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Author Topic: Wife Acceptancy Factor too low...  (Read 25665 times)
Haagen
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« on: May 29, 2007, 01:57:09 pm »

Hi guys!

I live in Norway and a few weeks ago I came across a Murena 2.2 for sale by chance. I had never heard about it before, but I just love the looks of the car.

I read everything I found about it on the internet, and I just became more interested!

BTW. I'm very happy to have found this forum, which has so much activity and knowledgeable people.

My "problem" is that my wife don't want let me to buy it.  Sad She says that we don't need three cars (true), that it costs too much (not true IMHO €5600), that it costs too much to have on the road (sadly true- taxes and full insurance €1000 each year until it is a veteran (30 years old)) and that it is a toy for me only (partly true :-D ) because there is not room for the whole family.

I've tried all the arguments I can think of, but still no luck... Can you guys think of any good reasons/arguments I can use to convince my wife that we should buy it?

Our family has two children, 9 and 12 years old and a medium sized dog. We live in a villa and has one garage only. I'm not a mechanic so I hope to be able to keep the car running without too much trouble/work/cost.

The car is a 1983 Murena 2.2 with S-kit. The electrical wiring in the engine bay has been changed recently. The brakes have been changed, new calipers(?) front and back and new discs in front. It has a new specially made silencer with four outlets. One of the rear suspension arms has been changed after a small accident and the both of them treated with Tectyl. Milage: 111' km. Gotti + original rims. Electrical windows. It is one of only three or four cars that has been sold new in Norway. The first owner was the Talbot executive in Norway.

The car has been repainted, it is now black, but the paint has started cracking above the engine room. The driver seat needs new stuffing and I think the gear linkage also needs a bit of work. Apart from that it seems to me to be in good condition considering its age.

So guys, don't you think that the car is ok?

Murenas are so rare so nobody has heard about them.This seems to result in them beeing difficult to sell. The owner of this car has been trying to sell it more or less actively for half a year. I think there are four other Murenas (€2500-7400), in varying conditions, for sale in Norway. I don't like this, but maybe it is not a problem because no one sane would want to sell their Murena? ;-)
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hru
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« Reply #1 on: May 29, 2007, 02:19:52 pm »

Women...........

I bought my Murena after a divorce  Cheesy

It's difficult to determine if the car is in good or bad condition just based on a description.
There are simply to many factors to look after. You have to look at several other cars and try to observe their faults - get experienced.

5600,- EUR for a 'S' with Gotti's and 111 tkm - is not so  bad in Norway, is it ? You have very high taxes a la Denmark, as I remember.

/Henrik
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Matra Murena 2.2
macaroni
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« Reply #2 on: May 29, 2007, 02:58:51 pm »

Well I knew my wife wouldn't be keen on me buying one, as it too would be a 3rd car, so I didn't tell her until I drove up in it.
She wasn't too pleased, but hey, you can't please them all the time can you?

I'm sure my wife would like me to drive a "nice", reliable Toyota Avensis or something, but if that were the case, I'd be dead, so she tolerates my cars.
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krede
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« Reply #3 on: May 29, 2007, 05:01:45 pm »

Quote
so I didn't tell her until I drove up in it.
You will not need to prove your courage to me, in any way, ever again..!!  Grin


Women... you cant live with them.. and you cant kill them.. Wink

However, Haagen, you wife DOES have some good points...

1) with your current "needs" your Murena WILL be a toy....(so what Smiley ? )
Choosing witch kid to leave at home will be tough.. and even thought there is plenty of room in the boot for a medium sized dog.. please.. whatever you do.. don't put one in there!!!.. If the noise doesn't kill it, the fumes and the heat will.....as the there is no ventilation in the luggage compartment what so ever.

2) You don't need to be a mechanic to do much of the maintenance on a Murena, but I would not recommend ANY 25 year old car to someone who are not confident with a spanner...
The Murena is a quite simple construction really.... most parts (especially engine parts) are just (much) harder to reach then on front engined cars
So if you are an enthusiastic DIY man, its not an impossible task.
Parts are available and actually very fairly priced considering the type of car, and the small numbers ever made.
BUT!.... with cars this old anything can go wrong, and eventually will! 
Add to that, the mid engine layout, the vacuum operated pop-up headlights, and a "challenging" electrical system (to say the least)... and this car will be a very costly acquaintance if you have to take it to a workshop every time something needs to be fixed.
I don't believe (and I am guessing here) that ANY Murena owner doesn't have at least one or two things needing attention as soon as time allows it Cheesy

