J
jbackg
Guest
Like all good meditarranean relationships, mine is a love/hate with a car called Marea. I bought the "bargain" 1998R 147bhp 20v 4 Door Saloon with only 7000 miles on the clock when it was only a year old and it only cost me £5000.
Like most scottish youngsters it's quick off the mark, beating many boy racers and frenetic focus owners. But i didn't buy it to be a boy racer, the useful speed is essential for getting out of trouble on scottish tea-time roads. especially when i was on the Fife to Edinburgh route.
With confident driving, and a good set of tyres (ditch the pirellis or end up in one,) it belies it's "official" road-test woes. Point it into a corner and round it goes with no problem, especially if slow-in fast-out accelerator footwark is used, A. But i didn't buy it for rallying around.
Like all children, as it grew old it developed its own little quirks, like the squeeky o/s suspension that magically disappears when the weather is dreich. And the passenger airbag warning light that keeps me company even though there is no passenger airbag.
When it was three it needed a new cv joint so i replaced both. (cost? lots!) Now its six years old, after driving through deep scottish water on the road it needs another one just today! I don't think they can handle the torque. Either that or there's something really nasty in the Perth water spewing from the tay onto the roads today.
It's had a new exhaust, it now needs a new front pipe. (costs lots!) The rear view mirror fell off and it refuses to be attached, whatever glue is used. Oh did i mention the timing belt? as this engine is from the Coupe, there is absolutely no room to work in the engine bay. So engine out and £1000 later...
Ah yes the abs unit failed £700, the clutch master cylinder £100+
Noisy kids? Noisy bearings, hopefully the auxilliary drive belt tensioner or the Alternator and not woe of woes the cams.
But like all loved ones, no matter how much tlc you give them, they still cost money... Still, at least i didn't pay the list price...
Now what did i buy it for again?
Well like all young kids with a brave wrecklessness, it screams with laughter when danger is present and if it falls it's usually only a minor repair required which is soon forgotten about.
If only my fiat could be fixed with a sticky plaster.
cheers <{iii}
James
Like most scottish youngsters it's quick off the mark, beating many boy racers and frenetic focus owners. But i didn't buy it to be a boy racer, the useful speed is essential for getting out of trouble on scottish tea-time roads. especially when i was on the Fife to Edinburgh route.
With confident driving, and a good set of tyres (ditch the pirellis or end up in one,) it belies it's "official" road-test woes. Point it into a corner and round it goes with no problem, especially if slow-in fast-out accelerator footwark is used, A. But i didn't buy it for rallying around.
Like all children, as it grew old it developed its own little quirks, like the squeeky o/s suspension that magically disappears when the weather is dreich. And the passenger airbag warning light that keeps me company even though there is no passenger airbag.
When it was three it needed a new cv joint so i replaced both. (cost? lots!) Now its six years old, after driving through deep scottish water on the road it needs another one just today! I don't think they can handle the torque. Either that or there's something really nasty in the Perth water spewing from the tay onto the roads today.
It's had a new exhaust, it now needs a new front pipe. (costs lots!) The rear view mirror fell off and it refuses to be attached, whatever glue is used. Oh did i mention the timing belt? as this engine is from the Coupe, there is absolutely no room to work in the engine bay. So engine out and £1000 later...
Ah yes the abs unit failed £700, the clutch master cylinder £100+
Noisy kids? Noisy bearings, hopefully the auxilliary drive belt tensioner or the Alternator and not woe of woes the cams.
But like all loved ones, no matter how much tlc you give them, they still cost money... Still, at least i didn't pay the list price...
Now what did i buy it for again?
Well like all young kids with a brave wrecklessness, it screams with laughter when danger is present and if it falls it's usually only a minor repair required which is soon forgotten about.
If only my fiat could be fixed with a sticky plaster.
cheers <{iii}
James
