Fiat 125

My next car in 1973 was a 12 year old Fiat 125 bought for 2.5K in Brunei. Its engine was very smooth and quiet on the high way. It had an external rubber timing belt which was ok for the clean roads of Italy and Europe; but entirely unsuitable for the dusty sand roads and dirt tracks of Borneo!

Here is Sungei Lima on the Kuala Baram road which is flooded quite frequently during the wet Landas season.

Also very often, it refused to start in the morning. After sitting idle for a few days, the battery became dead. I knew nothing about cars then and could not cope with all the constant breakdowns. Quite often I had to go to work on the Yamaha motor cycle which I kept as a spare. Even today, I still keep a mobile phone in the glove box which I use for calling AA! It is seldom turn ON and I don't even know my own tel. number!