L'Avventura di MEL B*

Benvenuti amici!

As is the club and FB page, this blog is meant to be equally appealing for non-car people and car people alike. Sure ~ I am bonkers about FIAT, SEAT, Zastava, Lada as well as all other related brands. But this proposed adventure you are kind enough to share with me & the missus is just as much about the people in these Italian cars as it is about the brand... or a particular model.

The following FIAT life adventure, credited to & written/photographed by MEL B a/k/a gorillamel, is published in parts and will be spread across several entries this week. I hope you find it as entertaining as I do...

The Call of the 'Cento: pt 1
I originally bought my Fiat to be my daily driver to/from work & around town. I had no intention of modding it, racing it or doing anything too risqué to it. Most of my time and effort goes toward my off-roading hobby (with my Xterra).

This month, I had to drive to Salt Lake City to catch a flight to the East Coast. When I flew back I intended to explore the Northern Utah area and meet up with some of my Xterra friends. I had given extensive thought trying to decide which vehicle to take on my overlanding/exploring/camping trip.

Should I go with my tried-and-true off road steed & use up a ton of gas on my very limited budget?

2005 Nissan Xterra S

Or [go with] my other option ~ my daily driver?

2013 Fiat 500 S

My lack of expendable income caused me to choose the Fiat. I figured, it would at least be an experiment in the comforts of camping AND cause people to smile and laugh ~ as they saw me bopping around in my miniature vehicle.

[This was] My planned route, minus a day or two stop in Salt Lake City to hang with friends and utilize two-legged travel methods: Route Map.

First things first. I changed the oil and filter for the trip (probably a bit premature ~ it doesn't even have 3,000mi on the odo). Secondly, [I figured out] how to fit all my camping gear inside of a Fiat. Well, a T50 torx, 16mm and 13mm socket set helped me solve that problem.

Now you see them...

Now you don't!

Standard shot of dog testing out new fitment space

The problem I ran into is Fiats don't come with a stock roof rack. I did not consider this an issue when I got it back in May. Its intended use is to haul my bum to and from work and be an every day city-type driver... on an economical scale. I saw no point in spending $300-$400 for an aftermarket [rack] for a one-time use.

The roof rack is meant to fit this...

*cough-kayak-cough*

... as well as [offer] a place to put my spare 1gal gas can ~ believe me, 1 gal lasts a long time.

Other things I needed to get pre-trip:

• Extra tarp for awning
• More zip ties
• Growlers of *ahem* happy beverage for X friend as thanks for using his shop
• Stakes for tarp for awning

A match made in heaven?... Nah, Idaho!

Here is the Fiat all packed up and ready to go

After removing the rear seats, I realized I had plenty of room to fit the majority (i.e. important) of my camping/survival gear. I neither needed the roof rack nor was I able to source one. Good thing, too, [as] weather in Utah took a nosedive.

I got amazing gas mileage on the way to UT. I filled up my tank 3/4 for about $27 - before leaving - and did not fill it [again] 'til Snowden, just inside the ID-UT border. There are no service [stations] along the way to Golden Spike. So, basically I drove from Boise to SLC on a tank of gas. This makes me happy. - MEL B

To be continued...

Vivere.Amare.Guidare.

Ciao!

@