Hello from Connecticut

[Guilford82Spider2000]

Hello all. I'm very new here and am interested in buying my first fiat spider 2000. I plan to look at one tomorrow morning that has promise. It has 74000 miles, is a one owner car that has always been garaged and is said to run well and look great with no rust, mechanical or electrical issues. I have owned TR4s, TR4-As, a datson 1600 (spl311) and a few other two seaters but not in many years and never a fiat. I would appreciate any and all advice as to what I should look for in the way of warning signs or positive indications when evaluating the car. I am hoping to get it at a good price and have said that I will want it evaluated by my mechanic but my mechanic is a Mercedes guy who admittedly has very little experience with the fiats. Any advice on what to look for, how much to spend and what I am getting into will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. ~ Frank

[RRoller123]

Welcome aboard! You will find plenty of knowledgeable and friendly people here.

Here is a thread on how to post pictures to the forum:

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

And here is a great picture-posting thread edited by SLOSpider:

http://www.fiatspider.com/f08/viewtopic ... 12&t=23084


Pete

[steve8462]

i wouldn't buy one without lifting the carpets (which is easy) to examine the floor boards especially along the outer sills on both the driver and passenger side and around the seat mounts. also look in the wheel wells in front just over the tires to check the shock towers for signs of rot. also look at the front lower fender curves under the bumper for rust bubbles which could signal rot issues (front fenders are welded on at the factory and are tough to remove and expensive to replace. also open each door and lightly lift the door to see if the hinge mounts on the body are starting to rot.

reach up into the rear fender wells and feel along the edge to see if the fender flares have bee replaced due to rot. (you will feel a lip of the replacement panel.)

other than that most other stuff is considered minor. a lot of the guys (and gals) on this site have a ton of parts squirreled away that they can offer to sell at a good price to help make you spider a looker.

[leeputmanjr]

In just a few weeks, the Annual Fiat Club convention is in Long Island - you should come by, meet a lot of great owners!

[Guilford82Spider2000]

Thanks for the information. I will certainly spend some time looking for rust and any other sign of trouble but the pictures show what seems to be a brilliantly kept body with only a slight suggestion of a rust bubble on one fender, which was only noticed when pointed out during a conversation with the owner. This car has 75000 miles on it. Is that high for a fiat spider?

[RRoller123]

That is pretty normal mileage. Neither excessive, nor low.

[Guilford82Spider2000]

Great. I'm leaving in a few moments to go look at the car. Hopefully it is as nice as it seems and we can negotiate price that works for us. Wish me luck.

[Guilford82Spider2000]

Well I drove a very hard bargain. I gave him my first offer and he said that he could not budge so I raised my offer a bit to which he replied that he really could not budge. I said I was sure it would need new tires, a timing belt, maybe brakes and a battery. He said he could not budge, so I offered a price that was $2000 down from his asking price, after which he reitterated that he would not budge. So I finally just gave him his price. I paid $7500 for the car and it is absolutely beautiful. No rust, it shines, and it runs as smooth as can be. On Monday the seller will meet me at my mechanic and if all goes well and my mechanic finds nothing wrong, we will leave the shop and drive the car directly to my home. Thanks for your help with this. I will post a picture or two when I have the title in hand. ~ Frank

[Guilford82Spider2000]

I would like to ask the group about the availability of parts for a 1982 spider 2000. I was told by a mechanic that parts can be very difficult to come by and are often made in China. Is that true? Are new USA or European made parts available for every part on the car or is it very difficult to buy new parts? If they are available, who are they available from? Thank you in advance for any information you might offer. ~ Frank

[RRoller123]

Parts are available galore here on the forum, and from a stream of great US vendors: Allisons, Auto-Ricambi, IAP, etc. I wouldn't worry about it. We haven't been stumped yet as far as I know in the 2 years I have been on this forum. Pretty much everything is available. (except those little plastic clips that hold the front cowl grille in place. Don't break those.... )

Pete