My First Day of Spider Ownership

["Ken Ross" <Kdross@domain.elided>]

Much to my delight today I received a call that my "new" Spider, a bright
red (Ferrari red?) 1990 Spider Graduate with only 12K miles and in mint
condition, was ready to be picked up from the shop.  With work being slow, I
was able to leave early and track my wife down so that we could get the car.
We arrived at the shop around 4 PM and saw that the car was washed and
waiting for us to take it home. After waiting three weeks for the car, I had
forgotten how good it looks.

After discussing several maintenance items with my mechanic, he gave me the
keys and told us to take the car for a spin.  This was the second time I
ever drove the car and I was smiling ear to ear.  The car had a lot of
low-end torque for a 2.0 4 cylinder and accelerated nicely.  My wife was
impressed with the car and was happy for me, but she was not feeling well
because she is fighting the flu.  As a result of my wife being ill, our test
drive lasted only 5 minutes before we returned to the shop.

Upon returning to the repair shop, I went to take care of the bill with my
mechanic.  When I originally dropped the car off we agreed that the car
needed a major 30K mile service.  The price for this was estimated to be
$800.00.  While this was a lot of money, I figured that it needed to be done
because of the car's age.  For some reason I have yet to figure out, the
bill was $1,400.00!!!!  Yes I said $1,400.00.  I have yet to analyze the
bill, but I think everything in the engine compartment is new.  All fluids
were flush and replaced, all belts, filters, and hoses were replaced, engine
was tuned up with new plugs and other items, valves were adjusted, engine
mounts were replaced, various gaskets and seals were replaced, and a rust
resistant undercoating was applied.  While this was a lot of work, I still
feel that $1,400.00 is a lot of money to spend on a Spider.  My mechanic was
quick to point out that he didn't charge me for 4 hours of labor because the
bill was high and he wants my future business.  In his defense, he did a lot
of work and everything seems to be 110%.  He came very highly recommended by
several list members and I plan to use him in the future.

After the bill was taken care of, I got into the car and started the 1 hour
drive home with my wife following me.  We cruised at 70 MPH for most of the
trip and I was impressed at how little wind noise the car has.  While the
motor is rather loud and a lot of road noise is present, there was no
perceivable wind noise.  I was also impressed at how well the car handles.
After reading how outdated the suspension was, I felt that the car performed
well over the bumpy roads.  The car was very tight and had very little
shake.  I just had to be careful since the tires on the car are crappy and
need to be upgraded.  The one thing that amazed me was how many people
stared at the car while driving home.  While the car looks great, I think
many people mistake it for a Ferrari.

While I enjoyed the car tremendously and found it fun to drive, I did find
it to be very uncomfortable to drive long distances.  Even though my 6'3"
155 pound frame fits nicely in the car without any problems, I seem to have
very little legroom.  This may be due to the fact that most of my 6'3" frame
consists of my legs and the pedals seem to be very close to the seat.
During the trip home, I had a hard time finding a comfortable position to
rest my legs and my lower back started to hurt after a 1/2 hour.  I also had
a hard time engaging the clutch smoothly because the pedals are so close to
the seat.  While this may just take some time getting use to, I do find it
uncomfortable to have my feet so close to the pedals.  Is there any chance
that the pedals can be adjusted so that there is more legroom?  Besides this
one complaint, the car looks and handles very well.

I will keep the list posted as to the progress of my car.  It will be driven
daily and I plan to keep if for several years.  I am open to any and all
suggestion that you may have for a first time Spider owner.

Ken Ross
Kdross@domain.elided

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