[DMCForum] Re: DMC Whine..

["Matt Spittle" <mds328@xxxxxxx>]

I just wanted to add my 2 cents in here on the topic of cars that
aren't well taken care of and owners who maybe cannot afford to.  I
think we're all a little disgusted to see a car suffering from
neglect, even though that same image is the one we see on the "Home"
page of this forum.  

There are some people (like myself, maybe others) who have found that
the car can really be a money pit.  I just spent thousands of dollars
in parts over the last year and a half to fix up my car and its
engine, only to find the other week that the cylinder head has been
cracked all of this time.  Now I know why the previous owner sold it.
 The previous owner, by the way, was not someone who you'd consider to
be a hobo, but rather was the CEO of a printing company and had a few
other vehicles (airplanes, hot rods, etc).  Still, he sold me a
$12,000 car (that LOOKED like a $12,000 car).  One way or another, he
didn't care enough, or maybe he really didn't have the cash to fix it
up, and so he sold it, which was probably the right choice for the car.  

At Pigeon Forge, I also can see where VB is coming from, because
frankly a lot of cars there do look like hell.  The owner either
doesn't care, doens't know how to fix the problems with it, or doesn't
have the cash to pay someone else to.  I remember one particular owner
who said he drove down to PF without either window motor able to
function, and with no A/C.  What a truely enjoyable ride that must
have been.  His response when I asked him about it was that $500 for
new window motors was too expensive.  

The parts are expensive, but for someone like me, I knew that if I
bought a car that attracted attention as much as a D; I better damn
well "have all of my ducks lined up" for when the crowd comes over. 
This means everything better well work and be ready, or it'll be a
public embarassment to myself.  I guess other owners don't feel this
embarassment when they pop through a drive-thru and their door only
opens halfway because their struts are shot, or their passenger dies
from heat exhaustion because there's no ventilation into the cabin.  

If it's easier to picture, imagine what you would be thinking if you
saw a Lamborghini driving down the road with a cracked bumper and
blowing black smoke out the tailpipes.  I'm sure there are some out
there in this condition.  The owner can barely afford to pay insurance
on the car, much less maintenance, but they drive it anyway because I
guess it makes them feel good to have "a piece of the pie" - even if
they can only afford the crumbs.  It makes me sad, but I know that as
long as my car is kept in great shape I won't need to be embarassed by
it.  And you won't ever see me driving around in any "exotic" vehicle
that I can't afford to keep fully restored.  It *IS* just my own
belief system, and if others can feel proud being seen in a car that
looks destined for the scrap heap, that's their prerogative.

Matt
#1604 - getting a new engine

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