My first car was my '73 Fiat 850 Spider. Me and my father bought this as a
project after putting together a gas grill for the patio. We had a great time
putting the grill together, we thought - why not get a kit car? Then decided,
why get a kit car when we can get a real car? So the 850 led us down our path
with Italian cars. Got a '69 850 Spider as a parts car - front suspension was
collapsed from rust. Had the '73 850 from 1987 until 1995, when it burst into
flames in a parking ramp. This happenned the day before I left for England for
a year, during which it sat under a tarp in my parents' garage. My first daily
driver was an '82 VW Scirocco. Great fun, but the engine blew at 95K miles
(crank key rusted off the crankshaft!). Replaced the engine, drove it until
115K and sold it to my brother's friend. During the time I had the Scirocco and
the 850, my father and I picked up our Maserati Biturbo 425. Pristine '86,
everything worked, only 20K miles on the odometer - $5500. 2nd best automotive
deal of my life. Had that car from 11/92 until 12/97 when, yes, I rolled it.
During this time, also had a '73 VW Beetle, 200K miles, no floor. Bought it for
$200. Going into college, I got an '83 Volvo 242 Turbo with the factory
intercooler. Had 147K when I bought it, a year and a half later sold it with
199K on it. Rusty as hell, but I did my own bondo job and Earl Scheib paint.
In late '95, it was on to England to study for a year, where I got the best
automotive deal of my life. '82 Skoda 105S Estelle, 56K miles, $200. Drove it
with friends 15K miles through Europe, only needed a master brake cylinder the
whole year. Got 48mpg, but could only pull 70mph on the autobahn. Also during
this time, had my '78 Chevy C60 66-passenger school bus (support vehicle for my
cycling team). Bought that with only 156K miles for $700. 6.0 litre V8, 5mpg
highway, 3 mpg city! Getting back from England, bought my '87 Alfa Milano,
lasted two weeks, but it was definitely the most fun of any car I've ever had.
Decided to take a hiatus from Italian cars, got my 3rd VW, a '96 Jetta Trek.
Moved to NYC, insurance was $4200 a year, a monthly parking space $2400 a year!
Clearly, had to get rid of it! That car went to my brother, and hence I bought
my '89 405DL from listmember Dave Towle. I'd always been interested in Pugs,
and it was down to either a Pug, another Alfa, or a Sterling. Didn't want to
deal with Alfa reliability in the city, and I figured that a Sterling might
still attract car thiefs who wanted the Acura engine for parts. Drove the 405,
it handled great, all important signs pointed to this car being the right one,
and here I am, a year and a half later. Now I want a Citroen CX!
Adam
'89 405DL