It's FIX IT AGAIN TONY! And by the way, my fiat 124 took a while to get right, but then it was a solid driver for years.....

And to go further off topic, it came with four wheel disk brakes with Al calipers, the battery mounted in the center front of the trunk for weight distribution, a dual point distributor and a dual overhead cam motor (al head, iron block, sound familiar?). The car was a blast to drive too, not too much power, but decent handling and a top that drops!

Matt

 

"Gentlemen don't motor in the dark"

(and we know why...they'd never make it home )

 

The FIRST new car we bought as a married coupe was a 1975 Fiat X1/9. Why? Easy answer: targa roof, 2 seater sports car, mid-engined and my lack of doing my homework on Fiats ..



Yup, thats luggage on the luggage rack.

The litany of problems with that car are so long, I simply can no longer remember them.

Examples ranged from something simple ... the metal thingie that acted as seat back stop broke. Took my months looking at junkyards to find a replacement ... to

major engine problems ... and independent shop said "someone stole the emission control stuff from the engine"

Emission controls were new, expensive and the car fairly rare.

BS, I think HE stole them, the car just never ran right after that.

The fifth day after we bought it new ... someone rear-ended us on a highway backup

Took the dog camping (too poor for a hotel). Dog got sick ... diarheas all over the leather seats, pouring rain all weekend, and he cut his paw on something. Really fun weekend

Traded that POS in for a 1979 302 Mustang ... the first Mustang since 72 that went back to 302.

Handling on tiny 13" tires? Actually very good. Once you go mid-engined, there is nothing better.

 

My dad had an X 1/9 in the late 70's. The CV joint blew up on the way home from the dealer but other than that, it was pretty reliable.

 

Yup, that was one thing ... a CV joint ... first time I had ever even heard of those things

 

This past summer we bought some property in Mendocino. Our new "neighbor" has a 2005 Elise with almost 40K miles on it. He's retired and drives it everywhere.

I asked him if he's had any problems with it. He claims it's the most reliable car he's ever owned. His only complaint is how quick he goes through the tires.

I was up there the week of Thanksgiving and he wanted to trade cars for a couple of hours. I have driven an Elise before, but not outside of a test drive scenario. I got the car to myself for just a tick over four hours of cruising largely unpopulated coastal and mountain twisities.

I have to admit I was more than a little impressed. The car is visceral and the connection you feel with it is unlike anything else I've ever experienced.

The new Car and Driver claims Lotus is going to go ahead and sell the supercharged Exige in the US as they have found a way to be completely emissions compliant - I am seriously thinking of picking one up.

 

Exiges S has been on sale for awhile. Go look at the pics on Elisetalk. Some got almost 2K miles on them and trackdays. Your talking lows 60s here. Here is one for sale http://www.lotusofgreenwich.com/cars...s&subcat=exige

I understand there is NO rearview view at all.

Tires? The A008s get, from what I've read, maybe 4K miles. Some threads have said 1 - 2K and down to the cords.

 

4 to 5 is about what I'm getting. In fact, it is time once again. BUT, I haven't run it on the track. I've spent zero time in rear wheel/mid engine car on track so I'm being picky about where I run it the first time. Good run off and no walls are the requirements.

 

That really is insane. 5K miles for tires. I thought 10K was bad

 

5.5K on my A046s. Just about ready for a new set......

 

It's not a daily driver for me.
It has one purpose.........my driving enjoyment.

Merry Christmas, ya'll.

 

Hey Chows, this is very funny. Now I see why you are the consumate product researcher...

A zillion years ago, during the same era, I was my girlfriends' "mechanic" who routinely attempted to repair her X1/9. OMG, I couldn't believe how anyone could design such elaborate, complex mechanisms for such simple functions, like the window cranks. I recall a series of criss-crossed cables, pulleys, tensioners, etc. Had I ever seen the repair manual, I'm sure the window crank schematic would have looked like a Da Vinci illustration.

 

What amazes me more is that we actually kept it for four years!

 

and yes, the window cranks are a bit of a pain, but the lever mechanism on my Mustang, while more simple, didn't last as long....

Matt

 

Wow, I've seen exactly one on the road and one in a junkyard. My dads started rusting by the winshield. I have an old pic of him actually sitting on the front bumper...I couldn't believe it didn't fall off .