Hey.
I hesitated to start this post because everybody has their own opinions on marriage and what makes one successful and after all this is a auto forum not Dear Abby but since Classic Oldsmobile .com provides a general discussion forum here goes.
I have been married 44 years, it was love at first sight for me, for her well lets just say I had to grow on her, but obviously something in the plant food worked were still happily married, maybe it was my rugged good looks, my charm, my witt, my stubborn patience or the fact that I'm just so humble !! for me it was not that complicated I just thought she was gorgeous !!
Ok, I'm getting there, the reason I'm saying this is my philosophy is simple marriage is 50/50 at least for us and at least with major purchases/ decisions I always talk to her and we make the decision together I don't do the caveman or I'm king of the castle thing (wouldn't work here)
When I bought the 64 Belair to restore I promised I would not ever use household funds for it's restoration or deprive the kids of anything to further it's progress and I stuck to that I bartered, traded or worked side jobs to finance the project.
Enter the other woman the 1956 Olds, despite the fact that I can be quite persuasive this was a bit of a uphill battle, it took me awhile to maneuver myself in to position for this one !! I started dropping hints about 8 months ago and while I knew she heard me there was not much acknowledgment however I knew she heard me and she knew what was coming !! she told me after the purchase that her resistance was futile !!! because like a dog with a bone I was not going to let go !! however what she doesnt know and what I won't tell her (at least for now ) is that if she had not agreed I would have backed off because ( although in my opinion I scored big and could flip this Olds in a heartbeat) I always want her 100% on board and although this one took a while she's on deck.
So finally to the main question, were your better halves/wifes/significant others on board ? did they resist, complain? hold it over your head, gripe, challenge,refuse,disown,divorce make life miserable ? did they just say ok whatever you want ? did they make you buy them a new car, house, boat wardrobe ? I do get an occasional are you done with your other woman now, or hows your girlfriend today, but it's said with a smile THANK GOD !! P.S. I'm sure in some cases your vehicle may have been around before you married but you can still report on it's standing in the family or if it's a source of conflict not trying to be nosey just wondering if you have a 3,900 LB mistress like I do have you had to pay for it ? .I'm lucky and have not.

 

The maidens of iron are many and it has been at a price. My wife has resisted but given in. Criticized yet listened and along the way I have tinkered with a few rides and enjoyed driving them (though, I would never claim the complete victory of completing a car). It has always been a balancing act but she knew that when we met. I was buzzing around in a 3 speed Nova with no interior that howled like a suicidal sewing machine, she liked it but we were young and adventurous. After the baby it was a hard sell. She hated the '67 and '70 Camaro's, serves me right I gutted both interiors and I never quite got to that part of the project. The car I got for her, the nice car, was the 69 Cutlass. It was very clean inside, 4 doors and had air conditioning, everything she needed. She tried it and got scared. She didn't want to wipe out other cars with its size and power so I got to drive it. Ever since then it's been Olds fever and she has been quite understanding though skeptical at times.

 

Actually, my wife is the one that convinced me to buy my Olds. She knew that I had been watching the cars shows for years and looking/dreaming at different cars that I had seen for sale.

Finally she told me to find one that I liked and buy it. Her reasoning, "You've spent all of your time and money for the past 20 years on the me, the kids and the house. You need to buy something for yourself".

How could I say no?

 

solly, my wife and I have been married 54 years. We were very young (she was 18 and I was 19). I won't go off on a long story but just to say I have been very blessed. My wife knows she was not my first love. Cars were. She has enjoyed all the cars I have had. It is not a long list but does include 4 convertibles starting with the Roman Red 60 Impala convertible I had when we started dating. The other 3 included two 72 Cutlass convertibles and the 54 I have now. The only place she ever drew the line in the sand was a motorcycle. I have a 57 Chevy I am going to start the restoration on this year. Her dad gave me the car in 1968 and she is supportive of the restoration. At some point the Olds will be sold but the Chevy will be passed down to our son.

 

Glen,
we are indeed lucky, Zeek (that's my wife's nick name it's car related, I'll tell the story some time) has been supportive she just doesnt have the passion for cars that I do, but she checks off about 95% of the other boxes so I'll keep her and the Olds. I have no sons but do have a Grandson that has spent countless hours on Grandpas lap looking at cars ( he loves car video's and pictures ) so his name will be on the title some day.

 

The Queen and I have been married for 37 years...damned near. She is one mean individual. For some reason she is not up for me having three classic cars. Says something about a threesome is barely tolerable but, no way is she going to go for a foursome. Since I favor classics, I reckon I will have to keep her around for a while. Though, the cost of maintenance seems to keep increasing every year.

(BTW, we never had this discussion).

