[DeTomaso] NPC: 850 Fiat Spider driving impressions

[SOBill at aol.com]

Do whichever is the most fun.
 
The main  thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

Do the best you can with  what you have where you are.

Have fun today,

sobill at aol.com  

 
In a message dated 6/8/2013 4:08:22 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,  
spkorb at gmail.com writes:

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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