Lotus Europa Community
Lotus Europa Forums => Off Topic Subjects => Topic started by: dakazman on Thursday,February 21, 2019, 06:29:59 PM
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Things break! Corvette clutch discs come apart....That’s why we have mechanics. Having 9 vechicles now it seems to be sucking up a lot of time . Not to mention house and lawn , pool , and other chores...and the honey do list.
So when do you say enough? I think I’m at my limit. Or just venting?
Dakazman
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Nine vehicles? I guess it depends on what kind of vehicles you have. Are you clogging up space with mini vans, Priuses, or AMC Gremlins? I'd say it's definitely time to thin the herd (although, a friend of mine has a Prius and he loves it!).
But then, I only have four, the youngest is the PT Cruiser of 2008 and the oldest, other than the Lotus, is my 2005 MB C230 so no danger of exploding clutches. Maybe you could pave your yard, fill in your pool, and hire somebody for the "other chores."
If you haven't retired yet, you might soon and then you'll need a project car. Another Lotus would fill that slot.
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9 and all the other home responsibilities? ouch! We're down to out truck. The daughters take care of their cars maintenance. And the Europa, well, it ain't making no noise....
AMC Gremlin? Always liked them. Saw one on mkt place. asking price was $30K.
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I’ve got seven. Three are for daily use, a pickup truck for all the stuff you need one for (I live in the country) and three Lotus’. My aim is to pair down to 4 and maybe even 3.
And like you Dave I have a house and property that requires a lot of attention. Plus I’m still working full time.
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The only one not heard from is the Lotus, the elky is a work in progress with a completion estimate of another $1,200 in parts but trying to repair the rockchester qjet the po has on it. I just put it on and now after teardown found the primary jets and rods all different sizes. I ordered those parts so it will be running again shortly.
But what I really hate is when I got a flat on the van and also on the vette , some time back, due to cracked valve stem the tire shops won’t work on them till I replace the tires due to age. Batteries not lasting more than 4 years .
Andy , sometimes 10 bc the daughter that’s living away let’s me fix her car and change the oil.
Bc the boyfriend can’t 😡
BDA, I’m trying to stay focused...lol.
Certified, part time Grandpa that I love doing.LOL see pic.
Dakazman
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Looks like you're bringing up a good helper!
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I believe she qualifies as a BA (Beautiful Assistant).
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Okay seriously, that’s not my granddaughter! My wife hates when I post any family pictures.
Occasionally I do 🤪. But not this time.
Dave
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I've limited myself to 3 vehicles until I have everything restored and running. My Lotus is my daily driver, weather permitting. My Ford F150 is the carry stuff truck and my MGB GT is in the barn waiting for good weather to be finished. I also own 4 acres and a 34 foot wooden boat.
My neighbor must have 12 cars now, he will never catch up even though he's retired. I'm not going to let myself get in that situation.
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"Andy , sometimes 10 bc the daughter that’s living away let’s me fix her car and change the oil.
Bc the boyfriend can’t 😡"
Good one.
Daughters have figured out they can't rely on me much since I retired.
And lucked out with the youngest - her boyfriends dad is a "auto mechanic", with a shop!!!
So, he gets some work from the daughters, lol
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Is 9 too many ? I would say that for me, it's too big a job.
But it depends on what you want to do with them, if it's only you or several drivers. plus of course if you have the space to store/garage/use them. I found when we crept up to 6 cars I lost enjoyment. We had 2 "moderns" which the missus & I used for going to work, then 4 "classics" which in those days meant an old car that needed lots of maintenance otherwise it broke just when you didn't want it to. With a full time job it seemed I was going from one to the next in a continual circle and as I say, it lost enjoyment because I wanted to do more than just fettle cars.
These days we're steady on 5. Lotus Elan, Europa & Elise in one garage, Porsche Cayman and Suzuki Vitara as the "moderns". But being retired means the Lotus are now a hobby and of course in the UK, owning a "classic" is much easier on the wallet these days. We've got plenty of space for more and sometimes I think "a van would be handy", but then I think of all the other things I want to do and there just ain't enough hours in the day :)
Brian
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Brian , i did neglect to say three driver here . 2 are my daughters 2017 Honda Civic and the Honda Xl500r . She stepped out of the 2000 Tiberon, my life ode has the Hyundai Sonata hybrid and the van . The rest I ended up with thru the years .
Dave
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I also own 4 acres and a 34 foot wooden boat.
A wooden boat and a British car? You are a glutton for punishment after my own heart. I switched over to a fiberglass boat, but it is still 55 years old (1964 Cal 40) and needs constant TLC. What kind of boat is it ‘70?
Tom
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I also own 4 acres and a 34 foot wooden boat.
A wooden boat and a British car? You are a glutton for punishment after my own heart. I switched over to a fiberglass boat, but it is still 55 years old (1964 Cal 40) and needs constant TLC. What kind of boat is it ‘70?
Tom
I wonder how I ever had time to work!
The boat is a 1956 Cape Sable, Nova Scotia lobster boat that's been converted to a cruiser. It's not fast but very seaworthy. Yeah, 2 British cars and an old boat, pretty crazy but I like old stuff.
