Busy life leaves almost NO time to enjoy the car. Sound familiar???

[Kern Dog]

It must be my personality type. GO, GO, GO !!!
I have the great fortune to own a nice street car that many would sell a liver to own. It runs and drives great, is totally reliable and is pretty easy to work on. I've spent nearly $40,000 over the 15 years I've owned it but a few small areas still need work. Stuff like guage restoration, heater and A/C repair too. I love this car but this busy life of mine is cutting into my Charger time.
I work a job 110 miles away, leaving little time after work to drive it. I seem to get saddled with various favors and projects and the weekends get filled up quick too.  Lawn maintenance, servicing the work truck, tool maintenance, laundry, keeping the wife happy....it all takes a bite out of my time. How in the heck do men with children ever get anything done? I have no kids, just the wife and 4 dogs. What do i have to do? Tell everyone I know that asks favors to piss off so I can enjoy my car? What do you guys do?

[Dino]

As with everything I enjoy, I try to make time for it.  Winter is perfect for those projects you mention but I usually drive it more than I wrench on it.  With grad school  starting next year, I'm now doing as many mods and upgrades to it as I can so all that is to be done next year is drive it.

I always drove my car to work so even when I was super busy I could enjoy it, but a 220 mile commute is going to cost a fortune in gas!

As for chores, I just try to balance it out.  So a Saturday may involve mowing the lawn followed by swapping the car's carb and doing the laundry.  It's all about give and take.

[Ghoste]

That's why so many guys have sold them over the years when family life took over.

[Kern Dog]

Well, THAT will not happen. The fire still burns, I just am too far away to feel the heat of it.
I need to tell people NO when they want favors. I do enough for people already.

[don duick]

drive it to work one day a week

[Kern Dog]

That could be fun, but I work construction over 110 miles away. I'm not going to put ladders, saws, nail guns and other tools in the car!

[Stevearino]

You must have weekend errands around town and in keeping wife happy might mean going out to dinner or some such small car trip. Make a point of taking the Charger out for those little week end jaunts that are part of your weekend routine.

[don duick]

  hope you get some work a bit closer to home some day.

[stripedelete]

Sounds very familiar.

[XH29N0G]

kern Dog, I can identify with your situation.  My chance to drive my car goes in cycles.  I find there are times when work and other things makes it impossible to drive or enjoy.  Then there are times when I can drive and explore and that makes it worthwhile to have the car.    

[myk]

I have no wife, kids, pets, family, friends or any obligations of any kind outside of work and the cars and I STILL feel as if I don't have enough time for the things I want to do.  It's just the way it is, I guess. 

This is why whenever someone tells me that THEY'RE BORED I feel like pulling out my Magnum and putting another hole in their head, because quite frankly if one can't appreciate the fact that there's so much in the world to see, do, experience; then you just don't deserve to live this life.  There are so many things to do, and only our little lives and short time on this Earth to do it in...

[Daytona R/T SE]

Laundry...

I haven't done a load of laundry since the week before the girlfriend (Now the Ol' Lady) moved into my house ... in 1988.


Laundry=The Ol' Lady's job.



Lawn work...

Do it right after work instead of on the weekends.

I'm already hot, tired, miserable and ready to eradicate every living thing on the planet after a day surrounded by ignorant, unbathed, foul smelling, sister-sniffin' inbreds...so I just get out of the truck and jump straight on the riding mower as soon as I get home.



Weed wacking, trimming, sweeping = The Ol' Lady's job.




Favors...

For y-e-a-r-s I'd be the first one there when one of my friends was pouring concrete, building a garage, replacing a roof...whatever, never asked for money or anything, but lunch and a glass of lemonade would be nice...


Then the day came when I needed to replace the roof on my little house.

Planned it for weeks.

Asked everybody to help me... ( Probably shouldn't have had to ask )

They all said "Yeah, sure...I'll be there .

When the day came...

"Johnny" got there right on time at 6:00 a.m.

Got out of his truck.

Finished the beer he was drinking.

Crushed the can and tossed it in the back of his truck.

Cracked open another one, and said:

We're gonna need more beer !

