At 06:33 PM 09/01/1999 -0400, John T. Blair wrote:
>While I know that many replied to my post - saying: "just be cause you
>have $10,000 in a $2,000 car doesn't make it worth $10,000."
>How do we minimize what we have in the car? The only answer is to do the
>work yourself.
Much snippage above.
My feeling is that money I spend on my cars ('67 Sprite, '72 TR6, '66
T-Bentley, '51 Mk VI Bentley) is *maintenance*, not an investment on which
I expect a proper return. Look at my '66 Bentley, which I drive every day
and is a real kick. It's complex, and expensive to repair, whether I buy
the parts myself or have my favorite shop do it, but at the end of the
year, when I add it up, it's STILL less than it would cost to lease a new
Lexus, Beemer or Mercedes. Hell, it's cheaper than the payments on a new
Toyota Camry. Further, as I fix the damage from the extended period of
idleness it had, the cost goes down to dull roar since most things stay fixed.
So I don't bother to tot up all the invoices to figure out whether I can
get my money back, in this car or any of the others. I pay for the parts
or repairs I need and chalk it up to the price of owning a piece of
automotive history, and when time comes to part with the car I'll settle
for the market value happily. And if it should get crunched in an accident
I'll give it a hero's funeral for saving my life and get out Hemmings with
the insurance check -- whatever that may be -- in my hot little hand.
I already got my money's worth from driving the car. That's what they're
for, after all.
--berry
P.S. I'm not doing anything special for BCDW2000; I already drive a British
car every day.
--berry
--
Berry Kercheval :: Scriptics Corporation :: Berry@scriptics.com
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