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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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PostPosted: June 24, 2022, 10:15 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
Why not both? You take them for a ride initially, and then let them drive, but ask they not use full throttle, and you go along in the passenger seat?

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: June 29, 2022, 3:55 pm 
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Joined: October 23, 2010, 2:40 am
Posts: 1450
Kurt,
Congratulations! Great auction and result. Exciting last 15 minutes that turned into 45 minutes of bidders battling.
:cheers:

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Cheers, Tom

My Car9 build: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14613
"It's the construction of the car-the sheer lunacy and joy of making diverse parts come together and work as one-that counts."

Ultima Spyder, Northstar 4.0, Porsche G50/52


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PostPosted: June 29, 2022, 5:54 pm 
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Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
Yes it was a real emotional roller coaster during that last hour or so. I genuinely had no idea what it would go to and it was nuts watching it going up in the last 30 minutes. There's still the paperwork and payment stuff to get through, and am hoping that it goes smoothly. The winner is just up the road in Orange County (south of Los Angeles), where I hope that he'll respect it and enjoy its performance.

As the price kept climbing, I saw tears in my wife's eyes, and I asked her why. She said that she was happy that people really did appreciate the car for what it is, instead of it selling for a disappointingly low price. I know you're wondering: It sold for $55,555!

He wrote (I don't know if he's kidding) that he wants to drive it to Laguna Seca in a couple weeks. I thought about doing the same and ruled it out because it was important for me to get there and not risk being late. That said, I don't know of any reason why it wouldn't make it, and it's very ambitious in a completely unknown car because it means:

A. Go up I-5 in the central valley, where it's endless miles of dead-straight freeway with nothing to look at, and where it'll be >100F. An option is to cut over to 101 as soon as possible, but it'll still be hot.

B. Go up 1, the Coast Highway, which looks wonderful in movies and commercials, because you don't see the endless stream of RVs during the summer holiday months. I can see him becoming very frustrated with that, as did I when stuck trailing "losers" in slow moving cars.

_________________
Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: May 21, 2023, 8:48 pm 
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Joined: April 23, 2006, 8:26 pm
Posts: 6410
Location: SoCal
I posted this elsewhere and it deserves mention here as well. Though it doesn't directly involve Midlana, it does serve to sum up my thoughts as I move on to other activities and interests.

---

I'm the designer of Kimini, a carbon-body tube frame mid-engine Mini. I finished it, enjoyed it a few years, but with all the challenges solved, got bored and sold it.

I then designed and built Midlana, a tube-frame "Lotus Seven". Got it all done, enjoyed it a few years, but with all the challenges solved, got bored, and... there were a few additional reason why I sold that one. The biggest was nickel and diming my way into having such an expensive drivetrain that I wasn't enjoying it on-track, fearing the potential repair costs (some may remember I popped the engine catching up to a GT2, which cost me around $12K, and went a long way toward removing the joy from driving it hard). Then there was also the waning enjoyment of driving it in our sucky traffic. When the overall enjoyment reached zero, I sold it.

I decided to replace it with a used Jaguar F-Type R, a car so beautiful that I'll blame that instead taking responsibility for buying it. Fast forward one year, and we realized that we never drive it... Why? Extremely little cargo space, which ruled out nearly all Costco runs, and most every other place since I always seemed to buy stuff too large, too long, too smelly, or too messy to put in the Jag, so we take the F150 truck, which sucks to park. About this time I was talking to an owner of a Tesla Model 3 Performance. She mentioned that her husband is extremely protective of it, always parking far from others, worrying about door dings, rock chips, and all the other stuff obsessive owners worry about. And then she said something that stuck in my head, saying that the car caused her anxiety... It was right then that I realized I have the same situation with the Jag. I worry about door dings, rock chips, and all the other stuff obsessive owners worry about. There was also not enjoying it in sucky traffic - just last week we drove down the coast, and had to idle along with everyone else at 17 mph with my 550 hp. But the big one, the one that really ate at me, was worrying about any future repair costs. The car never gave us any trouble, but it was the possibility of something expensive letting go that hovered over my head, reducing the enjoyment. (I worked in Field Support for 11 years where we'd take 24/7 shifts, carrying the "emergency phone" at all hours. The phone might not ring, but just knowing that it could, effectively ruined the entire week. My analogy was that it was as if a piano was hanging by a string over my head. It might not drop, but just knowing it's there caused a lot of stress.)

