Is this normal man behavior

lisar wrote: Okay so my dh has something he could sell its a 1966 Mustang that needs to be restored. The motor is all original numbers which makes it more valuable. So I have someone willing to pay right now $5000.00 cash for the car. Its only worth about 3 grand though the way it sits. Well anyways my dh wont come off of it. WHY? He knows he is never gona restore this car so why keep it. Especially when he could make that kind of money on it. We could pay off some bills with that money at least the Visa, Mastercard, and the home depot bill all in one we could pay them off. I keep telling him that he is a "wimp" (I used a non appropriate word I cant put here) and that he is emotionally attached to a stupid car. Is this just a man thing. Help me out here.

Hillbilly Housewife replied: well what would it be worth if it was completely restored?

BabyOwen427 replied: Well, I know how you feel on that. My DH has a 67 and a 65 mustang, an 82 elcamino and a 72 c-10 chevy truck. Right now only two are driveable and the 67 is going to take so much work it's overwhelming! But they are his loves and I have never asked him to get rid of them. I have asked that he don't buy any more (but that was before he bought the 65 and 82 ). But it's different for me in a way, my dh is actually restoring them. The 82 is almost finished, and the 65 just lacks a paint job and new tires.

I read your post to my dh and he is wanting to know where you live, cause he is interested . He'd be willing to trade his 95 mustang convertable for it.

lesliesmom replied: It's a man thing... DH has a 66 Chrysler New Yorker that sits in MIL's driveway. It needs new tires but runs. Needs restoring but everything is pretty much original. We've had offers on it but he won't sell. Doesn't matter how much we could use the extra cash. Now he uses the kids as an excuse because everytime I talk about selling "Rudy" -yes he named the car - the kids yell and scream and say we can't... although they're lucky if they get to ride in it 2x a year... it's not insured or registered... can't afford it. So why keep the darn thing?!?

So... to answer your question.. you're not alone.

Crystalina replied: Lisa, You have to understand that he's not thinking "what he can get for it" he's thinking that he "may one day" fix it up. Yes, I believe it's a man thing. It's something for him to tinker with (if he's like my dh) and his tinkering time is much more important them paying off those bills that allow you to make monthly payments.

It's just how their brains work.


DH would tell me it's no different then me paying way too much money for a rocking chair that I won't let anyone sit in because it's an antique.

lisar replied: Okay I understand yalls point and it would cost about ten grand to restore this car and its only worth about 12 after he would restore it. So there wouldnt be any money making off of it if he restored it. But the thing is he doesnt even tinker with the car it sits in the dog pen on a trailer and thats it. I shoot at it with the paint ball gun to annoy him.

lisar replied:
I thought he wasnt allowed to buy anymore. LOL.... I am Florida where are you?

BabyOwen427 replied:
LOL Your right I really don't want him buying any more but the classics are his passion and he's really trying to sell the 95 mustang. So, hopefully at the most we'd come out even. We live in Oklahoma, so I think it'd be a bit of a streach to any tradeing.

DVFlyer replied: I don't know that it's so much of a "man thing" as it is a "people thing". Everyone has unused non-critical personal items that could be turned into cash... albeit maybe not $5000 worth.... that they are not using.... do you really "need" all those shoes?

IMO, it's not the idea that some day he will work on it, it's the fact he doesn't have time to work on it that makes him keep it. It's his way of maintaining control over one aspect of his life. Since he knows he can't work on it, he's going to hold on to it just because he can control that small part of the idea of the project.... if that makes sense.

I've given up many hobbies due to having no time to play with them anymore because of kids, family etc. I always seem to hold on to one small item from the hobby just to keep the idea of "not giving up" around.

If it was me, though, I'd sell it to pay the bills. I hate bills. It even kills me to have a mortgage... but paying that off is not really realistic.

luvmykids replied: Normal for my man, definitely The guy hangs onto EVERYTHING, even shirts he's had since before I knew him that I still haven't ever seen him wear Why? Because what if he needs/wants it someday and can't find a suitable replacement?

redchief replied: Ahh, if I only had a little room in the garage...

wcs40110 replied: i had a grand prix i wouldnt part with that pretty much had a blown engine. i loved that car. a 94 z28 camaro too. its normal.

HuskerMom replied:


I don't think it's really a man thing. I think some people just have a harder time parting with things. I'm that way. Dh has a 70's Ford Torino (not sure what year exactly). The thing is uglier than sin but I would cry if he got rid of it. It just has a ton of sentimental value, that's what he drove when we were dating in highschool. He said that if he ever got rid of it he'd have to keep the backseat. But I always tell him that someday when we have the money I want to fix it up and he always says it's not worth it. But it's worth it to me. And I have a '79 Trans Am that he keeps telling me that I should to sell to buy a nicer one but I can't, I'm just too attached. I think the body is practically all bondo. But it's my baby.

TANNER'S MOM replied: We had an old 70 model camper trailer, and lord it was ugly and in awful shape. Randy's dad bought it new and gave it to us 20 years later. Randy always said he was going to fix it up. Well he fixed it up enough to go camping in it, and that's where Tanner was made. Then the roof started leaking, and the floor went bad, and nothing got better. But I wouldn't let him get rid of it. We hauled that thing every where we moved for 10 years. Finally he tore it down, and he saved the axles to make a 4 wheeler trailer, but it was me not him that wouldn't get rid of it, b/c that's where Tanner was made. We had a nice big one sitting beside side that we used but I hated to see it go.

Dh had his dream truck, it was a nice flat bed Ford dually. It was a nice truck, but it had something wrong with the motor. He loved that truck but we couldn't afford to fix it. He would go sit in it, for no reason! Just cause he loved it. My Dad ran into some finicial trouble bad, his wife had cancer and was dying. We had to pay the funeral bills and help my Dad out. He sold it for my Dad. That was love for me, if I have ever seen it. I knew what the truck meant to him, but he showed what me and my family meant to him too. I am sure if you needed the money, or there was an emergency he would do for his family. But right now he just need a dream, something to talk to about. I am sure when he is hanging with the guys they talk cars, and that's his baby to talk about. They all have to have something to bs about.

luvmykids replied:
Ain't that the truth

That was so sweet of Randy to come through when it really mattered