No subject

paranoia.  The chances that a car is going to break down don't get =
higher
the farther you get from home.  It sounds like you monitor your car =
closely
and service it regularly.  Think about the things that can happen on the
road that are fixed with a tie wrap or hose clamp ... I've used these =
parts
to fix broken throttle cables (not on the urq), broken plastic bits in =
the
coolant path, that funky weight on the accelerator held in place by foam
bobbins ... those are the sorts of things that can happen on a trip ... =
be
prepared for them.  Based on what I've seen from your posts I would be
willing to fly out to wherever you are and take your car for a 500+ mile
trip without qualms.  The funny thing is that I had similar concerns =
after
the engine swap on my car ... and it was appropriate there because there =
are
likely to be issues after major surgery like that.  After wringing the =
car
out for a couple weeks in commute traffic I gained confidence ... so far =
all
I've done is to go over the hill to Santa Cruz ... and now I'd be =
willing to
hop in and drive to Sacramento (~300 miles) or beyond. =20

My advice to you is to learn to trust your car. =20

Steve B
San Jos=E9, CA (USA)

-----Original Message-----

I've always gone to the dealer for parts on all makes - even for my =
Fords
and dodges,  but more important I don't know what to do when parts are =
NLA.
There were 3 possible URQ specialist shops within 90 miles of me,  but =
as it
turned out the two I tried didn't seemed thrilled to work on my car back =
in
2004.  One eventually said he wanted to set it on fire, the other just
seemed to ignore it.    I paid one guy $3800 for repairs and the other =
$640.

I like the urq - have enough money to enjoy the car if parts were =
available,
but I don't have a lot of time.   I can't be searching the world for =
parts.
I'm also afraid to drive it (WX) more than 100 miles from home.  I don't
know the ins and out of CIS or the flywheel pins, the dizzy etc, nor do =
I
think most professional mechanics would.   I know one guy quoted me =
$4/mile
for towing - so I always think if it breaks down 200 miles from home I'm
facing $800 just to recover the car.
If it had the MC - I'd probably feel more confident that someone could =
fix a
breakdown.   What if the NLA rear diff seal goes though?
I went to upg CT twice - but that's only 60 miles away and there were =
pros
available if my car wouldn't start for the trip home.