[DeTomaso] NPC: 850 Fiat Spider driving impressions

[Mike Drew]

Sean,

Reliving your youth is priceless. Buy that car today. Harbor freight, Costco etc sell tent-style garages for under $200 that work great!

Problem solved!

Congrats on your new purchase!!!

Btw I now have four VW Sciroccos parked door handle to doorhandle in my three-car driveway. Where there is a will, there is a way!!!

Mike

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 9, 2013, at 8:08, Sean Korb <spkorb at gmail.com> wrote:

> There is slight Pantera content, but come on.
> 
> My first car was given to me by my father when I was 11 years old: a 1969
> 850 Fiat Spider.  It wasn't much of a gift, as in the north these poor
> things rusted out in less than 5 years.  So I used my paper route money to
> buy a lot of bondo, and I bolted my swing set to the bulkheads to keep it
> from splitting in half.  I rebuilt the motor (cracked piston) and when I
> was 16 I started it up and drove it a few miles.  We couldn't afford to put
> it on the family's insurance policy so it sat, and when I was without a
> home the summer of my 17th year it was parked on the street and the city
> took it away.
> 
> So today I saw a lovely '73 Fiat.  Did you know there's a cross brace under
> the passenger compartment?  This is news to me as the one on my '69 had
> thoroughly rusted away into the aether.
> http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/3790786060.html
> 
> It was as described.  No rust.  And it really runs great for a 40 year old
> car.  He said I was the only person who knew how to drive it.  In the
> corner, you downshift, turn in and then mash the gas.  It's natural for me
> in any car I'm in, but modern cars are so forgiving that you don't really
> have to go through that ritual.  In the Fiat, the 812cc motor will stall
> and you will come to an abrupt halt.  It's a really very well balanced car,
> and the rear end doesn't want to swing out as much as I remembered as a 16
> year old (radial vs bias tires?), but driving by yourself would be more fun
> as having a passenger adds almost 10% to the gross weight.
> 
> So the worst part about it is I made him an offer, he counter offered and I
> held firm and got the price I wanted.  One final condition though, my
> spouse is pretty upset with me for considering a car that I don't have
> garage space for and might leave to rot.  I have to say I share her
> feelings.  I told the seller I would decide this week and he did not have
> to hold the car for me.
> 
> This is a tougher decision than I would like it to be.  I should really use
> the money to get the air conditioning working in the Pantera and drive it
> in the summer months more.
> 
> Thanks for any advice, cat calls or 2 cents.
> 
> sean
> -- 
> Sean Korb spkorb at spkorb.org http://www.spkorb.org
> '65,'68 Mustangs,'68 Cougar,'78 R100/7,'60 Metro,'59 A35,'71 Pantera #1382
> "The more you drive, the less intelligent you get" --Miller
> "Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers." -P. Picasso
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