Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

General chat about the car goes in here.
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wachuko
Posts: 1175
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:56 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat 2000 Spider
Location: Orlando, FL USA
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Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by wachuko »

It was really sad to see such a beautiful car in that condition. And please believe me when I say that it looks better in the photos than in person.

Here is what I found:
Paint chips. The paint job is starting to go...
Dent on side panel towards the rear, passenger side
Rust in the wheel wells
Rust in the front fenders (the piece that goes down between the front wheel and door)
Missing badges (not in the trunk)
Seat belt plastic surrounds broken
Tear in top (in corner) and all loose inside, not attached to the rods that cross. Top is in poor condition and will need to be replaced. Metal structured will need to be reconditioned as it has rust in most rods.
Seats are loose and the nut inside the side of the seat is loose as well, so no way for me to tighten the bolts to make it stay secured. The seat looked like they were not finished, not anchored correctly
Rear seat area is apart, no side panels (in trunk), no trim (scattered over the rear seat and in the trunk)
Center console will need to be replace, see photos, the trim is gone, ashtray will need to be replaced, the material used to cover the console is loose and there are areas they used silicone to keep it in place
Wires under the dash hanging, or cut. Could be when they removed the radio
Cracked instrument wood panel
Dash needs to be replaced
Steering wheel needs to be replaced
A lot of small pieces of trim missing, the plastic trim that goes in the doors to align when closing are broken
I did not try to lower the windows nor activating the windshield wiper and washer

Engine has a cracked air duct (big hose that goes from the intake to the air flow meter). Looks like it was temporarily fixed with silicone
Bent oil pan
Oil leak around the header

Brakes looked in good condition (new lines, new pads, rotors looked fine)
Exhaust (muffler) still in good, almost new condition
Suspension looks good
Trunk area (inside) in good condition
New battery

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Wachuko

1981 Fiat Spider Progress thread
1967 912 Progress Thread
1981 911 SC Coupe RS Transformation
1983 911 SC Coupe RSR Transformation
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet Progress Thread
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wachuko
Posts: 1175
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:56 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat 2000 Spider
Location: Orlando, FL USA
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Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by wachuko »

More photos:

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Last edited by wachuko on Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Wachuko

1981 Fiat Spider Progress thread
1967 912 Progress Thread
1981 911 SC Coupe RS Transformation
1983 911 SC Coupe RSR Transformation
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet Progress Thread
2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d
2015 FIAT Abarth
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wachuko
Posts: 1175
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Your car is a: 1981 Fiat 2000 Spider
Location: Orlando, FL USA
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Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by wachuko »

And a few more:

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Last edited by wachuko on Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:32 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Wachuko

1981 Fiat Spider Progress thread
1967 912 Progress Thread
1981 911 SC Coupe RS Transformation
1983 911 SC Coupe RSR Transformation
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet Progress Thread
2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d
2015 FIAT Abarth
pope

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by pope »

the clock lens is fogged...other than that, I dont see a thing wrong. :shock:
Last edited by pope on Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
amsiegel

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by amsiegel »

Wachuko

I would have passed on it also. What years and colors are you looking for. I will keep an eye out in the Tampa area for you. If I see one I will check it and let you know if its worth the 90 minute drive.
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ga.spyder
Posts: 3478
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:19 pm
Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
Location: Blairsville ,Ga.

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by ga.spyder »

Good judgement in passing on it.I bought a 77 for less than 1K last year that was in as good a shape as that car.Way out of line on his asking price.I know of a car in the N.E. Georgia area that the owner has spent a wad of money on,and now wants to sell(looks just like the car at the top of the page!).Too far for you ,or would you like me to check on it?
Craig
Craig Nelson

1982 Spider 2000...pride and joy
1981 Fiat X1/9..gone but not forgotten
1976 124 Spider..the self-healer
2001 BMW 328ci daily driver and track car
Fling It Around Turns !
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wachuko
Posts: 1175
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Your car is a: 1981 Fiat 2000 Spider
Location: Orlando, FL USA
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Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by wachuko »

amsiegel wrote:Wachuko

I would have passed on it also. What years and colors are you looking for. I will keep an eye out in the Tampa area for you. If I see one I will check it and let you know if its worth the 90 minute drive.
I was trying to find one in time for that Saturday meeting in Safety Harbor Marina :D

I just want one that is good enough to not scare the wife when she first sees it...

I have realized that there is no way to find one without rust... that is, within my budget (2K-3.5K)...

I will be looking at another '81 tomorrow afternoon.

Image

Let's see how it goes with that one.
Drive Safe!
Wachuko

1981 Fiat Spider Progress thread
1967 912 Progress Thread
1981 911 SC Coupe RS Transformation
1983 911 SC Coupe RSR Transformation
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet Progress Thread
2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d
2015 FIAT Abarth
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wachuko
Posts: 1175
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:56 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat 2000 Spider
Location: Orlando, FL USA
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Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by wachuko »

ga.spyder wrote:Good judgement in passing on it.I bought a 77 for less than 1K last year that was in as good a shape as that car.Way out of line on his asking price.I know of a car in the N.E. Georgia area that the owner has spent a wad of money on,and now wants to sell(looks just like the car at the top of the page!).Too far for you ,or would you like me to check on it?
Craig
Craig, do you know the year? Condition? Asking price? I don't mind driving up there to pick it up. I have a friend that lives in Grayson, I could crash at his place on the way there.

