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Re: any advice?

To: "kate & gary" <kgb@clipper.net>, "Patricia Sauthoff" <Patricia.Sauthoff@blvdmedia.com>
Subject: Re: any advice?
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 12:54:46 -0400
Cc: "'spridgets@autox.team.net'" <spridgets@autox.team.net>
Unless I miss my guess Patricia is in Colorado. If this is the same 
person as the questions asked on the MG list. If it is:

Welcome Patricia!! Good luck in your hunt.

Larry

At this exact moment in time 6/28/00 3:11, kgb@clipper.net made the 
profound statement:

>Hi Patricia,
>As another female Spridget owner, I feel qualified to answer some of your
>questions. First off, I know nothing about the Triumph 1500 engine in the 
>post
>1974 Spridget. Prior to 1975, both the Austin Sprite and the MG Midget used
>identical engines of varying displacement. This engine is extremely simple to
>work on, especially if one is blessed with small hands. There is not a great
>deal of room to work. When I was young and poor, I did most of my own repair
>work. Now that I am older and working far too many hours, I prefer to have
>someone else do it if at all possible. My 72 Midget was my daily driver for
>nearly 5 years, and never let me down. I drove her home one night with the
>distributor tied in place with a dog lead. Parts are readily available from a
>variety of sources, some more trustworthy than others. If you have checked
>prices for a modern American or Japanese vehicle, I think you will be 
>amazed at
>how inexpensive these little cars are to fix. As an example, the coil I 
>needed
>for my Cherokee lists at $253. Fortunately, I also own another Cherokee who
>volunteered to be a parts donor. As far as vandalism goes, when I park in 
>a bad
>neighborhood, I leave a large German Shepherd on the passenger seat, with all
>the windows rolled completely down. For some reason, I have never had a 
>problem.
>As far as purchasing an LBC, you should really get the advice of someone you
>trust who is familiar with the trouble areas (rust). Buy the best car you can
>afford. The mechanical aspects are fairly cheap to fix - body work is VERY
>expensive. You can get lots of advice from this list, as well as opinions. My
>suggestion is to decide on the model you like best and look for one. The 
>Bugeye
>will probably set you back the most for the purchase price, but it is 
>every bit
>as reliable as a squarebody. The engine (unless updated) is just a little
>smaller. If you want roll-up windows, a Bugeye or early Midget is not for 
>you.
>They have removable side curtains. What area are you in? Several list members
>will check out a prospective purchase for you. Happy hunting!
>Kate
>
>Patricia Sauthoff wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>>         I'm joining this list because I am considering purchasing a
>> spridget, and thought this would be an excellent resource for my questions,
>> and I have just a few!  First of all I'm a 20 year old college student, so
>> money is definitely an issue.  I really like the frogeyes, (hey I'm a girl
>> and they're cute!) but I question the practicality of them as daily drivers.
>> I commute about 60-70 miles a day for work, so break downs would be a huge
>> inconvienience, besides the monetary issues!  I also wondered if anyone has
>> had any problems with vandilism, my work is not in the greatest of
>> neighborhoods (though far from the worst).  I was also wondering about the
>> cost of upkeep, I would be doing what work I can, but don't have a lot of
>> time or money to be putting into the car.  I have gotten a lot of technical
>> info from my boyfriend and the mg list, but if anyone has any advice for
>> what someone like me might want to get it would be greatly appriciated.
>> Thank you
>>
>> Patricia Sauthoff


Larry Macy
78 Midget

Keep your top down and your chin up

Larry B. Macy, Ph.D.
macy@bblmail.psycha.upenn.edu
System Administrator/Manager
Neuropsychiatry Section
Department of Psychiatry
University of Pennsylvania
3400 Spruce St. - 1015 Gates
Philadelphia, PA 19104

 Ask a question and you're a fool for three minutes; do not ask a 
question and you're a fool for the rest of your life. 



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