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Is there really such a thing as a classic car " that needs nothing"?

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billh1963 Avatar
billh1963 Bill H
Orangeburg, SC, USA   USA
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1963 MG MGB MkI
1967 MG MGB GT
1968 MG MGC GT
1969 MG MGC GT    & more
Sometimes when working on my classic cars I get frustrated that all of them seem to "need" something. I get tempted to sell them all and buy one or two nice classic cars that "need nothing".

Does such a thing exist? A classic car that truly needs nothing?

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blue64 Avatar
blue64 Paul Hanley
Eastern Chesapeake Bay, MD, USA   USA
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I had my car there once...for a very short period of time...gave it another coat of wax anyway...Hi, my name is Paul and I have an MG problem...

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Fairfield, CA, USA   USA
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the needs nothing is a perception. Not a fact.

<grin>



1973 Pale Primrose Roadster. A nice 10-footer!
SUs, Datsun 5-speed

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bimmerdude Don B
Kelowna, BC, Canada   CAN
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1973 MG MGB "Oscar"
1991 Honda Civic "Eileen"
2005 BMW 325Ci "Sabrina"
as soon as a new car is driven off the showroom floor, it needs something.

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JWD Jim D.
Gig Harbor, WA, USA   USA
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In reply to # 2670842 by billh1963 Sometimes when working on my classic cars I get frustrated that all of them seem to "need" something. I get tempted to sell them all and buy one or two nice classic cars that "need nothing".

Does such a thing exist? A classic car that truly needs nothing?

If you're talking about a car that has been restored, it depends on the quality of the restoration. If done properly, it should need nothing for a very long time.
If you're talking about a car that has been simply maintained over the years, it will continue to need work.

Jim

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MGJared Avatar
MGJared Jared W
Paradise, CA, USA   USA
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In reply to # 2670842 by billh1963 Sometimes when working on my classic cars I get frustrated that all of them seem to "need" something. I get tempted to sell them all and buy one or two nice classic cars that "need nothing".

Does such a thing exist? A classic car that truly needs nothing?

a soup to nuts restoration using parts that are as good a quality as they were new makes a classic car that needs nothing .

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Peter-Sherman Avatar
Peter-Sherman Peter Sherman
Melbourne, Australia   AUS
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"classic" is code for "hours and hours and days and weeks of maintenance"

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Rick Fawthrop Gold Member Richard Fawthrop
Langley, WA, USA   USA
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The classic car that "needs nothing" does not exist.
I dump a load of money in them when I first get them, and when it is time to fix them a couple of years later is when I get pissed off.

My friends late model Porsche Carerra broke a power steering pulley 700 miles from home recently, so buying the expensive stuff didn't work either.

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ozieagle Gold Member Herb Adler
Geelong Victoria, Australia   AUS
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1958 Wolseley 1500 "Wooly"
1966 MG MGB "Bl**dy B"
1995 Toyota Highlander "Hi Ace Van"
2022 MG ZS
Here's one.

Herb


Attachments:
Car in case.jpg    23.3 KB
Car in case.jpg

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Andrys Posthuma Avatar
Delft, Z-H, Netherlands   NLD
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1935 MG N-Type Magnette
1976 MG MGB GT "The B"
In reply to # 2671013 by ozieagle Here's one.

Herb

And even that requires dusting every now and then.

For me, the definition of a "classic" is one of "loved". How can a "loved" one not need anything?

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adam73bgt Adam Andrew
Coventry, West Midlands, UK   GBR
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I find that driving my MG everyday it doesn't 'need' much if anything doing, but it 'wants' little jobs here and there, and to be honest if I wanted a car I didn't have to think about doing anything to, I'd have bought something cheap and rubbish to run into the ground tongue sticking out smiley

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B-racer Jeff Schlemmer
Shakopee, MN, USA   USA
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I was going to reply about Paul Hanley's car, but he beat me to it. Its one of two MGBs I've ever seen that really needed nothing. Perfection from any angle! For those of you who don't know, Paul's car was the first and only MGB invited to Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance and it deserved to be there!



jeff@advanceddistributors.com

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chris7 Avatar
chris7 christopher harrison
peterborough, spalding, UK   GBR
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Come on, if the cars were ever to reach a level where they need nothing, what on earth would we do with our spare time. Chris

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underdog Jim Underwood
Pittsburgh, USA   USA
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1972 MG MGB
1980 Triumph TR8 "Fabulous Trashwagon"
1999 Chevrolet Corvette "Darth Vader"
1999 Chevrolet S10 "Spare Change"    & more
These cars have a reputation for being unreliable when new. Some will argue that was because of improper maintenance. Could be some truth to that since Americans were used to the old Chevy that just needed and oil change and lube once in a while.

Any car is going to have faults no matter it's age. Some are designed in or just show up since the vehicle has been used well beyond what the original manufacturer intended.

An example comes to mind. I have good friends in the TR club that have both experienced broken cranks on TR3s. These are cars I would describe as well maintained and needing nothing. But the old 3 main TR engine was more suited for agricultural work not Interstate driving. After 50 years what can one expect?

My answer would be no. I suppose that if enough money were spent to upgrade and re-engineer the faults out of the car you could get close. But by then would it still be a classic? I could go out right now and find stuff to do on all my cars including the daily drivers. Actually the Saturn I use for DD needs more than any of them. LOL

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billh1963 Avatar
billh1963 Bill H
Orangeburg, SC, USA   USA
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1963 MG MGB MkI
1967 MG MGB GT
1968 MG MGC GT
1969 MG MGC GT    & more
My post was born of frustration; however, it is a somewhat real question.

While I certainly enjoy turning a wrench on my cars, there are times when I wonder if I had bought a premium example would I be driving more than wrenching. Would I have the same attachment if I bought a premium example that "needed nothing" versus the blood, sweat, and tears equity I have invested in some of my cars? I can see where too much blood, sweat and tears can lead to resentment instead of enjoyment. I'm no where near that point; however, it's something I ponder.

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