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Oct 29, 2008 11:12:12 GMT
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I really don’t get this one. Why people don’t just go do what they want with cars. So many people say to me that “I’d really love X, Y or Z car but its just not practical/possible/etc” when so many times the X, Y or Z car they are talking about is, I don’t know a MG Midget, a 7 style kit car, a hot rod, a Cadillac… That’s really the sort of stuff that the bulk of members of this forum wouldn’t think twice about buying. I’d differentiate from those of us who would happily have an E Type, Dodge Charger or in my case a Plymouth Roadrunner if we could coin up for one, but we can’t – or as is often the case – we could, but we don’t want to sell all our other toys to have one expensive one, nor do we want to take a loan for toys like that. This was really brought home to me in a foaming rage of “WFT? ” by an article in a recent issue of Mustangs & Muscle Fords. Its not the only example, nor the first example, nor the worst example of this, but it’s the one which breached the damn for me on this subject… This is the story. Bob always wanted a Mustang. Bob went to buy one in 1972 but as he was a poor student back then he had to settle for a new Pinto rather than the Mustang of his dreams. As he got his degree and got married the Pinto was replaced by a sensible family car and he has a string of Fairmonts and the like, much as he would have liked to get the V8 version (which ain’t a bad Q car) necessity of being a family man meant the 3.3 straight six powered his. Eventually, the kids have left home and he has no responsibilities so Bob finally in 2004 traded his Taurus sedan in for a new Mustang 4.6GT To many this is a heart warming story of a 50 year old guy finally getting to live his dream. But to me it’s a case of why the funk did he drop the cash on a brand new ’72 Pinto and not same cash or less on a ’69 or ’70 Mustang? Even if he had to wimp out and have a straight 6 rather than a V8 for insurance or fuel consumption reasons (although the 302 vs. the inliner isn’t going to make that much difference…) OK the Fairmont is a tricky one to argue, family cars work better with 4 doors and wives can be very vocal on that subject… but again, I’d have bought a used V8 rather than a new straight 6. There was even a spicy version done by Mercury, the Zephyr XV7 or something, kinda like a Cougar XR7, but in the Fairmont based Zephyr. Not everyone can run a second car, but how about his wife gets the nice sensible family Fairmont straight 6 and the hubby gets to run a Mustang? In a lot of households (ours included) the family travels as a family in one car, and only that car needs to be a family car, and as the wife (typically) is the one who looks after the kids most of the time, the wife gets the family MPV or wagon or whatever. Am I so far out of whack with the world to suggest that its reasonable that mum has an MPV or whatever, Dad has a commuter or company car perhaps and then they have (shock, horror) a third car which would be a classic/used Mustang for weekends and whatever. So Bob buys his new ‘Stang, and then has to wait 3 years for the warranty to be up before he can modify it, and then, you should have guessed that its all been done by getting turnkey jobs done by various tuning specialists. Is it just me that thinks this is mental? And its not unusual. I read similar stories of people finally getting their dream car after a lifetime of mediocre commuter stuff when they turn 50 or retire or whatever. You might read in Practical Classics a line like “ Bob finally got to buy an MGB which he had wanted since he saw one new in 1966.” And I have to say, WTF? MGB ain’t expensive or hard to find or tricky to run. I spoke to a guy at a dinner party a while back and he was telling me how he once bought an MGB (and had paid top dollar for a fully restored one) but had to sell it after a year because it was so difficult a car to own. Eh? Nice guy, but EH? Theres a Land Rover with off-roading goodies on it parks near where I work has one of those “slogan” stickers on it, and normally I detest such stickers, but this one says it very well “one life – LIVE IT”. And that’s a fine approach to take. I’m not a Buddhist and I don’t expect to come back in my next life as a guy who owns a Roadrunner, so if I want one, I better bloody well get one. Or a Sport Fury which is the next best thing and half the price. Oh, got one of them already.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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kevfromwales
Posted a lot
the conrod's REALLY out the block now!
Posts: 3,909
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Oct 29, 2008 11:20:16 GMT
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good rant ak - I can remember stating to a hot rodding mate and his missis about 2 years ago that I'd love to get a cheapy 'rod project by the time I'm 25 I'm 26 now, got a 32 roadster project with a small block chevy in it, and the f100 with a small block poncho - it is NOT easy, but I'd rather be struggling and enjoying it than be regretting it aged 50 or whatever!
sounds like the mustang chap above is more of a 'pay someone else to do it' kinda guy - rather than a 'search it out from the scrappies on the cheap' fella!!