I said:

Get out, you drunk Fuck.

Then "Dale" my perpetually unemployed friend showed up just in time to tell me that he was sorry, but he just got called in to work.

Apparently "Work" was a barstool next to "Johnny's" barstool.

Fortunately, I had hired a local contractor on the understanding that I would have extra help there to do the grunt work.

Grunt work= Me and the Ol' Lady's job.


So here's the answer:

1. Have the Ol' lady do the laundry.

2. Do the mowing right after work while you're already hot and miserable, and make sure the Ol' Lady participates.

3. Tell all of your so-called friends to fuck off when they want free help.

[bakerhillpins]

I'm with Dino on this one. You just have to carve out some time for it every once in a while. And sometimes you just loose.  Take yesterday. I got up to solve the problem with my drivers front brake. Mind you this should have been solved 3-4 weeks ago. The stuff that shows up an consumes your day... last week it was the TV died. Had to tear it apart and opted to send the board out for repair to try to speed up the process. This weekend after pulling the wheel I noted the vent stack to the septic was busted off. Thanks oil delivery man.. So that ate up yesterday afternoon. Today I have to get back to the Kitchen remodel..

I've got all the kid stuff, even volunteer on the FD, and all the things that get in the way of plans but don't have the issues with dead beat friends... I guess I will count myself as lucky.

[Kern Dog]

MYK, seems like we are of the same mindset sometimes. I see your posts here and feel the same way most of the time.

Daytona R/T SE: Thats some funny shit right there! My wife makes more money than me and cares less about housework than I do. That trait is offset by her being the most caring, supportive and understanding woman that I've ever known. I can't ask her to do my laundry.
I do have friends that would do the same as I have done for them, its just that because I am headstrong and independent, I rarely ask for help. Thats my cross to bear. Maybe if I leaned on others as they have on me, I'd be less stressed and more able to deal with all this.

I'm just ranting here. Most of the time I am okay with all of it. I just see my car sit while I'm doing stuff far less interesting. NO, I am not bored, just overwhelmed.

[sdweatherman]

I'm right there with ya. Wife, two kids, two dogs, and a homeowner. My 3-4 year restoration is now in its 7th year - and I am still just doing metal work/paint. You just have to try and schedule a few hours here and there to try and accomplish little tasks. I found trying to set a whole Saturday or Sunday aside to work on the car just did not pan out real well - so two hours here and there after work has gotten a whole lot more done than waiting until the weekend. Good Luck!
Scott.

[Daytona R/T SE]

MYK, seems like we are of the same mindset sometimes. I see your posts here and feel the same way most of the time.

Daytona R/T SE: Thats some funny shit right there! My wife makes more money than me and cares less about housework than I do. That trait is offset by her being the most caring, supportive and understanding woman that I've ever known. I can't ask her to do my laundry.
I do have friends that would do the same as I have done for them, its just that because I am headstrong and independent, I rarely ask for help. Thats my cross to bear. Maybe if I leaned on others as they have on me, I'd be less stressed and more able to deal with all this.

I'm just ranting here. Most of the time I am okay with all of it. I just see my car sit while I'm doing stuff far less interesting. NO, I am not bored, just overwhelmed.

[69wannabe]

I also feel your pain kern!!!! I drive a work van loaded with tool's and part's to work during the week and lately have been loaded down with weekend work at home and can't get a break with everybody's vehicle's tearing up!! My poor charger is just sitting in the garage with a cover on it waiting to be driven around but with all the car's/truck's lined up in the yard there isn't any time take it out. Like you said above I hate to pass up any job's that can be done fairly quickly and something I can make an extra buck or two on and help out friend's too.

Auto shop's up town have their labor rate's very high so that has brought alot of my friend's and their friend's calling on me since I try do to good work and I am fair on my labor price's. It's very easy to get too much on your plate tho!!!! I am hoping after this week I can get a break. Been covered up for the past three weekend's and look's like this coming weekend is already winding up to be full.

I'm hoping by the time the weather start's cooling down a little bit it will be a little bit slower so I can get back in the driver seat and loafer around some!!! 

