 All over the online world there are folks who have web sites dedicated to things that they love. From music, to art to the written word just about all of our guilty pleasures are covered on the internet. The one fan group though that outweighs others by far is those who have a love for cars. You see though, Bill doesn't like just any sort of car, he loves Buicks. I had a chance to have a chat with Bill Stacy and he had some very interesting things to say indeed.
Q. From looking over your web site one can tell you have a little bit of a love for Buicks. What started your love for them?
A. You're right Mitch, I love cars and especially Buicks. Like most young guys I had a collection of car magazines lying around my bedroom at all times. I used to spend hours and hours going over every page and advertisement soaking up every piece of information and glaring at every photo. By the age of ten I was hooked on cars 'big-time'. My cousin and I would rattle off all the makes and most of the models of cars as they drove buy. Cars and bikes featured heavily on our "if I won the lottery I would buy..." list. I wasn't always into Buicks though.
When I was young, I was into any car that had been improved for looks or performance but as the years progressed I found myself drawn to the flash high powered American cars. Living in Australia meant that you didn't see American cars driving around very often so anything American was cool to me but the pre 1949 Hot Rods with their large shiny engines, trick, flamed paint jobs and exposed wheels or huge round fenders had a marked influence on me and I found myself reading every page of every hot rod magazine I could find. Eventually this love for American (and high performance) cars lead to my having owned several American cars in my past including a 1956 Chevrolet 210 sedan, a Ford 1929 Model A roadster body which was going to be turned into my first Hot Rod (but never made it) and several other locally produced V8 powered GM cars.
A few years ago I decided that I had been without a 'cool' car for too long and had begun to get the 'itch' to own some American iron again so I started to look around for a 'new' old car when a friend of mine mentioned that he was looking to make some room in his garage and was "thinking about entertaining the idea" of selling one of his large American cars (the Buick Electra 225) to make some space.
I had known about the car many years ago but it had not been driven for a long time (about 8 years) and I couldn't quite remember what it looked like. Being a fan of all large American cars I was intrigued and asked him to remove the covers and back it out into the sunshine so I could have a good look at it. What finally rolled slowly out of the garage was one of the largest cars I have ever seen - a 1966 Buick Electra 225. I was immediately sold and (perhaps fittingly) on Valentines day 2001 she was back out on the road with me behind the wheel as her smiling new owner. Driving my Electra was a pleasure I had not expected. I got so much joy from driving it that I often found (and still find) myself just getting in and driving around for an hour or two - just for entertainment. Q. How did the web site figure into the big picture of your love for Buicks?
A. As a natural amalgamation of my love for my car (yes, it's possible to love a car) and my career in computing I found myself doing a lot of research on My Electra and Buicks in general on the internet and found that, although there seemed to be a few really good Buick sites already out there, none of them had any decent pictures and many of them lacked 'feeling' or 'personality'. Many also lacked the basics of good web site design. I had an interest in HTML and had taught myself how to built sites in notepad (still do but now I use editpad) as a hobby so I decided to build my own website as an outlet for my enthusiasm.
I also have an interest in image manipulation (Photoshop...etc) and found that quality and size management of the images on many of these sites left a lot to be desired. Many images where too large or the quality was bad. I felt I could do better and offer the Buick enthusiast a better place to see some cool Buicks. Buicks are very underrated you know. They are Very fast, very quick and very comfortable. A unique combination that I find fascinating. I just had to tell people about. BuickStreet.com is all about sharing what I like about Buicks with anyone who cares to listen. Q. How many different Buicks do you have profiled on the web site and which would you say is your absolute favorite?
A. I haven't counted all the cars lately but there are currently about 70 cars 'parked' on BuickStreet and I'd be lying if I didn't say I want every single one of them parked in my driveway. I love them all. I actually browsed the site and tried to pick a favorite just for this question but I just couldn't. I suppose by definition my 1966 Electra 225 is my favorite Buick because it's the one I get to touch and drive and wash and polish and modify and admire and...
Q. How has web hosting with TotalChoice Web Hosting been a help to you? Have you ever had web hosting anywhere else, and if so how does your older host compare with TotalChoice Hosting?
A. By being so reliable that I never worry. Even when things go slightly askew (as they always do) I know that the support mechanisms that are in place will work smoothly to fix any problem that might arise. In my experience, when a website you're responsible for goes offline for any unexpected reason it's a horrible feeling. Your limbs go all rubbery and are barely able to support your body.
You feel weak and helpless and all alone. Unable to function normally you stumble around the darkness in despair waiting, hoping that this time the refresh button will reveal your site to the world once more or hoping to wake and find that it's all been just a horrible nightmare. These experiences where once common when I was at the mercy of mortal hosts. Since discovering TotalChoice Hosting I have been able to relax. At first I was a bit suspicious of the cheap prices but have since realised that they is nothing cheap about TotalChoice Hosting.
It's all about value for money creating increased turnover so that thin margins multiplied by many happy clients equals decent profits and great service. Many businesses could learn a thing or two from the TotalChoice Hosting model. As you can tell I'm very happy with TotalChoice Hosting. I have two sites with them and I'll be bringing more sites on board in the future and no, no one is paying me to say this. Q. What is your favorite feature on your web site?
A. I'd have to say it's the car owner's stories that interest me the most. My original plan for the site included asking all owners who submitted their cars for a feature to write a little story telling us about their experiences as a Buick owner and judging from the feedback and emails I receive the stories have turned out to be one of the most popular aspects of the site with visitors too.
Q. Do you have anything planned to add to the web site in the future?
A. Yes, I plan to restyle the front page and set a solid format for each feature driven by a form based submission and upload page. Image theft is also a big problem with sites like mine. I plan to implement some security (and code adjustment) measures to minimise theft. I also plan to implement a forum where visitors can interact with other Buick owners and buy and sell their Buick related parts or cars.
Q. How many other Buick lovers have you found online?
A. Hundreds. One of the things I love about the Internet is that it has the power to bring people with similar interests together from all around the world. Without the people I have 'met' on the internet to help me locate and ship parts to me down in Australia I would be lost. eBay plays a huge part in keeping old cars like this running without too much drama. I shop globally for parts thanks to the internet and the people I have met via the internet.
Q. What advice do you have for somebody who knows next to nothing about cars but would really like to learn more?
A. Find a type of car that brings out your passions. What is the car (or style of car) that really puts a smile to your face? Work that out and then start with a google internet search or your local magazine stand. Cars are more than just transport to many people. If you have a passion or an interest in cars I can guarantee you that if you search hard enough you will find other people with the same interest and in my experience, most car people are very friendly and only too keen to share any and all information with another enthusiast. Restoring or modifying an old car is not only good for the environment (recycling) but is a great family activity as well.
Taking an active interest in the beauty of old cars is very satisfying and I would encourage anyone with such an interest to participate by buying and/or restoring/modifying and old car. After all, wouldn't you really rather drive a Buick too?
 Bill was really a really great person to talk to, and not being a big car fan myself, I think I learned a little bit more about cars and Buicks especially. I highly recommend you all check out BuickStreet.com.
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