Still a lot of rubbish out there
Discussion
AceOfHearts said:
I remember the classic car show at Knebworth last year, we turned up in the girlfriends Morris Minor (its her only car, which she has done around 22,000 miles in over the past 3 years) and they unknowingly ushered us to park with the MMOC 
The car was unwashed, with a great gouge down one of the fibreglass wings where she hit a fence reversing it, had a smashed headlight where someone reversed into it in Tesco the day before and was full of McDonalds wrappers. Coupled with the tatty chrome and flakey paint, it was fair to say none of the other old members of the owners club came to talk to us
I would much rather have a classic and use it, get the fun out of it and not worry about it being perfect. She has probably done more miles in that car than most of the owners there would do in a lifetime, and in 3 years we have had a lot of great memories, adventures and trips away to make it all worth while.
Plus its fun getting all of the show queens in a huff
ETA
And contrary to your title, bad paintwork and rusty chrome does not make a car rubbish
Due respect and please take this in the spirit it was intended. The car was unwashed, with a great gouge down one of the fibreglass wings where she hit a fence reversing it, had a smashed headlight where someone reversed into it in Tesco the day before and was full of McDonalds wrappers. Coupled with the tatty chrome and flakey paint, it was fair to say none of the other old members of the owners club came to talk to us
I would much rather have a classic and use it, get the fun out of it and not worry about it being perfect. She has probably done more miles in that car than most of the owners there would do in a lifetime, and in 3 years we have had a lot of great memories, adventures and trips away to make it all worth while.
Plus its fun getting all of the show queens in a huff
ETA
And contrary to your title, bad paintwork and rusty chrome does not make a car rubbish
I appreciate people using and enjoying old cars. However if I go to a show I want to see presentable well maintained vehicles. The exception would be if the car was very rare (most moggies don't count sorry) or an interesting history (rally car etc)
I prefer patina (and still appreciate the work of a full resto) but that is not the same as broken lights and scattering fast food cartons around the interior. Leave that one in the car park.
I like my cars to be like a gentlemens old brogue, used, repaired when required, polished and can be worn anywhere rather than a tatty old trainer or pair of gardening shoes with knotted laces.
What do you all think about this? It turned up at a couple of shows recently. I don't know how it got an MOT, although being a 1959 car, it doesn't need one now.
I like the fact the owner had bothered to drive it (I think it came from Bristol) and despite some gleaming other exhibits, this car was getting the most attention. The car was pretty rotten and dented, yet had a nice new shiney exhaust. It is clear that the car is used (well used) and has a better life that the early 948 convertible that was restored for £20K+ that the owner was scared stiff to use, then (eventually) selling it on for a huge loss.
I guess there are some that like bling and others like dings.
ClassicMotorNut said:
My advice, as is often the case, is to just ignore the cars I don't like. I am perfectly happy to admit that I get pretty pissed of when I see the Mondeo and Galaxy owners' clubs at the Bromley Pageant of Motoring, but I just pay no attention to them.
I feel the same & as for the bloody chrysler PT cruiser club... FFS, it's a car show not a skip display.Hooli said:
I feel the same & as for the bloody chrysler PT cruiser club... FFS, it's a car show not a skip display.
yeah almost as boring as the rows of Midgets, Bs, Spitfires, TR6s, Jags, TVRs, etc, etc.,and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on, ...
... and on, and on, and on, and on, . . .
Luckily there's room for all sorts. Chap living near to me has one of these, in this colour:
He drives it everywhere and it never looks like anything other than a 2-3 year old car (it's actually 40+ years old). No rust anywhere, but it's not primped up, it's just clean. The sort of car you'd want to ask for first refusal on.
He drives it everywhere and it never looks like anything other than a 2-3 year old car (it's actually 40+ years old). No rust anywhere, but it's not primped up, it's just clean. The sort of car you'd want to ask for first refusal on.
