questions for "newbie"

Posted by carla on July 21, 1998 at 02:07:12

In Reply to: Newbie questions about A's
posted by Matthew W. Woodruff on July 20, 1998 at 15:04:00

: hello, matthew,
as you have seen, the old fords have quite a following, and the generality of model a owners will do their very best to be helpful and friendly towards one another.
every fordist was a "newbie" at one time or another, and had to learn how to hold the starting-crank safely, and to remember to retard the spark.
first, tho, could you give us a bit of a picture about your abilities and preferences?
are you looking for a restored or very well preserved car which you can use as is, and are you particular about originality?
what, approximately, price range have you budgeted for?
have you a reasonable competence in basic mechanical work, and do you enjoy working on your cars?
have you a comfortable garage and a good basic kit of tools?
have you driven a model a for any distance, and what do you think of the "feel" of the car?---i refer especially to the lack of hydraulic steering, vacuum brakes, soft cushiony ride, etc., to which you may have gotten accustomed in newer cars?
do you understand that the only "safety feature" of any of the old model fords is the skill and prudence of the operator?---
i'm not trying to be discouraging, really i'm not, but running an old ford is just not quite so easy as running a late-model car.---all that said, the fords are still a good practical everyday use car, for those who like them and "make friends" with the mechanism and its minutae.
carla

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