No garage for this Fiat.

Funny thing. My true love thinks her car should be parked in a garage. In the cold weather. And I keep telling her, don't worry about it. Because this is the coldest time of year in Sardinia. And we have yet to experience anything close to a freezing temperature. About the coldest it ever gets is 40 degrees. Which makes a garage unnecessary. Meanwhile, she's got a nice off-street parking space. Which she considers too small. But it's all right. If her Fiat is properly parked. And if others in the parking lot do the same. Unfortunately, one doesn't find comformity among fellow parkers. The Fiat is a 1986 model. With 124,000 kilometers on the odometer. Which is less than 100,000 miles. I've been driving the car. And it handles nicely. I've adjusted well to the stick shift. My cars at home have automatic transmission. The Fiat takes about 35 euros to fill the gas tank. Equivalent to 45 American dollars. And we've filled the tank only twice in the five weeks I've been here. Despite traveling about. The Fiat gets good gas mileage. Much better than virtually any American car. The good news is that American Chrysler recently merged with Fiat. That may end up benefitting both Americans and Italians. Especially if Fiat's ingenuity prevails. --Jim Broede