Hey :)

[vickyfromvisalia]

Hey all!

As the name implies, I'm Vicky from Visalia that's in California. I fell in love with the Fiat convertibles pretty recently (within a few months). I recently got a job and thought I'd get a car that better reflected my tastes and was looking at getting an older MGB midget. Then I ran across the Fiat Spider... oozes cool I liked it a little better 'cause it has that shelf seat in the back and I felt like maybe a four seater was a little more practical (and would be more fun to cruise around with friends in) than a two seater

I've been checking these out up and down the craigslist postings throughout Cali and hope to get one early next year, grace willing! I'm super excited and found this site when reading up/looking for pics of Fiats. That seems to be a new hobby of mine

Hopefully I'll be on the road in one of these babies soon enough. Till then, cheers and thanks for this resource!

[azygoustoyou]

Welcome to the site Vicky and good luck finding your new car!

[So Cal Mark]

welcome and good luck with your search. Do you have any parameters for the new car? year, condition, price, etc?
Once you find the right car, I'm sure you will end up liking it alot more than an MG.

[vickyfromvisalia]

Thanks azy and socalmark

i guess i'm looking to spend up to 3000... cheaper the better..? maybe not in some cases.. i'm not sure. i wouldn't mind investing a little in it but i also want to DRIVE it not just have it sit in the garage.. i saw one posted that was a "daily driver" rough paint, needs work, but yknow. something along those lines. as far as the year goes 77 just feels right.. 74-81 i guess.. i'd just be happy to get one that looked cool and ran well enough for some trips up and down california! i like the look of the chrome bumpers but read that this changed the handling/performance of the car? im not sure if i'd even be that sensitive to something like that not having driven one before.. i cant wait!

[NitroDemon]

In California im perdy sure its illegal to delete the bumpers from the car anyways, best to keep them on unless you can find different bumpers to mount instead. Good luck in your search for the perfect Fiat spider! I'm sure you will Love it the second you sitdown behind the wheel!

[MNspiderman]

I love my 77 spider, Emission free from Canada and has a carburator instead of Fuel injection. Carbs look way cooler than that big fuel injection thing hanging over the engine.

[rlux4]

Hi Vicky, welcome to the forum. My wife and I used to run through your town back when we toured on motorcycles. Pretty neat little place out there. Good luck finding just the right car. Because of our California smog laws you should take a couple of things into account. If you get a car old enough to be exempt from smog it frees you up to do more modifications if you want to. And if you get a California car that's a 78 or 79 it'll be loaded down pretty hard with smog add ons. They went to fuel injection in 1980 for cars coming to California and were able to get rid of all the smog stuff except the catalytic converter, so you end up with more pep.
Keep us posted on how your search is going.
Ron

[azygoustoyou]

Hi Mnspiderman,
Didn't you say you were going to put bumperettes on your car? Car looks good!

[MNspiderman]

Yes I am going to put bumperetts on my car.
On Friday my long awaited Fiat Abarth fender flares finally showed up from the UK. They are beautiful
But is 14 degrees today. Pretty cold for any car work

[ga.spyder]

Hey Vicky...welcome to the site.Just to offer a counter,if you are looking for lower maint. and more get up and go you should give a hard look at the fuel injected cars.I have a 77(carb) and a 82 (F.I.).The injection may not''look as cool'' as the carb,but the performance from the 20 extra horsepower isnt even close !!I mean...not even close. Dont be in a rush,and 3000 will buy a nice car w/o needing paint,repair,tinkering,etc...It has been much discussed here and you are better off spending a little more on a issue free car initially.Cheaper is usually not better.
Craig

[katsi]

Welcome Vicki, It's been a while since I've been to Visalia. I used to work for a company that owned the Hilton in Visalia. Best of luck on your car search.

[vickyfromvisalia]

No purchase yet... there's one in a town nearby but they want a little more than I was hoping to pay. There's one south about 4 hours from me... but needs work.

I guess I'm waiting for the right conditions!

I had a general question: What's the longest distance anyone has driven one of these? I'd like to cruise the 1

[htchevyii]

I know Alvon has driven across the US a few times Ron's went on some pretty long runs, 1500-2000mi? I don't think I've been over 500 on a single trip yet.

[ventura ace]

With stock suspension, the 124 spider is fairly comfortable for long cruising. That might not be the case if modified with a stiffer suspension for performance. Our x-country trip in 2008 was a total of slightly over 8000 miles in 3 weeks. We did 2 oil changes en route, since I maintain a strict regimen with that. I also did regular checks of other critical vitals, just like you would do if you put that many miles over a year or two: Tire pressure, brake fluid, carb tuning, etc. One of the best simple mods that you can do to simplify maintenance is to install electronic ignition (get rid of the points and condensor). With points and condensor, you need to monitor them regularly and make adjustments as they wear. With electronic ignition, I've not even bothered with it since I put it in 30K miles ago, and the spark plugs run much longer since they are always getting the proper spark.

When I plan a travel that takes me far from home base, I always take tools and spares of items that could break or wear out. For example, I mentioned the electronic ignition above, but I carry a spare distributor that is fit with points and condensor just in case the electronic ignition should ever give up the ghost. I carry an extra coil, belts, fuel pump, fuel hose, fuel filter, thermostat, plugs, brake fluid, engine oil, tranny oil, etc. If you keep your car properly maintained, you should never need any of these things, and I usually don't, but I'd rather not take the chance.

Alvon