New here...Great site!!

[MarkD]

Hello everyone,
I've decided to get back into Fiats again. My dad was a big Fiat guy. I remember going with him in 1972 when I was 3yrs old to buy one new. A few years later he sold it and bought a 124 coupe. When I turned 16, I took all of my cutting the grass money I'd earned and saved over the last 2 summers waiting for the day I had a drivers license and the cash for a Spider. I found one in the the local paper for $1,400 and learned how to work on cars with it. I drove it and tinkered with it for about 3 years. In my mid 20s' a '72 124 coupe fell in my lap for $600. no rust, ran great. The guy was moving overseas in a few days and needed to get rid of it, fast. I drove it for a year but sold it to a friend because I was living in Baltimore city at the time and had nowhere to keep it. He did.
I'm a BMW motorcycle mechanic by trade and specialize in restoring vintage BMW's. I drifted away from the Fiat world and into the motorcycle world with the exception of the coupe I came across. So, I'm ready to get back into it, but I'm out of the loop with what to look for, years to avoid, if any... Values, etc.. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks for reading...Wonderful site!!

...Mark

[rlux4]

Welcome Mark. Sounds like you already know what the main thing to look out for; rust. If you're out west, California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas all have plenty of cars with little or no rust on them. As far as what years are best, everyone thinks the year(s) they own are the best. The main thing is whether you want a carb'd or fuel injected model. Fuel injection was first put in cars imported to California starting in 1980, from 1981 on all Spiders had it. The carb'd models probably lend themselves more to performance mods, but the FI system is smog junk free and fairly peppy in stock form. Good luck in your search, and members here usually give a heads up when a nice one shows up somewhere.
Ron

[So Cal Mark]

welcome to the site and back into Fiats! Are you looking for a coupe or Spider?

[MarkD]

Thanks for the replies. I'm looking for a Spider. I do love the look of the coupe and the coupe was the best handling car I've ever had, but my first love was and still is the Spider. Classic,timeless car. And I'm surprised to see that they're still affordable. I live in the Baltimore/Washington area. My wife has relatives in the L.A. area and we try and get out there once a year. It would be a lot less expensive for me to find one here. I'm not worried about mechanical problems because I'm a mechanic, but I'm not comfortable tackling frame rot. I don't have the money to farm that kind of work out right now. I'll start looking. I'm not in a got-to-have-one-now-before-I-change-my-mind mode, so I'll take my time.
Thanks again for the replies. There is wealth of info here. I better stop typing and start reading...

...Mark.

[baltobernie]

Hello Mark, and welcome!

The Baltimore/Washington area is home to probably the largest collection of Fiat automobiles outside of California, and the local club has many resources to help you locate and maintain a classic Spider. Why not plan to attend the Tech session on the 28th in Falls Church? http://www.dcfiats.org/events/index.html Meet owners and narrow your choices of condition, vintage, etc. PM me for more information.

[4babycar]

I saw your post about looking for a spider and I keep seeing this CL add and trying to get my buddy to take it but he won't. You can't tell much about the pictures but at ~$500 a car it isn't too bad either as long as the rust isn't too bad. Good luck. BTW, I have no affiliation with the seller, I just scour CL a lot.

http://washingtondc.en.craigslist.org/n ... 92090.html

3 Fiat Spiders $1600 for all 3.

1) 1977 Fiat Spider Red 1800 64,000 miles
2) 1981 Fiat Spider Dark Green 2000 79,000 miles
3) 1980 Fiat Spider White 2000 38,000 miles
Sold as a package or individually. Prices higher if bought individually. They run! White one needs a starter, and the red needs a fuel pump which I have. Please call 703-906-1795, I prefer calls over emails.

[ga.spyder]

Welcome to the forum.There are a couple nice sounding cars for sale in the 'for sale' section of this site.My neighbor has a collection of vintage and new BMW bikes.I have always wanted one of the older models,and may be able to talk him out of one!

[kristoj]

Welcome to the site and good luck in your search.

[MarkD]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome and advice..! And thanks for the tip on the 3-for-1 deal on craigslist. I think my wife would kick me out of the house if a flatbed containing 3 project Fiat's showed up at the door... I, personally think the back yard would look beautiful full of Spiders, but with what little wisdom I've gained by learning the hard way, I think one will be enough for the time being.. hehe..

...Mark.

[racydave]

Yes, always pretend like you are the boss! Welcome!