 

When I retired in 2012 I told my wife that I was NOT going to sit around all day and watch TV .
I needed something to do . That " something " was my '63 Dynamic 88 .
The first few years she was resistant to the project . She said it was "stupid " and " a waste of money "
But lately , as the car is coming back together , she can see it is going to be a very beautiful car . Her attitude has changed completely and she is proud of me for doing such a nice job .

 

My wife and i have separate bank accounts and have from day 1. I make 30% more money than she does so i pay 30% more of the bills. I buy what i want and she buys what she wants, works out great. It doesn’t hurt that i built her a new house 5 years ago so I’m still have some leverage there. I took my wife on our first date in the 72 so she new what she was getting into. We take road trips in the cars so we are making memories every time we hop in one of them. Now she wants a corvette so we are at a bit of a stand off.

 

My wife and I have been married going on 41 years. It wasn't always bliss but we managed to make it work and have always been best friends. We never understood the separate bank account and separate bills thing, but whatever works. We have always had some kind of hobby car, truck, or suv, and I taught her how to drive a stick when we first married. Our rule of thumb is if we can afford it and one of us wanted something we got it. Now, she's not as interested in cars as she once was but still will come out to play every now and then providing an extra set of hands or going on a drive or to a show. The car thing is really for my sanity and she understands.

 

A Corvette would fit nicely into your collection. I'm partial to the 1960 model year.

 

My car is the Mistress, that's her named. So far she has made it through three wifes with no problems..... Tedd

 

My wife of 44 years calls the Olds my "end of life crisis". She has very little interest in it, and leaves me alone in the garage. I'm a happy guy.

 

Many years ago i dated a girl who’s dad has a 1964 corvette convertible. He let us take that car on a weekend car cruise and i fell in love with that car. I broke up with the girl but i still talk to her dad, he has a nice collection of cars and is a great person. Unfortunately my wife wants a c7, they are nice cars but not my cup of tea. I shouldn’t complain when i showed her the 64 442 she didn’t hesitate and told me to go get it.

 

This thread reminds me of Rob Young. Haven't seen him post for a while, but this is his avatar:

 

That is funny Tedd.

 

going to a local cruise in tonight and while she said shes not interested tonight (she says its still to hot) she will go when it cools down, I'm good with that !!

 

I assure you, you are much better off if she stays at home, don't ask me how I know...

 

I guess that I must be lucky. My wife loves to go on cruises in the Olds. If there isn't a local cruise, we just hop in the car with a picnic basket and start driving. Personally, I think part of it is just getting a break from the kids.

One other thing "too hot?!"

That's why a/c was invented.

 

So.
Interesting night at the Cruise in !! This is the first longer tpip I have taken her on, except for the initial drive home on purchase day its been mostly short errands while I get used to her and her habits, and I happy to report she was a perfect lady to and from the event,
I was very happy that car with those colors and the fact it's not something you see every day drew people like SH## draws flies it was fun. here is the low down as Im looking for a spot to park I spy a guy with a gorgeous 64 Starfire and I said mind if we start a Olds row he said sure come on in !! as I'm backing up I see a guy in my rear view mirror guiding me in as I look closer it's the previous owner who had his 69 Z/28 up there!! we talked for a bit and he went back with his friends, then the guy with the starfire says hey you just bought that Olds didn't you I said yes how did you know ? he said cause you stole it from my buddy !! I said hows that (I played dumb because I knew there was another buyer interested) he said my buddy was after that car but left town on business trip to chicago with plans to purchase it when he returned, All I could say was sorry tell him Il take care of it and love it and give him first crack if I decide to sell it , he said ok and I left to look at other cars.
Later that evening when I was getting ready to leave I reiterated tell your buddy I'M sorry he said you can tell him yourself he's sitting right here !! he introduced himself
called me a SOB then smiled and said congratulations for being in the right spot at the right time !! I did take his number just incase, he said sitting next to his buddy next to my olds was like having a tooth ache that would go away. when I finally pulled out he jumped in front of the car and said you ain't going nowhere , smilled tipped his hat and went back to his chair, had a great time, needed some time out of the house.

 

I'm pretty much a reader and not a talker but I couldn't let this thread go with out my 2 cents worth. I had been taking my 67 Saffron Yellow 442 to local shows for 4 to 5 years when I finished a complete restoration on a 68 SS 396 El Camino. After alternating taking one or the other to shows a fellow car guy recognized me for having two show winning muscle cars and asked how my wife feels about me having two cars. He understood completely when I explained that the wife has a horse!

 

My wife tells me that I will never leave her for another woman, but maybe for a car. She likes cars, even old ones but prefers the creature comforts of the newer ones. I'm only 57 but she insists I will never get to sit around after (if) I retire. Any time I start getting gruff or feeling off she will banish me to the garage to work on the Hooptie so that is her plan for my retirement as well. I can't say I mind as I love tinkering with older cars so for now that is my future.