I answered the question for myself in December when I bought my first drum kit at the ripe old age of 63. I have never played any kind of musical instrument, but thought playing the drums would be fun, and even have beneficial effects, such as improved hand/eye coordination, dexterity, and a bit of general exercise. So far I'm having a great time playing various rock/blues grooves from several books/dvds I bought.

I realize I should have started at about 10 years old, and I know I'm not going to be a big time drummer, but I'm glad I finally started doing something I aways thought I would enjoy, even if it is 53 years later that perhaps, "ideal", would have been.

Any old drummers or stories of senior dummers to help give me confidence that I can at least be an "average" dummer, if I put enought time and effort into it?

Thanks...I hope to take at least a few lessons at some point. My local small town music store has an employee who has been a drummer since he was 12. Everytime I go in the store he gives me a few helpful tips.

I did take one free trial drum lesson before I bought my drums. The kid, (OK, they all are ), who gave me the lesson was nice and tried to be very helpful, but I decided buying drum kit and trying to learn what I could on my on was best for me.

At some point though, lessons would be good.

Hey Verve, welcome to the board and the world of drumming. I am 54 and have been playing for 43 years. I think you will find that playing the drums is enjoyable and rewarding, especially if you realize that there is always something new to learn and skills you can improve upon. One word of caution; I found that, especially as I got older, proper technique became crucial. Elbow , shoulder and back problems can happen quickly and take a long time to heal, especially at our age. I urge you to take some lessons from an experienced teacher. I will not only help you deal with the frustrations inherent in all musical instruments, but also help you to avoid injuries invlolved in learning and playing this extremely physical instrument. Best of luck!
MP Ben 

I love my TAMA First Chair with backrest.  The throne is the most important part of the kit and you should try several before you select one.  Make sure it fits your butt.  Being comfortable makes it much easier to maintain your balance and you play better if you are comfortable. 

Thanks, I wish I hadn't just talked about it for so long. My drums were only $299 shipped to my door from music123. I've read you can't get a decent set of drums for less than $1,000. Maybe so, maybe not, but my natural wood/clear lacquer finished Verve drums are awesome to me. In theory at least, the retail price was $999...and they tossed in Zildjian cymbals.....low end ones, but much better than the pie pan cymbals I saw that came with most inexpensive drum sets. I figure the three cymbal stands and cymbals are worth $299 and they gave me the drums.

Appreciate the kind words.

There is no age limit on the drums or any musical instrument. Enjoy, have fun, and learn something on the way. Art is for the artist as well as the observer or listener. Remember, the inspiration for playing comes from within.
That is, the 1st and last person you play for everyday is yourself. If you don't start out playing for yourself that day, anyone else you play for is inconsequential. That is something my grandmother told me when I started playing the drums many years agao. She started playing piano as a little girl (classically trained)and played up until she died in late seventies. That woman hands were soooo strong she could make your ears ring by thumping the back of your head when you did something wrong.

Verve,
If you can afford it, get the the Tama first chair with the back rest (or comparable), it is worth it. I know from experience. 
MP Ben
PS Louis, We both have black drums (my practice kit is a 1968 Gretch White Pearl I have had since I was 12 )and Tama First Chairs) C. Does that make us old? Purple??
PPS You can teach an old dog new tricks!!!

OK, I've got a great story about being replaced (thankfully!). There's a big band that plays dances down south of me in a retirement village. You have to be 55 just to live there. If you're 55 and you're wife is 53, you have to wait until she ages in.

The big band is pretty good, though. All the guys have been playing the stuff for years, except they have a hard time filling the drum chair. In 2001 their drummer of 92 (92!!!!) finally called it a life and the band started calling some of us young punks to sit in with them. No pay, which meant, well, they got people like me.  I was just looking for a gig to bone up on my swing chops, and I've always wanted the chance to kick a big band.

I did it a couple of times and it was fun, but it was way too much work for no pay. I told them I just couldn't do this forever. I told them I'd do one last dance, which was a couple months down the road, but they'd have to have find someone else.

Literally hours before I was supposed to show up for the last show, the band leader calls me and tells me they've found their full-time drummer. They'd been rehearsing him all week and he was exactly what they were looking for. I was like, "OK, cool. Good luck." Curiosity getting the better of me, I wanted to see who had replaced me, so I decided to go down there for a few songs. What the heck, right? They canceled on me at the last minute so I didn't have any other plans.

I get down there and there was a ... seasoned gentleman doing a respectable job. He wasn't Buddy Rich, but he was getting through the songs and working the band over pretty good. I caught him after the first set, introduced myself, and told him I thought he was doing a great job. He proceeded to inform me he had been playing for six months -- started when he was 61, had just turned 62. He had been threatening his son he was going to take his drums out of storage and sell them if he didn't come down and play for the big band. Well, instead, the guy decided to do it himself. Gosh, he had advanced a LOT in six months, for any age. He used to be a machinist and was used to working very long hours sometimes 7 days a week. He had restless energy when he had retired the previous year, so he found drumming to be a great way to apply his mind elsewhere. In fact, that's all he did for six months all day long!

When I saw this in the paper today, I knew I had to post it here!

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/health/article/0,2777,DRMN_23956_5347386,00.html

Triathlon at 89, skydiving at 90...may we all still be playing drums at her age!

robyn

NO! I played in high school, dropped it for 25 years and picked it up again.  My wife and I figured if I was going to have a mid life crisis, spending some cash on drums would be better than driving off on a harley with a bimbo.  It's been fantastic.  Like you, I'm not planning on competing for the next American Idol gig, but I have found several opportunities to play with bands and it's been a blast.   You're gonna have a blast.