Do check if you can. Thank you.
Last edited by wachuko on Wed Feb 10, 2010 9:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Drive Safe!
Wachuko

1981 Fiat Spider Progress thread
1967 912 Progress Thread
1981 911 SC Coupe RS Transformation
1983 911 SC Coupe RSR Transformation
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet Progress Thread
2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d
2015 FIAT Abarth
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ga.spyder
Posts: 3478
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:19 pm
Your car is a: 1982 Spider 2000
Location: Blairsville ,Ga.

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by ga.spyder »

pm sent
Craig Nelson

1982 Spider 2000...pride and joy
1981 Fiat X1/9..gone but not forgotten
1976 124 Spider..the self-healer
2001 BMW 328ci daily driver and track car
Fling It Around Turns !
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Europa
Posts: 512
Joined: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:02 am
Your car is a: 1983 Pininfarina Spidereuropa
Location: Ft. Lauderdale

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by Europa »

wachuko wrote: I was trying to find one in time for that Saturday meeting in Safety Harbor Marina :D
wachuko, my advice... don't rush to buy a spider before the car show this Saturday. If anything, drive to the show and check out the Spiders. That'll give you a really good idea on what to look for.
1983 Spidereuropa
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spidernut
Posts: 1906
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:20 am
Your car is a: 1979 Fiat Spider Automatic
Location: Lincoln, CA

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by spidernut »

Wow, there were tons of problems with that car from the homemade console cover that was shot, to the dash cover that was shot, to the homemade door panels that weren't original, to the painted steering wheel...where does it end? There is no way that the car had 60K miles....more like 160,000. Eeeh ghads!

I think you got great advice...don't rush into buying a Spider. I looked at several real dogs before finding my car. You really need to know what a stock Spider is like so you can really evaluate the vehicle. There are great tips here and, with time, you can find a gem.
John G.
1979 Spider (Owned since 2000)
1971 124 Sport Spider (Owned since 2017)
1977 Spider (Sold 2017)
1979 Spider (Disposed of in 2017)
1979 Spider (Sold 2015)
1980 Spider (Sold in 2013)
1981 Spider (Sold in 1985)
2017 Spider (Owned since 2019)
User avatar
wachuko
Posts: 1175
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:56 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat 2000 Spider
Location: Orlando, FL USA
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Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by wachuko »

Europa wrote:
wachuko wrote: I was trying to find one in time for that Saturday meeting in Safety Harbor Marina :D
wachuko, my advice... don't rush to buy a spider before the car show this Saturday. If anything, drive to the show and check out the Spiders. That'll give you a really good idea on what to look for.
You are right... See you all Saturday.

On the other car I was going to see today, the owner emailed me better photos. The car looks complete. But I think it has a little bit more rust than I can deal with and in areas that only tells me that it will be worse once you start removing the visible stuff:

Edit: Went to see this car on Sunday Feb 14. This was worse than the photos. A bucket of rust. Everything I learned in this forum to avoid, this car had. Structural rust, cracked door hinge, hood hinges area rusted out, oil leaks, rust, and more rust.

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I know these are old cars, so I know that within my budget, I will have to replace and fix a few items. I will slow down and continue to look until I find the right one.

Thank you all for your help!
Last edited by wachuko on Tue Feb 16, 2010 10:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
Drive Safe!
Wachuko

1981 Fiat Spider Progress thread
1967 912 Progress Thread
1981 911 SC Coupe RS Transformation
1983 911 SC Coupe RSR Transformation
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet Progress Thread
2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d
2015 FIAT Abarth
amsiegel

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by amsiegel »

Wachucko

Dont rush becasue of the show. There is another Europen car (italian / German) march 5th in Zephrhills

Since you will be near Tampa on Saturday here is one that is in the Tampa area.

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/1595691235.html

I will not be able to look at the car anytime soon. I do know the car was list once before about a month ago. So he might be flexable on the price.

There is also this one if you want something to tinker with. I never understood why people try to sell cars with no photos.


http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/1595174537.html
User avatar
wachuko
Posts: 1175
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:56 pm
Your car is a: 1981 Fiat 2000 Spider
Location: Orlando, FL USA
Contact:

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by wachuko »

amsiegel,

The link to the second car, I received an email that it was sold.

The first link is for a 1977. I exchanged emails with David Jr. (owner). He tells me that his dad also has a 1974 that might be up for sale as well. I wanted to see the '81 first to see if it would be a good candidate before looking at an older car. Here are some photos from David Jr.'s car:

Edit: I went to see this car (yellow one) after the Saturday event... car is in very poor condition. Rust, poorly welded patches, etc... not worth it.

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amsiegel wrote:Wachuko

Dont rush becasue of the show. There is another Europen car (italian / German) march 5th in Zephrhills

Since you will be near Tampa on Saturday here is one that is in the Tampa area.

http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/1595691235.html

I will not be able to look at the car anytime soon. I do know the car was list once before about a month ago. So he might be flexable on the price.

There is also this one if you want something to tinker with. I never understood why people try to sell cars with no photos.


http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/1595174537.html
Last edited by wachuko on Tue Feb 16, 2010 10:08 am, edited 2 times in total.
Drive Safe!
Wachuko

1981 Fiat Spider Progress thread
1967 912 Progress Thread
1981 911 SC Coupe RS Transformation
1983 911 SC Coupe RSR Transformation
1991 964 C4 Cabriolet Progress Thread
2012 BMW X5 xDrive35d
2015 FIAT Abarth
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engineerted
Posts: 531
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Your car is a: 1974 124 spider
Location: Farmington Hills, MI

Re: Help-Buying my first Fiat Spider and have ???

Post by engineerted »

Ted
1978 124 Spider, Complete Restoration
1974 Fiat 124 F Production Race car
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