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I also own 4 acres and a 34 foot wooden boat.
A wooden boat and a British car? You are a glutton for punishment after my own heart. I switched over to a fiberglass boat, but it is still 55 years old (1964 Cal 40) and needs constant TLC. What kind of boat is it ‘70?
Tom
I wonder how I ever had time to work!
The boat is a 1956 Cape Sable, Nova Scotia lobster boat that's been converted to a cruiser. It's not fast but very seaworthy. Yeah, 2 British cars and an old boat, pretty crazy but I like old stuff.
“Novies” are still in active use lobstering where I live (Marblehead MA). Great boats, they go out in all kinds of weather year round, while us delicate yachties haul our boats in the fall. I get a kick out of the Hinckley “lobster yachts” based on a Novie design that go for upwards of $500k. Still waiting to see one of those loaded with bait and traps stinking up a storm.
Tom
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Is the herd too big?! - I would say that its only too big when you look at some of them and no longer enjoy owning them...?
I may not get chance to use all of mine as much as I would like to but the opportunity to roll one of them out for however short amount of time still exists whilst I still have them and I like having the option of a wide variety (built up over a fair few years now) to cover whatever mood I might be in - if that makes sense?!!! The memory of that quick blast helps to make it through the boring days when I can't get near them!
Limiting factor is now turning out to be having the space to keep them all - plus side is there is less grass to have to cut now!
For the record, current fleet contains;
3 Land Rover - Towing duties, everyday work miles and comfy family car
5 Lotus - I just like them!
1 Caterham - See above!
1 BMW - Mrs' car
3 Motorbikes - Fun!
2 Boats (one 12ft 6" Sailing boat, one 30ft Motor cruiser) - Relaxation mostly
1 PWC - arm stretchingly good fun on the water at speed!
Jon
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Gee, now that is a collection ! How on earth do you keep up with that lot, have you got a barn to store them in ?
But good on you, if you like them and have the space, then why on earth not. I don't do many miles in our cars and I know folks say "you might as well sell xxx" but I get more pleasure from tinkering with them than I ever would from numbers on a bank account. I suspect we're like minded.....
Brian
err, what's a "PWC" ? I was thinking a jet ski but no idea really what one is.
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Yeah, as I was typing it out I was thinking that it looks a little excessive....but they really have built up over time and some weren't overly intentional, more opportunities that couldn't be missed!
A barn would be nice! Lucky to have a decent amount of land with a variety of garages/workshops that have been added with each new addition.
I get the same comments about selling something I haven't used in a while but like you said, I too would rather be tinkering - nothing on the tv anyway!! Plus, they are only worth something now because of the time and effort I've put into them over the years and once completed don't cost a huge amount to keep. There are a couple on the list that are projects but not much more than just a case of putting them back together again - time is the thing I am short of at the moment.
PWC = Personal Water Craft. Was just avoiding the Kawasaki trade name of Jet Ski as I prefer Yamahas!!
Jon
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:trophy: Jon
I had a sailboat but without a/c In 98degree heat just was not fun.
However I’ll plan on looking into a PWC and will look into your recommendation.
Europa, I watched to many accounts go down, so I agree with you there.
Surf, this is not a joke this time , I was teaching my granddaughter how to pick out tools😀
Dakazman
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For me the herd was too big when I had to justify to myself what the next one was for.
1st time I did this (years ago) was motorcycles and I think it was when I went >10 that actually worked plus close to that that were projects, donors or just good ideas at the time.
Now I have come down to a single motorcycle and have found someone to take it on as a project (as I know I won't finish it).
I reached the same point of 'why' again more recently with cars, so bought a Lotus Elise and said 'because I want one'.
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PWC = Personal Water Craft. Was just avoiding the Kawasaki trade name of Jet Ski as I prefer Yamahas!!
:) Just goes to prove once again that "every day is a school day" - I didn't even realise the term "Jet Ski" was a trade name, I thought they were all "jet skis" . Yet again I've learnt something from this interweb thing - how on earth did we manage in the olden days ?
Brian
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:trophy: Jon
I had a sailboat but without a/c In 98degree heat just was not fun.
However I’ll plan on looking into a PWC and will look into your recommendation.
We don't get anything like that sort of temperature here!! - I don't doubt for a second that it wasn't fun!!
My Yamaha preference stems from some years ago when most where 2 stroke (again, my preference!) and other brands had a reputation for breaking often - being stranded out at sea is not on my list of to do's!! Now the vast majority of PWC are 4 stroke and pretty much the only real difference between them is the colour and manufacturers badge stuck to it(!) so you can't really go wrong with any of them as they are all pretty good. Really good fun though.
StephenH, any particular motorcycles that you have a weakness for?
Brian, I don't think you are alone there - just like 'Hoovering' is what you do with your Dyson vacuum cleaner and I frequently get asked about my Jeep (Land Rover Defender!!! AArrrggghh!!!), the vast majority of people could identify a Jet Ski even if it was actually a Waverunner (Yamahas trade name!!!).....lol. Just a bit of trivia really.
Jon