- kev
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Almost on the road: b11 sunny breadvan, e36 tds, 325i skidcar,
nearly there: ford f250 tathauler, suzuki alto, u11 bluey
not for a while: ford pop, 32 rails,
not in this lifetime: ruby, '29 hillman
''unfortanatly I'm quite old and scruffy and in need of some loving. my drive shaft needs a new boot....''
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filmidget
East Midlands
Mostly Lurking
Posts: 1,652
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Oct 29, 2008 11:20:48 GMT
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Bad day Akku? I have heard rumours that some people don't base their spending priorites or happiness level by what cars they own. I know... F***ing wierd!
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'79 MG Midget 1500 - Still patiently awaiting attention '02 Vauxhall Astra 1.8 Elegance(!) - Better than you might think '03 Mazda MX5 - All new and shiny looking (thanks to Antony at Rust Republic) '09 Renault Clio - Needs to go.
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Nathan
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 5,649
Club RR Member Number: 1
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"I wish I could have one of them"Nathan
@bgtmidget7476
Club Retro Rides Member 1
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Oct 29, 2008 11:21:42 GMT
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No your not mental at all, the way I see it is don't wait till your 50 or so cus sods law will tell ya that you pop your cloggs the days after getting it.
I suppose it does depend on peoples finances, in my case I know if I cannot afford to run the 3 classics I have they will just get put in the garage till I can, or at least can run 1.
However I do admit keeping the daily running is the most important factor (its a modern though) , as its the butter for my bread, I suppose I could use classic for a while but I would not put myself in that situation.
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Last Edit: Oct 29, 2008 11:23:44 GMT by Nathan
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Oct 29, 2008 11:27:14 GMT
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Not just you.
That's the problem with consumerism as a whole though, people want something, but they also want the new something. They don't want it secondhand. So you have to wonder whether they really want the car or the want the "status" from being the owner a brand new version of that car.
Me, I'd quite happily roll something second-hand. I would LOVE an ALSI-1 instead of my S21-4, Impossible to get and out of my price range! A GT-R instead of my non-GT-R, again, almost impossible and completely out of my range. I'm sure much of RR is the same, they get cars they like, as and when they can afford them, if that means going from desired car to desired car, then so be it.
There's likely other factors. The partner perhaps having a larger bearing on the purse strings than they should, especially if getting a particular vehicle that is within budget, is entirely possible but ruled out because it's not something they can also enjoy.
The lady that works in the store next to where I do, once she heard that I had a 1963, she told me she had an MG Midget, a car she had always wanted and she finally got one, but now she's thinking of selling it because she couldn't find anyone down here to tune it! Needless to say, I gave her direction to someone who could aid her, but why could several of the garages she'd been to already, do the same thing? Why, also. if she'd always wanted one, was she so willing to get rid of it for something so minimal as it being out of tune???
I guess the answer, is that people are strange creatures.
I don't understand why someone who had always wanted a Mustang, after seeing one in the 70's, would then settle on a brand new one, instead of buying that one that peaked his interest, especially when you consider the price of a '72 has GOT to be less than that of a brand new sucker.
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Skyline: 1963 - 1973 - 1983 Sunny: 1982 450SLC: 1973 Navara: 1992 Gloria: 1992
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Oct 29, 2008 11:28:47 GMT
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The legend that is an AK Rant returns ;D And I for one have sorely missed it Welcome back fella ;D And FwiW.... I totally agree "This life is not a rehearsal - were it a rehearsal, you would have recieved further instruction on where to go and what to do when you got there" Live every day as if its your last "If you only had 5 minutes to live..... Who would you call ? And what would you say.....? And why havent you said it.... " We Both have "Transport".... Jane has a golf convertible for summer and a Golf Syncro for winter in the alps I have a Van as a daily for carting my stuff around (And bikes etc) Then I have the project Kadett....one of which I had years ago and wanted another to build properly And some bikes etc.... None of its new, its all bought and paid for too....... Live life now.... don't wait till retirement, because you may not get there....
