selling my toys

[kitesurfer2]

at 65, I faced reality that those things in enjoyed when younger years don't have the appeal they one did. I sold my motorcycle Friday. i've been riding since 1978. Riding saved my mind and soul so many times. it was therapeutical. it was a life style. riding has becoming increaseingly dangerous, especially in Florida. I've gotten around that by not riding at all in fla and trailering my bike to the mountains and riding there for a week or a month at a time. what I will miss are the riders I meet on the road.



Then yesterday, I sold my sailboat. I still love to sail, but I found yesterday that I cannot step the mast by myself anymore.


that leaves me with my white water kayak and associated paddle gear. I bought brand new a couple years back in another attempt to regain my youth. I still have the skills, but not the desire.

 

[Dtail]

at 65, I faced reality that those things in enjoyed when younger years don't have the appeal they one did. I sold my motorcycle Friday. i've been riding since 1978. Riding saved my mind and soul so many times. it was therapeutical. it was a life style. riding has becoming increaseingly dangerous, especially in Florida. I've gotten around that by not riding at all in fla and trailering my bike to the mountains and riding there for a week or a month at a time. what I will miss are the riders I meet on the road.



Then yesterday, I sold my sailboat. I still love to sail, but I found yesterday that I cannot step the mast by myself anymore.


that leaves me with my white water kayak and associated paddle gear. I bought brand new a couple years back in another attempt to regain my youth. I still have the skills, but not the desire.

Being in FLA, was wondering why it is more dangerous to ride in FLA? Is it a reference to the increasing traffic or something worse?

 

[braumeister]

I understand completely.

When we moved to a condo a few years ago, I no longer had room for my homebrewing system. I had accumulated it over many years and it was a pretty sophisticated system. I could make a 10 gallon batch in under five hours, including cleanup time.

Just for fun, I calculated how much it would cost to duplicate my system from scratch and it was well over $5K. So I started asking around to see who might be interested. A local brewery was very interested, since they wanted a small pilot system to test out recipes. That made me happy since the equipment would be well utilized, so I sold it to them for $1K with the condition that I could come in and use it when I wanted. A win for both sides.

 

[VanWinkle]

I understand completely.

When we moved to a condo a few years ago, I no longer had room for my homebrewing system. I had accumulated it over many years and it was a pretty sophisticated system. I could make a 10 gallon batch in under five hours, including cleanup time.

Just for fun, I calculated how much it would cost to duplicate my system from scratch and it was well over $5K. So I started asking around to see who might be interested. A local brewery was very interested, since they wanted a small pilot system to test out recipes. That made me happy since the equipment would be well utilized, so I sold it to them for $1K with the condition that I could come in and use it when I wanted. A win for both sides.

A tip of the mug to you braumeister

 

[JDARNELL]

I just returned from a 16 day 13 state 4416 mile motorcycle trip. The worst part was riding across Ks. I think I will be moving into the trailering state to get to the areas I want to ride in for a few more years but eventually I will probably hang it up. Most immediate issue is downsizing homes in the next 18 months and having enough room for the toys.

 

[frayne]

Sold my scooter last year at 66. Long trips were not as much fun and local riding was down right dangerous with all the idiots on their cell phones. Fortunately I still have many other hobbies to keep me entertained.

 

[Cobra9777]

My toys are guitars, keyboards, vintage amps/speakers, computers, and woodworking machines. I don't plan to part with them until I'm dead. I worked hard for 30 years so that I can now play with them all day. Those toys are one reason our downsizing requirements are very specific.

 

[Ronstar]

I know what you are going through. I sold my boat a few months ago. It was a pita getting it into my garage in the fall and getting it prepped and in the water in the spring. Next up - my brewing equipment. I quit brewing when I retired because it got to be a pita and it would now take me a few months to drink 5 gallons.

I'll eventually have to downsize my woodworking tools when we downsize to a smaller house. Unless I can downsize the house while upsizing the workshop.

 

[kitesurfer2]

I just returned from a 16 day 13 state 4416 mile motorcycle trip. The worst part was riding across Ks. I think I will be moving into the trailering state to get to the areas I want to ride in for a few more years but eventually I will probably hang it up. Most immediate issue is downsizing homes in the next 18 months and having enough room for the toys.

I towed to Yellowstone last. end of summer ands enjoyed 4 days in the black hills riding before my wife flew in. It was wonderful. we unloaded and rode in many places. I had fresh tires each time I rode and I was always ready to ride.

