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I just bought my Festiva on Thursday January 28th, a 91 that had 110,570 miles when I got it. I drove it locally for a couple of days, then set to using it for my job, which is the real reason I bought it. My wife named it "Austin" - the faded yellow color and the general dorkiness (her word) made her think it belonged in an Austin Powers movie. It is not at all dorky, it is cool in the original Mini or the Honda 600/first-gen Civic sense. Very cool, but not quite Fiat 500 cool. I kind of like "Festivus" (A car for the rest of us, ala Seinfeld), but Austin it is.
688 miles on this trip, Klamath Falls on Sunday so I could start working first thing this morning, then on to Medford for a few more sales calls before returning to Portland.
I awoke this morning to snow. Left K-falls a little earlier than I had planned (skipped a few sales calls) so I could be sure to get over to Medford and home. No snow tires, just "all season radials" that were on the car when I bought it, and a mountain pass between me and anywhere. I crossed my fingers and tested Austin's snow preparedness. Granted, I didn't push real hard, and he slid all over the place when I put the power down just to see, but driven judiciously he performed just fine. Got to Medford late, made most of my planned calls and headed for Portland.
I track every mile driven and gas consumed for tax purposes, and added a section to my spreadsheet that calculates the return on my investment in Austin. My Dodge truck averages 18.2mpg on my work runs, so I calculate the savings I get by driving Austin instead. On this first trip, 1 day into my work week, I have already saved over $65 and Austin averaged 41.65mpg. Not bad, considering the mountain passes and the 30 miles behind a snow plow this morning...
I will take some time this week to set him up for more mileage, and at some point I will add cruise control.
First impressions: I thought I would need more leg room, and will work to add a couple of inches, but I was OK even on this long trip. Today more than yesterday, so I am adapting. It has more power on hills than any Metro I have driven, and I am OK trading the gas mileage for that extra oomph. There is no place for my water canteen or a cup of coffee, both of which I have with me constantly while working... I have to remedy that very quickly, but I have an idea how I will do it. The seat belts and the seat suck. The seat is too short; the head rest hits at the base of my skull. The suspension needs help, but I used quiet hands and hussled him through the passes farily quickly.
Bottom line: I like this car, and with a few mods I will love this car. We get along well together. I am happy I made the purchase, and happier still to find a site like this with an active and involved owner base. Guys who wrench and drive their cars... what a concept!
Garsdad
688 miles on this trip, Klamath Falls on Sunday so I could start working first thing this morning, then on to Medford for a few more sales calls before returning to Portland.
I awoke this morning to snow. Left K-falls a little earlier than I had planned (skipped a few sales calls) so I could be sure to get over to Medford and home. No snow tires, just "all season radials" that were on the car when I bought it, and a mountain pass between me and anywhere. I crossed my fingers and tested Austin's snow preparedness. Granted, I didn't push real hard, and he slid all over the place when I put the power down just to see, but driven judiciously he performed just fine. Got to Medford late, made most of my planned calls and headed for Portland.
I track every mile driven and gas consumed for tax purposes, and added a section to my spreadsheet that calculates the return on my investment in Austin. My Dodge truck averages 18.2mpg on my work runs, so I calculate the savings I get by driving Austin instead. On this first trip, 1 day into my work week, I have already saved over $65 and Austin averaged 41.65mpg. Not bad, considering the mountain passes and the 30 miles behind a snow plow this morning...
I will take some time this week to set him up for more mileage, and at some point I will add cruise control.
First impressions: I thought I would need more leg room, and will work to add a couple of inches, but I was OK even on this long trip. Today more than yesterday, so I am adapting. It has more power on hills than any Metro I have driven, and I am OK trading the gas mileage for that extra oomph. There is no place for my water canteen or a cup of coffee, both of which I have with me constantly while working... I have to remedy that very quickly, but I have an idea how I will do it. The seat belts and the seat suck. The seat is too short; the head rest hits at the base of my skull. The suspension needs help, but I used quiet hands and hussled him through the passes farily quickly.
Bottom line: I like this car, and with a few mods I will love this car. We get along well together. I am happy I made the purchase, and happier still to find a site like this with an active and involved owner base. Guys who wrench and drive their cars... what a concept!
Garsdad
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