[Guest]

Just got back from a week in Ohio driving around the state and I felt I had to share a chuckle at some of our urban legends and how they contrast regionally.

MYTH #1: Oh yeah, you go out to California and they got classic Mustangs for sale cheap just anywhere and they are rust-free.

MYTH #2: You fix that thing up and you cant take it out to California and sell it for ( fill in ridiculous price here) and folks out there will just line up to buy it!

MYTH #3: Well, when you go back to Ohio they got antique furniture for sale just about everywhere and its cheaper than you'll ever see it out west.

Debunks to myths #1 and #3. Both regions sellers are well aware of what they have and aren't about to give it away.

Debunk to myth #2. The large classic car presence in this area of the country actually cools the price ceiling. Of course, you might just find a sucker....

Other than that, Ohio is a beautiful state. The sheer volume of trees is awesome. Weather was rotten, 101 and 90% humidity which brought out legions of skeeters. Salt must be the leading import in the state, never seen so many rusted new cars. Small town "Dukes of Hazzard" cops love to set speed traps at bottom of hills. Ask me how I know.

 

[mod9]

Sorry to hear about your great "Dukes of Hazzard" cop sighting.


69 Mach 1 427 Windsor

 

[Guest]

As a current resident of California and a former resident of Ohio (I still have family there) I can confirm your observations.

However, there does seem to be an awful lot of antique furniture (and other antique crap) in Ohio. Nobody I know here in California goes "Antiqueing".

 

[camachinist]

Hey Bob,
How's it going?? Thought you had fallen off the earth! *G*

When one goes to other parts of the US, if oftens seems that California is not merely another state, but another country *G*

Glad you had a good time, even with the "Hazards" *G*

How's Brandon's car doing?

 

[Teebone]

Easterners have long known..Sell their classic cars on the east coast before moving west..the prices are better here.. and as for antiques..New England is the place to buy..they have tons of old crap around here..*LOL*

 

[Guest]

MYTH #1: Oh yeah, you go out to California and they got classic Mustangs for sale cheap just anywhere and they are rust-free.

I can see why such a story may be told over and over again. Spotting a classic Mustang in many parts of the country is like spotting Bigfoot. Any survivors are most likely rusted from decades of road salting, etc so finding a rust free one would be like spotting Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster hanging out together. They've held up better in California which would mean they are more abundant and in better shape. The extra supply would also keep the prices lower.

MYTH #2: You fix that thing up and you cant take it out to California and sell it for ( fill in ridiculous price here) and folks out there will just line up to buy it!

This makes no sense as it contradicts #1. If anything the opposite would be true. Fix up the California car and export it to another state wher the cars are more hard to find for more $$.

[/i]MYTH #3: Well, when you go back to Ohio they got antique furniture for sale just about everywhere and its cheaper than you'll ever see it out west. [/i]

I've often wondered where antique dealers get their stock. I go to garage sales, flea markets, etc. and rarely see anything valuable and when there is the sellers always seem to know exactly what they have and how much it's worth. I would imagine with venues like DBAY out there antique dealers have a tough time finding bargains to stock their stores. I suspected that they had to be bringing it in from other parts of the country but I had no idea where. Perhaps thinking like that is how such a rumor could start.

 

[Mach1Pilot]

Call it Myth #4 when people say that classic cars are scarce in New England. They're just not daily drivers and that's why you don't see them that often.

Teebone is right when he says there are fewer here than in other parts of the country, but that's simply because keeping one here means having it as a summer toy for the most part. Still, in my neighborhood alone there is a '63 split-window Corvette, a '64 Corvette roadster, our two Mustangs, two 67-68 Cougars (one of which is mine), an old European car (the neighbor told me what it was, but the name was a strange one and I don't remember it now), a '67 GTO convertible, two 68-73 Corvettes, and the '66 I6 Mustang coupe I posted about yesterday.

At work there is a '68 Road Runner, a '69 Z-28, and a vintage Alpha.

As I type this, the New England Summer Nationals are winding down only a few miles from my house. Over the course of the past weekend upwards of 5,000 classic cars have converged on Worcester from all parts of New England (as well as other parts of the country, but they are the minority).

I guess the other reality that keeps the myth alive is that there is a definite scarcity of unrestored cars for a newbie to get started with, since they were either restored long ago or the elements have returned them to their natural state.

 

[dougp]

You are right on about the "Dukes of Hazard" I travel from Detriot -- through I75 to Florida a couple times per year. """ DO NOT SPEED IN OHIO""" ( more than 5mph over). In May I was in Atlanta --- on the way back there where at least 6 - 8 mid 60's car's being trainered north by private individuals.. Some where Ford, some chev and some chrysler.. Most looked like they needed extensive work. Certainly more and more of us are trying to relive our youth or what we wanted in our youth. I believe once restored the classics hold their value in the north... simply because of all our snow, salt, rain, cold weather we can only drive them for such as short period annually. WE SIMPLY DO NOT PUT THE MILES ON.. Not like those of you who are not exposed to our climate
And yes I wish we had summer all year round...

 

[wayne50f1]

Myth#1 ? Didnt know it was a myth
Myth#2 is backwards...take it to Ohio
Myth#3 antiquing is what you do when your waitin on the corn to grow
And on the Dukes of Hazzard thing, and speaking for all the rest of us Buckeyes, we thank you for the donation to our fine State, and come back soon. Yah hear....

 

[Guest]

It wasn't the state Highway Patrol (saw lots of them out last week) but a cop from a one horse town south of Steubenville that isn't even on the map. I called the magistrates office on Sat AM to check how much the ticket would cost and they only had the voicemail turned on. The recording sounded much like what you would hear if you called your neighbor's home, didn't identify itself as any kind of official office, just a "we aren't in right now"......and for the topper..... are you ready for this???? The voice was that of the cop who pulled me over! No lies! Wonder where the fine money will go? Certainly not to the fine citizens of Ohio.

 

[Guest]

Doing fine Pat, Brandon's car spent five weeks in the shop but looks darn good now.

Yes, I would agree that going to another part of the country can and does feel like a foreign experience. My only gripe about Ohio, aside from backwater cops, would be the sloooow pace of life there. Went to several convenience stores while in the state and found all the clerks to be maddeningly slow. We joked that if this happened out on the left coast it would result in more shootings. On the other hand, met some of the friendliest waitresses in my life. Stopped at a Waffle House for breakfast and had my coffee cup filled about six times.

 

[camachinist]

Glad to hear everything has turned out well...

From my experiences, it seems like Californians move at warp speed compared to other folks....closest I've seen to us is Vinnie and Toni *G*

Personally, I do prefer the more relaxed pace of the other locales I've visited, even those in the more obscure regions of California....maybe I'll live longer without all that adrenalin coursing through my system all the time..*G*

Stay healthy and say hi to the family!