[1974dodgecharger]

The question is are you guys restoring the cars to perfection as a hobby or having the car to drive and enjoy as a hobby?

Seems a lot of guys wont drive their car if their cluster gauges don't work?  Or if that chrome bumper has a nick in it they wont drive it either until its fixed?

[six-tee-nine]

Trust me, its a global thing. I'm int the same boat as you.

I sometimes wonder how many years its gonna take for me to finish my 69. I also wonder if i woul'nt be happier if I just sold all my stuff instead of getting frustrated about the fact that I'm totally lacking time to get some work done to it in a reasonable amount of time.

Then again I cant let go of things because its just a part of me....

[Dreamcar]

Seems all too familiar to me...I got two young boys (ages 4 and 2), and both my wife and I have full time jobs. Mondays and Wednesdays are soccer night, and weekends are the typical lawn mowing and other household chores. I can't even drive my car because I'm rebuilding it (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,110598.0.html).

Getting garage time means planning way ahead. My kids go to bed around 8 p.m. on weeknights, so between 8 and 10, I try to get some work done. On the weekends, my wife does groceries and will usually take one kid when the other has his nap...that means I'm in the garage working. If I can get 2-4 hours over the weekend, I'm satisfied. That leaves us time to socialize with friends and family and do whatever else. If I plan things right, I can get about 8-10 hours per week of car rebuilding time. In the winter, I slow things way down on the car (a few hours per week maybe) and try to do other things (like exercise the summer beer drinking weight off).

[six-tee-nine]

Almost identical here!

I'm a happy guy if I can average 6 hours a week. A couple of monts ago I had a some down time at work and not much to do and I had the chance to spend 18 hours on the Charger in one week...... I was over the moon about the achieved amount of work I did. If only I could do that every week, that would be some motivation.....

[TPR]

Kern Dog, I'm pretty much in the same boat, minus the 4 dogs.
As others have suggested, try and make time for it by shifting things around and cutting out less necessary tasks.
Try and pencil in 'Charger Time' in advance, on a calendar or something and unless an emergency pops up, stick to it. That way if an outside request comes up you can say 'Sorry I'm busy'.
This could be as brief as a trip to the coffee shop or to the gas station just outside of town.
I have had to cut back on other hobbies, I've put friends aside and I too don't do yard work on weekends.

It sounds to me like your a hard working, charitable bloke who respects his wife. You deserve to enjoy time with your investment.

Sometimes when I haven't had the Charger out for a few weeks, just knowing that it's sitting in my garage is good enough for me.
Think about all these poor bastards whose Chargers are all in pieces. 
TPR

[1965gp]

I am fortunate enough to have several cars (but only two chargers '69 and '12) to drive. None are perfect- some are nowhere near perfect. As others have found the best way for me to enjoy the cars it to work them into daily activities. I have an erratic work schedule so I am often home during the week. Taking the kids (7 and 10) to school? Drive the General Lee. Running to the store or an errand? Drive the GTO. The next day- drive the TA. I will say that I do not get many long drives, most are short errands - but taking the kids to school with them being excited then going to get a Diet Coke (coffee for some folks) and back to the home office is an awesome way to start off your day.

Hardest part is keeping all of the cars accessible, operational and batteries charged.

I have found that I have had to give up a few things- or rather moderate things. Hobbies that I do not enjoy as much have definitely suffered but such is life. I am notoriously cheap as I don't like paying for simple things (yard work, paint, etc) but every now and then it makes sense. Bought a riding mower and cut my yard work time down from 2 1/2-3 hours to 30-45 min. I'm also not exhausted and still have some drive to get some other work (car, house or other) done. Also, I found that for $300 I can have guys clean up all of the leaves (30-40 bags) and lay fresh mulch. I could do it myself and pay $150 for mulch/bags but that extra $150 buys me at least a day of freedom (probably two). I will give up some dinners, beer, whatever to get more time in the garage.

It's really all about choices. I love getting up early- washing the car and taking the kids to school. I bring my wife Starbucks and she is happy so it's a good time to tell her I want to spend Fri or Sat evening in the garage drinking beer.

