The best year for a Fiat Spider.

[Zmatt]

'74 1800, because that's what I have

[spiderrey]

'74 1800, because that's what I have

That would be my third choice. Second choice would be a 68 with a 1438, with the fan clutch. i just love the little tail lights on that year, and the hangy down reverse light.

[Foster48x]

A 80 FI of course.

But who are we kidding... no matter what year you decide to get it's going to eventually one day leave you stranded on the side of the road when you least expect it.

[Mathew26]

Sorry I should have mentioned 1 small disadvantage to the F.I. car. Recently Bosch discontinued the Thermo-time Switch, and w/o that on the car its not exactly driveable. I spend time everyday looking for new or replacement units so that someday I can drop a 1608 in my car with F.I. on top of it. Man does that scream.

Btw my First Fiat 124 was a 1976 that had been swapped to a 1608 and we put F.I. on for reliability. Wow could that car move.

[So Cal Mark]

the thermo-time switch only allows the cold start injector to work for about 8 seconds on cold start up, so it can't make the car undriveable. I've only seen a couple of them fail over the last 20-odd years. It certainly wouldn't be difficult to figure out a solution to operate the cold start inj for a few seconds to aid starting

[Mathew26]

Very true Mark. Its just a headache though that should be taken into account.'

Btw I found some - BMW has them as BMW asked Bosch for basically sales rights they want like $500 for them lol

Gotta love that German botherhood.

Matt

[Foster48x]

My 80 FI ran without the Thermo-Time switch for a while. Didn't seem to cause too much of a problem.

$500 for a Thermo-Time switch That's friggin ridiculous! I'm sure they'll start turning up somewhere for less than that. Good thing I picked up a back-up Bosch unit while they were in stock if they don't.

Rick

[BEEK]

I CAN FIND YOU A THERMO TIME SWITCH IN MY STUFF IF YOU WANT

[BEEK]

i found a source for thermo time switch, fiat # 4393600 for 77.75 call 800-736-6410, i am not affiliated with this company but i ran across this on thier websight

[corujoxx]

I have a 1979 FI Spider and I am very happy with it, but some months ago I was testing the 1.800 CSA Abarth of one of the Club members. Rear independent suspension, less than 800 Kg., more then 175 H.P. and a very (VERY) short 6 speed Colotti gearbox!!
Simply awesome, my FI looks a bread van compare with this beast. To be honest, I prefer th FI for a dayly use, but the sensations of a real Rally Car are terribly addictive and since that day, I am looking for another Abarth.

Just one pict, i will look for some more.



http://www.corujoxx.com

[Gunsmith]

The smartest and most desirable of people drive an 82. I will warn you though the jealousy of non 82 owners can be quite sharp at times. You will learn to look past it and have compassion for those that did not have the forethought to have purchased an 82. As an 82 owner you will undoubtedly have the capacity to deal with the poor owners of lessor years.

[courtenay]

It seems the '82 owners have become legends in their own minds. They secretly wish they had been able to find an '80 Fi as all truely discerning Fiat enthusiasts know they are the best of all!

[Foster48x]

I'll have to agree with courtenay on this one... the 80 FI is the only way to go if you want the ultimate in style and dependability. The 81's, 83's, and 84's also fall into this category if you choose to go the FI route.

I would however be wary of the 82's! According to their drivers (not me) the 82's tend to give up the ghost when you take them on trips that require travel of more than a few miles at a time. I've even heard stories of them attracting buzzards if you leave them sitting too long! Right Ron?

I highly recommend that if you do have to buy a 82' make sure you purchase 2-3 back-up parts cars and don't forget to keep your AAA card up to date!

Rick

[Gunsmith]

Jealousy is such an ugly thing.

[rlux4]

Wait a minute Rick. My 82 was 100 miles away when I got the picture of the buzzards! It had crossed my mind though, that perhaps someone wanting an 82 had trained them to finish me off so that they could buy it from my widow.
Ron