When you start worrying about sinking money into your G-body, put down the wrench, and slowly back out of the garage without making eye contact. Then make up a for sale ad and get rid of your car. The party's over. There's nothing more satisfying outside of the bedroom IMO than wrenching on a car. It's the automotive equivalent to a little blue pill. 😵
Cars, especially older ones, were never, and will never, be cheap. It's like the family dog. Sure, you may have got him cheap or even given to you, but food costs and vet bills over the years end up being more than you would have paid for him "new". But you won't get rid of him because he becomes part of the family. Car people already are aware of this going in.
The fun part about having a second car as a fun toy is that it's not your primary vehicle, you can park it and not feed it for a while if you don't want, and they really don't take up any money unless you wish to put it in. And if you love your car, that's more than enough reason to sink more money into it. If I stopped to think about how much money I've spent on cars...I'm just not going to. Waste of time because I'd do it again.
It's simply a financial decison. If you have the time, money, and skill, or someone you can pay to do all that, then do what you wish. If you don't, then either lower your expectations or park the project until you do have some money, time, and/or skills to do it justice. It's your car, so enjoy it as YOU want to.
I think the technological crowd doesn't get their hands dirty anymore. Kids today don't seem to be attracted to the cool cars anymore, partly because there are less and less cool cars to be had that's financially in their wheelhouse. That, and GM's (and others) propensity to get rid of parts off the shelf about when the warranty expires without the aftermarket picking them up is a huge problem. Some more than others. But I just don't see the younger folks gravitating to the cars like most of us here did. If you put it in perspective, think about the "old" cars that are 15-20 years old right now. What would you buy? Me? Probably not much of anything. Who wants a FWD?
If I worried about what other people thought about my cars, I'd probably never have bought an Oldsmobile. Especially a G-body with emissions choke-out systems all over it. My cars speak to me. If it doesn't scream "drive me," I'm not likely to have much interest in it. Lord knows, with a stock G-body, you don't drive it to be fast and powerful. Even a stock GN is kinda slow by today's standards.
True, we do have a car that doesn't say drive me...a 2012 Ford Focus. It was willed to me by my late mother-in-law because I helped her go buy the car she wanted. For some reason she was so happy that she didn't get screwed and got a good deal on it that, even against my objections, she left it in her will to me when she passed 5 years ago. If it wasn't for the wife, I'd have probably gotten rid of the car pronto. But her sentimental value has its place. So there you go. Another mouth to feed. Honestly, the 4 cylinder isn't terrible on gas mileage, so to do daily duties it's ok. But you would think because my dad retired from Corvette that I'd have had one at some point, but no. Corvettes are neat, but just don't do much to stir me to want one for myself. Kinda like a Mustang...a car for those who love them, and respect them on the street, but I just can't fall in love with one.
That said, I can't ever stop anywhere in the G-bodies and NOT have someone ask me if I want to sell it or "how much you want for that?" to break the ice. Mostly at gas stations, but still. Rando droolers used to be kinda funny but nowadays, I'm not sure what's safe or not. I can probably be safe to say you will likely never hear offers like that at an EV charging station. 🙂
