> Do you know why she is so attached to it? Is the story
>interesting? If not private, tell all. I'm on pins and needles.
This not his story but it brings to mind when we bought our first MG. The
car was owned by an English woman who had just gotten divorced in the town
I work in. She dearly loved the car and had owned it for about ten years.
They never had enough money to really take care of the car but were able to
keep it pieced together while they owned it. As part of the divorce she was
forced to sell the car. She really could not bring herself to do it but
after a long while she finally put the car on the lawn with a for sale
sign. However, the for sale sign was actually on the seat, she never did
put into the window as that would have drawn people who might wish to take
the car from her. Her ex- getting frustrated in her feeble attempts to get
rid of that 'thing' put a 3x5 ad up at the hospital where I bring most of
my patients. From time to time I check the board up in the cafeteria just
to see what pops up. I made note of the card as many people of our like had
the thought of "some day" or "I remember riding in my brother's Alpine
years ago". I casually mentioned it to my Significant Other that evening
while doing the dishes and all of the sudden she turns to me and says "You
have to go back there and buy it right now before someone else does"!! This
was right out the blue, we had a fifth anniversary coming up and wwe were
considering going to the UK for a few days to celebrate but she wanted this
instead. We went over with my brother and his son (who had a 74) and a copy
of Porter's to look at the car. I do not think we ever took the book out of
the car and within 20 mins decided that it ran well and the rust "was not
too bad". We paid for the car the next day with no haggling. The woman told
us that she had a few people come over and look at it but she did not like
them and would not sell to them as it was her child and did not wish it to
go the wrong hands. Since then we have been constantly restoring the car
and it has some nice show wins behind it (first in class at the Conn MG
Club show last year for one). We got engaged while sitting next to the car
on a picnic We used the car at our wedding instead of a limo and took a
week long cruise of New England as a honeymoon. It is the best thing we
ever did as a couple (reason #48 why I married Judy). We have purchased two
more since then selling them to other couples (pass on the magic). The Fall
after it came out of body and paint we took the car over to her and she was
almost in tears after showing what we had done to her car. She always
dreamed of the way the car should have looked and we have fulfilled her
vision and then some. Since then I go back at least once a season and give
her a ride in it. The first time I did she was in tears and gave me big hug
for taking such good care of her car. We have seven cars in our driveway(s)
right now, five of them are competant appliances to take us all from point
a to point b. Two of them are MGs. You cannot tell a person of the soul a
pile of metal (and iron oxide) can have. The people are either in tune to
it or not. Give her time and talk to her. Convince her you will be a good
steward of her car and then be so.
Safety Fast
Carl & Judy French
Alfred, Maine
Current cars;
97 Sable wagon
93 Geo Metro
92 Toyota Tercel
90 Ford Escort
87 Mercury Lynx
Current metallic life forms;
1967 MGB
1980 MGB
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