It’s my "Anniversary"

[Martin Evans]

It’s 29 years today since I bought the Midget. The vendor was getting married and needed to raise some cash. However he still needed a car and took my N reg Mini 1000 (My first car) in part exchange.

Just over 23 years later, I found that the second owner of the car also sold it due to his forthcoming wedding. He always promised himself another Midget and when I met him, he was at a classic car event with his second black V red Midget.

I can remember the day well (It was a Thursday). My father drove the car first (We needed petrol and got it from the garage, who now do all my MOTs and noticed a Frogeye Sprite, which they still have), until we got to a quieter road, apparently as he was more used to that kind of car than me……or was it just an excuse to hang the tail out? We had great weather that long Summer of 1984, which started just after Whitsun. Oh that history would repeat itself.

Here’s to another 29 years, since I can’t have the last 29 over again.

[arceye]

Brilliant stuff Martin, heres wishing you another 29

That, I have to say is looking very good, unlike a rather sad T reg specimen sat outside my window that has been keeping me busy and away from the Riley for the last week of evenings. That one belongs to the lad (swapped for his Rusty rangrover) and now has proper shaped wing bottoms and sill join unlike the bodged up smoothed over joints it came with. I need to get it at least all one colour by Sunday, then it should test and the rest is up to him.

Will he manage 29 years with it, if he does he will have to get keen on the upper bodywork, but somehow I doubt it, though I'd like to think so.

One things for sure though, if he doesn't go the length he can sort the next one out himself, I want to start my long term driving relationship with Rusty the Riley soon, hopefully that will become the one car I've kept above a couple of years

Happy Anniversary

[TerryG]

I have had my mog since 1994 and I thought that was a long time. Well done on keeping her for 29 years

[tractorman]

It's a little like another thread - one about owning a car for a long time! Another fifteen years and the Midget will have lasted as long as the Beetle!

Compare that with arceye's experience (and some other midgets of that era that I've seen) and you realise the difference between owning a car and keeping one!

I hope you have many more years of enjoyment from the car - and don't take it out for an anniversary drink or several!

It's almost 30 years to the day that my parents and I moved to this house. Father retired a week after his birthday (2nd June); I had a Maxi at the time (as did Father, Mother had a Marina). I've had another five cars since - two were written off and two sold just before they packed up completely! I'd like to think the "new" Golf will be my last car, but I doubt it: I thought the same about the Passat!

[kevin]

Well done. Its more of a relationship than ownership i reakon, we have a connection with ours cars.
The singer vogue i have just bought has been with its previous owner (good friend of my dads) sine 1965! Its in superb condition still

Kev

[Grease Monkey]

Congratulations Martin, I hope you have many more happy years together
I owned my Alpine for 32 years now and it's a family heirloom, my kids have got their eyes on it, and this year I relented and added both of them to the insurance! Wrong or right, time will tell.





John

[Martin Evans]

Thanks all

The V8 is a kind of family heirloom, that arrived in 1985 (I had very mixed feelings when my father sold the first V8 back in 1975....I was happy to accept stunted growth). It's come close to being sold but it's pretty safe now in my care. I've owned the Traveller for nearly ten years. I do have a tendancy to regard them all in the way some may regard children. Given that the Midget was sold twice, by people who were getting married, my resistance to getting trapped is probably a major reason, why the Midget has stayed around so long and I rather think that if I had ever been given the ultimatum, "It's that car or me", the Midget would have won That said, if my plans for immortality don't bear fruit, I do wonder what will happen to them after I'm gone and I think it's great where people, like Grease Monkey, have children who are keen to carry it on.

Whether there will be any more depends on whether I ever come into enough money Irrespective of the amount involved, after the pre war sports car, a Riley RMB/F would be a contender, perhaps fighting for it's place against a Z Magnette.

Certainly the ones I have come first and I suppose there is a certain link with the past. The past 29 years haven't been without their ups and downs (The downs often being the makings of others ) but on balance, I'd be happy to have them over and it's the good things (The Midget being one of them), that suppress the bad things. I look it this way, the past will ultimatley be kinder to you than the future (Though, as I mentioned I am working on it ).

[bnicho]

Well done on keeping the old girl so long!

My son has laid claim to my Moke and my daughter to the Austin Mini. That's good, it means I can never sell them.

[Richard Moss]

That set me thinking: I bought my 1969 MGC GT in April 1989 - 24 years ago. That means that I have owned it for over half if its life and (just) over half of mine. Prior to that, my longest stint with any car was about 9 months!

[rich.]

congratulations martin.