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Oct 29, 2008 11:33:37 GMT
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I had all my classics when I was younger ,mk2 cortinas and mk2 escorts by the bucket load, about a dozen minis,mk3 cortina GT , GXL , 2000E , Skoda 130lse , Buick Riviera , bedford HA van , trouble was they werent classics then ,
Now four kids , three foster kids a dog and a mortgage have put an end to all that ( at least for now ) but I live in hope that one day I will be able to afford something old again ,
I AM going to be 50 next year but that dosent mean Iam going to suddenly grow old and I deffinately wont be groing up , The harley trike will happen one day along with some bad ass yank like a sorted 60's ss camaro
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Light travels quicker than sound.That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
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Oct 29, 2008 11:34:20 GMT
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Bad day Akku? I have heard rumours that some people don't base their spending priorites or happiness level by what cars they own. I know... F***ing wierd! Some people aren't "into" cars. Fair enough. So why say you are, when you aren't? If you are into cars you will find a way to scrape the pennies together to do it. I always wanted a muscle car but the best I could do was a Capri, or I wanted an Impala but had to settle for a Ventora because thats what I could afford. I didn't say, oh well then, I'll spend a fortune financing a new Cavalier/Vectra/whatever instead... Some lad who has a new Focus ST on finance (and had a new sporty Fiesta on finance before that) was asking me how I could afford to have a car like the Cadillac. Easy. I paid £1800 cash for it. How can you afford £18,000 for a Focus? He said he'd love a Dodge Charger, but can't afford one. Yes, yes he can. He could have borrowed the £18K, spent £16K of it on a nice Chager and £1K on a decent commuter and the other grand on a nice holiday... I know all about "priorities" which is why I have a bunch of broken cars not a bunch of restored ones now. Doesn;t stop you trying...
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Oct 29, 2008 11:39:46 GMT
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Live life now.... don't wait till retirement, because you may not get there.... thanks for the new sig mate edit - I just want to add, that even though I am scraping along in life, I use my credit cards to get by, and I cant really afford anything, and even though family and friends say I should just have the one car and something modern , I still have my panda selecta, my Fiat camper, and though I cant afford anything else, I am bidding on a 60's Honda C90 (courtesy of the link from Hairnet)
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1993 Fiat Panda Selecta 2003 Vauxhall Combo 1.7DI van 2006 Mercedes Kompressor Evolution-S AMG SportCoupé
"You think you hate it now, wait til you drive it"
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Oct 29, 2008 11:41:06 GMT
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INow four kids , three foster kids a dog and a mortgage have put an end to all that ( at least for now ) but I live in hope that one day I will be able to afford something old again which is another point for doing it when you can, because one day you may not be able to. I totally sympathise with the "married with kids, car hobby has to stop" thing, I've looked at that a few times in the last couple of years. I agree that for many people its the right thing to do, and it might be the sensible thing for me to do... Maybe I will. But at least I have 20 good years of playing with stupid curse word behind me if I have to... Buying a brand new boring car at age 19,20,21 or whatever and staying on that line for ever, I couldn't do it. Not when same money buys better stuff. Not even "retro". You can get a MG ZT 260 for £7,500 or a Monaro for about £10K or whatever. Same money you can spend on a new Fiesta... Meh. I got nothing against modern cars, I like some modern cars, I just can't afford them and even if I could I'd be looking at the better bargains available used on the previous model.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Oct 29, 2008 11:42:30 GMT
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i remember being overtaken by a merc 500 sec in 1990, whilst out in my chevette with phoenixC and jizzy gillespie. said at the time "id love one of those, it'll never happen though". fast forward 18 years, 2 kids, a hefty CSA bill, a year and a half left to run on a bankrupcy blacklisting and I'm on to my second one. where theres a will, theres a way.
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Oct 29, 2008 11:47:41 GMT
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I never understood itmyself, i will always buy something more second hand so i can have a better chioce, even if i cant afford new anyway there is always the option of going even older to get something nicer.
A lot of my normal mates are always on about how i manage with old cars that break down or give trouble getting parts, seems i'm the only one that knows how to jump on a bus if the car wont start.
