Reply to "I guess this was my initiation to the club..."

Well, welcome to the club. I had the exact same experience the day that my Pantera arrived from its cross country trip, except I stopped a few blocks away from my house at a friend's, and I couldn't figure out how to get the damn thing started again, until after the tenth or so time of putting the key in and out and the cylinder stayed out, and I figured out what was going on. But my experience was a little worse. I bought this particular Pantera from someone who frequents this site because the engine had just been rebuilt with virtually no miles on it, so I reasoned that at least I wouldn't have to be worrying about this expense for quite a while. That it needed a little bit of body work and paint, I was prepared for and it had a number of upgrades for which I wouldn't have to pay, so I was quite excited. But on my way home (literally four blocks from my house), I heard a bearing seize and $4000 later I had another rebuild after the first day of ownership. The previous owner did offer to have the engine fixed if I removed it, crated it, paid for shipping both ways across the country and then re-installed it, but I estimated that I probably saved a couple of thousand just "eating" the cost and doing it locally. Besides, what if it happened again? Would I start the process all over? Anyway, three years and a lot of dollars and patience (and tons of new parts) later, it's finally a joy to drive and to take to the track and have a great time. It was all worth it. Welcome to the club! Enjoy it for years to come.