Serious disappointment

[KandJinmaine]

Well my wife and I decided that when we're were down in the more populated part of the state of Maine, we would stop at the Fiat dealer in Portland and get our first look at the new 124. You just do not see them up here in the hinterlands. We changed our plans to make sure we would be there while they were open so we could perhaps take a test drive. We had convinced ourselves that we wanted an Abarth, and would most likely buy one.
Well, we found the dealership and were quickly drawn to the two nonAbarth beauties out on the lot. We circled them like a shark would a seal pup, myself leaving a drool trail on the asphalt. We go inside and find one on the showroom floor and eagerly await our turn to get in the car as another potential buyer was already in it. My wife gets in the car and the smile starts. She looks great in the car,and appears very happy. I await my turn anxiously and then it's time. I get in, not real easily as I am 6'5", but that is expected. I move the seat back as far as it will go, and adjust the seat back as straight as possible and adjust the steering wheel up as far as it will go. I still have no room to move my right leg ( the one with the total knee replacement), and the left leg is not much better. This car was an automatic so I don't really know if I could have operated a clutch pedal but if so, I wouldn't have been comfortable and most likely not safe. Meanwhile the salesman is telling us that all the manuals he has are spoken for, no Abarths are available, and we can't put our speak in for a 2017 until July of next year....
I resign myself that this will be "her car" , as she deserves it. "At least I can be a passenger" I think to myself. But alas -no!! I go around to the passenger door, do all the seat adjustments....and I cannot even get into the passenger side. Major Bummer!!

As we drive away disappointedly, it occurs to me that the restoration budget on our 1980 FI 124 just got substantially bigger.

[AriK]

The seats that come with the Abarth model are more accomodating for the taller folks. This is feedback i witnessed at FFO where both models were on hand.

[KandJinmaine]

AriK, thanks for the info. There may be hope after all

[RMaxfield]

While I am glad the car does exist there are some things that bug me about it. The hood opens the wrong way.... LOL The interior is very Mazda. I am looking at it the same way as my restoration budget has increased also!

Robert

[DieselSpider]

After seeing the new ones I suddenly appear to have a restoration budget forming in my mind too.

At work I have been getting hints from my co-workers lately as I am finding PostIts left on my Plug In Electric Nissan Leaf with subtle messages like "Fiat Spider Parking Only!". It is amazing how many notice when my 1978 Spider is not where I normally park at work.

Maybe there is a chance I can pick up a Spider with a bad drive train and merge it with a wrecked Leaf. Some folks have already done that with their MG's.

[scampbel98]

I was amazed too at the size (or lack there of) of the new 124. At 6' 4" even the passenger side is not an option.
I can drive our 1980 all day long....

[spidernut]

I'm only 5'9". I was able to find a reasonably comfortable driving position with the seat nearly all the way back. I have bad knees and couldn't move my left leg enough to be comfortable on any longer drives. The lack of interior room was a huge show-stopper for me. I like taking long trips in my Spider and we were hoping the new one would allow us to go places we'd never take our classic Spider. Because we like long drives, we like having snacks and beverages but there really were no places for snacks, the cup holders were a joke and there was no place like a small cooler. So sad.

[DUCeditor]

There's no spider like an old spider. Wish as we may.
-don

[spider2081]

Our Fiat group was invited to a Mazda event last year. We got there a little late so all the Mazda's were parked in a row. We kind of had to find spots around the lot. We were surprised at how little space there is in the Miata. They were shocked to see our coolers sitting accessible on the back seats along with jackets and soccer chairs. Performance and appearance often do not make for comfort.

[KevAndAndi]

To use a phrase I usually find irritating: It is what it is.

What it is: A minor re-working of the Mazda by Fiat's in-house design team, with a Fiat motor. On the exterior, the design cues from the classic Spider are too "mild" to overcome the general Mazdiosity of the car. And, of course, on the inside it's virtually pure Mazda.

In a perfect world, the body would have been designed by Pininfarina, with a hood that opens the correct way, stronger design cues from the classic, and a bit more room - after all, key design features of the classic Spider include that little back "seat" and a fairly long tail with a spacious trunk. The new 124 is unappealingly "snub tailed". The nose is also too generic and modern for my taste. Does every car have to look like some sort of feline Transformer? Are round headlights out of the question? Why? Jeep uses them.