<VV> CORSA membership (rant)

[corvairduval at cox.net]

An excellent editorial. I couldn't agree more. I've been a CORSA member
since the late 70's.

Frank DuVal

Original email:
-----------------
From: Karl Haakonsen (cityhawk at pobox.com) karlhaakonsen at comcast.net
Date: Fri, 28 Feb 2014 08:17:23 +0000 (UTC)
To: virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: Re: <VV> CORSA membership (rant)


This continued argument never fails to baffle me. 
I am involved with a group of people that are working to form a new club
for Saturn enthusiasts (another car orphaned and abandoned by GM). While
there is plenty of support online from a few forums and websites for people
wishing to maintain and repair their Saturns, all of this information is
ephemeral. There's no guarantee that it's going to be here tomorrow. There
is no central repository for information, memorabilia or history. There is
no official organization lobbying to ensure the availability of
reproduction parts once the available supply of junkyard parts dwindles. No
organization that can serve as the mouthpiece to counter all the popular
misinformation about the car and its history (and I've seen a proliferation
of inaccurate information about Saturn, though not as damning as that of
the Corvair). 
  
There is no Saturn preservation foundation or museum (even a transient one
like the Corvair "museum"). There is no permanent institution to maintain
historic records with the continuity of the people who volunteer to run the
institution who are committed to maintaining and preserving history. There
is no annual Saturn Convention with all that that entails -- the shows,
concours, parts vendors, autocross, road rally and all that. There are the
beginnings of local meets that may evolve into the kinds of events that our
local Corvair clubs have, but nothing of the scope of our annual
Conventions. There is no membership directory listing friendly Saturn
owners across the country who could be of assistance should I be stranded
during a long drive. Not yet, at least. 
  
There is a small, but enthusiastic number of people going working on
establishing an international club who understand what's at stake and what
will all be lost in the coming years if we don't act now to establish an
enduring institution to " satisfy the common needs of individuals
interested in the preservation, restoration, and operation of Saturn
automobiles . The club's long range goal is to promote reproduction of
parts and render technical assistance to increase our members' enjoyment of
Saturn cars , and to further the general public's appreciation of the cars
. The club also seeks to collect and preserve historic data and Saturn
memorabilia for research and public access ." Some of you may recognize
parts of that mission statement since I lifted much of it from CORSA's
mission statement. 
  
This comparison reminds me of how, in America we can have national
elections where less than a third of the eligible voters show up, claiming
that it's inconvenient or the weather is bad or they don't like the choices
or some crap like that and meanwhile, in other countries, some people
literally give their lives for the right to vote, while in other countries
dictatorships still exist and people have little hope of choosing their
elected leaders. (and please let's not discuss politics, I'm just
illustrating a non-partisan point). 
  
Corvair people don't know how lucky we are to have an organization like
CORSA. That there is an obscure, orphan car that many of us can use as
daily drivers because there is a readily available supply of reproduction
parts for it in spite of the car's being abandoned by its parent, as well
as a permanent home for technical information which is readily available,
all for about the price of a tank of gas. 
  
There is nobody in the Corvair universe with less disposable income than me
at the present time. After an unexpected job loss a couple of years ago at
the worst possible time in my life, I have lost all of my cash reserves and
available credit and while I am now gainfully employed, IÂ am trying ever
so slowly to dig out from the mess I've been in. My restoration project
sometimes languishes for months while I wait for the money to buy the next
part or tool for my project.  If someone has less avbailable resources
than me, they'd be living in their Corvair. Yet I faithfully pay the measly
$45 dues to support all that CORSA does for me and for the thousands of
other people who own Corvairs. If that's too much one can spend $37 if they
don't need the print magazine.  I just don't get it. #smh 
  
End of rant. 
  
Karl in Boston 

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