I've heard all kinds of opinions, requirements, and rules, for what makes a real hot rod or a real rodder. This in a hobby that's not supposed to have any rules. Go figure.
"Real hot rods are driven, not trailered".
"Real hot rods don't have fenders".
"Real hot rods have king pins".
"Real hot rods have 3 pedals".
"Real hot rods are primered".
"Real hot rods have steel wheels".
"Real hot rods have white walls".
"Roadsters are the only real hot rods".
"Real rodders build 'em".
"Real rodders drive 'em", blah! blah! blah! blah! blah!
It doesn't matter to me what kind of car you have, how you got it (as long as it was legal, moral, and ethical), what condition it's in (as long as it's safely built), or how you got it to it's destination. I like 'em all, and if you're having fun with it, I'll probably like you too..
I've certainly got my preferences on style, taste, makes, models, wheels, tires, colors, engines, transmissions, etc. etc., but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate someone else's interpretation of the ultimate hot rod. If everybody made cars the way I would like 'em it would get pretty boring. However, I have to admit that as I look at others' cars I can't help but think of all the things I would change if the car were mine.
I personally think that it is much more satisfying to build them yourself inasmuch as your skills, talents and tools allow you to do so. If you don't already have these resources, acquiring them adds to the enjoyment of the experience. Some people don't have the time, desire, or aptitude to do this. If they want to join the ranks, that's OK with me. I just don't think they're going to be enjoying it as much as those of us who want to get our hands dirty. I also love checking out the "pro-built" cars. Some of them are absolute works of art. In many ways they are responsible for raising the bar for craftsmanship in our hobby.
I also think that it's much more fun to drive my hot rod than to trailer it. Lots of folks have a different opinion and they've got legitimate reasons for using a trailer. Reasons include: "wife doesn't want to ride 500+ miles in a roadster", "can't fit 5 people in a T-bucket", "blown-injected-hemi-lenco not suitable to cross country driving", "if my rare old parts crap out in Moose's Butt Montana I'm hosed", and even "I paid an ungodly amount of money for this rolling piece of sculpture and I don't wanna get it dirty". What ever you do, don't just leave it in storage to rot. Drag it out and have some fun with it. Trailer it if you have to, but you're going to miss out on the fun and adventure of driving.
Variety is the spice of life (kinda like hot sauce on your ice cream). Let's have a little tolerance for the differences that make us unique.
That's just my opinion, I could be wrong.