After 7 years owning the Fiat, I put it on the market this past spring. A while back, I realized I had grown tired of working on it. I had met a few of the goals I had with the car but really never got it where I wanted it to be.
In those 7 years, I've also picked up a few new items...a house, motorcycles, side-businesses, a wife, photography, etc. Time, energy and funds for the Fiat have all but dried up.
The car sold this summer to a nice guy in Phoenix named Dale, who is going to restore it the way I never could. Can't wait to see how it goes. The sale came at a good time because I had just been laid off and the money helped fund an amazing 9 week trip across the US on my motorcycle and the best summer of my life.
Classic cars still make my heart beat faster and the Fiat Spider is a favorite...maybe I'll own another one day, not sure. I have a long list of old cars I want to own and have already told the wife to be prepared for the day another clunker rolls up in the driveway.
As I reflect back on moments I had with my 1972 Fiat Spider, few of them are what I had imagined...oily rags, skint knuckles, sludge you can't imagine, frustrating parts installs, hot oil in my face and stalling out in the middle of the road a dozen times. That car taught me how to mechanic and not to be scared to jump in head first on a daunting project. Of all the goals I had with the car, the biggest one was '
learn to restore an old car' and I accomplished it squarely.
Things I've learned
- There's a certain calm to being a stranded motorist...the rest of the world gives you a break for classic car problems. Enjoy the zen while it lasts because tomorrow you have to get out the wrench and wallet.
- Carbs aren't that scary. You can master them with time and patience. If you don't have time and patience, get a carb guy or go EFI.
- Underneath all that oily sludge is just more oily sludge.
- Driving an old convertible on the highway for the first time in years really requires goggles...all the dusty crap will blow right in your eyes.
- Women do not appreciate the smell of old cars like men do. I'm just sayin.
- Even if you break the bank and fully restore a classic sports car, realize it's still a restored OLD car. The day it rolled off the lot it was slower than a modern minivan.
- Don't mess with the transmission. Just get a good one from the start.
- If you're going to pick an old car to restore, drive one that is fixed up first...so you'll know what's moderately possible to achieve.
- Unless you own a restoration shop, you *will* lose money fixing up an old car. Accept that fact and it's a lot easier to buy those $1200 carburetors .
- Owning a classic car is a ticket to cool events...everybody should own one once in their lives.
- It's always a bigger project than you first think.
- I can do it. Even if I don't know how.
