Might buy an 81 Spider, engine issues, questions

[Justin]

It's a '81.
I have a '81 and it only had 78 thousand on the clock and you still wind up under the hood or under the car alot. Fun cool little car but it's an older car. If it ain't worn out or not working it will take a crap when it starts being used hard and often. Mine ran fine but starter went out,ignition took a dump,injector plugged up,brakes started leaking,relay went belly up, etc when it hit the road alot... Fiats fault? Nope! Just an older car and it's part and parcel with older cars. Things wear out and things need fix'n.
Good price? Depends on you and how much you want it and how big of a tool set you have. I consider any older car a "project" for the first 2 years till the obvious problems are fixed and those that were border line fail and get repaired under use.
I learned along time ago you never get back what $$ you have invested in a car. You do get more than $$ though!

You're right about that. I'm expecting it to have problems, especially since I'm buying it with problems. Hopefully not too many though... Hoping the previous owners have already replaced things for me.

[Justin]

One in the same...

Description as follows. Note - I removed the price:

MUST SELL...1st PERSON WITH $(XXX) CASH IN HAND TAKES THIS COLLECTOR'S ITEM HOME! It has served me well the past few years but now has some issues that I cannot afford to address. It runs but not so great and has been sitting, so will need a jump start, but probably best to tow it. There is an oil leak, some issues with the starter and needs new fuel injectors. There are tears in the drivers side seat and also in the top. Additionally, the back window has developed some build up on it which it makes it almost impossible to see out of. You would need to drive it with the top down in order to drive safely, until you got the top replaced. There are minor tears in the dash as you can see in the pictures. All it needs is some TLC and this car will be worth 4-5 times the amount I am selling it for!

I didn't see any rust in the photos, I didn't see any dents in the body. The top didn't look as bad as she indicated, The driver's seat it toast....you can buy the foam and an upholstery set from the Fiat vendors. It has the original carpet which is very faded, but a similar style carpet is available at Lowes for about $60. Just cut to fit! The cracks in the dash are common, but can be covered with a dash cap. I'm sure the lower console is a mess but you can get a cap for it as well. Again, the issue will be the running gear. As I mentioned, I saw a complete motor, trans and diff on Craigslist....all priced pretty well.

You could sell the door panels, gauges, hood, trunk, doors, wood on the dash, door locks, wheels, luggage rack, lights, side markers, etc., for pretty close to the asking price for the entire car. You could always go there with $200 less than the asking price and wave the cash in front of her. That would make it a smokin' deal. If she insisted on full price, it still seems like a good deal (again, depending upon the condition of the motor, transmission and differential).

John

You're definitely right about that. I don't think the interior is that bad, and even if it is it doesn't bother me much. Nice to hear you say those parts are reasonably priced. It will really come down to how bad the engine/transmission is and whether there's rust. Good to hear you think the asking price is fair. I'm a bit wary that I won't be able to start it, though I suppose we might be able to push start it if we can find somewhere flat.

[2ndwind]

The other posters are cautiously optimistic. I would be too. If you are overly motivated to buy THIS car because it is cheap, I would think again. Good deals are had when the SELLER is motivated to sell not when the buyer is motivated to buy. You have to be willing to walk away from this car and look for another. Most of our cars have less than 100K miles on them. But of course, it depends on condition and upkeep.

[Justin]

The other posters are cautiously optimistic. I would be too. If you are overly motivated to buy THIS car because it is cheap, I would think again. Good deals are had when the SELLER is motivated to sell not when the buyer is motivated to buy. You have to be willing to walk away from this car and look for another. Most of our cars have less than 100K miles on them. But of course, it depends on condition and upkeep.

You make a great point here. I will make sure to keep this in mind, I do certainly realize it doesn't have to be this car.