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Depends Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Thu, 21 Jul 2005 05:16:46
In Reply to: True...true...., David Ingram, Wed, 20 Jul 2005 13:34:44 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I had a string of 70's models, and they got better the newer they got. They aren't 100K mile cars, that is for sure. Fiat had an issue with wheel bearings, which the addressed by making wheel bearings more available. In about 80K miles of driving, I had only one wheel bearing that needed replacement. Otherwise, you needed to do the timing belt every 20K or so. But I got to the point where I could do a timing belt in slightly under 30 minutes. Changing the oil was a pain, because the filter was between the engine and firewall with almost zero clearance. Valve adjustment was done with shims, and needed to be done about every 20-30K.
Electricals were not really a problem, other than the occasional misalignment of the motorized headlights.
Quite frankly, for what it was, I was pretty happy with them. And I had a 80 mile a day commute at the time. It wasn't a car for snow or rain, but as a nice day car, they were a hoot. And I wouldn't judge a mid-engine Italian sports car by the same standards I'd judge a Camry or a Saab. I would never have one as my only car. But as the Toy, they were great. And working on them taught me a lot about learning patience. That sounds bad, but it was good. I learned that sometimes you need to remove parts to get to others. This has stood me in good stead working on Saabs, too.
I always thought that if I had a Ferrari, wouldn't I take the same joy and care working on it as my Fiat? Delusions of grandure to be sure, but it worked. I still think about them when I see one go by, which isn't very often. You could take the targa top off, slip it under the hood, and drive in very cold (below freezing) temps with the heater blasting.
But they were very slow.
posted by 192.249....
, Wed, 20 Jul 2005 07:09:39, Wed, 20 Jul 2005 11:25:46, Thu, 21 Jul 2005 05:16:46 <-- Viewing This Message, Wed, 20 Jul 2005 08:30:18, Wed, 20 Jul 2005 07:44:40
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