Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site decwrl.DEC.COM Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!bellcore!decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-cheers!burden From: burden@cheers.DEC (Toads of the Short Forest) Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Re: best car worst car Message-ID: <509@decwrl.DEC.COM> Date: Fri, 17-Jan-86 03:20:59 EST Article-I.D.: decwrl.509 Posted: Fri Jan 17 03:20:59 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Jan-86 08:31:21 EST Sender: daemon@decwrl.DEC.COM Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation Lines: 53 I don't know if I would vote for Fiat 128 as the worst car, but I did own a '76 two door and I did have some 'interesting' experiences with it. I bought it used while I was in high school and put 13,000 miles on it in 9 months without really going anywhere, the longest trip was to Lime Rock, CT (~275 miles). It was a real pain to get to #4 sparkplug, but the others were no problem. It didn't like starting in the morning during the winter and would always backfire through the carb, I finally discovered that if I removed the air filter cover and stuck the handle of my ice scraper down one of the carb barrels, it would backfire sooner and then start up. If it snowed out and I turned on the defroster, all the snow that had fallen into the air inlet in the engine compartment would come flying out inside the car! It also took me a while to fully realize that while I was sitting there, driving the car, I basically had the spare tire in my lap, since it was stored in the engine compartment. The alternator belt would destroy itself every 10,000 miles (happened twice to me) and I found it much cheaper and easier to carry a spare one than to have the problem looked at and fixed. I always contended that the pulleys were out of alignment, but I never had it checked. I could also put a new belt on it about 3 minutes, without any tools. Just turn the wheel to the right, go in through the passenger side wheel well (I had removed the plastic shield), put the new belt over the alternator and water pump and halfway around the front of the crank pulley, go back inside and crank the engine once and the belt should slip right on. Simple. I had nothing to compare the power of the engine to since this was my first car, but it returned about 30 mpg if I drove conservatively (hardly ever) and about 20 mpg if I beat on it (the rest of the time). I remember one time, I was following a school bus down a two lane (each way) road at about 20 mph, waiting for an opening on the left so I could pull out and pass it. First gear would go to about 25, second to 42. I thought I was in second. I found an opening, hit the gas and got to about 35 or 36 and noticed the car wasn't going any faster and it sounded a bit strained. I was still in first gear! I suppose I should figure out what rpm I was hitting sometime... It didn't seem to do any damage, it ran just fine afterwards. The seats could be removed very simply for cleaning the carpet, or sitting comfortably on the hill overlooking the main straight at Lime Rock. The outside mirrors were interchangeable and the windshield washer squirters could be turned to squirt pedestrians at crosswalks. Dave Burden decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-cheers!burden 603-881-2559 Nashua, NH | 42 42' 48.8'' N V 71 27' 23.7'' W dec-gndzro!dave "Look, strange women lying on their backs in ponds handing over swords ... that's no basis for a system of government." -- Dennis (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)