ascMcLaren Enthusiasts

Happy Belated New Year Everyone!

I haven't been able to post for awhile because of work. Industry loves to do maint when it's cold. Getting to the reason for my post: My wife has been giving me grief because my 89 doesn't have a role bar or a back seat to bring the boy along. The boy is six and she is on this kick that the car w/out a roll bar isn't safe for him to even ride in. I try to explain to her that the car is for sunny days only. It is not an everyday driver. That the car doesn't see traffic, bad roads, or any other extrem weather condition, but it is all for not.... Part of me hopes that because it is winter, and she can't feel the wind in her hair or the roar of the motor...... I don't know.... I really don't want to sell her. (I mean the car!)

Any advice?

Does you car has passenger side air bags? I would normally never put a child in the front seat and if I did it wouldn't be in a car with air bags.

Beyond that, you don't need a roll bar in these cars as they are not prone to tipping over. You just have to assure her that you will drive slow like grandma.

Unfortunately, if you have already established a history of "overly spirited" driving with your wife...you're probably sunk. Once they get it into their heads that it's unsafe...it's unsafe.

The last angle, is that only you will ever drive/ride in it and you have no plans to take the child anywhere in it.

Good luck!

-Mike

I can't offer any advice. My wife HATES our '65 Thunderbird. Don't know why but she keeps 'bugging' me to sell it. We don't need the money or the space. She just doesn't like it. I keep telling her that to sell it I have to have some work done on it. That quiets her down for a while.

She has a Ford Escape and I threatened to sell them both. She loves the damn thing so we're at an impasse!

Ken Tennis

Red '86 Vert.
White '80 Corvette L82
Emberglo '65 Thunderbird Special Landau.

Chris,

First a question - do you intend to take your son in the car or is your wife just in general suggesting the car has to go since she thinks its unsafe for him?

I justified my 'vert to the wife (who was insistent that I get a 4 door something) by explaining that it was going to be a summer commuter car that got better gas mileage than my 4x4 and I didn't need a back seat since 99% of the time I was the only person ever in the vehicle.

As for suggestions with the lack of a roll bar issue - roll bars are a relatively new factory addition to any verts and not all new verts have them, and all verts have passed the safety regs in place at the time they were built. Per her logic, all cars more than 10 years old should be destroyed because they aren't as safe as cars built today.

Keith

Does you car has passenger side air bags? I would normally never put a child in the front seat and if I did it wouldn't be in a car with air bags.

Mike, you bring up a very good point here as well. I really don't take the vert on family trips. Even if we had a saleen w/ a back seat and roll bar, would my wife in the boy be comfortable riding in the car for a prolonged period of time? ie, that's what the 2006 Ford 500 is for.... So, the "toy" is still something for me and her, and not the boy until he is older.

I

can't offer any advice. My wife HATES our '65 Thunderbird. Don't know why but she keeps 'bugging' me to sell it. We don't need the money or the space. She just doesn't like it. I keep telling her that to sell it I have to have some work done on it. That quiets her down for a while.

Same boat. We don't need the money or the space. We bought the 89 when her MS made the Harley impractical.

First a question - do you intend to take your son in the car or is your wife just in general suggesting the car has to go since she thinks its unsafe for him?

I really don't know what she is afraid of. My Dad keeps telling me that a woman will never let a little thing like logic stand b/w her and a good argument! Women tend to make up their mind all at once and God help you try to change it!

Rainmanoly wrote:
.....Women tend to make up their mind all at once and God help you try to change it!

Gonna need more then God on that my friend! lol. I have nothing else to add here as I think it's all been said. I wish you well and hope the vert stays.

I am very lucky. I didn't realize how lucky I am - until now.
I have the 3 ascMcLarens, and a very very special 1993 Cadillac Sixty Special, my daily driver, a 2003 Lincoln Town Car and my wife's 2001 Jeep Cherokee Limited 4X4 Station Wagon.

I have & maintain 3 spaces in a collectable automobile garage, 4 miles from home. It's headed all winter to 55 degree, alarmed, electric door, and all brick exterior/ all concrete interior, slate roof. CANNOT BURN.
The spaces cost $150 @ month, so I pay $450.00 @ month.
At home, one Mclaren & the wife's Cherokke are in our 2-car garage.
Come April first, I fetch the Town Car and she takes the place of the Cherokee in the Garage, and Cherokee "lives" in the driveway.

So, then the rent drops to $300 @ month.

Unlike the above, we COULD really use the $$$ in these crappy economic times, But my wife knows how much I love these cars, so I hear no complaints, 98% of the time.

What helps is my wife is friendly with the wife of a stockbroker who is a car-guy. He has 6 cars (Corvettes) in a super-duper fancy car storage/car-guy club and pays $336.00 @ month for one car times 6 cars, he pays $2,016.00 a month, storage !!!
But, his home is worth 1.5 Mil and he is loaded!
I am NOT loaded, and my wife keeps reminding me of that fact, and would like me to sell off 1 or better yet 2 cars, but she stopped hinting that while I fight this Cancer stuff.
I kid her that whenever I die (next month or in 10 years) she'll have a big Garage Sale !!!
She says she will keep the McLaren Coupe & the Caddy. The rest will go, but she will keep her '01 Jeep (she loves it)
I have been told that I cannot buy anything, unless 2 (yes, 2) cars go and go first, before I buy anything, so .... 'Ya, I am done buying.

Yeah I can't complain either. But he's right - when they make up their mind about something God help us! lol.

I just picked up an 86 SVO as a daily driver - so now we have 3 cars in a 2 car wide driveway! Her car, My SVO and my Honda (That I just can't get rid of - she's been too good to me for so long) - Plus the Capri that's in my parents garage.

She's not said anything about the 3 car parking arrangement yet. I jam my 2 cars together to give her enough room to open her door. Hopefully I will be good to go as-is until we get a house with a garage. I want at least a 3 car attached setup Plus enough space to build something detached with a lift!

I know this post is a bit late, but heck I just joined.
I don't think I'll be much help on the subject seeing as how my wife always HATED my 89 #123 for no particular logical reason other than saying "it feels like it's going to break. Well here it is about 5 years later; Mclaren still with me, but minus a wife. I think I am left with the better half of the deal.
Maybe she was just jealous I never let her drive it, or any of my other cars for that matter. Just for the record she got into 3 "accidents" in 2-3 years; one involving just her and a telephone pole, and blew up 2 engines in a years time. Complained about my driving relentlessly.

Happy days are here again!!!!

I would tell your wife that it is almost impossible for that car to flip because its too low to the ground; it might help a little.

Try to talk to her about how it is something of yours that you love. tell her there is stuff she has that is hers that you would not make her get rid of. ......I hope she does anyways...My boyfreind has a cobra and a saleen and then I have a Mc Laren and we share a lightning. .......he also has a couple of older mustangs that he needs to work on and I would nvr tell him to get rid of them because I know how much he loves them. I do however egg him on to finish them, and tell him to get rid of the frames oleft from parts cars...lol..... point being its your car, you love it....its not your daily driver....you should keep it for you! As far as the air bags....Im pretty sure they did not have them till 1990.