I started to get interested in cars when I was about seven or eight years old. I would watch my dad’s friends put together cars that they would race every Sunday. I decided that one day, when I was older and I had the money to put together a car like they did, I was going to do it. It has always been an aspiration of mine. When I turned pro with the Cardinals, the first car I had my sights set on was the 1972 Chevelle. That’s my favorite car of all time. That’s where my collection began.
Collect what you love
It’s important to get a car, not because it’s rare or expensive, but because you love it. I’m a Chevy man. I have a ’59 Camaro, a ’63 Camaro, a ‘73 Caprice, an ‘81 Monte Carlo, a 2011 Camaro, and of course my ’72 Chevelle. I’ve kept my collection to Chevy cars and that’s made it a lot of fun and very manageable.
Hunt for bargains
The best part of my collection is that the initial cars aren’t very expensive at all. When I’m looking to work on something classic, I’m always hunting for a good deal—something in the $8,000-$10,000 range. From there, I may put as much as $50,000 worth of work into it depending on the car. Parts are pretty easy to get, but the fun is in restoring it—connecting the new school to the old school.
When I get a car for the first time, I love to sit in it, close my eyes and envision what it can be. I want it to be my own creation. I’ve done a lot of creative things to my cars. The one I’m most proud of is my Chevelle. I installed an iPad that controls a lot of the functions inside the car. It controls the stereo, the air conditioning modules, everything. The car becomes an extension of your creativity.
What to look for
When I look into a classic car from my collection, I mostly care about the car’s body. As long as the body is straight, everything else can be fixed. I can replace the motor, the suspension—I’m always switching stuff out. When it’s done, I want it to be put together the way I want it put together.
Caring for your collection
I have a garage here in Arizona, and I have one in my offseason home in Florida. In the summer, I’ll have to move some of the cars to Florida, because the heat is so intense in Arizona, it damages the paint. I couldn’t bear to see them get damaged, so I move them, even if it means I can’t drive them. In the winter, the weather in Arizona is like Southern California weather. It’s perfect. As much as I love my cars, I would never do anything to damage them, so I’ll bring some of my favorites back to Arizona for the winter. That’s when it’s time to drop the top and ride.
