On Sat, 27 Dec 2003 18:02:47 -0500, George M. Middius
wrote:



Obie-Wanna-private-mechanic said:

Why drive a connuter-box when you can drive a piece of history?

So as to avoid spending $10K a year on repairs and two days a week
driving a crappy rental car.

Actually, after the initial restoration/renovation is complete (if the
car in question even needs one), the day-to-day maintenance is only a
little more time-consuming than with a modern car. My MG required
more routine maintenance, and it required it more frequently (adding
oil to the carburetor dashpots, checking the oil in the shock
absorbers, points, etcetera, but it's nowhere near $10k/year and two
days per week. I've never owned a car that required that kind of
upkeep. If you're having to spend that kind of money, you're
obviously having to repeat repairs over and over again, so I would
look for a different mechanic.

Granted, nothing touches the long-term reliability and low upkeep of
modern cars. My wife's Toyota and my Honda haven't needed anything
other than routine maintenance with the exception of replacing the
alternator in the Toyota, and they have 250,000 miles between them.

My Charger is in the middle as far as upkeep goes. The ignition has
been replaced with an electronic one, and I have a Keisler 5-speed
overdrive transmission on its way. The engine was rebuilt right
before I bought the car, and the paint and interior are fresh. So
after I swap in the tranny and replace some suspension parts and
bushings, it will likely be just a matter of routine maintenance until
the engine needs rebuilt many years in the future.

Scott Gardner