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Poll
Classic cars?
Rust buckets 0%
Money pits 14%
Cool to look at but not to own 7%
Don't ever buy British sportscars from the 60s and 70s 28%
Need to be mechanically able 7%
You foolish person 14%
They're great 7%
All of the above 21%
Other 0%

Votes: 14

 My money pit, rust bucket MGB sportscar

 Author:  Topic:  Posted:
Nov 30, 2001
 Comments:

Fucking hell! Another close to a thousand pounds to get it through the MOT. Needs a load of welding done on chassis. I have spent close to �5000 on remedial work on it in the three years I have owned it. I bought it for �5000 and I'd be lucky to sell it for �3000.

Poll: classic cars?

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Well it looks cool and is very nice when the weather is sunny and you have the roof down but in terms of reliable transport it is pants. Fuck British Leyland and it's crappily built cars of the 1970s....




big deal (none / 0) (#1)
by Anonymous Reader on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 04:57:30 AM PST
I once spent $5000 for a 2 day drug and alcohol induced stupor at a cheap hotel. At least your MGB gets you further than the ice machine in the corridor, for which I had to dispatch hookers.


Ah but... (none / 0) (#2)
by nobbystyles on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 05:02:32 AM PST
At least you had happy memories which you can treasure forever whereas my memories of the car are break downs and huge workshop bills....


nothing happy about those memories (none / 0) (#3)
by Anonymous Reader on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 05:25:04 AM PST
I'd rather you run me over in your MGB than re-experience the shame, the sadness and the resentment that consumed that period of my life. I dont ever want to forget, but fuck me if I ever fail my humanity so spectacularly again.


Sounds cool (none / 0) (#4)
by nobbystyles on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 05:35:52 AM PST
Please tell me more.

Go on. I like hearing about other people's fuck ups so I can feel better about my own...


or don't (none / 0) (#15)
by alprazolam on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 07:47:54 AM PST
I don't really need any more bad ideas.


well, it all started when I (5.00 / 2) (#18)
by Anonymous Reader on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 09:24:08 AM PST
installed RedHat Linus on my boxen.


 
Your problem (none / 0) (#5)
by zikzak on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 06:16:25 AM PST
huge workshop bills

Yeah, the only way to make it work is to do all the repairs yourself. I've had my Triumph GT6 for over almost as long and I've spent maybe 1/4 of what you have.

Of course if you count my time spent on the car, even at something close to minimum wage, I've probably got about $20,000 into it. Such are the joys of British Leyland.

btw, how do you fit in the thing? ;)


I can fit into (none / 0) (#6)
by nobbystyles on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 06:22:33 AM PST
It quite well as it has long footwells. It's not actually that cramped. Just a bit of sliding in type action...

Also I think I got seriously done by the dealer that I bought it off and the rainy British climate somewhat promotes rust rather more that that of Texas as most of the work is corrosion related rather than mechanical.




The joys of Texas (none / 0) (#8)
by zikzak on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 06:33:13 AM PST
And we have plentiful oil too, which is very useful when owning a Brit car. Now if I could just find replacements for everything with the word "Lucas" on it...


The electrics (none / 0) (#10)
by nobbystyles on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 06:36:12 AM PST
Haven't been too bad on mine. But I am afraid virtually everything else has gone wrong. Still what do expect from a 27 year old car with British workmanship of the 1970s...


 
BTW (none / 0) (#7)
by nobbystyles on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 06:30:22 AM PST
What year is your GT6? Is a live axle rear suspension one or the independent suspension mark?

GT6s are very nice cars and with that 3 litre engine, pretty fast if bad handling....


1970 (none / 0) (#11)
by zikzak on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 06:40:01 AM PST
"Hmm, it feels like maybe the rear end might be getting ready to... OH SHIT!!! GOTTA STEER INTO THE... Fuck it. I'm gonna die."


Triumph (none / 0) (#12)
by nobbystyles on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 06:43:15 AM PST
Seemed never to really get the hang of producing safe handling, reliable cars. Still they were fast and loked cool and that's the main priority...


 
Some advice. (5.00 / 2) (#9)
by Anonymous Reader on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 06:33:54 AM PST
When all else fails, pour a pint of Guinness in the gas tank, advance
the spark 20 degrees, cry "God Save the Queen!", and pull the starter knob.
-- MG "Series MGA" Workshop Manual

From /usr/games/fortune

Hope that helps.


 
You're not good at gambling are you? (none / 0) (#13)
by theboz on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 07:23:44 AM PST
You see, when you start losing a tremendous amount of money, you have to know when to give up. Everyone knows that cars are always lose value, but you have to decide if the time, money, and stress you expend to keep it running is less than the time saved, money saved, and enjoyment you get from the car. If it's not, and from this diary I would think not, then you have to get rid of it now. You have to look at it from the perspective that you will lose more to get rid of it later on than to do it now. The car will decrease in value, strand you more often, and have to be in the shop longer.

There are other ways to impress women than by driving a gokart that looks like a sports car. They always say that the men who drive a sports car to impress women are trying to make up for certain inadequacies, so buy something that might be a little more subtle but nice nonetheless. In the states you would probably want to get a Lexus, but I don't know if they have them there.
[Reply]

The problem (none / 0) (#14)
by nobbystyles on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 07:32:32 AM PST
Is that you need to pass an annual MOT (roadworthiness) test every year in the UK and if the car doesn't pass it then it's much more difficult to sell.

I have another car but I keep on meaning to sell the MGB but never get around to it. Women do like it admittedly but I bought primarily because I loved them when I was a kid and it's a nostalgia trip. Also it's from the period when the UK still *had* a car industry worth speaking of so I think of it as part of our industrial heritage....


 
Hmm. (none / 0) (#16)
by nx01 on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 08:48:47 AM PST
Ditch it. Get a Figaro.

(God that thing is fugly.)


"Every time I look at the X window system, it's so fucking stupid; and part of me feels responsible for the worst parts of it."
-- James Gosling

I think not (none / 0) (#17)
by nobbystyles on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 08:51:12 AM PST
As I have another pretty decent car already. I just need to get round to selling the MGB.

Those Figaros are a pile of toss anyway and I wouldn't be seen dead in one anyway...


 
Ugly?! (none / 0) (#19)
by tkatchev on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 10:12:59 AM PST
WTF are you talking about?!

That thing is incredibly cute. Extremely fashionable, to boot.


--
Peace and much love...




In the US.. (none / 0) (#20)
by Anonymous Reader on Fri Nov 30th, 2001 at 10:48:05 AM PST
Anything that is not in every way identical to one of the four allowed car styles (4-door sedan, convertible, SUV, or pickup) is automatically considered ugly.


 

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