Wedge TR7 goes bye bye...well, sort of.

[sammyb]

No sooner had I posted my new sig pic than my wife asks "when are you going to sell some of the cars?" I believe it was a a rhetorical question!

So step one...My family was going up to Seattle for a wedding, and we planned to stay with my parents. I drove the TR7 and gave it to my father (a car nut, as well. He has a 1929 Franklin.) The conditions were that he could drive it as long as he wanted, but when he got bored of it -- be it next week or next year, I was going to sell it.

It ran absolutely great up to Seattle. It's 72 miles door-to-door. Had the top down. The temp gauge never went more than a hair over 1/4. My dad and I tooled around throughout Bellevue and Kirkland today, even stopping into a new Highline Luxury and Exotic car dealership (where I drove, of all things, a VW Phaeton!)

Later in the day, my brother (not a car guy like us,) asked for a ride. I handed him the keys, to which the response was "I've only driven a stick like 4 times in my life."

So we went around the block a couple times, which includes a stop sign on a slight hill. After stalling a bunch of times on the hill, he finally got it. Told him he could borrow the 7 from our dad at any time.

Interestingly, both my Dad and brother had trouble finding 1st gear -- either going into reverse or 3rd.

So the TR7 is, well, gone for now. I think I'll miss it.

Sadly, though, on the way home, my wife "suggested" that maybe a couple more cars find new homes...the '89 Corvette and the Porsche (which she doesn't really like,) are likely candidates to be gone by Summer's end. The Porsche is really fun, but she knows that a)cost of replacement parts is spendy and b)I tend to not use it in favor of cars without tops.

Well, it was fun while it lasted!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

Now...I need to find a vintage race car to stem the pain from the 7 leaving!!!!!!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/driving.gif

 

[jayhawk]

I've been away (actually in Seattle) but I apparently missed the addition of the miata-- When did that happen? That was my wife's favorite (besides the current bug convert) of my recent past holdings.

 

[urchin]

Oooooh, you must be in pain, Sammy. Losing my TR-7 would cause me great anguish. I even park it so I can view it from my window at work each day.

My younger brother, who now lives in Mississippi, tried to become a British car fan through the purchases of an Austin America and later, an MG Midget. The America didn't last long and he could never get the Midget to run reliably. Of course, he also refused to do anything with the ignition system, such as points, condenser, rotor and cap. Not suprisingly after a while the car wouldn't start.

So he bought a first edition Miata and loved it, and has now purchased his second, newer style one. I find them heavy and unresponsive, more like convertibles than sports cars, but he loves his. Like a modern car, it's reliable to a boring fault and requires a dealer to do any work on it.

I remember when I strayed briefly from British cars and purchased a Fiat Spider. That, too, felt heavier and less sporty than my MG's or Triumph's, but it was a good car for its short lifetime.

But, I need to note, I sold it running!

Jeff