In article <11EEFA4B6844D511A0E70008C71E9F01383614@ABDEXH01>, Richard
Gosling <richard.gosling@exprogroup.com> writes
>Mike said:
>
>...When I started, I got away with only a hundred pounds a month - it soon
>got a lot more expensive, though. Not that I wish to worry you or
>anything, but I think I averaged about three hundred pounds a month during
>my first year of ownership...
>
>To be fair, though, Mike, while you have had at least your fair share of
>mechanical disasters, some of that spend has been in the quest to achieve
>perfect originality with your car. You have also been successful in
>significantly improving Carly's condition - as evidenced by your recent
>valuation.
Both of these statements are true, of course.
>
>If you weren't fussed about the originality issue, and you were looking
>simply to maintain condition rather than improve it, you may have got away
>spending rather less?
Of the total spend in the first year (which I still haven't had the
courage to calculate...), almost half was probably "unnecessary" - that
is, I did not need to spend it to keep Carly on the road in perfect
running order. These expenses included cosmetic improvements (putting
an original steering wheel back in, and suchlike), repairing vandalism
damage (new soft-top and suchlike) and buying and doing up a hard-top (I
still shudder when I think how much those new seals and things cost!).
If we ignore such things, then the total cost of "necessary" repairs is
probably no more than GBP1500-GBP2000 - and that includes an engine
rebuild, a gearbox swap and some fairly extensive welding/bodywork. As
you say elsewhere, the main repairs now seem to be over, and the next
challenge is to keep the Rust Monster at bay.
>
>Having said that, I'm sure that in 3.5 years I have spent at least 1.5x what
>I bought Daffy for. It's just that, with James being a student (surely you
>still remember what that is like!), I wouldn't want to panic him into
>thinking that his Spit is becoming a liability he can't afford.
Way back when I was a student, *any* car was a liability I couldn't
afford! I didn't get my first car until after I left University.
BTW, having seen your posting about going topless as of today, I have
decided to join you - the hard-top is back in my mother's garage for
another seven or eight months as of an hour ago. No doubt it will now
snow constantly for three months, throughout the whole of England and
Scotland.
ATB
--
Mike
Michael Hargreave Mawson, author of "Eyewitness in the Crimea"
http://www.greenhillbooks.com/booksheets/eyewitness_in_the_crimea.html
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