03/15/2022
When you've been working on Saabs for over 50 years, and you're known as the regional go-to Saab guy, and you get a phone message saying, "Hey, I just bought an old Saab that needs a bunch of work. Can I drop it off?" and your gut reaction is, "Oh, no, PLEASE, no, let the damn thing roll down into the river!", you know it's time to do something different.
Here's a recent picture of the inside of my shop. Look at that nice, clean late-model Subaru in the foreground. It belongs to a dear friend, a customer for over 30 years. My guys and I took care of her Saabs until the last one became really impractical. Saabs are all at least eleven years old now, parts are becoming difficult or impossible to get, and keeping them on the road is becoming a real challenge. I'm tired of that particular challenge. That zippy little Subaru will give my friend a lot more pleasurable miles of service than any Saab now could.
In the other bay, back there, is a 1952 Studebaker truck which belongs to another of my favorite customers (I have many of those!). It came from a farm in Kansas, where it worked hard but was kept under cover. I was three years old when that truck was built, and I feel a certain kinship with it: like me, it ain't much to look at, and it's sure showing its age, but its frame is strong, its engine is willing, and when I'm done with it it'll be a useful, reliable driver. Putting that one in order is a challenge, too, but one I'm enjoying immensely.
So here's the deal: I'll continue taking care of my existing customers to the best of my ability for as long as I can. At this point I'm open, officially, three days a week; that might get cut back to two. I want more time to spend on things like that Studebaker, and the 1948 Diamond T that's waiting to come in next, and (imagine this!) maybe some home repairs and fun stuff with my ever patient wife. This means I won't be taking on new customers much, if at all. We're blessed with numerous good shops around here, and I'll be happy to recommend them.
Time passes; everything changes. That's one of the few truths we can count on these days. We can resist change or embrace it, but it happens regardless. Thank you all for being part of my adventure!
