Ghia squee

[squirrella]

I promise, this is not going to become one of those things where all I write about is my car and my car doing this and my car getting a bath. But permit me this minor bit of Ghia squee.

I'm fully comfortable with putting the car in reverse. Some of you may remember that I had a fear of sorts of getting an old VW into reverse (it's down and then to the left...). Between backing in and out of the garage for space and then, today, removing myself from a parallel-parking position (I parked where there were two spots and then someone parked--nicely--behind me), I've gotten darn good at the reverse thing.

I got the car 98% legal today. All that's left is inspection. I'll be putting in a call to a garage just outside of Chestnut Hill.

I drove the Ghia all around the Northwest this morning while getting her legal. I stalled once, embarrassingly close to home, but I managed.

The original color was a soft blue. I'm contemplating that as the eventual paint job I pursue. Can you imagine, my blue eyes in a blue car?

I put gas in the Ghia this morning. Not monumental, in the least. But, I had to find the gas release. It's under the dash and above the after-market speakers.

I drove her out to Mike's work. I switched cars with Mike because I am not comfortable leaving the Ghia outside of my library and Mike's heading home around 1:30, so the car can go in the garage lickety-split.

The masons that are working on the concrete across the street amused me to no end this morning. As I searched frantically for the VIN (the dash pad covers the VIN and the other VIN locations are either not raised--making an etching impossible--or are so painted-over that any etching would look like the VIN is 0O0O0O0O), I listened to these guys yell back and forth to each other about the car's heritage. One genius said, "I know a European car when I sees one." Way to narrow down the field, there, Grape Ape. They were eventually all certain the car was Italian, so when one of them finally asked me the make and model, they were visibly disappointed. When I then told them the car was of an Italian design, it blew their minds. Except for the one guy. He said, "I told you guys I knew European cars!"

The floorboards definitely need to be replaced sooner than soon. But we expected that.

Comments

[evelynne.livejournal.com]

I promise, this is not going to become one of those things where all I write about is my car and my car doing this and my car getting a bath.

Why the hell not!?!? Create a Ghia Squee Filter if you have to!

What do you mean by "down" in "down and to the left"? Are ours the same? On mine you have to push the gearstick "into the ground", as though you are trying to push it straight down through the floor of the car, and then put it into the same place 2nd gear is. It's really weird and took me a while to figure out, and anytime somebody wanted to try driving the car they'd have a hell of a time with it too. Saying "down" would confuse people because they think of 1st & 3rd gears as "up" and 2nd & 4th as "down".

I like the idea of the soft blue car. Plus, as my VW-freak friend said, "I'm a stock man, myself." My car is currently painted as close to the original orange-red color as they were able to get. After I was rear-ended it was painted a red that was almost cherry, and it bothered me because the orange-red is so unique, I wanted to keep that. After another accident I repainted it again and that's the orange-red it is now.

The European-car expert cracks me up.

When you were looking for the VIN, did you look in the driver's side door frame, where the latch is? What was the exact date your car was made? Mine was 09/71, three months before I was born. :)

[squirrella.livejournal.com]

1. maybe i'll make a Ghia Squia filter. but... i don't want to be one of those people that obsess entirely too much about my car. there's more to me than just the absolute realization of a dream that's been 17 years in the making. HA!!!

2. I described it wrong. The car was originally an autostick (BLECH) and the previous owner had the transmission rebuilt. now it's a four-speed. reverse is pushing the gearstick ALL THE WAY DOWN AS IN TO THE GROUND (and with all caps because, hi, it's HARD), and then going back/down into 2nd. so, yeah, just like yours. still, let the people be confused! that is my latest motto.

3. i'm digging on soft blue, too. i'm not currently into the 100% stock/repro restoration, but i'm also not looking to bastardize the girl, you know? paint would be an easy thing to get close to the original. i think i'll keep the CD player, though. i like my tunes. :-)

also, i'm hoping for no accidents, but knowing that you had two makes me a little less freaked out about driving amongst the idiots of the world.

4. then those schmucks FOLLOWED me to the gas station and practically drooled on my car. for real.

5. i looked in the driver's side door frame, the passenger's side door frame... i DID find it on the driver's side, but it wasn't raised enough to "make a tracing"--something required by PennDOT (but when I went to get it titled and registered, they didn't ask for my tracing...). i'll have to look at the date. i'm suspecting that it was probably made the day i was conceived, which would be cool and kinda creepy.

[evelynne.livejournal.com]

1. I think everyone is entitled to some NRE (new relationship energy) for a while. :P

2. Autostick, ack. They sound even worse than the into-the-ground thing. I think that gets easier over time, though.

4. Get used to this! Also, get used to people asking questions at stoplights and old people cornering you at the gas station to reminisce about the Ghia they used to have. Also, once somebody left a note under my windshield (I still have it, someplace) that said, "If you should ever want to sell this car, please call [this number]."

5. That would be REALLY COOL.

[purlewe.livejournal.com]

and my old car the reverse was physically lifting UP on the gear shift. Freaked people out every time.

I like the idea of blue like you eyes. altho red is always hot.. do the floorboards first :)

[squirrella.livejournal.com]

yeah, the paint can wait. the floorboards can't. they're sturdy and all, but they have rusted through in a couple of spots. dime- and quarter-size spots. nothing like my cousin's Plymouth hatchback where you had to watch your step in the backseat and not step on the flattened beer-case that served to cover up the MASSIVE hole in the floor. of course, that side of the family has so much class to begin with...