You know you own a FIAT when . . .

[MrJD]

You take 80% of the tools you own along with you on rides.

LOL

[njoconnor]

There isn''t a category for your Spider at a car show….OR…….You're in a category all by yourself.

Yes! That was us at Botham last week. And I only heard one "it's a Triumph!" comment, which I can forgive, since we were hanging with the TR's (last shady spot).

.....when you buy your Spider and can immediately lay your hands on a Haynes manual, a full wheel hubcap, and a 17mm Allen wrench for the oil drain you've kept for 30 years, just hoping....

Neil

[Hobo]

When purchase the car for $2900 and spend $10,000.00 on upgrades. Now the car is worth $2,950.00

[wetminkey]

When you tear down the interior, clean it all, reassemble it, and as you're getting ready to wash it to show it off, it suddenly won't start for the first time in years,...
Todd.

[fiat218]

When purchase the car for $2900 and spend $10,000.00 on upgrades. Now the car is worth $2,950.00

Lol I like that

[fiat218]

Do u what u could own for ten grand? Geesh

[wetminkey]

Modern parts suppliers don't even list common parts for your car!
Todd.

[Frog2Spider]

.... After crossing off the last thing on your 'Spider To Do' list, you go to start it, and only hear ..... click!

[Kingme2]

Everywhere you go you get thumbs up, or little kids saying WOW, or guys yelling out their window at the lights "what year? My uncle had one..."

You point to the pool of oil on the floor and say "that's how I know it's Italian"

When you tell your wife you are going to work on the car in the garage, she finds you asleep in the drivers seat (even though the passenger side has more room), because you fell asleep watching tv in the garage... Instead of working on the car.

You spend big buck$ for a performance header and exhaust, miss the Italian sounds... So spend even more to get the sounds you miss back...

[2500diesel]

A vendor interrupts his vacation to help you with a problem.




Good on ya, Matt.

[phaetn]

... you can actually hear the RPM change as your turn signal light flashes on and off.

OR

... you're constantly checking your car's reflection in other cars not for its good looks, but to make sure that your brake lights and turn signals are actually illuminating.

OR

You do an interior and dash fix/upgrade only to discover that the parking brake (too weak to call it an emergency brake!) dash light no longer works. You undo it all, check all wiring and connections again, and even fiddle with the switch under the lever, all to no avail. You put it all back together with it still not working and make peace with it. You go for a drive and, inexplicably, it starts working properly and has been rock solid ever since, causing you to praise Italian workmanship.

OR

You thank your lucky stars the car was engineered with four disc brakes, because if it were a similar vintage Triumph or MG and had rear drum brakes, that half shaft would have eased away from the car taking the wheel with it after a circlip had popped out of place, rather than having the brake caliper keep the wheel in place by grinding against the rotor (don't ask me how I know!).

AND, FINALLY

You actually have a mental start-up checklist and sequence for your car, not unlike one for a small plane, that invariably includes a prayer as one of the steps (even if you're not religious) and ALWAYS ends with a grin after the engine successfully fires up.

Cheers,
Phaetn

[spiderdan]

...on start up, you think it's normal to give a gauge a tap or two to help bring it to life.

...you spend almost as much time, if not more, on FS.com than you do driving/fixing/restoring your Spider

[Fi8spider]

...you can appreciate the smell of rotting vinyl.

[AriK]

...you can appreciate the smell of rotting vinyl.

Is that what that smell is??

[TX82FIAT]

...you can appreciate the smell of rotting vinyl

you know exactly what a 30+ year old FIAT should smell like and you are thinking of that smell right now!

You get excited on your way home when you think the part ordered may be in the mail today.

You have at some point forgot the basic rule of disconnecting the battery prior to working around or on some part of electrical system. and Wham!!
**working on master cylinder when wrist hit alternator post while wearng a metal watch! Actually knocked me on the floor. Wife: "Are you OK, did you just get shocked by that car". Your 15 year old is laughing in the background.