DocArbathnot said:
AceOfHearts said:
I remember the classic car show at Knebworth last year, we turned up in the girlfriends Morris Minor (its her only car, which she has done around 22,000 miles in over the past 3 years) and they unknowingly ushered us to park with the MMOC
The car was unwashed, with a great gouge down one of the fibreglass wings where she hit a fence reversing it, had a smashed headlight where someone reversed into it in Tesco the day before and was full of McDonalds wrappers. Coupled with the tatty chrome and flakey paint, it was fair to say none of the other old members of the owners club came to talk to us
I would much rather have a classic and use it, get the fun out of it and not worry about it being perfect. She has probably done more miles in that car than most of the owners there would do in a lifetime, and in 3 years we have had a lot of great memories, adventures and trips away to make it all worth while.
Plus its fun getting all of the show queens in a huff
ETA
And contrary to your title, bad paintwork and rusty chrome does not make a car rubbish
Due respect and please take this in the spirit it was intended. The car was unwashed, with a great gouge down one of the fibreglass wings where she hit a fence reversing it, had a smashed headlight where someone reversed into it in Tesco the day before and was full of McDonalds wrappers. Coupled with the tatty chrome and flakey paint, it was fair to say none of the other old members of the owners club came to talk to us
I would much rather have a classic and use it, get the fun out of it and not worry about it being perfect. She has probably done more miles in that car than most of the owners there would do in a lifetime, and in 3 years we have had a lot of great memories, adventures and trips away to make it all worth while.
Plus its fun getting all of the show queens in a huff
ETA
And contrary to your title, bad paintwork and rusty chrome does not make a car rubbish
I appreciate people using and enjoying old cars. However if I go to a show I want to see presentable well maintained vehicles. The exception would be if the car was very rare (most moggies don't count sorry) or an interesting history (rally car etc)
I prefer patina (and still appreciate the work of a full resto) but that is not the same as broken lights and scattering fast food cartons around the interior. Leave that one in the car park.
I like my cars to be like a gentlemens old brogue, used, repaired when required, polished and can be worn anywhere rather than a tatty old trainer or pair of gardening shoes with knotted laces.
ClassicMotorNut said:
DocArbathnot said:
AceOfHearts said:
I remember the classic car show at Knebworth last year, we turned up in the girlfriends Morris Minor (its her only car, which she has done around 22,000 miles in over the past 3 years) and they unknowingly ushered us to park with the MMOC
The car was unwashed, with a great gouge down one of the fibreglass wings where she hit a fence reversing it, had a smashed headlight where someone reversed into it in Tesco the day before and was full of McDonalds wrappers. Coupled with the tatty chrome and flakey paint, it was fair to say none of the other old members of the owners club came to talk to us
I would much rather have a classic and use it, get the fun out of it and not worry about it being perfect. She has probably done more miles in that car than most of the owners there would do in a lifetime, and in 3 years we have had a lot of great memories, adventures and trips away to make it all worth while.
Plus its fun getting all of the show queens in a huff
ETA
And contrary to your title, bad paintwork and rusty chrome does not make a car rubbish
Due respect and please take this in the spirit it was intended. The car was unwashed, with a great gouge down one of the fibreglass wings where she hit a fence reversing it, had a smashed headlight where someone reversed into it in Tesco the day before and was full of McDonalds wrappers. Coupled with the tatty chrome and flakey paint, it was fair to say none of the other old members of the owners club came to talk to us
I would much rather have a classic and use it, get the fun out of it and not worry about it being perfect. She has probably done more miles in that car than most of the owners there would do in a lifetime, and in 3 years we have had a lot of great memories, adventures and trips away to make it all worth while.
Plus its fun getting all of the show queens in a huff
ETA
And contrary to your title, bad paintwork and rusty chrome does not make a car rubbish
I appreciate people using and enjoying old cars. However if I go to a show I want to see presentable well maintained vehicles. The exception would be if the car was very rare (most moggies don't count sorry) or an interesting history (rally car etc)
I prefer patina (and still appreciate the work of a full resto) but that is not the same as broken lights and scattering fast food cartons around the interior. Leave that one in the car park.
