Gotta post this here first.

[lesingepsycho]

Well everybody, I've been a BCF member for a long time and I've had my Midget even longer. Unfortunately, my LBC days look to be over. My personal situation has evolved such that the Midget is no longer a practical part of my life.

She'll be going up for sale in the very near future.

I figured I should post it here first as people are bound to see it pop up on craigslist.

I LOVE this forum and everyone here. I have found no other forum with such helpful, knowledgeable and kind people. Many thanks for all the help and advice over the years!

JACK

 

[drooartz]

Sad to hear it, Jack, but you have to do what you have to do. Good luck, and don't be a stranger!

 

[RickB]

Jack, forgive me if I'm mistaken but I think I kind of recognize this.

Many years ago, (when I had my first child), I gave up motorcycles and sports cars.

I was completely responsible for a very long time.

My children are getting older now, some have moved out on their own.
I've come back to the cars, and secretly yearn for a bike (don't tell Vicky).

Hopefully your situation will eventually change and you will be back with another LBC.

Whatever it is, I hope you are prosperous and happy and you and your family have a great life.
And of course I hope you eventually get another LBC and at any rate that you won't be a stranger here.
It was great meeting you in Portland.

Rick B.

 

[lesingepsycho]

I look at it as part of paying my dues as a family man. I'm not too discouraged by it though. I know that it'll come back around someday as it does or already has for so many people here at the BCF. I hope to be able to hang around the forum and share what bits of knowledge I've gained over the years. Heck, I'm not sure I know how to use Internet Explorer without stopping by here first! :wink:

Plus, my Mom still has her 1968 MG Midget so the influence is still there in the family. I'll never be able to get too far away from these cars so long as my Mom is still around! :wink:

JACK

 

[Morris]

I have two small children at home, and I have come sooooo close to selling my car too many times to count... and every time the forum talked me down.

The $2000-$3000 you will make off of your car will be gone so quick you won't even see it. And in the long run, it won't make much of a difference.

You have put so much into your car. If you can cover it up and keep until some later time when you are able to work on it again, you may be glad you did.

Of course, you know what is right for you and your family... so do what you gotta do and everything will be fine.

 

[Silverghost]

I recently bought an MGB and one of my deciding points was BECAUSE it only has 2 seats. There can be no fights over who gets to ride with Dad or Mom. Only room for one. And because there is only room for one, each ride can be a special parent/child event. Kids love one-on-one time with parents, even though they may strongly deny it!

Now, of course, I am planning to "add" the optional "seat" in back and make it "legal" if possible, but there isn't much room back there.

 

[mightymidget]

I have two small children at home, and I have come sooooo close to selling my car too many times to count... and every time the forum talked me down.

The $2000-$3000 you will make off of your car will be gone so quick you won't even see it. And in the long run, it won't make much of a difference.

You have put so much into your car. If you can cover it up and keep until some later time when you are able to work on it again, you may be glad you did.

Of course, you know what is right for you and your family... so do what you gotta do and everything will be fine.

I agree with this........I have a Mustang GT covered up right now. almost sold it this Spring cause of too many projects cars etc.. I have over 10K in the car and looked like maybe a 5K sell. I too knew that money would be spent up and gone. So in two years when I want another Mustang (I have had 10 or so) I can uncover it and save myself 10 grand.

If you have storage use it. cover it up so you can not see it

 

[Tullamore]

So in two years when I want another Mustang (I have had 10 or so) I can uncover it and save myself 10 grand.

If you have storage use it. cover it up so you can not see it

Your yard however is not storage, don't become one of those guys that keeps a car out back telling everyone you will get to it someday and before anyone can save it the car has returned to the earth.

 

[RickB]

Okay, time for the hard & ugly truth...

I didn't sell all my toys 20 years ago. I had rebuilt the motor in my MGC and it ran great. I was pretty happy with it but it needed a paint job and new carpeting.

We got married, had our first child and I got to feeling responsible and all that, bought a Volvo (242 I think) and sold most of my toys. Didn't sell the MGC however.

We bought a house out in the country and when we moved there I drove the MGC out and parked it in the back yard on a cement slab. I bought a car cover and covered it up. Waiting to save up for a paint job and a new interior.

FF 20 years. The rain & weather of the Pacific Northwest had taken it's toll. The car was a mess, a total rust bucket.
I put it up for sale and got $1400 and took my family to Disneyland. (Also sold a newly acquired MGB that same month, also went towards the Disney vacation).

So - long story short - well there's gotta be some kind of lesson in there somewhere!! WTH would possess someone to park a running MGC in the back yard and just let it deteriorate?
Insanity - that has to be it - insanity!!

Anyway, I doubt this story will help you at all but that's what happened to me. I'm not too proud of it, except maybe the part where I used the money to treat the family to a vacation.

After all - I could have bought a few more Midgets & Sprites with that much!! :laugh:

 

[mightymidget]

I have watch cars go bad in back yards too. I would put a two year limit on any car left outside. After that it will go down hill fast. Once a month I uncover my Mustang, wash and wax it, leave the doors open all day, and drive it around the block. I live on a dirt road so no tags needed.

This keeps car lubricated and stops mold build up. I know it would be hard for alot of people to do this.

I have a rusted out shell BE that I got for nothing that I worry about and check on all the time

 

[vagt6]

Jack, never say never. I'll bet a dollar to a dougnut that you'll be back here with an LBC some day.

Best of luck to you and your family.

Cheers,

 

[Guest]

Don't do it bro !!!!

I here whay ya sayin'....but do you ~REALLY~ have to ??????