I've been trailering exclusively for the past few years--camping in my van had a lot to do with the decision. Riding in fla is so dangerous because of cell phones. I walk religiously and walking you can see things. over half of the people I see have a phone in their left hand, raise up so they can txt and see the traffic. I think that little cell phone would totally block a motorcycle.

 

[Dtail]

I towed to Yellowstone last. end of summer ands enjoyed 4 days in the black hills riding before my wife flew in. It was wonderful. we unloaded and rode in many places. I had fresh tires each time I rode and I was always ready to ride.

I've been trailering exclusively for the past few years--camping in my van had a lot to do with the decision. Riding in fla is so dangerous because of cell phones. I walk religiously and walking you can see things. over half of the people I see have a phone in their left hand, raise up so they can txt and see the traffic. I think that little cell phone would totally block a motorcycle.

They should change the cell phone usage in the car as a primary violation instead of a secondary violation. Perhaps that would help.
Then again FLA is kind of backwards with car rules like cost of 400-500 to register a car but no car inspections.

 

[mountainsoft]

I faced reality that those things in enjoyed when younger years don't have the appeal they one did. I sold my motorcycle Friday.

Earlier this year I sold my 1976 VW Rabbit that I had loved and maintained most of my adult life. I spent most of last year restoring it to the best of my ability, but when I was done I realized it didn't have the appeal to me it used to have. Life With My VW Rabbit - Anthony Watson

I had hoped to find someone who would appreciate the work I had put into it. Unfortunately, the passion I had for the vehicle meant nothing to the younger generation. They just wanted to tear apart everything I had spent years working on and use it as sheet metal for their own projects. I couldn't even get a "good job", just lots of insults and negative feedback on a car I had spent my life caring for. The whole experience was bitter and emotional for me. Now I'm just happy it's gone. I sold it to a young guy who acted respectful to my face, but he probably painted it pink and put clown wheels on it.

 

[Car-Guy]

Wow, and I thought I was the only one. I have been selling off most of my older cars. I just don't feel (energy) like maintaining them anymore. I still like cars and I like to drive a lot but now I just want more performance and luxury and less (far less) maintenance. So for me that means sticking with new cars. I knew this would happen and is another reason I retired early to enjoy my toys while I still could.

I'm not ready to change my name from "Car-Guy" to "No Car-Guy" but the day may come. I'm down to 4 vehicles now. Still have interest in my other life long hobbies but those have changed too to varying degrees.

Interesting though, I am thinking about getting me another (new) motorcycle now that we live in the country full time.

 

[RobbieB]

I'm selling a motorcycle also.

That leaves me with 3 -

 

[Out of Steam]

Being in FLA, was wondering why it is more dangerous to ride in FLA? Is it a reference to the increasing traffic or something worse?

Florida has long been much more dangerous than average as a place to drive or be a pedestrian. I remember visiting my late cousin, who lived in Florida, warning me over 30 years ago to count to three after the light turned green before moving the car.

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article125588259.html

A motorcyclist faces similar dangers to a pedestrian in terms of not being seen on the road.

 

[Out of Steam]

Earlier this year I sold my 1976 VW Rabbit that I had loved and maintained most of my adult life. I spent most of last year restoring it to the best of my ability, but when I was done I realized it didn't have the appeal to me it used to have. Life With My VW Rabbit - Anthony Watson

Great story! One of my post-retirement goals is to own one more car with a manual transmission, probably a Golf or other hatchback.

It would be my second car to a minivan (most likely) or SUV for camping and road trips.

 

[Jerry1]

Great story! One of my post-retirement goals is to own one more car with a manual transmission, probably a Golf or other hatchback.

It would be my second car to a minivan (most likely) or SUV for camping and road trips.

I think if I was going to drive a manual transmission, it would need to be a fun vehicle like a roadster or even a muscle car. I’ve often wondered about something like an Audi TT.

 

[Car-Guy]

I think if I was going to drive a manual transmission, it would need to be a fun vehicle like a roadster or even a muscle car. I’ve often wondered about something like an Audi TT.

Manual muscle cars are "fun" and back-in-the-day, they were the quickest when compared to the same car with automatics. However, these days, all things being equal, modern muscle cars are quicker with automatics. And with paddle shifters, they are almost as much fun as manuals and to be honest, they "have become" more reliable, in my experience.

