Goodbye Alfa

Goodbye Alfa Romeo Spyder Veloce. Ned a good friend of mine expressed interest in the Alfa a couple of years ago. At the time I was hesitant to sell the car but then again I was not driving it. So today Ned came and picked up the car and is taking it to his shop to restore.
The Alfa had a lot of character. She could be stubborn at times and it took a lot of stroking to bring out the best in her. Usually the stubborness came at the most inopportune times and usually meant not starting which in turn meant Diana pushing me off then hopping into the car. Once running, put the top down find a nice winding road and let the fun begin.The Alfa was red of course as all Italian sports cars should be.She had a 5 speed gearbox with worn out synchronizers in 2nd gear. The synchronizers were an issue on all Alfas which meant you had to double clutch downshifting to 2nd gear.The four wheel disc brakes would fade slightly when driving hard and if you let her set for too long in the garage it usually took about 1 week to get her up and running. Like I say a car with a lot of character and personality.

Not wanting to be without a sports car(my definition-2 seater convertible)I began looking, well honestly I have been kind of looking around for ~1year for a replacement. I have always been particularly fond of the Triumph TR-6 pre 1974 and the old MGA's. Both of these are British cars and each with its own peculuarities. I also considered the Porsche Boxter and the Mazda Miata.What did I end up with, a Toyota MR2 Spyder. Ratonale: Triumph's and MGA's too peculiar/Porsche Boxter-Expensive to maintain/Mazda Miata-too many around.

The Toyota is somewhat unique, reliable,parts are reasonable and it is a blast to drive!