Long term relationships....

[chriswgawne]

Not really on topic but Adrian Donovan's recent post about getting his lovely B20 ready for next weeks SPR struck a chord as I have been doing exactly the same thing. A full service + new front brake shoes (asbestos from old stock) which required rebuilt wheel cylinders as the pistons were sitting in totally new positions and I didn't want to run the risk of a leak. And some nice new 10-40 fully synthetic oil and new modern oil filter. I went out for a drive last night locally and had forgotten how well the car goes and how suited it is to current driving. Quite happy cruising at 3,800 rpm on the Autostrada on 15" Michelin XAS tyres with a slightly larger rolling diameter that the 165-400 X originals.

As I was driving along last night I realised that we have owned this car for 37 years since 1978 and I cant see us ever selling it. I am sure that there are many other examples in the LMC of long term relationships with a particular car......I know of a few which are much longer that our 37 years!!
Call me a softie but in today's fast moving world, these 'long term relationships' are a sort of foundation for life are they not?
And of course this can apply to friendships, partners, handtools etc - not just old Lancias.
Chris

[sparehead3]

So, seeing this post I looked up on the database how many we cars were currently owned for more than 30 years ( according to the database Chris your ownership will be 37 years in October ) . There is ( however ) quite a few and the top prize being a 54 year ownership of an Aurelia. There are 39 vehicles ( of any model ) registered with 30 or more years current ownership - and bear in mind we don't have the complete picture ( probably never will ) - but it's a nice thing to know !

Generally, there are a lot less where the owner has owned the car since new ( only 4 ! ) but quite a few where the owner has had the car since it was five years old ( 21 vehicles )

[stanley sweet]

Have to agree, although I've only had mine for a mere 22 years. I like the fact you get to know every nut and bolt, even though I don't delve into cylinder heads etc and also know exactly how the car will cope in different conditions, climbing mountain passes etc. I had a friend who had a DB4 for years and said it was like a 'comfy old slipper'. That's how I feel about the Fulvia. We've got some stories to tell. It's a little fight back against a world of pointless upgrades and throwaway products. Just realised that on my wrist today I have my 1970 Mortima 'Super Datomatic' diving watch, not expensive or high tech when new but still running beautifully. Let's keep all these old 'friends' going as long as we can.

[davidwheeler]

Old Boot and my 50th anniversary comes up this summer...