PM me your email address so I can keep in touch with you.

I need to send you pics of the new wheels YOU helped me pic out....

...not to mention I'm gonna need your help when I go mega squirt.

...see, that TWO GOOD REASONS you can't sell your car and go away.

DUDE, you'll never get the time or money out of it you put in it.

KEEP THE DARN THING !!!

I MEAN IT !!!!!

You new kid will feel like crap knowing they were the reaon you sold it.

I still feel bad about my dad's '57 Chevy he sold cause of me.

DON'T FREAKIN" DO IT MAN !!!!

( but if you have to it's understandable.)

 

[mightymidget]

I think I am going to miss the photo of your car in your post.

for some reason it looks like a TR4 at first glance in that photo

 

[nomad]

I've owned brit sports cars since age 18 and now ready for retirement. All the time my kids were little and growing I owned a MGB since I thought it the most practical brit car at the time. It only got a few drives when the kids were young but as they grew it gave them an appreciation for classic cars and a incentive to learn to drive a manual trans car. They are now grown and I'm sure they will always remember the experience. Price a shed and try not to be to responsible!!!
Kurt.

 

[bthompson]

Hey, when has a Midget ever been a "practical" part of <span style="font-style: italic">anyone's </span>life?? They're thoroughly <span style="font-style: italic">im</span>practical to begin with. It's what makes 'em so great.

I understand about the family and obligations and all that. But really, if it won't break the budget to keep it around and drive it to the store once a week, don't go and do something rash you'll regret later by getting rid of it. "Obligations" have caused me to sell an awful lot of old cars over the years, and I miss all of them; much more than if I had sold any of them on "my terms."

And besides, there's no reason to leave the BCF! If you <span style="font-style: italic">really </span>have to ditch the Midget to get a family car, there's always Jaguar.
<span style="color: #CCCCCC">
<span style="font-size: 8pt">...Or Wolseley. I've always liked old Wolseleys...</span></span>

 

[livinginthepast]

I've been through this - several times in my tempestuous little go at life and I've regretted every purge made in the name of responsibility. Gawd, I wish I still had my '66 microbus and my 57 VWBug. Why did I sell off that old LC Smith shotgun again? What was my reasoning for getting rid of the old Triumph and Norton scoots?

I could kick myself. Over and over again.

I've vowed never to sell my BE. I'm willing it to my kid.

That said, I do understand that everyone is different and everyone's circumstances are different so do what you need to do. My only advice would be to make doubly sure you won't be kicking yourself twenty years down the road.

Best of luck to you no matter what you decide. Hope to see you back at here at the forum!

 

[JPSmit]

Plus, my Mom still has her 1968 MG Midget so the influence is still there in the family. I'll never be able to get too far away from these cars so long as my Mom is still around! :wink:

JACK

talk to your Mom. right now it seems like a good idea - of course you're also sleep deprived. Seriously, at this point it's not costing you anything, you're not going to get out what you put in and, while the beautiful baby is all consuming right now, that won't always be the case. I am also convicted that as parents we need to teach out kids that they don't always come first: That hobbies, dates with wife, even work sometimes take priority and all that is part of a balanced life. I deal on a daily basis with people whose lives are WAYYYYY out of balance and by not having hobbies or by giving everything to work or even family they are actually setting a worse example not a better one.

Park it for a couple years, or, get a babysitter every now and again and take your beloved for ice cream - she, and your daughter will thank you. Your wife because you still need to cherish her and your daughter because you are teaching her how a man one day will need to treat her.

OK sermon over - keep the car.

 

[Morris]

JP raises a good point... it is a very bad idea for you to make any kind of major decision right now as you and your wife are extremely sleep deprived. It's actually physiologically less likely that you will make good choices with your brain in the state that it is in now.

I am not suggesting that selling the car is not the right choice for you. It may be. But give it a few weeks. Your family will ease into a schedule that will allow you to catch a few Z's, and your brain will adjust to your new lack of sleep schedule.

In other words, be sure you sleep on it before you make this call.

Also, if there is pressure coming from your wife (understandable) ignore the car for a while and give her all your spare attention. It may shift her feelings toward the car.

Finally, if you do not co-sleep with your daughter, I would like to recommend you consider it. It makes the early months so much easier. You will sleep better with your daughter close at hand, and your wife will sleep better if all she has to do is roll over to feed your daughter.

 

[RickB]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]You will sleep better with your daughter close at hand, and your wife will sleep better if all she has to do is roll over to feed your daughter.[/QUOTE]

Worked for us, 6 kids and nearly 23 years later and we are still together.

My wife has her hobbies and I have mine. Mine are definitely a lot more expensive but she has realized that while I do what I do it's not all a big waste. I'm pretty frugal (have to be with 6 kids & one job) so whatever I put into my hobbies generally isn't wasted. She also gets to enjoy the fruits, drives one of the cars by herself from time to time, gets to enjoy the home theater on a regular basis. She writes and belongs to a couple local "clubs" for that. This gives her some nice outlets that are completely separate from the family.

The first months can be brutal. Work through them, get past the crazy sleep deprived person, then when you are sane again make the big decisions. Just a little advice, I am sure you will do what you need to do.

 

[livinginthepast]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:]You will sleep better with your daughter close at hand, and your wife will sleep better if all she has to do is roll over to feed your daughter.

Worked for us, 6 kids and nearly 23 years later and we are still together. <snip>

[/QUOTE]

Ditto the above (although I never had the spine for having six ankle biters around. Rick, you are a better man than I!) The only issue we had with the cosleep set up was breaking my youngest of it.