Now, don't all you midget lovers (the car, dammit, THE CAR) get on my case,
I'm merely the messenger. This appears to be the perspective of someone
who isn't brain-dead^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^Hdedicated enough to appreciate the
rewards of SOL ownership.
----- Begin Included Message -----
>From U53519@uicvm.uic.edu Tue Nov 29 16:40:58 MST 1994
Article: 21990 of rec.autos.misc
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Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago, ADN Computer Center
Date: Wed, 23 Nov 1994 18:35:56 CST
From: Ray Sparrowe <U53519@uicvm.uic.edu>
Newsgroups: rec.autos.misc
Subject: Re: MG MIDGET
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Content-Length: 1511
In article <gh-2211942347410001@smf-l10.facsmf.utexas.edu>, gh (cgf) says:
>
>Give me some of your midget experiences. I'm thinking of fixing my '74 up.
I had a 64 AH Sprite from 1969-71. Bad memory: I'm driving with my (then)
new girlfriend from San Francisco to Santa Barbara. On the old two-lane
stretch by King City the canvas top rips down the middle and the passenger
half flies away. She is not impressed. As the sun sets and the headlites
go on, the generator dies -- now we run on battery. We stop in San Luis
Nabisco for a quick charge. Back on the road at 9:00 pm, going at a
good clip in hopes of getting to Santa Barbara before the headlamps
go dim. Dashing up the long hill by Lompoc the death rattle starts --
rod bearing melt-down. Sprite RIPs at the bottom of the hill and we
are towed into Santa Barbara. Real romantic. Not exactly Dustin
Hoffman in the lovely Alfa Spider on the same route ........
It also lost brakes twice, had two valve jobs, blew core plugs,
and broke an axle (how can 1100 cc's generate enuf power to snap
an axle?). All this in two years and less than 10,000 miles.
Was it fun when it ran? Only when I wasn't getting whipped by
souped-up VW bugs (which was regularly).
You want to resurrect one of these damned things? Bury it! Or,
spend your time and money restoring something that is rewarding
to own and drive -- like a TR4a, a big Healy, or even an early
MGB. Better yet, buy a Miata and have a sports car that actually
runs!
-- Ray Sparrowe
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A MIATA!?!? AAAaaaargh!
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