May the Fourth be With You...

Yeah, lame pun of the day.  You can thank "itschrome" at the Cadillac Forums for that one.

Because I need extra space in the garage to accomodate work area needed for the Bricklin, the Allante has unfortunately been sitting outside under a car cover.  The car cover is a very nice waterproof yet breathable model, and fits the Allante nicely (if not perfectly).  It fits so good I decided not to tie it down to the underside, letting it just sit atop the car.

You probably can see where this is going...

That move bit me in the ass.  Yesterday, I left to find the cover had blown off my poor convertible in the pouring rain.  Thankfully, the top was up (I actually flirted with the idea of leaving the top down, THAT would have been a catastrophe) but the very back wasn't latched.  Plus, the top leaks in heavy rain, so I was very worried I would find a pool when I opened the door.  Thankfully, other than the car being wet and a little rain that snuck through the unlatched top into the boot, all is OK.  I've learned my lesson.

In another "Holy Hell" moment, I've been shopping around for the Nexus gauges I talked about last time.  They are EXPENSIVE.  And expensive for me, with my steady job and hefty paychecks, is more than your average Joe.  They're going to be at least a grand.

Originally, I wanted to get in and done with this car for under $10,000.  It's becoming more and more clear I will not hit this number.  Replacement body panels alone will be pushing $2,500.  So, in classic form, I'm just lowering my standards and raising my budget by a couple thousand dollars.