Want some feedback from members who are well into their seventh decade;-)

[Hawklover]

So I am thinking, is it me?.......or is this feeling common in those well within their 70's?
I have mostly enjoyed Avanti ownership for 54 years....nothing seemed to faze me concerning the car and its upkeep.
Traveling to meets both far and local were events I greatly enjoyed.
With the passage of time I began to slip into somewhat of a lazy ma-laze.....rain...can't go to a meet when its wet, ...heat, can't go out in these temps and roast in bumper-to-bumber traffic.........oh damn......I can't stand this traffic with the four speed.....my leg is cramped up from all the clutch action.....understand that the car has never over-heated, but I live with that fear......having a/c is a non-issue because I will not use it in heavy traffic........its nice when she can 'unwind" and cruise at 60..........forget that idea in summer excursions to the jersey shore, or out to the east end of Long Island. In the past I really wanted to attend the national meet in South Bend, but heaven help me if the car "crapped" out somewhere between NY and So. Bend...........the wife would ..........well you know......:-)

I now find the best times to use the car is in the early spring, or late fall, when the temps are more "humane"

So now that I rattled on, anyone here have similar feelings?.......heck is it age related, or is it me???? :-);-)

[Alan]

We all appear to be like that. I am 75 and starting to feel it. The Old Lady started to be that way after the 2006 Omaha meet. After the O L passed a couple of months ago it seems to be getting worse.

[thunderations]

Almost 72 and installed A/C in our 66 Daytona soon after purchasing it 7 years ago. Will drive it anywhere, but when we don't want to run the risk of driving an older car, will trailer it to the function and then drive it.
Remember, this is a hobby, not a job. You have earned the right to do it your way. If your values have changed over the years, go with it and enjoy.
We used to make it a point to hit every function, big or little. Now we pick and choose, attending those functions that we enjoy the most and passing on some that don't excite us as much.
Studebaker functions are great, but so are some local generic shows that don't require a cross country trip. Parking a Studebaker in the middle of a bunch of "Big 3" cars draws a lot of attention. Fun is what you make of it. Beer, champagne or ice tea, you make the call.
Happy Studebakering

[StudeRich]

Unfortunately we all cannot afford to live where the Weather is THE BEST in the entire Country, in Southern Calif.

So I miss that South Bay Weather a lot; always Sunny and 70* F, and just have to deal with the downsides of that and like thunderations (Ken) said just downsize a bit and try to enjoy what time you have left.

The GOOD News is, I don't have to deal with the Traffic, the Air Pollution and the people any more, so I am very thankful for that.

[PackardV8]

Part of what you're feeling is many years of "Been There; Done That."

After sixty years of going to car shows, it's rare to see something really new and different, to have a unique experience. Also, you know your car better than anyone, know most of what spectators will say when they see it and know what you're going to experience driving it.

FWIW, I have much the same thoughts about travel. For many years, I traveled nationally and internationally for business. Today, it's difficult to work up much excitement about another trip. Been there, done that.

FWIW, most of the pleasures of retirement often turn out to be the small things, or even the things which are no longer obligatory.

jack vines

[41 Frank]

All of you make some good points as I myself at 78 suffer from most of the maladies mentioned, especially "been there,done that" as Jack said. While I am a retired automotive tech the thought of breaking down in the middle of nowhere scares me more nowadays than it did 25 years ago. I drove my Studebakers all over this country,even Canada back then. I have an enclosed trailer these days and will use it on trips of more than a 100 miles even though each one of my cars is fully capable of long road trips. If others want to call the cars trailer queens so be it. I call it peace of mind.

[Mike Van Veghten]

Not quite there yet...age wise, but the drive in traffic strangled me years ago. Hell, I'd probably still be working, but for the 45 mile, one way drive every day to work. That's almost 90 miles a day in traffic. Even on my motorcycle, where I could split lanes and make the trip in "half" the time than in a car, and have a "little" more fun doing it, it still sucked. I've got well over 600,000 miles on motorcycles in Los Angeles traffic because I hate "sitting", almost still in a car, on the freeway.

I even wimped out of going to the La Palma meet, driving in somewhat heavy traffic, possibly in the rain...on the way home.
I really like driving, but NOT at 35mph on the freeway..!

Mike

[Lou Van Anne]

I'd agree with most all of the above.....

[Hawklover]

I will add one thing to the discussion........I recently did something that I never would have when younger.........leaving NY and heading to the southern part of New Jersey for a weekend show, I found myself in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and what did I do? I "rode' the clutch rather than continuing to shift and clutch and de-clutch.......I wound up super heating the clutch, to the point that shifting was no longer possible.........yes my pants turned a dark brown color having to deal with cars and semi's blowing their horns.........there was no place and no way to get off the road.......I just sat there with my arm out of the window attempting to get cars to pass me .............why did I do this??......because I was too lazy and too complacent to shift as I should have. Lesson learned.
PS.....I sat in the car for about 20 minutes...prayed a ton........and wham, the pressure plate cooled and allowed me to shift per usual.........I will never ever ride a clutch again!

