Second generation Spider!

[mdj6248]

I live in upstate NY, near Albany. I've owned two Fiats. The first was a '74 124 sedan my parents bought for me while I was at college. They had *no* idea what they were getting, and managed to gift me with a 124TC sedan, where TC stands for, yes, the twin cam engine. I drove that for the next four years, including trips back and forth between upstate NY and western North Carolina and loved it. It was an awesome stealth car and would blow off 2002s without breathing hard.

Second was a red '78 124 Spider that I got about 6 years after I got out of college. I surprised my then-girlfriend by showing up in it one day. She's now my wife, and loved the Spider as much as I did. I drove that one as an everyday car for about five years as well.

Now my son is about to turn 17, and has a handshake deal on a red '78 124 Spider. It runs - roughly, doesn't seem to have too many rust problems and has been sitting in a dry garage for about 10 years. 101K miles. We're going to be bringing it back to life. I think I can probably still change a timing belt on that engine without needing a manual.

[SunnySideUp]

Welcome to the forum! It's been said that once you've experienced the Spider's "bite" you never recover.

You'll find plenty of help here to get your son's '78 back up and on the road!

[kd1wo]

Yes, welcome to the Forum !

Being from Schenectady, transplanted to Massachusetts, i can relate. My first car was a Renault Dauphine ! Great gas mileage but I couldn't keep a transmission working in it. As a broke college kid (SUNY) I was always around boneyards looking for replacements. Went through 4 of them before the car was totaled. Not knowing much about mechanics ai the time,it was pretty expensive paying a mechanic.
Best of luck with the "handshake" Spider.