to the Alfa-less in Irvine

[Tessie McMillan <tessmc@domain.elided>]

Hi Jon -

Scott (as usual!) has painted a pretty good picture of the difference 
between a crusty-need-to-do-lots-of-work-to-get-her-into-running condition 
Alfa and a pristine somebody-else-did-the-work Alfa.

I just want to add a couple more points ... and I'm not a very good 
mathematician, so be forwarned:

First: Marcia says she's willing to help out on the car. What does this 
REALLY mean? Is she willing to hang around a stinky Alfa when you've 
discovered a pinhole leak in the gas tank and you're trying to siphon the 
gas out in preparation for refurbishing the tank? Does she intend to help 
you replace those old moldy carpets with new ones, struggling and swearing 
alongside you as the glue sets and you try like the dickens to get the 
carpet to lay straight? Or does her interest run in the direction of... 
oh, I don't know... using Zymol to wax a pristine flawless red paint job? 
When a woman uses "willing to help out" and "car" in the same sentence, 
there is an opportunity for grave miscommunication to happen, unle she 
happens to come from a long line of classic car enthusiasts... in which 
case, she'll be the one reminding you to bleed the brakes after changing 
the pads.... That said, this brings up the point of what *age* car would 
best suit the two of you. If she's willing to get down and dirty, a 40 
year old Duetto would be a fine choice. If she's not into the real dirty 
maintenance, perhaps the newest series 4 Spider you can get your hands on 
would be in order.

So how many points was that?

Point number 2: Momentum. Getting back to the buy-a-car-that-needs 
restoring aspect: I happen to own a car like that. The car was perfectly 
driveable when I bought it -- just close to 30 years old and creaking at 
the time (the car, not me). One thing led to another. Leaking cam towers 
led to an engine rebuild, which led to flaring the fenders, which led to a 
bare-metal paint job, which led to a ground-up rust removal total 
restoration. I started in 1996, mind you, and there are a few guys on this 
digest who will gladly point out that the car is *still* not on the 
street. The engine runs beautifully (if only the battery weren't dead), 
and I have all the suspension bits and a beautiful paint job... superb 
fenders, bumpers, deck lid (not an Alfa, it's a 911), etc.... but it all 
has to be put together again. And I have to say I don't have the critical 
momentum it takes to get out there and just "do it"! This is really 
important! Now in my case, the decision was not entirely my own to do 
things this way, so I can't say I only have myself to blame, but right now 
I do only have myself to rely on to put the car back together again. Think 
about it: does your wife want to spend every bleeding minute on the 
weekends out in the garage with you, with the reward of driving the car 
some time waaaaaaaaaay out in the future?

I vote with the mechanic! If it's been a while since you've been in an 
Alfa, go the safest route: with a newer or more restored car. One that you 
can turn around and unload immediately, should any kind of discord bubble 
up in your marriage about the choice of vehicular transportation....

Owning an Alfa, more than any other classic car, is more a relationship 
and obligation than a frivolous endeavor.

Tess
Bellevue, WA
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