Now.. I'm not saying this to scare you off (and I could be wrong) but, you need to have a realistic view of things , and set your expectations accordingly before you rush out to buy this pretty car Smiley

As they others say, its hard to comment on a particular car.. just from what you have written.
But assuming the car is in a good state of repair , 5700 euro is a fair price. Especially when it has the "s" kit .
its not uncommon for resprays to come out poorly.. or start peeling or cracking  after a short while(mine has a little of this)
The color... the "s" kit,the rims, and the exhaust, does set off a few alarms in the back of my head.. so...... Smiley
Also gear linkage problems are the order of the day.. really.. so no worries there.. but again... make sure that it IS the gear linkage and not the gearbox itself thats the problem.   


Right..... with this said... it is my firm belief, that as "sub-exotic" "young-timers" and "near classics" come.. there is no... and I repeat NO!!!! other car out there that can match the "package" you get with the Murena.
The looks,the layout(mid engine..pop-up headlights) It's rarity, the price, the access to spare parts, the fact that you can use it as an everyday car (I do)... and.... the mother of them all... its resistance to corrosion...
The last one in particular makes this car such an easy choice if you want something  "special" in your driveway Smiley   
   
« Last Edit: May 29, 2007, 05:05:54 pm by krede » Logged
gizmo
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« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2007, 09:31:46 pm »


It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

Good luck.
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Haagen
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« Reply #5 on: May 29, 2007, 10:40:16 pm »

Thanks for all the answers.

I have also gotten the impression that the Murena is a rather unique "package".

I know that it is not possible to tell if the car is good or not just from my description, which is based on what I've been told and seen with my untrained eyes. I'm also aware the car is not new, so you never know what to expect... I just wanted to give you guys an impression of the car in question and I appreciate very much any comments.

The current owner is 22 and a member of a streetcar club. So krede's alarms may be ringing for a reason... He has only had the car for two years though, and he says he has been not been using the Murena as his daily car.

I showed my wife your replies so far, but she is still not convinced.   Sad

I thought I should add some pictures as well, even if they don't make it any easier to say much about the car. Anyway here is something for you to look at, even if you know so much better than I what a Murena looks like.

I think someone on this forum once mentioned wanting to see a black Murena with gold rims. Here is one:







Since the paint is cracking, I would probably have to have it resprayed sometime in the future, maybe back to its original color. Undecided
I like the contrasts with the black rubber and the lighter colors.

I think I would want to keep it as close to original as possible. Definitively no big projects like changing the engine. I would like to have it available for use and not in a garage for several years...
 
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Anders Dinsen
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« Reply #6 on: May 29, 2007, 11:12:00 pm »

It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.

True.

Philosophical aspect:
We have been brought up trying to act rationally by the after-war generations, but at some point we have to realise that rationalism exists only in our imagination. The meaning of life is life itself, so we won't do it justice by spending all our time service others. Sure, we should serve others, but before we can do that we have to serve ourselves. Some do so by buying themselves a Murena.

Mid life crisis aspect:
My wife didn't understand what I wanted a Murena for until she realised I'm turning 40 in a few years. It's his mid life crisis! she explains. I have heard another Murena owner quote his wife saying that she'd prefer him playing with his car over chasing women. I bet she would!

But even though she tries, even though she appears to find explanations, my wife will probably never understand what I wan't the Murena for: We have four (!) kids, no dog (yet), no garage (not even a car port), and only a small house. We are also very busy since we have a very challenging life - life with a family is always challenging, but ours is a good deal more than average. Why isn't important here, what is is that it isn't rational to have the Murena (or wan't a dog, or whatever). It does not make sense! But it is necessary.

I'm happier with the Murena than I would be without.

It's as simple as that.

If you can afford having it, buy it. But try negotiating the price down - if it turns out not to be "your" car after all, then you have to be able to sell it again. Besides, buying a car from a 22 year old should always ring an alarm, chances are that he knows very little about what he has been driving and that he hasn't treated it with respect. At this point it doesn't matter if he has or not - when he's the seller it has to be cheaper than if it was sold by a 45 year enthusiast. Right?

That was my 25 øre Wink

- Anders Cool
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1982 Talbot Matra Murena 2.2 prep 142
2017 BMW i3 "Charged Professional" 94Ah

Used to own:
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1997 Renault Matra Espace 2.0 8V
1987 Renault Matra Espace J11 2.2
michaltalbot
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« Reply #7 on: May 29, 2007, 11:28:21 pm »

Hello!

