> Now I would argue with that advice. Triumphs, Spitfires, and LBCs in
> general are great cars. They are reliable, you must take into account
that
> these cars on average have 30 years of abuse given to them, any car in
that
> situation will be a pain to maintain.
True, but Spitfires were built requiring more frequent maintenance from the
get-go. These are not "filler-up and go" and "I'll change the oil when I
feel like it" kinds of cars. Valves must be adjusted periodically, etc.
If you find a well maintained car,
> you will be off to a great start. And for the price of a good spit you
will
> get a lot more than if you bought a more modern car for the same price
(even
> those rice pattie burners from the orient).
Agreed. But does this vehicle that Joe is considering sound particularly
well maintained? The jury is still out as far as I can see...
Despite the size of these cars,
> I consider them safe, the other drivers on the road are not. I have
driven
> spits for three years now and do not rally in fear of my life, yet I am
> quite aware that the other ignoramus cannot necessarily see me.
This is a funny argument, Patrick. The CAR may be safe, so long as you
don't have to share the road with other drivers. Is that what you're
implying? Defensive driving is a mandatory skill when maneuvering Spitfires
through the traffic. Even then, the size and lightweight of the vehicle do
not bode well in the event of a collision. I agree with others though that
if you're a skillful driver, you might be more likely to get yourself out of
a tight jam -- and considering that no one can see you in these things,
that's a skill which will inevitably be put to the test in urban traffic.
These are
> awefully stout cars, that can in fact take a beating. I have never had a
> wheel fall off on me, or have the car roll over (yea right with a center
of
> gravity 8 inches off the ground). I have no fear in taking my three year
> old daughter for a ride - she LOVES the car.
Well, I've owned two Spitfires (both wire wheels) and have had TWO wheels
fall off on me. One with warning at 6 mph, the other with no warning
whatsoever (worn splines) at 60 MPH. I admit, this is probably not an issue
with a '74 model with pressed steel wheels or minilites, I would imagine. I
also met someone who's brother rolled a Spitfire -- and miraculously wasn't
seriously injured. No rollbar, either. Go figure.
>
> Benefits: They are awesome cars, inexpensive, inexpensive to repair, easy
> to repair, good gas mileage, the most manueverable car I have ever driven,
> and just the plain joy of it.
No arguments there, but you wisely didn't claim that they were reliable,
which of course will incrementally goose up the cumulative costs of those
"inexpensive" repairs. You should also remember that some repairs require
professional assistance -- and that assistance is increasingly hard to find
for LBC's. When you can find it, it's frequently tied to labor rates of $65
an hour. Personally, I'm enjoying working on my own car, but Dr. J should
be prepared to shell out some serious dinero if he's planning on having
others do all the work. I'm also keeping in mind his initial comments about
budget being a concern. Yes, Spitfires are cheap to acquire. Yes, the
parts are relatively inexpensive and yes, they are fairly easy to repair,
provided you have the inclination to do most of the work yourself.
>
> I say buy the car!! expect to do modest upkeep and an occasional repair
> bill (that you would have to pay on any car 25 or 30 years old) and you
will
> be set, and still saving money.
Okay, buy the car! WITH your eyes open...
>
> For those of you that think my arguement is full of bunkus, I will start
to
> devise an Emergency Ejection Seat for the Spitfire for sale next to Joe's
> Camber Compensator ;^)
If the floorboards are rusty on Joe's car-to-be, then he's already got one.
Except it ejects you BELOW the car and not OVER it. :-)
Jeff in San Diego
Caveat Emptor
(since we're throwing out Latin proverbs)
>
> Carpe Diem
>
> Patrick Bowen
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff McNeal [mailto:jmcneal@ohms.com]
> Sent: Monday, March 13, 2000 5:56 PM
> To: Garner, Joseph P.; spitfires@autox.team.net; triumphs@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: Sensible advice please
>
>
>
> I wish that I could encourage you to buy the Spitfire, but if safety is a
> concern, forget it. You probably should bear in mind also that if you're
on
> a tight budget, any British sports car will bring you pain. Not only does
> the Spitfire afford very little protection, they require more maintenance
> that their Japanese counterparts. This means time -- and money. The less
> time you have, the more money you'll need to keep that puppy running to
get
> your kicks.
>
> I don't blame you for being attracted to that little beauty, but to be
> perfectly candid, if safety and budget constraints are a concern, think
> twice. Unless you have a lot of spare time to perform the maintenance and
> some of the repairs yourself. The upside to this notion is that Spitfires
> are easier to work on than just about any car you'll ever see.
>
> There is an outstanding buyers guide in addition to the TVR site that you
> should check out if you are hellbent on the Spitfire.
>
>
http://www.ohms.com/cgi-bin/spitlinks/spitlinks.cgi?direct=http://www.xs4all
> .nl/~ekieboom/spit/spit.html
>
> Good luck with your difficult decision. If you decide to buy, spring for
a
> rollbar -- and make sure your life insurance premiums are paid up if you
> have dependents. Then, forget all the logic and go out and have fun.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Jeff in San Diego
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Garner, Joseph P. <JPGarner@UCDavis.Edu>
> To: <spitfires@autox.team.net>; <triumphs@autox.team.net>
> Sent: Monday, March 13, 2000 2:20 PM
> Subject: Sensible advice please
>
>
> >
> > Hi everyone,
> >
> > I need some sensible (and perhaps sobering) advice.
> >
> > Here's my problem....
> >
> > In my search for a used car on a tight budget, I have happened upon a
1974
> > spitfire 1500. Every sensible nerve in my body tells me not to be so
silly
> > and to go and put the money down on that tercel i saw earlier in the
week,
> > but this is the first car i have seen which I am really excited about.
> > Perhaps it is because i am an englishman in california and it is a
> beautiful
> > reminder of home, but at the moment i am sturggling with the urge to
> > purchase with my heart and not my head.
> >
> > I have done as much research as i can (the TVR website was so helpful!),
> and
> > have enlisted the help of a friend of mine who is a better mechanic than
i
> > am to go and give the car a first look the car over in the flesh. I
would
> > not buy it if there were any mechanical or body problems of note, and i
> > would get a professional mechnic to check it over first. But my main
worry
> > is that if the car does turn out to be sound, then i have to decide
where
> it
> > really is appropriate.... in short, I hardly drive anywhere, living
within
> > cycling distance of work, my only major trip is a 2 and a half hour
drive
> > (sacramento to palo alto) that i make there and back maybe twice a
month.
> Am
> > I crazy to think of doing this in an (albeit) mechanically sound
spitfire?
> > Or in other words, am i crazy to consider buying a mechanically sound
> > spitfire for the purpose of making that round-trip twice a month? My
> > particular concerns are mechanical reliability, and crash-safety (which
is
> > why i said it was a head-versus-heart tug of war going on here!)
> >
> > All honest opinions would be very much appreciated!
> >
> > thank you all for your time
> >
> > cheers
> >
> > Joe
> > ___________________________
> >
> > Dr. Joseph Garner
> > University of California
> > Department of Animal Science
> > One Shields Avenue
> > Davis
> > CA 95616
> > USA
> >
> > Phone: (530) 754 5291
> >
> >
>
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