hearing the syren call of an italian roadster!!

[jetboy]

a little back on topic:

I don't like the miata because it looks like plastic. i dont like any car that looks like plastic. I also don't like any car with a computer controlled fuel system. I dont like any car i can't look under the hood and immediately identify every part - and im not smart enough to intuit computer chips.

My wife and I now share a 84 vw rabbit injected convertable. (precurser to the later cabrios - but looks better and was made better) CIS mechanical injection and 5 speed, basically a GTI that you can take the top down. I was not sold on our old 86 cabrio with an auto tranny, but this 84 is awsome - a completely different ride -

and its got me pining for my alfa - and the beauty of mechanical fuel injection. sure, the opening of side draft carbs sounds wonderful, and you get that pure rush of throaty power - but, recalling the hay days when Rush and Yes (the bands - circa 1979) were teaching us the meaning of pure mathematical virtuosity - its a sort of guilty pleasure a SPICA,KF, or CIS can give you.

maybe i just need a tii-- heh.

[_z_]

you need a tii or a SPICA again.. its the instant response that makes those car so damn cool -- and the fact they are immune to EMP effects

Love a good carb like you say, but with your old alfa and my tii you can tell the difference .. throttle response is almost zero delay.

woot! (man the 74tii is running good now.. )

[dubois]

You can subscribe to the Harv way of life. No more than one car per genre.

I have a-

WRX (awd turbo 4dr)

Jetta TDi (wagon)

2002 (two door)

MG Midget (convertible)

According to my way of thinking, I can't have an Alfa Spider and have the Midget. I also can't have a GTV and have the 2002.

John

I like that - tend to agree 100% - but it is too late for me! I got 2 02's, and I really only need one. As crazy as this sounds, I would love to have a Focus SVT for a front wheel drive car instead! Got the truck, got the M, got the big sedan, the beater 318. Having two of the kind, does not incrementally add much...

[Harv]

I was thinking that maybe two of the same car wouldn't count. That way I might be able to have a stock o2 one day.

Hey Z, Buy my Triumph! It's a 650 and is stone cold reliable.

John

[Paul7002]

(nt)

[Harv]

Nice Bike! I'll call you AFTER my garage gets built

Why wait?

Baby needs new shoes!

John

[KFunk]

I don't like the miata because it looks like plastic. i dont like any car that looks like plastic. I also don't like any car with a computer controlled fuel system. I dont like any car i can't look under the hood and immediately identify every part - and im not smart enough to intuit computer chips.

the miata's body is made of thin metal, yes, but it helps keep weight down. the bumpers are made of plastic, with foam behind them.

its surprisingly strong though. I once hit a large doe with mine at about 40 mph, and rolled it up onto the hood. But there was hardly a scratch left on the car. I do have a front shock tower brace, lower front end brace, and 4-point rollbar to help rigidity in mine though (a 92). The newer models are built a lot more rigid. All of them have this great thing called a 'power plant frame' thats a huge piece of framework going from the tranny to the diff, and helping them work tightly together (I wish the 02 had that). You also can't beat the smooth shifter, that goes straight into the tranny with no extra linkage.

As for EFI, well I haven't much of a clue either. But why bother with it? The thing hasn't broken yet, and I doubt its going to anytime soon! I know what most everything under the hood does, but I still haven't had a need to find the computer. Mine has 120K hard miles on it, and I hit 7K rpm at almost every shift. It doesn't have the bottom-end torque of the M10 (mine is the smaller 1.6L put in 90-93 cars), but man that thing can sing all the way up to 7K. It's just smooth and keeps on pulling hard, while the 02 feels like its gonna blow apart at higher RPMs.

You can increase power thru simple stuff like intake and exhaust, without ever touching the computer or fuel injection system.

If you do want that extra kick in the pants, you can easily bolt on a supercharger or turbo kit, which comes with everything you need to really make things fun.

It's a sickness all its own....

But yeah, the 02 era cars have a vintage-ness that just isn't in the miata. I keep thinking the 02 has the same handling dynamics as the miata and is a very capable car..... but then I get back in the miata, drop the top, and take off down a twisty road, and its a completely different animal. I do kind of wish mine had manual steering now, but its possible to get real manual steering in a few stripped-down models, or switching that rack into another car.

[mikeS]

I like Miatas, except I find that the original model is a tight squeeze for me. Not unmanageable, I'm only about 6'-3", but I like the legroom and headroom in the 02 better. Yes, there's plenty of headroom when the Miata top is down, but I wind up looking at the top of the windshield frame, which is annoying. But overall I think they're great cars, and the newer ones fit me better. The plastic doesn't bother me much, after all, the interior of the 02 is about 90% plastic. No leather, wool or wood in an 02.

Although I dearly love 02s and carbs in general, I've developed a real respect for EFI, at least the L-Jet pre-Motronic stuff. It's really a simple system when you get down to it, there's less mystery in good EFI than there is in carbs or mechanical EFI. The oxygen sensor is your friend, it tells you what the mixture is. I'm leery of the OBD-II stuff, though.

Mike

[Hooligan]

I've got an '86 Spider Graduate... it's my second one. The first one was too rusty to really save, but the second one has been my first real "project car." I've had a blast with it, but I recently decided to add a hardtop to the stable- at least for a while.

They're fun cars and the Bosch injected cars (82+) are quite reliable. Knock on wood, I've never really had problems with mine, other than rust. If you think BMW 2002s rust, you've not seen an Alfa Spider! Thanks to fine Soviet steel, Alfas succomb to rust like you wouldn't believe.

[_z_]

I was thinking that maybe two of the same car wouldn't count. That way I might be able to have a stock o2 one day.

Hey Z, Buy my Triumph! It's a 650 and is stone cold reliable.

John

thats pretty damn nice! I probably forgot to mention my budget is $500 bucks though.

BUT jetboy just noticed me this puppy:

'1960's RAT BIKE

bonneville motor,not running, dual amal carbs, bolt on hardtail, no wiring, no title,motor turns, no triumph sheetmetal...misc unfastened crusty tanks/fenders/seats...$1100'

I'm offering $500. Heck I could park it in my living room and work on it there

[mikem]

The Alfa spider was fun, but not nearly as well built or easy to work on as the '02. Parts are more expensive, and harder to get. When I needed a steering column turn-signal stalk, and couldn't find one anywhere except for a well-used one at a junkyard, it convinced me to concentrate on the '02. And, it was getting to be time for another top. $$$

I would not recommend depending on an old Alfa as a daily driver for someone with limited funds, space or time. I think that the miata suggestion is a good one.

I still miss the Alfa on those nice days.

[Harv]

I think the underloved Alfeta sedan and GT are a good deal. The main problem is, again, rust. And dealing with the rear brakes. Milano's are cool too and don't rust as bad.

John

[jhrodd]

Why don't you get a 2002 roadster. They're pretty good little cars.

Jeffrey

[Harv]

What the heck is going on with that car? I like the shortened look.

John

[PSloan]

Looks like the 1/4s have been cut down - Weird!!