Si Click
Well-Known Member
I know I'm getting old , but I do feel a sadness for some of the rites of passage that have been lost. Buying a runaround, within your means, no debt, and then learning to work on it, was one of those rites. Similar to your first fixer-upper home ( have to admit I was given my first property at 18yr old, but I still had to do fixing up).
Now people just want, and want it now. Instead of laughing, in years to come, about their adventures fixing their cars. Or the time the ceiling fell in , as you lay in bed, in your first property ( yes , it did ) The tales will be of what they didn't do , because they were scrimping to pay off debt*, or hiding from the bailiffs. It's sad.
I agree, the skills and experiences you gain on your first car and house stay with you for life. It is why I gave my son an interest free loan to buy his Defender, bought him a chest full of decent tools for his 21st and have spent some quality time with him fixing and modifying his motor. It is also why I think we should be encouraging a young lad who has not wasted his cash on a PCP, but has bought a car through hard work and savings and now wants to work on it.