24 Dec 11 21:30, Mark Hofmann wrote to Roy Witt:   
      
      
      
    RW>> I never went the foreign car route as it was engrained in my brain   
    RW>> by my dad to 'buy American'...which I still practice today. I've had   
    RW>> an Isuzu Rodeo in the recent past but I traded it for my 1979   
    RW>> Malibu, which is now a race car.   
      
    MH> I loved my 1980 Malibu V-6.   
      
   They're a previously undiscovered great value. Not to mention a light   
   vehicle that is readily modified to go racing.   
      
    MH> Never turned it into a race car, but it was my daily driver for many   
    MH> years. The only mod done to it was a 350 transmission replaced the   
    MH> factory one - which was blown when we purchased it.   
      
   A 200R4, 3spd +/overdrive and a lock up torque converter? Or was it a 200   
   metric?   
      
    MH> I also really enjoyed my old 1985 Camaro and 1986 Monte Carlo SS.   
    MH> The Monte Carlo SS turned into a money pit, however.   
      
   The wife had an 86 Monte SS...It was a nice car but had intermittant   
   electrical problems. On the way out of town, about 20miles east of San   
   Diego it threw a Check Engine light and rather than mess with it, I turned   
   around and took it home. We eneded up taking the 88 Iroc to Illinois that   
   trip.   
      
   When we got back, I found that the plug on the distributor that feeds info   
   to the CPU was loose and wet with oil. I used some electrical connector   
   cleaner (spray can) and cleaned it up and that problem went away.   
      
    MH> I also spent countless hours trying to get the t-tops to stop   
    MH> leaking.   
      
   I knew those would be a problem, so when we were shopping for her car, I   
   avoided T-tops. When I met my wife in 1980, I was driving a 79 Olds   
   Cutlass w/T-tops. Didn't like them then and still don't.   
      
    MH> Even replaced all the rubber stuff that goes around the areas.   
      
   By that time the top was probably jerked around and warped enough that   
   they'll never seal again.   
      
    MH> I have owned my current 2002 Monte Carlo longer than any car I have   
    MH> owned. I bought it new and it is driven just about every day.  It   
    MH> does get many vacation days off the daily commute in the summer when   
    MH> I take the 2003 Harley Davidson Dyna Wide Glide to work (weather   
    MH> permitting).   
      
   My 1972 Cheyenne was the longest owned car (pickup) I've had...bought it   
   used in 1977, and kept it until 2005 and wish I still had it...   
      
      
                   R\%/itt   
      
      
     ,,,By the time you find greener pastures, you can't climb the fence!   
      
   --- Twit(t) Filter v2.1 (C) 2000-10   
    * Origin: SATX Alamo Area Net * South * Texas, USA * (1:387/22)