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Montoursville man enjoys expensive hobby

Collin Hawley

(EDITOR’S NOTE: Each Monday, the Sun-Gazette asks somebody in the area, “What’s on your mind?” If you have a topic you would like to share, contact us at news@sungazette.com.)

Rebuilding cars, sometimes from the ground up, can be extremely expensive. But when folks are passionate about something, they’ll do whatever they can to pursue it.

Such is the case for Collin Hawley, of Montoursville, who works in a pizza shop in Lewisburg to fund his love for building cars on the side.

“Cars are what I do,” he said. “They’re what I work toward.”

His love for cars stemmed from his father, with whom he frequently watched car shows. Hawley’s dad always listened to his aspirations without judgment, he said.

“He would never tell me, ‘That’s stupid,’ or, ‘Why would anyone need more than one car?’ “ Hawley said. “He took part in real discussions with me.”

Hawley’s favorite vehicles are older German cars. He appreciates their build quality and noted they often come with amenities that even some newer vehicles don’t have.

He remembered when a boss he had in 2011 once came to work with a new vehicle that was mostly plastic with cloth interior and didn’t have many of the features Hawley’s 2002 Audi came with, which included all-leather interior and a moon roof.

“Brand-new cars seem to be a much-overpriced amenity anymore,” Hawley said. “When you get into one, you know it was built on a budget.”

Hawley believes it’s a smarter decision to get an older model of a vehicle for less than half the cost of a newer model and upgrade it to be exactly what the buyer wants. In the end, money is saved, he said.

Some “gearheads,” or people who are passionate about working on motor vehicles, choose to upgrade their vehicles to look good — focusing on paint, rims and other aesthetic features. Others focus more on tires and what’s under the hood in order to compete in races such as those held at the Poconos or in Watkins Glen, Hawley said. Some aim to cover both aspects.

“It’s a crazy expensive hobby,” Hawley acknowledged.

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