ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
BAND'OH!: LOL it's true, the X19 was a terrible rust bucket also! Although, to be fair it wasn't too bad mechanically. Perhaps I was a lucky owner but it didn't cost me any more than any other car to run and maintain back in the day. I loved the targa top on it and of course the pop up headlights. They were mini TR7s in many ways but I'll be honest, it was always the TR7 I preferred, just couldn't afford one and the 2.0l insurance was much higher for me as a youngster than the 1.5l X19. My dad had the TR3A, TR4 and TR6 and hated the TR7/8s so never bought one, and it turned out neither did I! Of course any of these cars are all classics now! Good old days motoring... everything's far too reliable these days!!! :)
LOL it's true, the X19 was a terrible rust bucket also! Although, to be fair it wasn't too bad mechanically. Perhaps I was a lucky owner but it didn't cost me any more than any other car to run and maintain back in the day. I loved the targa top on it and of course the pop up headlights. They were mini TR7s in many ways but I'll be honest, it was always the TR7 I preferred, just couldn't afford one and the 2.0l insurance was much higher for me as a youngster than the 1.5l X19. My dad had the TR3A, TR4 and TR6 and hated the TR7/8s so never bought one, and it turned out neither did I! Of course any of these cars are all classics now! Good old days motoring... everything's far too reliable these days!!! :)
The biggest problem I knew about was shared with I think the 128 sedan, and that was the timing belt on the motor. They needed to be changed every 20k miles or so or they'd break, and there was no piston to valve clearance. There was an Abarth heavy duty belt that was better, at least I think it was Abarth, it was a racing part. I had a buddy who got rid of his old Oldsmobile land yacht for a 128 sedan and thought he had a sports car. One time he drives up while I was walking through the parking lot, we chat a bit, then he takes off by reving it up, dumping the clutch, and then speed shifting to 2nd. That's when the timing belt broke...I have never heard such a sound before or since, an amazing sound of tearing metal as the car locked up the wheels and lurched to a halt. Just an unholy sound. Cost him a new head, including valves and cams, and 2 pistons that had half of a valve apiece shoved through them.
Cars were indeed a lot more "interesting" back then.
Jeff
I'm afraid I'm recovering from the BeoVirus.