How Many Cars Do You Have?
I was out the other day setting up a race with one of our local businesses, and was told by the owner how collecting HW's can be dangerously addictive. Hmmm, I went home and counted my current collection 550-600. A number of cars I give away at our races, and sort the slow pokes in the give away department. So how many cars do you have...and is it "Dangerously addictive?
Preacher
Discussion
The last time I actually counted them(over 10yrs ago), I had roughly 1500. Since becoming involved w/racing, I've given away/donated hundreds of cars and sold/traded a few as well. But I've also added hundreds of cars over the past 3yrs, so I think I'm back to my original quota.
I have always been afraid to count them and then realize how much $$ I may have spent on them.
I don't keep an accurate count but I'm probably hovering around 1000 mark at this point, including dupes and cars in my "stash" that I give out.
Since I started racing, my "collecting" has more or less stopped. I used to go after variants of cars I liked but now it's not worth it to me. I might still pick out a favorite casting here or there but otherwise I pass on cars unless I have't raced them. If I collected AND raced I'm afraid just how big my collection would be.
I've never counted but I think I'm in the neighborhood of just under 400. I started just after new years this year.
As far as "dangerously addictive" goes, that can be an interesting conversation that all hobbyists (not just HW guys) might want to have from time to time...because with the right/wrong personality, it can become obsessive.
I think the word "addiction" gets tossed around a little too freely these days. An addiction is something that your psyche tells you that you need to have in order to feel normal, whether that be booze, drugs, sex, cigarettes or whatever. (I haven't been able to get the cigarette monkey off my back yet) In my mind an addiction is something that triggers some kind of response in your brain...usually chemical.
Hobby obsession is more of a psychological issue. For most of us, any hobby is just a pleasant diversion, but some guys take it to the extreme. It depends on what void your hobby is filling in your life, if any.
I've been involved with a lot of different hobbies over the years - paintball, role playing games, slot car racing, and real car racing just to name a few. And I've known guys who's hobbies were their whole lives. Some of these guys had some depression issues, and their hobby was just a means of escaping from that. (The stereotypical smelly gamer, out of shape, unkempt, 40 yrs old and still living in Moms basement)
I think in the case of HW collecting, its sort of a "lightweight" as far as obsessive hobbies goes. Yeah, it is possible to blow a fortune on them, but is less likely, and you don't HAVE to. And after you have them there's not much you can do with them, except race...and that doesn't cost anything as a rule.
I've been down the obsessive road before with other stuff. Blown a lot of money for nothing and stifled my life temporarily. I'm good now....have a good family that loves me and tolerates my toy car deal, I have found the Lord (which you won't find me preaching about here...but it is big for me) and I have thought long and hard on the nature of hobbies.
I have a few little rules of thumb (particular to HW collecting) that keep me out of trouble. Not saying its for everyone, but its what I go by.
1. The big one is that I don't allow myself to covet particular models. That's why I don't bother with Treasure Hunting or any of that stuff. I rarely go into a walmart or any place actively looking for particular ones. And if I did and don't find it, then just shrug and say either it wasn't meant to be or maybe next time. There's nothing that HW produces that's gonna cause me to lose any sleep. A trip to Wally or TRU, for me, I treat it like going fishing. Sometimes you get one, but a lot of times you don't.
2. Every once in a while ill give one of my favorites away. (Anyone can give away one they never really wanted or have doubles of.) That may sound silly but it keeps me honest. (My daughter has my favorite car on her bookshelf in her room...a black FTE Bone Shaker with a skull and crossbones on it...and I don't touch it. Its hers.)
3. I give myself a cash allowance whenever I'm going hunting. I never use the bank card. Typically its 10 bucks a week if I'm just going to walmarts and such, and once in a while 20 for flea marketing and sometimes up to 40 if I go to a toy show...which is rare. I'm blessed enough these days to have a little fun money for these things, but you have to keep it in perspective.
4. I always tell my better half what I spent - to the penny. (she doesn't make me divulge, but I do) I've known guys that downplay their spending to the Mrs. and I don't judge, but this again keeps me honest.
5. I don't allow it to take up large chunks of time. Some hobbies you can spend days tinkering away in your basement or garage avoiding the family and the rest of the world. I've chosen not to do that anymore, and HW is a hobby where, while you CAN do that, you don't really HAVE to. Once you bring em home and pull them out of the blister, all you really HAVE to do is store it somewhere.
So that's a little food for discussion on obsessive hobbies. My own rules are my own, and I'd never force it on anyone, but it works for me. I guess the bottom line is trying to ensure that I own my HW collection....and that it doesn't own me...nor does it negatively impact the lives of my loved ones
I've never counted but I think I'm in the neighborhood of just under 400. I started just after new years this year.As far as "dangerously addictive" goes, that can be an interesting conversation that all hobbyists (not just HW guys) might want to have from time to time...because with the right/wrong personality, it can become obsessive.
