Portland Oregon New Member

[OneOwner75]

Not new to Fiats... or I should say... Fiat. Been driving the same car for 35 years. Do the math.

Should mention that's all on the original engine. Gotta love that.

[radgator1]

Nice!!

How many miles you got on her? How about some pics of the ride.

[Exit98]

You could write a book. At least tell us a couple stories.

Took you long enough to join us here by the way.

Glad you came.

[kilrwail]

Welcome to the forum. You and I are among the very few here who have owned their cars since new. If your experience is similar to mine, you've encountered few of the problems facing other members who have bought other people's hacked repair jobs. Congratulations...and please post pictures!

[OneOwner75]

Nice!!

How many miles you got on her? How about some pics of the ride.

Thanks for the note. Around 200K miles. The speedometer/odometer quit in the "old days" when it was hard to find these things. So there were about 25K miles that went unrecorded. Or...I could lie and say it has only 76K and I am only 39.

Beth

[OneOwner75]

[quote="Exit98"]You could write a book. At least tell us a couple stories.

It would be a long book. I hope to post some stories, by and by. I have a fat binder with every receipt from the last 30 years, so I know just when the third top got knifed open in a botched radio grab in LA, or the grill got cracked when I skated on some ice and landed in a snowbank in Montana.

It has never failed to start. Never. Failed. To. Start.

Beth

[OneOwner75]

Welcome to the forum. You and I are among the very few here who have owned their cars since new. If your experience is similar to mine, you've encountered few of the problems facing other members who have bought other people's hacked repair jobs. Congratulations...and please post pictures!

Thanks for the welcome. Yes, it has been an amazing ride. I had a roll bar installed when it was new, and glad to say I've never used it. So many people ask now "What kind of car is that?" I'm thinking of a bumper sticker that just says:

"It's Italian"

Beth

[Nancy1340]

Welcome Beth!

Looking forward to both the photos and the stories.

[mea]

Portland fiat events? I as live in Portland, Oregon.

[theProdikalSon]

Do you ever have any trouble operating your fiat in the winter?

[OneOwner75]

Do you ever have any trouble operating your fiat in the winter?

Hi ProdikalSon,
I am sure there are many owners on the forum with solid advice about this question. My story is probably not typical.

In the 30+ years that I have driven the car, I have been in all types of terrain and weather. My car has never failed to start, which is pretty miraculous. One of the chief hazards of winter weather is low visibility, and mean that people in big SUV's can't see you. But if you mean cold starts, certainly Northwest Montana (5 years) was a challenge. The car was younger then, and the suspension had been rebuilt some years before that, so the handling was solid on dry ground.

When the snow season rolled in, I put studded tires on all four wheels and a couple of sand bags in the boot, left and right. I put white grease in the locks to keep them from freezing, kept the radiator juiced up with antifreeze, changed the wiper blades and made sure the battery was new or new-ish.

It handled surprisingly well. The only difficulties were roads heavily travelled by timber haulers. The ice ruts could be deep and devilish, and obviously nowhere near my small wheelbase. Also the spider's low clearance required split second judgement at times.

Once I was caught in a sudden blizzard after nightfall on a curvy stretch east of Flathead Lake. The road was narrow, completely packed with ice and snow, with a drop to the lake on one side and a rocky embankment on the other, no guard rails. There was no where to get off the road, no shoulder, in that stretch, so I persevered. The little wiper blades kept chugging along through heavy wet snow that was blowing so hard and fast that visibility was near zero. It was a white-out, really, I keep trying to pick out the little reflectors on the posts for the snow ploughs, but I couldn't even see them. Snow was caking on the headlights and I knew that if I stopped, I'd be stuck in an instant, and be a sitting duck for the next big rig to roll right over.

I remembered a story I'd heard that a grizzly bear was hit by a truck there once and it's body rolled down into the lake and sank. I was on the Indian Reservation, and grizzly claws and teeth are very valuable if anyone could ever find them deep in that cold clear water. I figured I was going down to join the grizzly. But as luck was on my side, I managed to navigate the next 15 miles to the nearest roadside tavern.

I walked in, stomping the snow off my boots. The parking lot was full of 4WD trucks and big rigs; the bar was full of their drivers, loggers, hunters, waiting out the storm. I was a bit bug-eyed, ordered my whiskey neat, while my little red italian car sat outside in the pool of light from a street lamp, slowly disappearing under a white blanket.

[theProdikalSon]

OneOwner75,

That is quite the adventure!! You truly have made the most of your vehicle! Glad to hear you didn't join the grizzly !

I just purchased my first car, a 1980 FI Fiat. I am planning a ski trip to Vermont in February, and will hopefully not have to take a bus if I can outfit my ride with the proper gear. Do you have a hard top on your car? I have been looking at tops for the winter season for better protection.

[OneOwner75]

Portland fiat events? I as live in Portland, Oregon.

Apologies for the slow reply.

I have not yet participated in any events with these folks, sorry to say. Check out these links and chase 'em down.
beth

http://www.mirafiori.com/
http://www.mirafiori.com/oregon2008/