Pennsylvania Man Owns Over 40,000 Diecast Vehicles, Worth More Than His House

We all have at least one person around us that is a collector. Stamps, beer bottles, energy drink cans, old coins, diecast vehicles, you name it. I've lost track of how many Hotwheels cars have gone through my hands over the years. If I did the math, it would probably be around 1,000 to 2,000 pieces! And there was a time when I thought I had a decent-sized collection. But then I came across Andy Goodman, who lives in Central Pennsylvania.

Collecting is more than just buying items

Don't ever think that owning an entire closet filled with diecast vehicles parked as if they were real will come even remotely close to what some of the major collectors have amassed. For example, Andy's man cave consists of a whole garage teeming with boxes upon boxes of various makes, models, and sizes. His storage and display area is quite simply any boy's childhood dream, but there might be even larger collections out there.

Naturally, Andy was fascinated with cars from an early age, but it was around the age of 14 when he first realized that he wanted to be involved in the automotive industry in one way or another. He mentions that his family was not into cars and that his passion for anything on wheels grew as he got older. And I can relate to that, as I've never had someone in my family with such a strong interest in cars as myself.

As most of us did, Andy grew up playing with Hot Wheels as well as Transformers and GI Joes, but he most often gravitated to toys that were vehicles or turned into vehicles. Things evolved naturally for him, and at 16, his father helped him get his first car, a 1981 Ford Mustang with nearly 200,000 miles (321,868 km) on the clock. That happened back in the early '90s, and it didn't take long for him to start upgrading that car.

Every great dream begins with a dreamer

Within two months of ownership, the Mustang was already rolling around on custom wheels, tires, and a stereo system, taking up all the money he had managed to raise over the past summer jobs. Before diving into his diecast collection, I was curious to know what he's driving nowadays, and it seems the Mustang fever hasn't gone away. He's got a 1990 Mustang GT Convertible, a 1993 Mustang Cobra, and three other more comfortable vehicles, including a 2019 Chevrolet Suburban.

He did mention that his 1969 Ford Mustang CJ428 is a car he has been dreaming about for some time, but he will most likely be purchasing a Lexus LS460 instead, as he's looking for something a bit more luxurious. I also asked him about any previous motorsport experiences he's had, and I was excited to hear that in the late '90s his Mustang could run mid-10s down the quarter-mile (402 meters), and also get to and from the track on its wheels.

Do you remember when you got your first diecast? I must have been about 6 or 7 years old at the time, and it seems that's the case for Andy as well. Still, he notes the fact that his first collectible came to him when he was 22. That means he has been collecting these items for almost 25 years now! If you've ever wondered why people resort to buying diecast vehicles, the answer is pretty straightforward and simple.

An avalanche begins with a snowflake

And Andy describes the reason with a heartwarming story. He remembers his girlfriend (now wife) coming home with a gift, teasing him that she had brought him a Mustang. It was a 1998 Hot Wheels Mustang, and even though it only retailed for 99 cents, Andy was immediately fascinated by the 3-dimensional piece. "Knowing I could not afford the real thing, I realized it was the closest I was getting to a real one at the time and decided I wanted to get more “dream cars," he recalls.

Buying Hot Wheels can be quite addictive. At first, you're out there buying just a few items every other week, and before you know it, there's a fresh new package on your porch every other day. At this point, Andy's collection is made up of over 40,000 unique pieces! Even if they were all 99 cents items, that would still be impressive, but there are many more special items in there, as he adds that the collection is insured for more than his house.

Talking about the rhythm of growth for his collection, I learned that he usually adds hundreds of pieces each month, as he constantly gets the latest models plus some older ones that are of higher interest to him. As expected, his wife tends to tease him by noting that another package or two were delivered to their home, and even as I was having this discussion with him, the USPS man had brought some more goodies off of eBay for him.

He started with Hot Wheels, but these days, he even buys products from manufacturers like M2 Machines, Jada, and Muscle Machines. While the most affordable ones are just under $1 in terms of price, there are some items in his collection that can fetch as much as $10,000. I'm sure that he knows every piece by heart, as collectors tend to have an excellent memory when it comes to their small "treasury."

It did not come as a surprise to me hearing that he mainly gravitates around Mustangs when picking out the models for his collection, and just like myself, he's not into fantasy castings and prefers to stick to real replicas. I've noticed that usually, diecast collectors tend to be very supportive and friendly to each other, and Andy does mention that meeting people all over the world is part of why it's so fun to have such a hobby. It's nice to see that his family supports his hobby, and I would add that diecast vehicles can be a pretty good investment for the long term.