Save it or drive it
 

Hello,
I have a 1930 Tudor that is really nice and mostly original except for a few safety modifications (seat belts, LED light bulbs, turn signals, electric wiper...etc) that I drive about 5000+ miles a year. Sometimes I feel bad that I am using the car too much and feel it should just be a trailer queen that I preserve and show on weekends. Other times I feel the Model A was built to be a daily driver and people should see it going down the road every day as it was intended to do.
.
So what do you think??
* Make your car a show piece so people can see what these cars originally looked like and how beautiful they really were. Basically preserving it forever.
-or-
* Drive your car everywhere, everyday so people can see the car do what it was built to do....even though it takes a ton of work to keep it running...and you are wearing it out and risking wrecking your car. This option does keep the aftermarket parts makers in business.
...
Anyway....what do you think?

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Drive it......

Re: Save it or drive it
 

model A's were meant to be driven!!!

Re: Save it or drive it
 

I think everyone feels a different way. I am restoring my 1930 Model A but I plan to drive it as much as I can weather allowing. You will find guys that they are serious about showing there car at shows only and I think that is ok also. To each and everyone, do what makes you happy. The fact is, whether you are a daily driver or only drive your car to car shows, we all love our Model A's.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Drive it. No fun dragging a A around on a trailer

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Good heavens, drive it. A trailer queen only gets seen by a few, and unless you have gone "all the way" for judging and points, my opinion that keeping it on a trailer gets you little or no satisfaction. Besides, when you ask:

"Make your car a show piece so people can see what these cars originally looked like and how beautiful they really were. Basically preserving it forever."

Don't forget that the casual observer won't notice or care whether it has turn signals or LED bulbs. Nor will they have any appreciation for the fact that the older cars did not. Drive it and show it off and answer all the questions that you already know people ask.

Cheers

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Having lived in southeast Michigan (yes, Ford country), I agree.
Otherwise...drive, drive, drive.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

When the day comes that I can no longer drive mine on a regular basis that is when I'll pass it on to someone who will.
Drive it and enjoy it while you can.:)

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Kinda depends on the car I think.

If it's a car where a high number of them are still on the road and spare parts are readily available I'd drive it without worrying too much. (like a Model A)
If it's a rare car, where spare parts are hard to get or not available at all, I'd refrain from driving it too much.

Nevertheless one of the worst things you can do is not drive an old car at all.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Drive it. It will run much better. I disagree with you on how much work it takes to keep it running. We play with them a lot, but once you get things right, There is not much you have to do except keep your hands off of it. They are very tough cars and will take all that you can give it. Think Mechanical, and not Cosmetic. You will have more fun.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

YES -- Save It AND Drive It

Re: Save it or drive it
 

I think this is great advice for most owners. Having said that. We have a car that we have owned for over 40 years. I am to old to do the work that was done to it again. Now only drive it to local show and around our town. About 100 miles per year. It runs and handles like new, “Keep your hands off of it”.

Like anything else. Somethings over time and use, will just wear out. Owners being one.

Enjoy.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

It's a Tudor, weather permitting drive it, keep up with repairs, enjoy it and letting others enjoy it going down the road.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

You have just as much chance of getting in a wreck trailering it as driving it. These are NOT rare cars. If you had a model that less than 10 still existed then maybe but to not drive your prized car in order to "preserve" it makes as much sense to me as Jay Pritchett from "modern family" not sleeping with Gloria to "preserve" her for the next guy. For all you know the next owner might buy it at your estate sale and proceed to tear the fenders off, chop it and put a SBC in it. I see that more and more these days with pristine cars as the price of them is dropping. It's your car, do with it what makes you happy.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Difficult choice.
Only you can decide. What would give you the most enjoyment?
If restoring, you may not want to drive it much. But depending on you, you may feel better that you restored it.

If you leave it as is, but preserve it with its character, the next person has a choice of an every day car or it would be an excellent choice for a full restoration. Meanwhile no fears of it getting more character from dings/use/paint issues.

With the current status of the amount of As and excellent vendors to support the hobby, should not fear that parts/knowledge support will fade soon.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

I have a few what I would call "nice Model A's" - they are not high points cars with all of the fine detailing and parts accuracy that go into making one of those fine examples, but they are nonetheless as nice or nicer than many of the cars out there today. Like yours, mine are for the most part what I would consider "original", although I have taken a few liberties that might be considered a departure from original in a strict sense (powder coated running gears, plated nuts and bolts on the undercarriage, etc.), but with that said, I enjoy driving them (each has its own particular characteristics depending largely on the temperature), but I would generally not take them out on a rainy day, or on roads that would possibly prove detrimental to either the general mechanical or aesthetics of the car. With the exception of only a very few models (that in those cases, I feel should only be shown - e.g. Town Car, Taxi, etc.), I think that most folks would enjoy driving their cars and sharing them with those who may also find these cars to be of interest.

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Mine is a AA truck that was, like a lot of them, nearly used up. Anyone in their right mind wouldn’t even fool with it, and I likely wouldn’t had I known how worn out it was, but I am in with both feet now and am determined to make a driver out of it. I want it as original as possible but most of the original aftermarket wood body is long gone. I am not a young man anymore and if I ever complete it I plan to use it!
Another thought I had was that the more model As that are driven, the more need for replacement parts to be made and the two will perpetuate each other. Long live the model A, (and AA).

Re: Save it or drive it
 

Good Morning all...An interesting fact about Model 'A's...The more you drive them, the better they run...keep them lubed, the oil changed, run Marvel Mystery Oil,according to the instructions on the bottle, and enjoy...Ernie in Arizona

Re: Save it or drive it
 

I am new to this hobby. I figure my job as a caretaker of a 70 year old vehicle, I need to preserve it for the next generation.
Nobody gets out of life alive. It will be in better condition then when I got it. I'm going to drive it and enjoy it.
Let the next caretaker decide what they want to do with it.