In a message dated 9/1/99 18:54:31 PM Eastern Daylight Time, jblair@exis.net
writes:
<<
Next point. If we can entice the younger fellows into this hobby, and they
want to learn how to maintain their cars - where will they be spending their
free time? In their (or their parents) garages working on the cars. THIS
IS A GOOD THING!!! They aren't out running the streets - selling dope -
doing dope, getting into trouble, etc.!!!!!
But now it comes back to SOCITY and insurance.
1. We need to be able to protect our investments!!!! That means realistic
insurance policy coverate at realistic rates.
2. In many many areas it has become illegal to work on your cars at your
residence. For instance:
a. where I live, you can’t even change your oil at most appartment and
town house complexes!
b. Many areas won’t allow you to work on your car in your front yard!
c. Many places won’t let you have a parts car in your yard!
>>
John - Lot of good points in your post, many of which I hadn't thought of,
some of which I'm already doing.
1. My boys (14 and 13) have already been told that I'll pay a maximum of $400
each for a car for them, and it won't be running when we get it. They can
use my shop and tools and take all the time they want, starting now. I even
have an MGB that they can have for free and start working on (needs floors,
rockers, clutch, interior, otherwise a nice running OD chrome bumper car).
If they choose not to do it, they can drive my car IF they go only where I
tell them AND I'm not using it AND I would have had to drive them anyway etc
etc. They're already looking in Hemmings and walking around the MG, and I'm
looking forward to a lot of late nights putting an old Valiant or Fairmont or
Saab or MG back on the road with them (they have to do all the dirty work,
though. It'll be so nice to say "Take this wire brush and Citrikleen and
clean all the grunge off that frame and call me next week when you're done".)
I expect that they will naturally be EXTREMELY careful with a car that they
have that much sweat equity in, and that (hopefully) the raging male hormones
that wreck and bend cars can be damped back some by the thought of how much
work went into getting it onto the road in the first place. I'm sure the
insurance company won't cut me a break for that, though......
I got my first cars and motorcycles exactly that way. I've been driving and
riding for 30 years, probably 650,000 miles at least, and have never wrecked,
bent, or scratched a car. At all. I can't help but think it was partly
because of the fact that I knew that I would be off the road and I would have
to fix it if I bent it.
2. Living in a place where you can work on your own car is partly a matter
of lifestyle choice and long-term planning. I live in a county which allowed
me to build my own house with my own hands (the building inspector was very
helpful), and where I can line 20 cars up and work on them if I want, because
no one else can see them anyway. I make the compromises necessary to do this
(long trips to town, a mile's worth of snow to push when it snows, a job that
probably doesn't pay what I could get in a city, etc) because I like the
freedom from bureaucratic interference, low taxes, and pretty countryside.
I realize that not everyone has the freedom to do that (or maybe their wife
wouldn't put up with it!!!) but it was all part of my long term plan.
And I've got the only Morgan in 4 counties!!!!!
Lannis
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