 

[haha]

Earlier this year I sold my 1976 VW Rabbit that I had loved and maintained most of my adult life. I spent most of last year restoring it to the best of my ability, but when I was done I realized it didn't have the appeal to me it used to have. Life With My VW Rabbit - Anthony Watson

I had hoped to find someone who would appreciate the work I had put into it. Unfortunately, the passion I had for the vehicle meant nothing to the younger generation. They just wanted to tear apart everything I had spent years working on and use it as sheet metal for their own projects. I couldn't even get a "good job", just lots of insults and negative feedback on a car I had spent my life caring for. The whole experience was bitter and emotional for me. Now I'm just happy it's gone. I sold it to a young guy who acted respectful to my face, but he probably painted it pink and put clown wheels on it.

I really enjoyed your site about your Rabbit. I had a orange 76 rabbit bought new, and a brown diesel dasher bought used. I put about 500k miles on the pair, doing most but not all of the work on them. I had a buddy who was a retired fleet mechanic for a big diesel trucker. He went all over the NW and got trucks going again. He taught me a lot, and also got me some good rates on rebuilds from Seattle area machine shops.

Roads were rarely salted, so I never had to develop the metal working skills that you have.

All of this is behind me now, as I live in a condo and don't even own a car currently. I do have parking which is great to make it possible for my girlfriend to buzz over. Otherwise, parking is basically impossible. I walk, bus, and Uber, and I live right in Central Seattle where this is possible. I kind of miss my old life, but I would not really want to go back. In winter, lying on a concrete floor under one of my cars made me feel good even though cold, but that time in my life is permanently in the rear view mirror.

Ha

 

[Philliefan33]

Still in my early 50’s, and still buying some toys to enable my quest to beat back Father Time.

Lately it’s been bicycle accessories and clothing (I’m riding farther and more often) and whitewater kayaks and gear. I wish I had taken up whitewater kayaking when I was younger, but better late than never.

I imagine I’ll be selling the paddling gear before the bikes. Hopefully not for at least ten years.

 

[braumeister]

Loved the Rabbit story.

I had a 1980 diesel Rabbit that had two lives. I enjoyed the economical, reliable, but underpowered car for a few years during the gas crisis. I even fitted it with an auxiliary fuel tank that gave me an 800 mile range.

When I was sent overseas, I sold it to my friend's brother. He lived around the corner from my friend, who would sneak over there periodically at night and put a gallon in the fuel tank. The brother never caught on, and constantly bragged about his incredible diesel Rabbit that got over 100 mpg.

Nobody ever believed him, which drove him nuts. Meanwhile, everyone else knew the real story. He went to his grave scratching his head over that amazing car.

 

[timo2]

You all have good stories. I thought cleaning up and getting rid of everything I can't take to the 'home' was traumatic. But obviously there i more mental trauma in stopping hobbies.

 

[cbo111]

at 65, I faced reality that those things in enjoyed when younger years don't have the appeal they one did. I sold my motorcycle Friday. i've been riding since 1978. Riding saved my mind and soul so many times. it was therapeutical. it was a life style. riding has becoming increaseingly dangerous, especially in Florida. I've gotten around that by not riding at all in fla and trailering my bike to the mountains and riding there for a week or a month at a time. what I will miss are the riders I meet on the road.



Then yesterday, I sold my sailboat. I still love to sail, but I found yesterday that I cannot step the mast by myself anymore.


that leaves me with my white water kayak and associated paddle gear. I bought brand new a couple years back in another attempt to regain my youth. I still have the skills, but not the desire.

I have enjoyed several Harley's, Honda's and assorted other bikes over the years, but I second your trepidation regarding riding in Florida. I found most intersections have a layer of sand from the constant flow of dump trucks that feel like riding over small marbles, very slick. That combined with drivers who do not seem aware of anything going on outside their vehicles, makes riding in Florida too dangerous. Just the other day I saw an ad in Nextdoor for a mint 2007 Harley Davidson Electra Glide Classic with 10K miles for only $7,000. I was seriously tempted, but realized it was not a smart move.

 

[pb4uski]

..... I sold it to them for $1K with the condition that I could come in and use it when I wanted. A win for both sides.

Have you ever used it since you sold it?

 

[braumeister]

Have you ever used it since you sold it?

Only once. It's too easy to buy a ⅙ barrel keg of something good at the store. I always have three on tap at home.

 

[aja8888]

I was "over" motorcycles a long time ago after moving from Connecticut to Los Angeles. I had a few Harley's and a bunch of euro and Asian bikes too over my early years. I guess I replaced the driving thrill with fast cars for a while and had a Vette and few crazy quick sports cars. Once I started a lot of business travel, I didn't have much time for them so I caved in to being a normal suburbanite.

Lately I have added to my old habit. Last year I restored a 1971 VW Beetle and recently bought a 1998 Ford F-150 Lariat Edition with 46,000 miles on it. I miss my old pickup so this old devil will be handy.