Regarding Mike Leckstein's comments on American MG owners,
I respectfully disagree with your analysis, as follows:
You painted a picture of your friend who bought an MG, but returned
your literature and info because he wanted "a pretty white car to
drive to the store on weekends". I contend that such owners are not
typical here in America, and only own MGs for a short time. The
reason is that most Americans lack patience when it comes to labor
intensive vehicles, and therefore the "pretty white car" will be sold
at the first major breakdown or repair bill (possibly to be replaced
by a M*a*ta).
As a result, the poor MGs float through "owners" until they are adopted
by folks like us on this list, who lavish time, attention, and bucks
on them like members of the family. We, therefore, are the true American
MG owners. (asbestos skivvies in place for the flames here)
Also, a comment on national MG clubs. I can't speak for other areas
of the country, but a lot of us here in California don't belong to
national clubs because the local club scene is so strong. I belonged
to NAMGAR for awhile, but their magazine seemed to concentrate on the
Midwest, East, and Southern Canada. Very little input from the West.
NAMGBR is a bit better in this regard, but the primary reason I read
the Driver is to get history and tech info. Also, having a factory
MGB-GT V-8 puts me in a weird category anyway. A US club for these
beasties would have about 12 hardy and dedicated members.
My prime outlet for MG craziness is the Sacramento Valley MG Car
Club. We are affiliated with NAMGBR (we hosted MG 95 in Lake Tahoe)
and the MGCC of England, but our day to day focus is local. As a
result, membership in a national club (at least for me) is secondary.
Cheers, Paul Kile
1962 MGA 1600 MkII (The Hangar Queen)
1974 MGB-GT V-8 (The Rustbucket)
Paul D. Kile
kile_paul@aphub.aerojetpd.com
(916) 355-5162
GenCorp Aerojet
POB 13222
Dept 5784 Building 20019
Sacramento, California 95813-6000
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