What advice did you follow that everyone thought was stupid?

What advice did you follow that everyone

thought was stupid? My uncle told me,

"Buy old muscle cars and fix them up for

cheap. There's only so many left and

you'll get more car for your money than

any new ride." When I was 22, I just

landed my first decent job at a tech

startup and got approved for a loan on a

brand new luxury sedan. Everyone my age

was driving German cars, showing off

their success with monthly payments they

could barely afford, but uncle pulled me

aside at a family barbecue. Uncle wasn't

the type to talk much, but he always had

some cool old car project going, so I

figured he knew what he was talking

about. I followed him over to his garage

and watched him point at a beat up

muscle car covered in a tarp. He

explained, "That pile of rust cost me

$2,000 in 1995. Sold it last month for

$140,000. Your fancy new car will be

worth half what you paid the moment you

drive it off the lot. These old beauties

only go up if you know what you're

doing." That conversation stuck with me

for weeks. I kept thinking about what

uncle said while I was looking at all

these shiny new cars at the dealership.

Finally, I called them up and canceled

my loan approval. Instead of putting

money down on a luxury sedan, I started

hunting for old muscle cars I could

actually afford to buy and fix up.

Within 2 months, I bought three rusted

out classics from the late '60s. There

was a Camaro that wouldn't start, a

Corvette with a blown engine, and a

Chevel that looked like it had been

sitting in a field for decades. My

parents were mortified when neighbors

started complaining about the junkyard

in our driveway. My friends thought I'd

lost my mind. Every time we hung out,

they wouldn't shut up about their new

rides. They'd show off their leather

seats and touch screens while roasting

my cars. One friend laughed and said,

"I'd never get any girls driving rust

buckets like that. Only cougars who were

into vintage stuff." Another kept

saying, "I looked like I was collecting

scrap metal, not chicks. They'd brag

about their heated seats and backup

cameras. Then joke that the only feature

my cars had was breaking down. I'll

admit there were moments pulling up next

to their shiny BMWs that I wondered if

uncle was wrong. But then I'd remember

that $140,000 sale and I stayed

determined to prove them all wrong. For

4 years, I spent nights and weekends in

Uncle's garage learning how to fix these

things. I picked up welding, engine

work, paint, whatever I needed to know.

Started hitting up car auctions to see

what stuff was actually worth. My social

life pretty much ended because they all

thought I was too broke to hang out with

them. So, while my friends were posting

pics of their fancy interiors and

complaining about 1,400 monthly

payments, I was covered in grease trying

to get these rust buckets running.

Slowly, I started recognizing patterns

in what collectors wanted. The models I

bought weren't just any old cars. They

were the specific ones that were getting

harder and harder to find in decent

condition. My beatup Camaro had the rare

big block option. The Corvette had the

split rear window. The Chevel had the

original factory papers that most people

had lost or tried to fake over the

years. And just as I predicted, the

market suddenly exploded with people

looking for their dream cars from their

childhood. Auction prices went totally

crazy. Classic car investment funds

started buying up anything decent. The

cars I bought for scrap prices were now

selling for six figures at fancy auction

houses. So, I hopped on the hype and

sold that first Camaro to a private

collector for 30 times what I paid. I

used the money to buy out more vintage

cars, this time by the dozen. 2 years

later, I sold three of those for enough

to buy a small warehouse and start a

proper restoration business. Now, I own

26 classic muscle cars with 12 more in

various stages of restoration. My

friends are still trapped in those

luxury car loans they can't escape with

two of them having cars repossessed

after getting laid off from work.

Meanwhile, I've been getting calls from

collectors willing to pay 10 times the

amount of my friend's BMWs. Turns out

uncle was spot on. There will always be

newer, faster, shinier cars.