X1/9 New Year's day +1 drive

[toddr124]

The forecast is for 28 degrees and snow showers, what better way to start the year than a X1/9 drive through Northern Va and MD. We should 4 or 5 X1/9s and an 128 for a quick 2 hours cruise.

I hope to do the drive with the top off, but common sense might win out.

[wannabfast]

yea.. new years greeting me with -18F for today.. i doubt my x would start now even if i wanted it to

[toddr124]

I did drive for 20 minutes with the top off, but 18 degrees and wind was to much.

We had 6 X1/9s and a 128SL. John Ovington added a rally stage to the drive. Turns out X1/9s + dirt road + ice + snow = fun

Here are John's pictures;

http://picasaweb.google.com/roadbox128/PolarBearRun

A nice event pulled together in 5 days.

[bbrown]

Look at the SALT! Aarrhhh!

[toddr124]

mainly frozen mud and ice. These are are made to be driven year round.

[wannabfast]

that cant be good for the magnesium!

[Xmember]

salt is like kryptonite to these cars. Someone teach this guy the ways of X ownership before its too late. I can actually hear the salt chewing on the metal in that pic

[bb4re]

...in Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. Winters were very harsh and both cars pretty much dissolved from the salt-driven rust. Washing the cars on a daily basis wasn't even enough to keep them together. I owned a detailing business for a good portion of the ownership of these. Hand washed, flushed every panel and they still succumbed to the environment.

[toddr124]

Originally Posted by Xmember

salt is like kryptonite to these cars. Someone teach this guy the ways of X ownership before its too late. I can actually hear the salt chewing on the metal in that pic

I know the evils of salt, but what good is a car you are afraid to drive. Salt will hurt the car, but not once every few years.

[Xmember]

not saying that they shouldn't be driven year round or even in snow/salty environment. Im just saying "the nice ones" shouldnt be, and your car looks pretty nice from the pic. Get an $800-1100 beater to drive in the winter months. This way you get your X1/9 fix,your ensuring the longevity of increasingly hard to come by good condition X1/9s out there , and after a year or 2 of bad winter and the beater has rusted out from under you, you can sell off the remaining good parts to ensure the longevity of other X's

[Black-Tooth]

My hat is off to you all!

[abec]

I want to take my ex out in the snow some day, and after watching that ice racing video I want to even more.

[toddr124]

Originally Posted by Xmember

not saying that they shouldn't be driven year round or even in snow/salty environment. Im just saying "the nice ones" shouldnt be, and your car looks pretty nice from the pic. Get an $800-1100 beater to drive in the winter months.

My X1/9 was a $1,200 beater 5 years ago with rust. I have spent ~$3,500 on body work/paint/interior to get the car where it is today, a daily driver. I hope to never own a show car.

Everyone listen up;

Drive these cars hard and often. Enjoy them as much as possible. Do not listen to the worriers that your car will disappear if you have fun in them. I could could be hit by a cement truck in the X1/9 tomorrow (hi Jessie) and the car would be gone anyway.

Now I can not wash my car for a long time.

[Dan Sarandrea (Phila)]

You might have been better off leaving the salt on and leaving the car outside in the cold. Washing it just added the warmer water needed to make the electrolyte that ate the metal.

[carl]

All east coast Fiats are rusty hunks of junk, some just have nice paint jobs on them.....I know, that's exactly what my 128 SL is. Like Todd says, get out and enjoy them. When you are too old to drive your kids will take them away from you and sell them.

Carl...the guy with the orange SL in the picture

[Xmember]

Originally Posted by carl

All east coast Fiats are rusty hunks of junk, some just have nice paint jobs on them.....

IDK about all that. Paul in Michigan has one of the most beautiful blue 1300s in the country, Brett M's car is freakin also .... theres several other too

[Ulix]

Then you will have a lot of fun.

I drove mine in the snow with fairly fresh AVS's and it wasn't much fun because there was soooo little grip. Hard to make it go where I wanted and almost no traction.
Good snow tires actually make drifting on snow more fun.