The biggest lesson I learned from this is: If you buy a used car that was very expensive when new, even though you didn't pay that, repair shops will treat you as if you had. An exotic headlight assembly is $4,000, and a used engine is $20K, regardless whether you paid $100K or $10K for the car. I should have realized that beforehand but didn't.

So, the Jag has been sold after only one year of ownership. Of all the cars I've owned, I sometimes miss my old Datsun 2000 Roadster; I loved driving it, it looked great, but was such a pain to work on that I don't miss it. For the Jag, it's a bit like that: I loved driving it - when the roads were open - but between that, the lack of cargo space, and my self-imposed dread of repairs, it just wasn't a good fit for me. Yes, I know full well I caused these "problems" myself, and that this all sounds like (is) a First-world Problem. But in the end, I bought a car inappropriate to our needs or lifestyles.

It's also tough to admit that I'm just not wealthy enough to not worry about owning certain cars. The Jag's beauty is a big reason to have it, but it turned out to be (potentially) too far toward the deep end of the money pool for my comfort.

I ended up with a spreadsheet of 26 replacement candidates. The requirements were: small/short, easy to park, good cargo space, and not so expensive that I'd worry about it. Overall length ruled out most, and various other factors ruled out all others save for one. I waited a while to see if I'd change my mind, but didn't, so now we own a Mazda CX-30, a small SUV sort of thing. I had to smile, realizing that I made it all the way to my 60s without ever owning a mommy-mobile, but finally caved into practicality. Probably the thing that surprises me most, however, is that I'm okay with that, coming to terms with what's the best fit for us. It's very nice, very comfortable, well built, and the sports car guy inside me isn't entirely dead, as we got the turbo.

At this point I don't know whether I'm done with building cars or not. If another is done, it'll very likely be just for the track because traffic around here has - for me - taken all the fun out of driving true sports cars.

_________________
Midlana book: Build this mid-engine Locost!, http://midlana.com/stuff/book/
Kimini book: Designing mid-engine cars using FWD drivetrains
Both available from https://www.lulu.com/


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PostPosted: May 22, 2023, 8:12 pm 
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Joined: October 24, 2008, 2:13 pm
Posts: 5326
Location: Carlsbad, California, USA
First, I understand everything you wrote. I have a "bucket list" car that I'm having to come to terms with too. My final analysis was the "happy factor" is out weighed by the expense and financial worries of maintaining it, along with worries about having it stolen, dinged, wrecked, driving it in SoCal traffic, etc., etc. It will go up for sale soon. So, I understand completely.

However, overall, I take away the following from your post. You still have need of a simple, fun, inexpensive car you can track or drive with abandon. Like maybe a simple, book-framed Locost with a simple, but responsive driveline from a single donor? There's plenty of space on here for a new build log [SMILE].

Just remember the boat owners/sailors solution to the yachting analog of your recent experience with cars. "A simple boat is a happy boat."

Cheers,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886


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PostPosted: July 27, 2023, 5:00 pm 
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Joined: August 11, 2013, 6:03 am
Posts: 573
Location: CNY
On the subject of "what if something breaks?": I have an under $1K purchase price 06 E90 BMW that I had to stuff a $1700 alternator replacement at.
Was on an out of state business trip, had to get towed off the interstate.
"Where do you want it dropped off?" ... <Pucker> "Closest dealership..." :BH:

Still love the car, and I would have fixed it in the hotel parking lot for about $300 if it had failed there and I wasn't dealing with tendonitis.


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PostPosted: July 28, 2023, 1:44 am 
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Joined: July 29, 2006, 9:10 pm
Posts: 3160
Location: Oregon, usually
KB58 wrote:
If you buy a used car that was very expensive when new, even though you didn't pay that, repair shops will treat you as if you had.

300D50 wrote:
On the subject of "what if something breaks?": I have an under $1K purchase price 06 E90 BMW that I had to stuff a $1700 alternator replacement at.
Still love the car, and I would have fixed it in the hotel parking lot for about $300 if it had failed there and I wasn't dealing with tendonitis.

That's one of the many things I love about my Locost. It may have the overall appeal of a late '50s LeMans car (or club racer, with the standard Locost body) but Raybestos brake pads are still $12.55 and an alternator is $64.79. And if you build it, you're darn well going to know how to fix it.

I'll admit I get more use than most from my AAA card, but that's mostly because I'm a hoon, not because my car is fragile. If I can't keep it on the road, it's probably coming home on a flatbed.

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Locost builder and adventurer, and founder (but no longer owner) of Kinetic Vehicles


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