new member

[johnssi]

Hi everybody! Just wanted to say hi and I'm new to the whole Fiat thing. My wife worked for Fiat at their headquarters in NJ 30 years ago and several of her friends bought new 124's on the cheap through the company and we always wanted one , but never had the chance, and so now the bug has bitten me. Any advice you all could give me would be appreciated as to how to go about looking for one and what to be on the lookout for. I think so far I'd like one that is in the year range when she worked there... mid seventies. We are in south east Georgia. Thanks for any help. John

[rlux4]

Hi there, welcome to the forum. Probably the main thing to look out for is rust. Because these cars are unibody, rust in the undercarriage, and around the shock towers can be fatal. Everything else, engine, tranny, and cosmetics are fairly easy to work on with almost all parts readily available. Plus, there's a great community here to give input and help when it's needed.
Good luck and keep us posted.
Ron

[johnssi]

Hi Ron, Thanks for the kind words. Any suggestions out there in how to get started looking for a car? Not that many italian sports cars here in south Georgia!

[kilrwail]

Welcome to the forum John. You may have to broaden your search beyond south Georgia, but there are lots of Spiders changing hands quite often. There are several folks here from north GA who might lend a hand if you find something up that way. Good luck!

[johnssi]

Thanks for the welcome Peter. I am definitely going to look all across the state and in North Florida. And I'm willing to travel out of state also. I think half the fun of having a a little sports car will be the hunt for it.

[ga.spyder]

Hey John, welcome from another Georgian!I live in Blairsville in the N.E. Georgia mtns.You must be around Columbus? What are you looking for in a Spider? Are you looking for a driver or something you are going to restore? Give me some parameters and I will search the Atl. area.There are always some on craigslist up here. I have a 82 fuel injected model.The fi cars are ultra reliable,but not as easy to modify as the carb'd versions. If you find something in my area or any other area,just ask someone to look at it for you.Everyone here will be happy to do it.This site is a great resource and I wish I had discovered it before I bought mine.I could have saved a bunch of driving!
Craig

[kmac33]

Welcome John,
I'm in Atlanta (Decatur), and would be more than happy to go check out any potential vehicles that you find that are for sale in or around Atlanta before you make the drive up. May save you from travelling to look at a piece of neglected junk. Although Craig and a few other fuel injection loving souls may disagree , I think the mid 70's models (especially the 74 - no personal bias at all) are the perfect years to own, so I applaud you on intially looking in that year range. Obviously owning any year Fiat Spider is better than no Spider at all! The simple fact that you have found this forum will help you tremendously to overcome the inevitable challenges associated with owning a Spider. You can find the answer to pretty much any Fiat question here. Good luck finding a Spider that you will enjoy for many years to come, and don't hesitate to let me know if you want some help looking over any potential finds.

Kevin

[johnssi]

Thanks for the welcome Craig and Kevin! So fellow Georgians! I'm in St Simons on the coast. My wife and I have a cabin up in Blue Ridge that we get to quite a bit so I know just where Blairsville is and not so much about Decatur. Anyway what I am looking for is a car that is in relatively good condition but not perfect. I don't mind getting my hands dirty and being a contractor, kind of prefer it that way. I'd like to do a good bit of the work on it but don't want to tear it completely apart. I'd like to do the same kind of work that the pictures you posted show, Kevin. That looks like it turned out great. I'm just having a hard time getting started even finding some cars to look at. I still like the mid to late seventies vintage and I would be willing to spend in the 5K range I think, but don't know how realistic that is. Obviously the less the better going into it. Any comments? Thanks so much for the offer to look at any cars I might find up in your neck of the woods, I sure appreciate it.

John

[ga.spyder]

Blue Ridge..hell ,we're neighbors! You can get a lot of Fiat for 5K.There was one that just sold in Atl. that would have been perfect for you.A really nice ,well maintained car with a lot of mods.It was a 75 model and went for 3700.I will keep an eye out for you,we will surely hit on something. Contact me the next time you are up here,and I will swing by with my car. You might send a private message to 'radiopilot' or 'ragno',they both live in Savannah and might have a line on something in your local area.Good luch with the search.
Craig

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/cto/1208462663.html just saw this one