In <091.07590798.WJAD81D@prodigy.com>, MR JOHN P ELWOOD wrote:
> You guys really are afraid of your cars, aren't you?
John, old buddy, spend some time reading this group before making
wise-ass remarks. The above is unseemly and an incorrect
generalization.
>Say one bad
>word and it'll fall apart. Is this an excuse? You keep on tinkering
>with them, causing more problems, and then spend hours trying to
>figure what you did to make your car upset?
Life is not that simple. (I'd make some patronizing remark about
making insurance payments and so on, but that ground seems to have
been covered.)
I've been repairing old cars for over 30 years, and even did it when I
was 17 years old (with some success). Problems come and problems go.
Some are easy, some are absolute bitch-kitties. Any
"straight-forward" car can come up with some true posers. The point
is that I am glad that you have the interest, I am glad that you have
had success in your efforts, but do not presume to denigrate the good
folk on this list for either their effots or their troubles. I
daresay that even you would be challenged by some of the problems that
have been discussed in the last six months.
> You guys have MGs with poor self confidence. You fill
>them up with tools, and alternator belts, and ignition coils... all
>sorts of crap. That car must really be proud to be carrrying a spare
>for every part on it. You expect it to break down.
If you are going to do a coast-to-coast, this sort of precaution makes
sense, even if your car is brand new. Have you ever observed the
preparation that goes on for a Great Race? These cars are vastly
simpler than MG's, but you'd think they were the space shuttle given
the attention lavished on them. And still they break down. Old iron.
Take a chill pill and let the old farts have their fun.
A. B. Bonds
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