As far as friends and favors go- I have about 4 people I will do anything for. Everyone in my neighborhood thinks I love to work on cars and I would cherish the opportunity to work on theirs. I don't even offer anymore- just tell them I am too buried with my own work and recommend a shop. Just this past weekend I had a neighbor ask to borrow a car for a week or so because theirs is broke down and they can't figure it out. Sure- because I put countless hours into a car so that you can park it at the grocery store and get door dings....

[69wannabe]

I am fortunate enough to have several cars (but only two chargers '69 and '12) to drive. None are perfect- some are nowhere near perfect. As others have found the best way for me to enjoy the cars it to work them into daily activities. I have an erratic work schedule so I am often home during the week. Taking the kids (7 and 10) to school? Drive the General Lee. Running to the store or an errand? Drive the GTO. The next day- drive the TA. I will say that I do not get many long drives, most are short errands - but taking the kids to school with them being excited then going to get a Diet Coke (coffee for some folks) and back to the home office is an awesome way to start off your day.

Hardest part is keeping all of the cars accessible, operational and batteries charged.

I have found that I have had to give up a few things- or rather moderate things. Hobbies that I do not enjoy as much have definitely suffered but such is life. I am notoriously cheap as I don't like paying for simple things (yard work, paint, etc) but every now and then it makes sense. Bought a riding mower and cut my yard work time down from 2 1/2-3 hours to 30-45 min. I'm also not exhausted and still have some drive to get some other work (car, house or other) done. Also, I found that for $300 I can have guys clean up all of the leaves (30-40 bags) and lay fresh mulch. I could do it myself and pay $150 for mulch/bags but that extra $150 buys me at least a day of freedom (probably two). I will give up some dinners, beer, whatever to get more time in the garage.

It's really all about choices. I love getting up early- washing the car and taking the kids to school. I bring my wife Starbucks and she is happy so it's a good time to tell her I want to spend Fri or Sat evening in the garage drinking beer.

As far as friends and favors go- I have about 4 people I will do anything for. Everyone in my neighborhood thinks I love to work on cars and I would cherish the opportunity to work on theirs. I don't even offer anymore- just tell them I am too buried with my own work and recommend a shop. Just this past weekend I had a neighbor ask to borrow a car for a week or so because theirs is broke down and they can't figure it out. Sure- because I put countless hours into a car so that you can park it at the grocery store and get door dings....

Way to familiar!!!!! I have a couple of extra jeep cherokees that I drive on the weekend's and if one of the other three break's down (one is the wife's, one is my son's and one is my daughter's) then I have a spare for them to drive until I get their's up and going again. I like to have a couple of extra vehicle's in case of an emergency and they have came in pretty handy lately. Really don't like to loan them out tho, people do not care about your vehicle's like you do... My kid's are pretty much grown up now with the youngest being 20 now and it's still hard to find time to enjoy myself. Alot of time's when we go out to eat or to the movies I do not drive the charger since it's hard to keep an eye on it and if I can't keep it visible I just would rather it be safe at home. Already got a couple of week's work lined up with a blown head gasket on a jeep cherokee and some front end work on a chevy truck and pulled the radiator out of a bobcat digger of some kind tonite. Got to take the radiator and hopefully get it repaired and get that back together and that will just leave me with the other two. Really could use a break but these folk's are great customer's so I will just have to push on through and get these thing's fixed. Just poured a slab of concrete in front of my shop so I can use the extra cash to put back in the bank!!!

[472 R/T SE]

 

This is why whenever someone tells me that THEY'RE BORED I feel like pulling out my Magnum and putting another hole in their head, because quite frankly if one can't appreciate the fact that there's so much in the world to see, do, experience; then you just don't deserve to live this life.  There are so many things to do, and only our little lives and short time on this Earth to do it in...

Amen brother.


My little saying, "Life is like a blank art canvas.  You paint it anyway you want."


-----------


I don't get my car out nearly as much as I used to.  Mostly cause it's such a pain in the butt to get in & out of the garage.  Our driveways sucks.  That doesn't sound like such a deterrent to you able body people I'm sure.