Oh Patrick! I agree %200! You are absolutely correct on all accounts!
Funny you should mention those rice burners-the '93 Sentra which was bought
new, and has less mileage than my spit, now needs a new clutch! (Not to
mention two new starters having been put into it-one after only 10k! And the
part was $250-without labour!!! I almost choked!) The guy who did the brakes
last year has never been able to adjust them properly and so they squeek-all
kinds of little annoyances-and the car has been babied a heck of a lot more
than my Spitfire! And My Spit has been apraised as almost twice what the
value of the Sentra is!
It almost always starts-it should-no repair on the thing has ever cost less
than $300!
Laura G
Vita brevis est: rapide agite, vigore strigate!
----- Original Message -----
From: Bowen, Patrick A RP2 <PABowen@sar.med.navy.mil>
To: 'Jeff McNeal' <jmcneal@ohms.com>; Garner, Joseph P.
<JPGarner@UCDavis.Edu>; <spitfires@autox.team.net>;
<triumphs@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 5:13 AM
Subject: RE: Sensible advice please
>
> 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. 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). 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. 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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.
>
> 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 ;^)
>
> 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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