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Author: Subject: Sigh - end of the road?
steve m

posted on 23/1/20 at 03:57 PM Reply With Quote
I can honestly say, 4 months after I lost my locost to an engine fire, and broke it up I have no affection or any emotion
to the car I built, and loved like a child!!, yep I did !!

I was going to invest in an Xk8, yet EVERY single one has rust, and or rust problems, so ive hit that on the head, and now just run one car, a Mondeo, and I have no intention to buy, build, or have anything more to do with cars

I can sympathise with David, as he is like me one of the original Locost builders, and we had to put in 500% more effort over any one buying and building a kit car, no forums to help, infact no one else to help, just us and a book, and a welder, and an awful lot of time wondering, why have I started this project, and when will it end

So please trust me, if anyone has these dilemmas, selling up is not the end of the world

steve





Thats was probably spelt wrong, or had some grammer, that the "grammer police have to have a moan at




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Bluemoon

posted on 23/1/20 at 04:41 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by steve m
I can honestly say, 4 months after I lost my locost to an engine fire, and broke it up I have no affection or any emotion
to the car I built, and loved like a child!!, yep I did !!

I was going to invest in an Xk8, yet EVERY single one has rust, and or rust problems, so ive hit that on the head, and now just run one car, a Mondeo, and I have no intention to buy, build, or have anything more to do with cars

I can sympathise with David, as he is like me one of the original Locost builders, and we had to put in 500% more effort over any one buying and building a kit car, no forums to help, infact no one else to help, just us and a book, and a welder, and an awful lot of time wondering, why have I started this project, and when will it end

So please trust me, if anyone has these dilemmas, selling up is not the end of the world

steve


True, there is a lot more to life than cars.. We all have different interests at different times nothing wrong with that...

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David Jenkins

posted on 23/1/20 at 06:11 PM Reply With Quote
I do drive my wife a bit crazy with my projects - I get a new inspiration, get the bits and build it, then interest wanes after a while (or circumstance cause me to lose interest).

I used to do full-bore target pistol and rifle shooting, but lost interest at just the right time - I had sold everything shortly before the dreadful shootings happened and the restrictions came in. I was lucky to get out before I lost a lot of money. Then I made a 5" gauge steam locomotive, used it for a while, then got fed up with the petty bickering you always get in a small specialist model engineering club. At least I sold that for a decent profit, as long as you don't count the man-hours. I built several R/C multicopters, but then the wallies spoiled that game by flying around airports - now there are lots of regulations.

It is amazing that I've kept the car as long as I have - when the conditions are right I do enjoy driving it - but the enjoyment happens less and less often.

I'm not really a miserable defeatist though! Most I of my enjoyment is building things, rather than using them long-term. These days I get a lot of pleasure in designing and making things with my 3D printers - I have 3, and I've built every one of them. I am starting to wonder about the morals of using (and wasting) plastic as much as I do though. I should take up wood or stone sculpture instead!

I am also trying to learn piano - but I'm finding that SO HARD...






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JeffHs

posted on 24/1/20 at 10:32 AM Reply With Quote
Oh this is all so close to home. 2 years ago at age 70, I decided the cars had to go. I was lucky to sell the 2CV special for a good price and had planned to gift the Locost to my elder son. He used the donor car after i laid it up, so we have a shared affection for the 'remains' of a Mk2 Mexico. (That was not my finest decision, would be worth a fortune now). His circumstances with small house, new baby etc means that's not going to happen so the Locost is still here, last used in October and I don't know what to do with it.
I too get more pleasure from the building than the using. I was the same in my youth with sailing dinghies. My wife calls me Mr Toad because of brief enthusiasms that wane quickly.Last winter I designed and built a sailing rig for an open canoe that I built a few years ago . I sailed it once on Derwentwater last year and it's not seen the light of day since.

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paulf

posted on 24/1/20 at 11:35 PM Reply With Quote
I also have the same dilema,i lost enthusiam with mine 4 or 5 years ago when the weather was poor and took it off the road intending to fit a windscreen and hood.Last July i decided i needed a spare car to use and so dragged it out of the garage in the exact same condition as i put it in there having never got around to doing any work to it, having had a bathroom and kitchen to refit and then a new job that leaves me with little spare time after being made redundant.I moted and taxed it and have done about 200 miles since.
I really think i should make room in the garage for new projects but cant bring myself to sell it after 20 years my eldest son wants me to keep it and let him do some track days with me.I think i may try a couple of track days this year and also try and make it more usable with a screen and weather gear and then think again, but nowadays there are few local meets and the whole car scene seems to have lost its appeal.
Paul.

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Mr Whippy

posted on 25/1/20 at 08:41 AM Reply With Quote
I sold my vw beach buggy I built when I was 16, owned it 28 years so was part of the family or the furniture lol

I'm happy I did though cos the new owner uses it much more than me

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swanny

posted on 25/1/20 at 02:24 PM Reply With Quote
I sold my seven, because it didn't get used enough. then bought a 'sensible' quantum 2+2, decided that was a bit slow, and bought a v8 seven. that was a bit rough, and an ugly duckling and we couldn't get the reliability right, so I bought a beautiful gtm spyder. refined, pretty, useable. but only two seats so sold that an bought an mgzt 260 as my daily. eventually realised that much as I loved it, I missed the rawness of a seven. sold the mg and bought the first kit car I ever sat in, 20 years later. it doesn't get use that much, with family and young kids. but I love seeing it in the garage even if it has stuff piled on it occasionally

if I sell now the wife will covert the garage and there will be no way back! I cant afford an f-type, or a cool classic, dont have space to hpouse a cobra but still love the fun of driving a seven. even if its occasionally. its not losing value and theres little interest to be made in the bank!

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