If i had 8 grand to spend the very last thing on my list would be a new fiesta, you could buy several proper cars with that money, along with some stuff for the house, beer, fags, drugs, girls etc etc.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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filmidget
East Midlands
Mostly Lurking
Posts: 1,652
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Oct 29, 2008 12:10:38 GMT
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I see, and subscribe, to what you are saying really Just look at the list of assorted curse word, but at least vaguely interesting, cars I currently own. Although that list is more influenced by 'bangernomics' that perhaps i would like due to family/financial pressures. People thought me odd buying an old Midget when I was 21 instead of some newer warm-ish hatch... but to me that was the ideal time of life to have a 2 seater sports car. If I hadn't bought it I might still be pining after one.
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'79 MG Midget 1500 - Still patiently awaiting attention '02 Vauxhall Astra 1.8 Elegance(!) - Better than you might think '03 Mazda MX5 - All new and shiny looking (thanks to Antony at Rust Republic) '09 Renault Clio - Needs to go.
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Oct 29, 2008 12:17:33 GMT
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fair rant akku
if you want one you will
if you think about it and justify it you usually wont
which is why ive had 15 cars not 120 lol
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2001 HONDA CT110 (NOT RCV)
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Oct 29, 2008 13:15:57 GMT
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newer certainly isnt better , I had to have a seven seater for obvious reasons and would never take a loan out to buy a car so I had a budget of 7K , bought a three year old trajet (2.7 v6 ) and although it does what it says on the packet its becoming a pain in the , last year it needed two lamba sensors £400 later it was ok , now the engine check light keeps coming on and the van slips into "get you home mode " pull over , switch off for a couple of minutes and the fault clears , never had any of this with my old toyota lucida , that just killed head gaskets . all this modern elektrickery on cars like ecu's and lamba sensors and crapylytic converters is a royal pain in the and a licence for manufacturers to rip us off, I say balderdash to the enviroment , I wont be around when the world blows up lol and now ,next year, because its a May 2001( yeah for the sake of being 4 months "too new " )model my tax goes up to £400 a year as well
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Light travels quicker than sound.That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
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Oct 29, 2008 13:22:08 GMT
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see, now if i needed a 7seater i would have bought an old sherpa or transit mini bus and spent the extra money on other stuff.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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ta22gt
Part of things
Posts: 70
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Oct 29, 2008 13:30:25 GMT
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A fair rant well made....
Its all a question of dedication. Bobs story is a touching tale of a border-line petrol-head. There's a world of difference between the Bobs and the genuine article you get on this forum, who will as you say, move heaven and earth to get what they want.
I saw my dream car at the age of 16, in 1976 - by 1987 I owned it. Not one like it, not one that reminded me of it, but the actual car I saw in '76. And, despite the changes and trials of the last 20 or so years I still have it. That's what we do. ;D
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Oct 29, 2008 13:39:32 GMT
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Had this conversation only the other day with a colleague - he drives a 99 T reg Escy and constantly gets ribbed by his Mrs for it. She was concerned that her 05 Megane was getting on a bit (!) and perhaps she should change it. He on the other hand believes his Escy is the far better drive and, whilst it's causing him no bother, will continue to run it.
Point is, he was moaning that her Megane was a curse word drive because of the weedy 1.4 in it. So, basically, just to get a new plate, she's opted for the bottom of the rung model.
I'm not going to tell people how to spend their own money but, why not just go a bit older and get something a helluva lot nicer?! Granted, Retro-ride stylee is not for everyone but, a better engined, albeit slightly older, Megane is surely the better option than the one she took?
Then again, as I'm currently steering a 206 Hdi because it's a more sensible Dad thing to do, in spite of SWMBO running the family 'Bora', I may not be one to talk!
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@pistonbroker on Twitter
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Oct 29, 2008 13:53:29 GMT
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Theres a Land Rover with off-roading goodies on it parks near where I work has one of those “slogan” stickers on it, and normally I detest such stickers, but this one says it very well “one life – LIVE IT”. I had the genuine Camel Trophy decal of that slogan on my Discovery... as soon as I stumped up the £20 for it, EVERY sticker stall in the world started selling knock off versions! (we now have one on the back window of the bus) I'm a firm believer that if you want something, and you have the means at that time - get it... even if you only have it for a week/month/year whatever.... at least you can say you owned a <insert car of choice here> and scratched the 'itch'
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Oct 29, 2008 14:06:40 GMT
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Well written rant. Glad i`m a nutjob antisocial tw*t who lives in the middle of nowhere and can spend all his cash on old tat ;D
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