I like my cars to be like a gentlemens old brogue, used, repaired when required, polished and can be worn anywhere rather than a tatty old trainer or pair of gardening shoes with knotted laces.
alpinemauve said:
What do you all think about this? It turned up at a couple of shows recently. I don't know how it got an MOT, although being a 1959 car, it doesn't need one now.
I like the fact the owner had bothered to drive it (I think it came from Bristol) and despite some gleaming other exhibits, this car was getting the most attention. The car was pretty rotten and dented, yet had a nice new shiney exhaust. It is clear that the car is used (well used) and has a better life that the early 948 convertible that was restored for £20K+ that the owner was scared stiff to use, then (eventually) selling it on for a huge loss.
I guess there are some that like bling and others like dings.
vixen1700 said:
Don't bother with shows at all these days, although I was at a loose end the other week and went along to Duxford, but the queue of people waiting to pay was a mile long, so I drove to a garden centre instead. 
It took about 20 minutes at peak time and the show was excellent.alpinemauve said:
What do you all think about this? It turned up at a couple of shows recently. I don't know how it got an MOT, although being a 1959 car, it doesn't need one now.
I like the fact the owner had bothered to drive it (I think it came from Bristol) and despite some gleaming other exhibits, this car was getting the most attention. The car was pretty rotten and dented, yet had a nice new shiney exhaust. It is clear that the car is used (well used) and has a better life that the early 948 convertible that was restored for £20K+ that the owner was scared stiff to use, then (eventually) selling it on for a huge loss.
I guess there are some that like bling and others like dings.
It's always interesting to see the attitude to my dads mark 1 Triumph 2000 with a Rover v8 in it, a rollcage and fixed back seats and harnesses, dents and battle scars all over the place. As hes argued with me though, it's in a condition that isn't rotten and hes not afraid to throw it around at rallies/autotests (even though it's hilariously inappropriate for autotests due to size!).
I have been to shows where the car is rolled out of a large van,onto carpeted ramps. It then sits on more carpet with morrows on it so that you can see under the car.I asked one owner to start their car,cant do...no oil in the engine... cant have a oil leak !!!!!!!!!!!
I know what I like to see at shows and its not show queens.
That Herald looks great.
I know what I like to see at shows and its not show queens.
That Herald looks great.
Going back to my original post, there were hundreds of rusting MGB (GT)s on the road back in the early 1980s when my interest in classic cars started. They were just neglected old daily-drivers, struggling from one MOT to the next, like so many other everyday vehicles. In contrast the enthusiastic MG owners would maintain or restore their car to a decent standard and enjoy them accordingly. My parents ran about 7 different MGB (GT)s during the 70s/80s: they weren't perfect, but they were all maintained and presentable.
30 years on and a rusty MG is still just another rusty old car to me. Personally I would rather admire a car at a show that someone has put some genuine effort into maintaining or restoring, rather than something that's just been allowed to fester. If someone wants to put a mirror under their fanatically restored Ford Escort to show off their handiwork then good on them: that doesn't mean they don't enjoy owning and driving their car as well.
30 years on and a rusty MG is still just another rusty old car to me. Personally I would rather admire a car at a show that someone has put some genuine effort into maintaining or restoring, rather than something that's just been allowed to fester. If someone wants to put a mirror under their fanatically restored Ford Escort to show off their handiwork then good on them: that doesn't mean they don't enjoy owning and driving their car as well.
LotusOmega375D said:
Personally I would rather admire a car at a show that someone has put some genuine effort into maintaining or restoring, rather than something that's just been allowed to fester. If someone wants to put a mirror under their fanatically restored Ford Escort to show off their handiwork then good on them: that doesn't mean they don't enjoy owning and driving their car as well.
I fully understand and agree, that's the great thing about people, we're all different.
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