I've debated about putting together this note and sending it. I apologize
in advance for it's length, especially to digest users who apparently
can't just delete it if no interest...
This 'MG owners are cheap' thing is getting a little out of hand, and I
hesitate to add to the thread. However, I would like to note that we are
all at different stations in life. Kai is young and (I presume) single. I
am middle-aged (gulp, hard to say that!) and am married with children ages
11, 9 and 4. Oh, and a dog. I have a mortgage and am in the process of
having my basement finished off. My kids play soccer and baseball. My wife
and I both work. We own a timeshare on Cape Cod. I have other hobbies. I
play bad golf but love it. We ski (or, my wife, daughter and I ski, the
boys snowboard). We went to Disnyworld in November, and take several
family trips/vacations a year.
What is the point of this? Well, like most of us on this list, I have
other commitments in life that cost money besides my MG's. Yet I am trying
to stay involved in the hobby because I really enjoy it. Fortunately, my
wife encourages it as she likes the cars too! However, I do have budgetary
constraints, as do most of us. Would I have preferred to have gone out and
bought new parts for my '65 B? Yes, absolutely. However, the budget
demands that I do things like buy a used exhaust manifold for $20, a used
carb heat shield for $20, used hubcaps for the disc wheels (3 of which are
in great shape, one of which needs to be bashed out a bit) for $23, etc.
Some areas (like the bodywork and interior) will be redone using new
parts. However, I need to keep the budget in line for this car, which
means extending the timeline and doing things as cheaply as I can. There
is that word again, but it's reality. I love the hobby, and someday, after
the kids finish college and we have moved to our final home, I'll have the
disposable income to do everything right. Until then, the cars will just
have to survive with the best care I can give 'em... Sorry if that offends
some, but that's my life, and I'm very happy with it.
=====
Dan DiBiase
Dayton, NJ
'76 MGB Tourer Driver
'65 MGB Tourer Project
NAMGBR #5-2328
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