At first arguments for You if buy or not:
1) You only live once - so You have to make Your dreams come true, think about it...
2) Murena is something very different. To buy and to own a Murena is not as easy as to own VW Golf or BMW 320i
3) Murena is not just a car, it will be next member of Your familly

Than arguments for Your wife:
1) it is the best way how to invest the money - prices of Murenas are rising faster than money in banks
2) better for her when You will buy the Murena - You will be at home near her (working on it) and not in the pub Smiley
3) does she really thinks that those 5600,-E are good price for unhappy husband till the end of your days...? Smiley

 You must to show her some other men like me or gizmo ( Smiley ) and say: "only third car??? Look at other men, they have 5, 7... 10 cars!" Smiley

And in the end: if she really loves You, she will accept it, I'm sure, so welcome in advance!

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Haagen
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« Reply #8 on: May 30, 2007, 12:00:50 am »

chances are that he knows very little about what he has been driving and that he hasn't treated it with respect.

Actually I have hope in that aspect, because his father also has a Murena.

I just got a quick glimpse of it and it was a very special one. One of a kind, specially made for the first owner and it did not look like a regular Murena. I did not find out very much about since I was only interested in the other car. The father jokingly said I could buy his car, but the price he qouted (€ 30 000) was way out of my league.
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Anders Dinsen
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« Reply #9 on: May 30, 2007, 06:26:24 am »

chances are that he knows very little about what he has been driving and that he hasn't treated it with respect.

Actually I have hope in that aspect, because his father also has a Murena.

I just got a quick glimpse of it and it was a very special one. One of a kind, specially made for the first owner and it did not look like a regular Murena. I did not find out very much about since I was only interested in the other car. The father jokingly said I could buy his car, but the price he qouted (€ 30 000) was way out of my league.

Hmm, sounds like the price negotioation will be hard then... good to hear, though!

- Anders
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1982 Talbot Matra Murena 2.2 prep 142
2017 BMW i3 "Charged Professional" 94Ah

Used to own:
2001 Renault Matra Grand Espace "The Race" V6 24v
1997 Renault Matra Espace 2.0 8V
1987 Renault Matra Espace J11 2.2
Lennart Sorth
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« Reply #10 on: May 30, 2007, 11:37:25 am »

Our family has two children, 9 and 12 years
I'm sure your wife will change her mind, when she has seen the smiles on your childrens faces, when you drive them to school in the Murena...

My wife only has only ever had one complaint about the Murena, and that is that I only get suntanned on my lower legs (jokingly hinting that I spend most of my spare time *under* the car, which isn't true, but a good joke nevertheless :-) )

/Lennart
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Lennart.Sorth@matrasport.dk
Murena 1983 1.9i silver // Honda e '20 Charge Yellow  // VW Polo '22 1.0 tsi silver//
gizmo
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« Reply #11 on: May 30, 2007, 10:11:34 pm »


You must to show her some other men like me or gizmo ( Smiley ) and say: "only third car??? Look at other men, they have 5, 7... 10 cars!" Smiley

I quite agree Michal  Smiley but I do have a very understanding wife and I don't complain about her 2 horses 4 dogs and 14 cats. That's what marriage is about, give and take.

Best of luck Haggan.
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gizmo
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« Reply #12 on: May 30, 2007, 11:54:59 pm »



My wife didn't understand what I wanted a Murena for until she realised I'm turning 40 in a few years. It's his mid life crisis! she explains.

I'm 56 and still using the same excuse, after all it's worked for the last 20 years.

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Murena 2.2
Toyota MR2
Porsche 924
Mazda MX5
Reliant Scimitar GTE
Volvo 480 turbo
BMW series 3
Volvo 760 Estate
Honda 550 motorcycle
macaroni
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« Reply #13 on: May 31, 2007, 09:14:32 am »

I think that looks awesome. I love black cars and I love those wheels too.

Worth pushing for Wife Acceptancy (or forgiveness...) I think.
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Anders Dinsen
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« Reply #14 on: May 31, 2007, 07:59:17 pm »

I mentioned this thread to my wife this evening, and she told me to tell you that she still hates my Murena  Shocked
Yes, that was what she said!
I guess she is just very tolerable Cheesy

- Anders Cool
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1982 Talbot Matra Murena 2.2 prep 142
2017 BMW i3 "Charged Professional" 94Ah

Used to own:
2001 Renault Matra Grand Espace "The Race" V6 24v
1997 Renault Matra Espace 2.0 8V
1987 Renault Matra Espace J11 2.2
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