Terry Thompson's list actually makes my 1980 Spit sound like a paragon of
reliability. This is despite the fact that last year I had the unsettling
experience of having the AAA national I-need-a-tow operator recognize me
("An orange spitfire... did you call in a couple weeks ago?"). I can't
top his mechanical failings list, but I can add a tale to the snow issue:
On Wed, 3 Jan 2001, Terry Thompson wrote:
>
> I've used my Spitfire as a daily driver for the past
> 2-3 years after my "modern" car broke down. And I
> don't mind driving my car everywhere, but when I think
> of all of the times I've had a problem, it makes me
> shake my head. But you don't consider them when you
> think of all the fun you have driving the car.
> Spitfires are such a blast.
>
> I abandoned my car 4 times in the past 4.5 years
> that I've owned it.
>
> 1) Unexpected snow-fall dumped a foot of snow in the
> area in under 2 hours. Pulled to a side street and
Similar problem happened to me a couple years ago, but it was only 2" of
snow. But, for the first time in my 23 years living there, the snow turned
to 1" of sheet ice on the Seattle streets (where two inches of normal snow
can cancel school). Better than the local rink. When I started sliding
down hills backwards, I decided to park the car. My wife and I skated a
few blocks (took a while, it was SLICK) to a local McDonald's where we
waited an hour until they kicked us out (after we'd tanked up on hot
drinks).
We waited another hour and a half by the side of a major road as it got
dark until a bus finally showed up *with chains*. The chains were a nice
touch since we already had an impressive collection of unchained busses
lined up stuck or jack-knifed nearby. Seattle buses aren't exactly snow
ready. That bus, with no working heat and a surly driver who wasn't even
driving a route -- he was going in for the night and took pity on the
shivering groups huddled at bus stops, slid, rumbled and hopped curbs to
within a mile of our destination.
Motivated by the need to find a restroom (did I mention we had tanked up
on hot drinks?), we slipped along until we saw through the dark mist an
open Subway sandwich shop where we stopped for dinner. Biggest tip I've
ever given for a sandwich in my life. After that, we trundled our luggage
down a hill and, over three hours after leaving our wedding , made it to
the hotel next to the dock where early the next morning we caught the boat
to Victoria for our honeymoon (the snow made for a few great wedding
pictures).
Now, the funny part of this whole story is a friend (an MG driver)
borrowed my car and managed to slowly roll into a ditch just an hour
before my wedding, when the roads were DRY (I've since fixed the hand
brake). No damage and he didn't worry me about it until several weeks
later when I could enjoy the thought of him in a tux asking some folks
with a van for a quick tow...
Other than that minor adventure, the biggest problem has been a dropped
valve. Took a couple months, but I fixed it in an apartment parking lot.
Lost a wheel bearing on a Washington state to CA drive and got to spend a
few days in scenic Redding, CA -- an experience that can be closely
simulated by locking yourself in a windowless closet for two days.
Current issues are the master brake cylinder (replacement soon, the new
one is in the boot) and the clutch slave cylinder (I hope thats where the
fluid is going...). As a side note, I'm please to report my clutch bleeds
itself, as I found out by grinding home on an empty clutch cylinder
(wasn't that bad, only 3 shifts). Filled it up, a few pumps and off I go.
As my only car, with the new starter motor, I trust it. Now, my wife
bikes when possible, always takes a coat or two on even the shortest
drives and keeps suggesting a nice, practical four seater hatchback (to
which I suggest a Porsche 944 - stops her every time :).
JHW
1980 "British Racing Orange" Spitfire
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