Interesting article on automotive monogamy over on Petrolicious

"BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires" (biturbo228) 01/15/2014 at 20:10 • Filed to: None

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It discusses whether owning one vehicle at a time (or one special vehicle at least), means that you develop a greater bond with it ( !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ). Here's my reply:

"I'd challenge the notion that owning a fleet of cars precludes you from developing a deep connection with each car.

Under my ownership at the moment is an Alfa 156 that I've daily driven for 4 years now. It was the first car of any sort of excitement that I've owned, and I miss driving it whenever I'm in something else. It's not only exciting, but it's capable and reliable (don't laugh...). It's never let me down, nor has it failed to put a smile on my face when I push the loud pedal.

I also have a Jaguar XJ40 that I rescued from my uncle's field when I was 19. I bought it for £60 and trailered it to my house. Only one of the 4 doors opened (with a piece of string tied to the locking mechanism and fed through the window seal), the gearbox slipped, the headlining had sagged, there were a couple of rust bubbles, the power steering bled all of its fluid out in 30 seconds and it wouldn't start.

I cleaned up an earth and she fired straight up, I ghetto-fixed the headlining with drawing pins (a stop-gap measure until I could afford to reapholster), I fixed the power steering, I sorted the creeping rust, I fixed the stuck doors and I was just coming to the closing stages of swapping in a manual gearbox when a tree fell on her.

Utterly gut-wrenching. I still don't really know what to do with it, and that happened on Christmas eve.

The same fate befell my little X1/9, which I accidentally bought for £330 (off-hand low-ball bids on eBay are dangerous things). Again as a non-runner, but with a reasonably solid body. We tinkered with it for abut a week trying to get it started, and it was wonderful when it finally fired up. Really nice rumbly sound. Very surprising from a dinky little 1.5l. I pulled off the massive US-spec bumpers (20kg between them!), and started the piecemeal work to get it roadworthy again. Such a cool little retro car, but alas no more.

All of this is concurrent, and ongoing alongside my major project, a Spitfire 6 build/restoration, that I cannot wait to finish (and submit to the Petrolicious readers rides thing :) ).

Each of these cars has become a part of me, by dint of the work I've put into them and just by the very fact that they were mine. My cars.

Each is precious to me, and no less so for having others alongside them."

Bandit > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 01/15/2014 at 20:19

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Oh, I didn't know about the tree incident. You could make the Jaaaaag a convertible if it isn't totally destroyed.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > Bandit 01/15/2014 at 20:23

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I have been wanting to make an XJ40 estate...

I'm umming and arring about what to do with it. I very nearly bought a ratty 4.0l in a gorgeous blue colour to replace it, but I've spent all my money on the Spit at the moment :S

I do get the feeling that I should repair it, just because it's my Jaaag. It's going to be a good amount of work though.

MountainCommand > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 01/15/2014 at 20:38

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Just remember he is polarizing this topic. Intentionally or unintentionally, he is only giving two options. When in reality many of us fall somewhere in between the extremes. He lays out a very strong basis for his conclusion, and i fully agree with him with most of his writing. Im glad he stuck with one position rather than wobble around both sides. That made his piece rather good to read.

The finger pointing is more in the direction of the collector car owners whom he mentions, and their lack of being in those cars day after day, working, learning, and understanding. And again, not all fall under that umbrella.

I will say, if i had a 2nd car, it would not detract from the connection i have with my current only car. But that wasnt the point of his article.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > MountainCommand 01/15/2014 at 20:47

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Yeah, I got that :) I thought I'd weigh in on the other side

I did also get the finger-pointing more at people who collect cars and then proceed to do nothing with them other than lock them in a hangar.

To that I'd agree with him. Cars should be driven, but that's not the only way to experience or appreciate a car. There are plenty of people who just love the way a car looks, and aren't so fussed with driving it. I can't vouch for the connection they feel with their cars*.

Personally, I think that's a little odd, but who am I to judge? I think the Biturbo is a good car :)

*the only exception I'd draw is people who collect cars solely for their monetary value. People can like cars that are expensive, and like a car in part because it's expensive, but to only like a car because of its value is to be a money enthusiast, not a car enthusiast. Not my sort of person.

MountainCommand > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 01/15/2014 at 21:25

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Well said. Id say those who buy cars for their monetary value are not usually enthusiasts, but collector. A good example of the infinite shades of grey is Jay leno. I cant say where he falls. He has so many cars, im sure he cant have a genuine connection with every single one. Let alone, more than one connection per car.

However, collectors can be enthusiasts.... In short, we know them when we see them. There's no easy guidelines on "how to spot non enthusiasts" haha.

I feel its odd too, however, i do the same thing with pocket knives and in the future, im sure a few firearms i will buy will never have a round fired through it. But for some of my knives, i actually have bought 2. One to beat on, and one keep pristine. Its odd but you'd be surprised how quickly some specific knife models go out of production and their price doubles nearly overnight.

I sorta get where they might come from. Since were talking about millions of dollars of investment in their case...

Eh! For what its worth. Its their life, i will live my own.

BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires > MountainCommand 01/16/2014 at 04:33

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"Eh! For what its worth. Its their life, i will live my own"

If more people cultivated that outlook the internet would be a much calmer place :)

MountainCommand > BiTurbo228 - Dr Frankenstein of Spitfires 01/16/2014 at 13:45

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Haha you're darn right. Theres too much in our own lives to worry about everyone elses life. I cant control them, nor would i even want to.