides marriage, and getting a house and retireing and stuff int he future, the '59 and '54 are my real goals in life, but I have been thinking, that when I get aorund to finally get my dreams satisfied, there will not be any left.

It is just something I love.... some people want a Corvette, or a summer house, or a yatch etc.... I want my '59 Eldo drop top and my '54 CDV, and I would be happy...... but it seems like at that point, they woudl be in a heatedg arage, climate control garage, sitting off of the suspension to preserve the car.....clearly NOT what it was made for....

....perhaps that is the why I insist on keeping my '93 CDV forever....besides it beinng one of the last traditional looking Cadillacs, my first car, last year for the CDV, ever, and now very rare, I want it forever..... but i am not scared to put miles on it, because it was made for it..... when I am 50 years old, and thinking back, and we are all in hybrid, or electric cars and whatnot, I can walk into my garage and see that classic '93 CDV sitting there, and just think back of all the memories and whatnot, at that point, I coudl care less if it has 5k, 50k, or 500k miles on it, none of it woudl make a differnce, what would make a differnce is the fact that I still have it, it was my first car, and all the memories.... atleast that's how I see it, once I pass on, somebody else will get it, so I am going to make sure I get all the enjoyment outta it I can.....

this kinda turned out longer then I wanted, but back to the inital question..... what does everyone think?

[DaveSmed]

You have a couple of things working in your advantage, 50's era cars were built very solid and relatively modern, thus they last alot longer then previous cars that used such materials as wood. If the car has been sitting outside most of its life, another year is not going to make a whole lot of a difference, especially after the fabrics and wiring go. Metal is fixable. Thats if you even need to worry about that angle. Keep an eye out for any deals, classic/collectable cars are always changing hands. You may get lucky. I definitely agree with the mileage/age thing. As long as it was maintained and broken components get replaced, who cares if it has a million miles and is 80 years old.