From: timothy.smith1@att.net
Date: Mon Mar 13 2006 - 20:17:11 PST
The simplest solution is to encourage and even help those with derelicts to make them available to others, as a whole or in parts. The best answer would be to set up a clearing house of information as to where a part or vehicle can be found and how to contact it's owner. Some guys are keen to keep their discoveries to themselves (and I can understand this) which is a long-standing tradition among MV-ers but it doesn't serve the hobby as a whole. Around here I usually offer to pay up to 10% (of purchase price) finders fee if I buy the vehicle. I'm not made of money but I figure a guy who hooks me up deserves something for his thoughtfulness, time & trouble. Such a clearing house might offer photos as well. Certainly such a website would be useful to all of us.
TJ
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Bruce C. Beattie" <bruce@EECS.Berkeley.EDU>
> I think that you and Tim have brought up very good points!
>
> I just feel sorry for the guy that decides to build a 5 ton wrecker from
> repro parts.....:-)
>
> Just a crazy thought here. I wonder if someone in a real arid state who
> had a lot of land might volunteer
> to have an MV graveyard. Then anytime someone finds something that
> is about to get scrapped, but that
> no one really wants to buy, could get on the list and announce it. Then
> maybe other folks would volunteer
> to drag it out to the graveyard. Yes, there are a lot of problems with
> this model. I am just trying to get some ideas
> going here. Maybe we can hash this around and come up with something
> that will work.
> Bruce MVPA 23824
>
> dgrev wrote:
>
> > Tim
> >
> > I agree with most of what you say.
> >
> > There is also another factor and this is something that
> > all the "old car clubs" (which is really the category that we
> > fall in, even armor owners such as myself) acknowledge is
> > a real concern. That is the aging of the owners NOT the
> > vehicles. The average age of your restorer/collector is
> > something around 56 years old irrespective of country.
> >
> > If you look at the way the old car clubs are going, they
> > are all facing extinction not because of a lack of
> > vehicles or spares, but because of a lack of owners.
> > A good example is the Chev clubs in Oz. In the main it
> > is their own fault, they have been such an elitist bunch
> > over the years that they have chased away the few younger
> > blokes that showed any interest. Now they are all falling
> > off the planet due to age - have a quick look at any of
> > the Veteran or Vintage car clubs and most members are in
> > their 70s! Because of all this, their vehicles sell for
> > no more than what they did 20 or 30 years ago. What was
> > once a good investment is now a liability.
> > Yes the supply of unrestored vehicles has all but dried
> > up, but as that occured, the supply of new members also
> > dried up - so that sort of solved that problem.
> >
> > Back to MVs and the real point of this email
> > - don't lose sight of the need to apply your ideas to
> > vehicles of all era's not just WW2 stuff.
> >
> > There is one rule that always holds true, that is:
> >
> > People tend to restore/collect the things from their
> > youth.
> >
> > For those now starting to become collectors (the 30 to
> > 40 year olds) that means M38 Jeeps, M35 Trucks etc,
> > unfortunately due to modern laws this will not include
> > armor.
> >
> > We have discussed this before on this list and there are
> > members who have stated what they do to encourage the
> > younger blokes. I think what you are saying goes hand in
> > glove with their aims - get people interested and make
> > it practical and affordable for them to participate.
> >
> > I suppose the ultimate example is a WW2 Jeep, if you
> > can't find one to restore, you can always build the
> > thing totally from repro parts. That may upset the
> > purists, but just about everything upsets them, just
> > like the Oz Chev clubs.............
> >
> > Regards
> > Doug
> >
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>
>
>
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