I think the word "addiction" gets tossed around a little too freely these days. An addiction is something that your psyche tells you that you need to have in order to feel normal, whether that be booze, drugs, sex, cigarettes or whatever. (I haven't been able to get the cigarette monkey off my back yet) In my mind an addiction is something that triggers some kind of response in your brain...usually chemical.
Hobby obsession is more of a psychological issue. For most of us, any hobby is just a pleasant diversion, but some guys take it to the extreme. It depends on what void your hobby is filling in your life, if any.
I've been involved with a lot of different hobbies over the years - paintball, role playing games, slot car racing, and real car racing just to name a few. And I've known guys who's hobbies were their whole lives. Some of these guys had some depression issues, and their hobby was just a means of escaping from that. (The stereotypical smelly gamer, out of shape, unkempt, 40 yrs old and still living in Moms basement)
I think in the case of HW collecting, its sort of a "lightweight" as far as obsessive hobbies goes. Yeah, it is possible to blow a fortune on them, but is less likely, and you don't HAVE to. And after you have them there's not much you can do with them, except race...and that doesn't cost anything as a rule.
I've been down the obsessive road before with other stuff. Blown a lot of money for nothing and stifled my life temporarily. I'm good now....have a good family that loves me and tolerates my toy car deal, I have found the Lord (which you won't find me preaching about here...but it is big for me) and I have thought long and hard on the nature of hobbies.
I have a few little rules of thumb (particular to HW collecting) that keep me out of trouble. Not saying its for everyone, but its what I go by.
1. The big one is that I don't allow myself to covet particular models. That's why I don't bother with Treasure Hunting or any of that stuff. I rarely go into a walmart or any place actively looking for particular ones. And if I did and don't find it, then just shrug and say either it wasn't meant to be or maybe next time. There's nothing that HW produces that's gonna cause me to lose any sleep. A trip to Wally or TRU, for me, I treat it like going fishing. Sometimes you get one, but a lot of times you don't.
2. Every once in a while ill give one of my favorites away. (Anyone can give away one they never really wanted or have doubles of.) That may sound silly but it keeps me honest. (My daughter has my favorite car on her bookshelf in her room...a black FTE Bone Shaker with a skull and crossbones on it...and I don't touch it. Its hers.)
3. I give myself a cash allowance whenever I'm going hunting. I never use the bank card. Typically its 10 bucks a week if I'm just going to walmarts and such, and once in a while 20 for flea marketing and sometimes up to 40 if I go to a toy show...which is rare. I'm blessed enough these days to have a little fun money for these things, but you have to keep it in perspective.
4. I always tell my better half what I spent - to the penny. (she doesn't make me divulge, but I do) I've known guys that downplay their spending to the Mrs. and I don't judge, but this again keeps me honest.
5. I don't allow it to take up large chunks of time. Some hobbies you can spend days tinkering away in your basement or garage avoiding the family and the rest of the world. I've chosen not to do that anymore, and HW is a hobby where, while you CAN do that, you don't really HAVE to. Once you bring em home and pull them out of the blister, all you really HAVE to do is store it somewhere.
So that's a little food for discussion on obsessive hobbies. My own rules are my own, and I'd never force it on anyone, but it works for me. I guess the bottom line is trying to ensure that I own my HW collection....and that it doesn't own me...nor does it negatively impact the lives of my loved ones
Very good....I like it!
Preacher
My educated guess is 500-600...with two boys we have tons of loose cars...I mean bins and buckets full. Lots of donor and racers come from these. also have 8 jammer cases for the ones deemed special by the boys. Carded maybe 100...FTE's 50-60
I collected the full set of regular TH cars this year as a gift for another father and son. During that seach I found a Super Summit Camaro and Super Tundra which most likely will be traded or kept in the collection for the boys.
Good rules there, Shadow.
I guess I don't the "addiction" label but I agree that it's thrown around quite a bit. When my wife rolls her eyes when I pick up a few new cars, I remind that my hobby could be real cars...or video games (like it once was)...or watches...or anything that has a price tag greater than $1. But to that end I also (try) limit myself to mainline cars. I'll get a collector car here and there if the theme really strikes me (like the Atari cars) but otherwise I steer clear of anything over the dollar price point.
Since I approach my collecting from a racing standpoint, paying $5 for a licensed paint job doesn't make sense...it won't help the car roll any better. And more so, it doesn't add anything to the Fantasy League game I've built, which is my top motivation for buying any cars at all.
I guess the best thing is that when I go and "splurge" on Hot Wheels I'm spending maybe $15 at most. That's an affordable hobby, right there.
And the beauty of it is that, when you're done hunting, you have something to show for it. There's a lot of hobbies where you can't say that.
12 [48 car] jammers with loose cars... 33 medium, flat rate boxes of carded raw material...
I don't collect, I hoard the castings i use for modded racing...it is the customizing and racing that I am addicted to !