Hello

[yosh]

Hello everyone,

First off, I do not own a Fiat, or any car for that matter. I made an account to get advice from some of the people on here.
I am 17 years old and I live in Southern California. I realize most people my age don't really go for a car like this, but I am absolutely in love. Would it be dumb for me to get a 124? My knowledge on engines is about little to none, but I am fully willing to learn. I am a normal highschool student (school fulltime, work part time), do you think, if I were to buy this car, I would be able to maintain it as a daily?

[RRoller123]

Welcome aboard! You will find plenty of friendly and helpful people here! One advantage of these cars is their relative low initial purchase cost, which is usually great for younger people (and us oldsters too). But the costs to get them running correctly and keep them running reliably can add up, so it is very important to be sure to buy the best running, most rust-free one that you can.

Everyone here will help with the specific knowledge you will need to get it running and solve the many little mysteries that surround these cars. They are not paricularly hard to work on, with a few quirky exceptions, and they are a lot of fun and you will have a great time with it! I expect you will be the envy of your fellow HS students when you cruise around in a Spider!

There are a few Buyer's Guides out on the net that will help a lot. Mirafiori has one. Brad Artigues guides are excellent. Do some searches and read everything you can and you will make an informed purchase, which is half the battle! You will need to plan on having a level, dry place to work on the car, and various basic mechanics tools like socket set, good car jack, etc. Always be safe when working on around, and especially under the car. NO CINDER BLOCKS are to be used as jack stands for support!

Good luck and when you find something, here is how to post pictures to the forum:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=21014

Pete

[TX82FIAT]

Yosh, Pete has given some good advice. I was 17 when i purchased my first Spider. It was a 79' purchased in 85' that was very poorly maintained. However, it was also only 6 year old at that point with just over 55K miles on it. I drove that car for two years and kept it together on a tight budget. Friends and girfriends loved the car. I will say this, I developed a reputation for working on the car on Sundays. The other kids would joke that I would go to school and work all week so i could cruise in and fix my FIAT over the weekends. A few of the guys started calling me Tony! I sold the car because college was over 3 hours from home and I was concerned about the multiple trips and winter driving in my little car.

Now, a Spider is going to be 30 or more years old. This makes it very important you buy a well maintained Spider so you can enjoy it. The car will need to be free of rust or at least major rust in areas like the shock towers. Get under the car and look for rust, damage, holes. The car should have a strong engine. I'd take someone that knows these cars with you to check out the car during a test drive. Listen to the engine with a mechanics stethoscope. Take the car out for a test drive and go through all the gears to feel the engine under load and test the brakes. If your not afraid to turn a wrench you can fix all the little things yourself. There is a steep learning curve in the first few months. The big question is, do you have the time to work on the car a few hours a week? If yes, and your not afraid to get your hands dirty then go for it.

[2ndwind]

Yosh,
These are cool cars. I had two high school friends with one the and a college friend with one. But, as TX82FIAT points out, the car will be old. I can turn a wrench or two but sent it out for big stuff like a head gasket (though I've done other cars)and significant body damage in an accident (though I used to work in a body shop). More money than time, as compared to vice- versa when I was younger.

Weigh your options. For today's comparison:

Bought a running '82 FIAT with only surface rust in 2 places, running engine, bad starter and AFM, an average top for $3500 3 yrs ago. Have put over $6500 in it (not including accident repair) for safety, reliability and some cosmetics. The car still looks like a nice driver's car, not a show car.

Last year my 14 year-old bought a '94 Miata with rust through the outer rocker panels (poorly repaired), a leaking radiator, average convertible top, minor hail damage, and frozen rear brake caliper with all electrics and A/C working---$2,000. There were cosmetic issues (rear view mirror, torn leather seats, glove box lock, etc. After a new radiator, new calipers, tie rod ends, steering boot, and a trip to the junkyard, he has $2632 in it. It is also a driver's car. It was on the road within 3 wks of occasionally working on it. Of course, he can only be a passenger right now. I like the car but the seats don't support my back, it is cramped, the body rolls more in a turn, and it hits bumps much harder than the fiat. Three things I like better than the spider: rack and pinion steering, A/C, and the hardtop I bought for it. (I don't have a hardtop for the spider.)

You should not buy the first one you see but the BEST one you can afford. Again, take along someone who knows these cars well. I'd say i paid $1000-1500 too much for my car. All I knew was that I wanted a '71-72 or '81-'82 with no rust. Look for one that has little to no rust in structural areas, runs well, had the timing belt and clutch replaced relatively recently, and no transmission problems. There will be plenty of other things to attend to once you get it.

[calvinconrad]

i drove my 124 the tail end of high school, thru college and first few years of work as daily driver. it was a really fun car to have in college. i found that properly maintained they were very reliable. just get one that doesn't need too much work.