[Bob Andrews]

I’m not there yet at 58, but I take great pleasure in helping people keep their Classic cars longer. Frequently people want to keep the classic car they’ve had for decades, can no longer do the upkeep that they used to do themselves. We do a combination of maintenance and upgrades like air conditioning, fuel injection, disc brakes, etc. to help make the cars more comfortable for people as they age. Granted, not everybody can afford to pay, but those who can, love keeping their cars and driving them right to the end.

[E. Davis]

I often think about a comment I heard years ago at a function by an older guy at the time when he sighed and said "these things were a lot more fun when you were younger." Now approaching 85 years of age I find it hard to garner much enthusiasm for driving for fun even in my old cars. I spent 35 years of my life in law enforcement mostly behind the wheel of one vehicle or another so driving became and still is somewhat of a chore...especially in today's cell phone traffic. But my motto is "do what you can when you can" and get whatever enjoyment out of your car that it offers.

[Skip Lackie]

At 79, I'm still not bothered by getting stuck in heavy traffic with a stick shift. The DC area is second only to LA in traffic delays, and my daily drivers are both standard shift. But I do now share with some of the other posters the fear of breaking down -- something I never worried about until about ten years ago. Like many others, I drove a series of clunkers in my youth, and often made emergency repairs on the side of the road. It never stopped me from driving anywhere.

BTW, a minor point: those of us in our seventies are actually in our eighth decade.

[TXmark]

that is exactly the reason I went from a 4 speed to a power shift, It was the trip to dover, to many stop lights too much shifting.
Now If I ever get this powershift to run right is another thing

[56GH]

Approaching 82, I still get a kick out of driving my 1962 GT Hawk every week here in FL. It's had a huge amount of work done to it by the previous owner and it's a great runner with factory A/C converted to R-134a. It runs great in hot FL weather with no over-heating. But I think I'm getting to the point where I will eventually sell it with full disclosure to anyone who is not a CASO.

I've had six Studebakers through the years since 1958 and enjoyed every one of them, especially my first one, a 1954 Chippewa/Lombard green Commander automatic coupe. My wife and I drove our 1953 Studebaker Velvet black Champion from Memphis, TN, to MA, in 1989, with only two problems, a bad battery in Asheville, TN, and a leaking gas filler hose that a generous SDC member helped us with in the parking lot of a motel on a Sunday morning!

We had a 1956 Mocha/Doeskin Golden Hawk for 20 years that ended up as a really expensive "money pit" but it was absolutely beautiful and took many awards.

We drove our 1957 Azure/Wedgewood blue President Classic with factory A/C from Hartselle, AL, to MA, with a few problems in PA that were resolved by the talented Witmer family in Ephratha.

We also drove a 1964 Desert Sand Cruiser from PA to MA after it was advertised by the only SDC owner that was ever dishonest with me since 1989 and we had a lot of problems with it.

Our latest, a black/metallic silver 1962 GT Hawk, was bought from someone in Pensacola, FL, in 2016.

At my age, I'm getting to the point where I can't do any of the repairs that I used to do and have to rely on local shops that are not really Studebaker savvy so it's getting pricey to get the repairs done right here in West Central FL. (It recently cost me $400 to replace a water pump.) But I'm still hanging on the GT for as long as I can (healthwise) and will probably leave it to my estate to sell it to someone who will appreciate it. I'm still enjoying regular participation in the SDC Forum and the tech advice given by experts, and I go to the local shows to show everyone what the marque was about. The GT still turns a lot of heads.

E. Davis is right in post #11, "do what you can while you can," so I'll be driving my GT for a while.

To all who are loyal fans of the Studebaker brand and are so willing to give help to all those who are not particularly knowledgeable, I say, "Thanks for your help!" And for all of the younger Studebaker fans, I say thanks for continuing the interest in the marque. Keep on Studebakering!

[j.byrd]

I did something this last "special car" purchase that I would NEVER have done just a few years ago ( I'm 71 ).... waited until I found a pretty much perfectly finished coupe with a...GASP... automatic to buy. My 55 is an absolute pleasure (except for a bit too much smoke), but as I used to say, real cars have 3 pedals, ha ! Oh well, if we can still go because it's easier, it has to be good. Also, it's year-round for us here on the islands, so I really appreciate that. My bride does want me to put the new aftermarket ac unit she bought us in it tho, it does get warm setting at red lights or in traffic, so probably will do that.