In my four-part series about the 2008 Ford Mustang Bullitt I used to own, I mentioned all the things I learned during my time with it. Many of them were painful lessons, but the truth is there are also a lot of upsides to having a collector car. I’ve laid out a list of them below.
You Did It!
Let’s face it: Most people don’t dream of owning a Toyota Corolla (OK, maybe the 300-horsepower GR version). Many of us saw our dream cars when we were kids or teenagers and made owning them a goal. Fantasizing about downshifting in a big-block C3 Corvette or launching an F-150 SVT Lightning feels great, but you know what feels even better? Actually making a badass vehicle your own. Every time you go out to your garage, you see proof that you made your dream into a reality.
Good Buy
Something else happens whenever you see that vehicle. If you’re anything like me, whether it’s the first time you see it at your place or the 50th, you take a long, loving look at it, then shake your head slowly in disbelief that it’s even yours. Then you smile, grateful that you had the ability to get something that was so special to you. The pain you may have felt paying for it has faded by now and you’re left with a sense of calm and satisfaction. Other times, you might pass your dream car by as you’re going to get the paper or check the mail. Before you even do what you went outside to do, you stop at various points around the vehicle to admire its design and the curvature and definition of its bodywork. You may not know it at the time, but that sustained fascination and enthusiasm just proves you made the right decision.
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If your car happens to be from a limited production run, it’s probably even more satisfying because it’s not a common, dime-a-dozen model. The S197 Mustang Bullitt’s production numbers certainly made it feel more special to me. That mentality is one of the reasons why there are waiting lists for exotics with more names on them than the number of vehicles the manufacturer will produce.
A Page Out of the Book
Whenever you purchase a collector car, you also buy a piece of automotive history. It may represent the peak of technology or craftsmanship in its era. Its body style, technologies, engine, transmission, and performance may be from yesteryear, but that’s what makes your car so significant. There will never be another (new) one like it.
Instant Popularity
I learned this when I tested the 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 and 2020 Chevrolet Corvette: When you have an interesting, relatively unusual vehicle, you make friends wherever you go. I was only able to leave a gas station parking lot in the Shelby after being stopped by three different people who wanted to talk about it. If you like being the center of attention, a collector car will put you right where you want to be.
A Little Less of a Stranger
When you have a collector car, it can make you feel connected to people you’ve never even met before. If you have a Challenger Hellcat and you see a fellow owner, you know that at least in one way, there’s a kindred spirit out there. You may even feel that way seeing someone in a high-performance vehicle from a different brand because you see they enjoy ferocious acceleration and exhaust roar, just like you.
What are some of the upsides that you’ve learned come along with owning a collector car? Feel free to tell me in the comments below.
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