Car enthusiast enjoys benefits of classic car even through winter months

By ALEXANDER SIMONE

Staff writer

The consensus among car enthusiasts is that when the cold wind blows, the classic cars are stowed away until the spring. Roger Kaiser and his 1934 Ford sedan are bucking that trend.

“I get out and drive it every two or three weeks, I don’t put it in storage,” he said. “It’s the best thing for it.”

In the days between drives, Kaiser uses a kill-switch to make sure he disconnects the battery.

He bought the car a decade ago in Elkhart, and brought it with him when he moved from Dodge City to Marion County Lake four years ago.

His decision to buy the car was all about timing. He was a long-time enthusiast, but with retirement approaching, Kaiser wanted something he could enjoy in his free time without doing extensive repairs.

“When I bought it, I still had a job,” he said. “I didn’t have time to work on it. I wanted to get something before I retired and had it paid for.”

As a county resident, Kaiser appreciates the frequent get-togethers with other gear-heads in Peabody during the warmer months.

Kaiser prefers the monthly Peabody cruise to any car show, but he was excited to see so many cars show up at Affordable Street Rods inaugural show in August.

“You visit with so many people and talk about what you’ve done,” he said. “You see what they’ve done, maybe I can do something to mine. It’s camaraderie with other hot-rodders.”

The furthest show he takes the car to is a yearly trip to Scott City, four hours away.

Kaiser is not the only one in his family who savors a classic car.

When he told his granddaughter in Derby that he would not be able to make it to her high school graduation, she had a different angle for herself and her prom date.

“She said, ‘If you bring me to prom, you don’t have to come to my graduation,”’ he said.