In our car-conscious country, our cars are an expression of our personalities. Some of us are bold enough to create something that is such a personalized work of art that it is bound to infuriate a purist. Others are so bound to perfection that their car is no longer the joy they envisioned it would be. But I'd say the majority of us are in the middle group, like Salmon, willing to make changes, some permanent, that add to our personal enjoyment and enhance the performance. The changes on my car are reversible, but add to its performance, safety and comfort. I'm not about to use oil shocks when gas shocks are available, or to choose belted tires for street driving when performance radials are available. But no matter what I do, the car will still be identifiable as a Firebird.

The problem is that the high auction prices also have an effect on the purchase price of the midrange cars. Owners of an old rustbucket car sitting behind a garage for 20 years see a car "just like theirs" sell for $40,000 and think theirs is then worth $10,000 when in truth it should be hauled off for parts. Okay, that may be an exaggeration, but I hope you see what I mean. If the price for rebuildable cars goes too high, how many of us will be able to come up with that much money for a car that we can't drive and have to spend a lot more time and money to make functional? Then 'birds will become like the desirable 'Vettes...out of reach unless you have enough money.

Popularity can be a bad thing. You can buy a very nice Corvair, restored, for $10,000...because so few people want them. Most of us are limited on what we can spend on our cars by other financial demands, and when things get tough, extras, like our cars, are the first to be cut from the budget.

And Joe, there is something to keep in mind in the DIY vs. bought topic...emotional investment. I had a prior car I spent 13 years working on, buying the correct parts, doing all the work myself. It never got done, because kids, houses, jobs, and other things had to come first. With my 'bird, the car was bought as an older restoration (20 years) and was in need of re-restoration and completion of the first restoration. That's what I've been doing. It's not easy finding correct parts like the power antenna, and I do have a lot of emotional, financial, and labor investment in the project and am very protective of my car. No, it's not perfect, but I go to shows and cruises because I enjoy my car and hope someone else may be able to relate to it, too. I haven't won a trophy, and the cars that did were far nicer than mine, but I get a lot of compliments because the trophy comes with the small details.