Spider as daily driver

[dbr]

Hello All,

Who uses the spiders as daily drivers to drive to work and what not? I need to start driving to work and can't use public transport (train) anymore. I love my little fiat spider but don't know if it will be smart to use it as a daily driver. How reliable are these cars? I seem to have run into a lot of situations that had I been on the road I would have had to have it towed. Granted, I haven't had it mechanically checked.

I would love to keep it and use it.

If there is anybody in the St. Charles, IL area that knows about Fiat spiders and wouldn't mind looking and/maybe test driving mine to see how it is overal PM me. I am also having it checked by a foreign car mechanic nearby but I doubt they have much experience with them.

Dexter

[azruss]

You are dealing with an old car and the condition of the mechanics and electrics will determine reliability. I drove one of these cars for 23 years as a daily driver it was one of the most reliable cars i ever owned. But all the electrics need to be in top shape as well as the fuel system. The engine can be old and loose and still work fine if fuel and spark are in good shape.

[phaetn]

Hello All, I am also having it checked by a foreign car mechanic nearby but I doubt they have much experience with them.

Dexter

The cars are actually quite simple, so any competent mechanic should be able to deal with it. There are lots of ins and outs that only experienced Fiat mech might know, but in terms of getting it up and going and reliable it should be pretty straightforward. Wiring is probably the biggest pain. I see now that you're likely a fuel injected engine (unless something has been swapped out) so that might make things more complicated for a mech, but parts are still plentiful.

I bought mine in March of last year and used it as a daily driver for three seasons. I think it's in pretty good knick, but I still had to make a few road side fixes last year. Once it was a carb idle jet working its way loose and getting lost, another time my throttle disconnected. (Actually, more than once, but different issues). Nothing that has needed towing so far (knock on wood), but I've definitely had vintage motorbikes on a flat-bed more than once. Oh yeah, another time I had to replace a rear brake caliper because the right rear wheel axle was trying to go on a walkabout because a circlip popped -- the only thing keeping it on was the disc rubbing against the pad and caliper. Yikes! Thankfully it wasn't designed with rear drums!! I've been very happy with it and drive it rain or shine, but my commute is only about 20 minutes and not on a freeway.

Get to know the car and how it works. Bring some basic tools and gloves. Always be prepared to be late for whatever you are doing.

First get it looked over and sorted, then give a bit of a prayer to St. Christoper before every trip and enjoy yourself!

Cheers,
phaetn

[spider2081]

I am retired so our 81 Spider is not a real daily driver. We do put about 5,000 miles a year on it mostly with the top down. Since purchase we have put 36,000 miles on the car with one break down. The fuel hose from the filter to the metal fuel line split. Other than that its trouble free. Car now has close to 169,000. miles on it.

[focodave]

If it is fuel injected, and you have gone through all of the electrical connections, and the engine internals are good, etc -- you have what was once unofficially considered a "secretary's car". (implying that a secretary could afford to buy one and use the car for daily transportation without much worry) (sorry if that sounds sexist -- it was a different time when that term was used)
The fuel injected cars are very reliable --- and coupled with the electronic ignition, are almost "turn-the-key-and-go" cars.
Of course, that is assuming everything is in good order before you start relying on it for daily use.
Mine is truly a weekend/sunshine-only car, but I do believe I could rely on it for daily transportation if I had to.
The reliability of these cars is directly proportional to the amount of preventive maintenance one gives them (like most vintage cars)

[spidernut]

The biggest issue is that when you do need to repair the car, it will take days to get the parts since none of the chain parts stores carry much of anything for them.

[dmwhiteoak]

I drive mine daily. To work eveyday ( a 100 mile round trip) and also days I don't. It is not the only vehicle I have but is the one I perfer to drive, especially when working nights. Sometimes the only thing keeping me awake is the activity going on and the way I'm driving. The first two years I had the car while driving it I was also replacing anything I thought was tired after 35 years of being neglected. It is still a very dependable car after putting 40,000 miles on it in the last two years. So, would I use it as a daily driver? Yes, but I'm always going to have a back up with anything I drive.

[baltobernie]

Unless your commute is very short, I don't think a Spider makes sense as a daily driver. Especially in Chicago, where it can snow from November to April, and bake in July and August.

There's not much crash protection, no ABS or other active safety features, and they can be inconspicuous to other drivers. Pretty crappy fuel mileage, too, compared to modern cars.

What about a "beater" you can use to commute on most days, saving the Spider as a treat for mild sunny days? It sounds like you have some issues with your Fiat, so maybe you could spend that money on a #@$-box and work on the Spider long-term.

[DieselSpider]

I bought mine as a rolling restoration however it has turned into a daily driver without any real major work just brakes, lube/grease job and a starter solenoid ($20). Parts have been available locally most in hours and the rest overnight with a very few in two days.

I am in a snow/ice free (no road salt) area of Florida and we have around 350 top down driving days a year.

[autotransgression]

i have put a pretty minimal amount of work into mine (1980), mechanically, and it has been a great daily driver. as far as concerns about safety, i installed a rollbar and corbeau belts, and am having my new tires mounted on new 15" rims tomorrow, so that i can have the fiat 500 brake conversion installed.

if you are pretty hands-on and are free to ask for and take advice from a forum of people with a shared passion...yes, it will be a great daily driver.

[joelittel]

Mine isn't a daily driver, but it gets driven often. Unless it's raining it's our preferred vehicle. We argue over who gets to take it on nice days (she always gets it).

It did take some work to be comfortable driving ours every day, because we had some electrical issues that needed to be sorted. My advice is to do your repairs right so they won't become reoccurring issues. Check your car often and stay ahead of known problems, like an oil drip or coolant mysteriously disappearing. Don't just live with issues, no matter how small, find them and fix them. Our car gets the once over every Saturday morning and during the week my wife reports new noises or a change in function immediately.

Five years ago I knew nothing about fixing a car. Now I know that I can usually find and fix an issue with the advice of this forum and some simple tools.

I say you tune it up, get it back to factory spec and running really well and then give the daily driver lifestyle a shot.

[brackie1]

Once you get your initial problems sorted you need to drive it as much as you can. These cars were meant to be driven not to be garage queens. The more you drive them the more reliable they are . Just listen to it and be attentive to its little quirks and get them fix immediately. Enjoy it

Gene
North Carolina
'78 124 spider

[Redline]

I can underline that last point. My Coupe ran perfectly in the 6 months when I was regularly doing 100+ km days, several times a week after a job change a few years ago (before we could move house). Now that is sits quietly more often in the garage, it is a lot more ill-tempered.

[81SPIDERMATT]

x 3 .... they love to be driven ..not stored ... drive mine all year unless there is snow sticking to the streets .... I am no mechanic and have done everything myself with the help from this forum .... no way could I afford to pay someone to do that .... getting to know the car by driving it often will tell you when something is happening or about to happen

[azruss]

My spider is low use. I put about 3600 miles this last year. It gets out for at least a 1/2 hour once a week. Usually a very low impact cruise. It never sits in the garage for more that 2 weeks without moving. Once a month it gets out and allowed to stretch and breath. Never goes out for more than an hour or so. At this point, it has been very reliable. Only had one issue that was a bad o-ring in the idle air adjust. So far i havent had any sitting issues.