ok, so what am i looking for?

[dhagood]

at this point, the plan is to get the 911 bodywork fixed (finally), get some small oil leaks fixed and other minor mechanical issues resolved, and sell the car. once that is done, i'll have space in the garage for a spider. oh, and the money as well

i previously owned a 84 124 TC sedan (1600 cc, 4 doors, 4 speed gearbox, rear drum brakes) in exactly the same shade of green as all those hideous appliances from the sixties. the car was very fun to drive: it had decent acceleration, sounded great, would stop nicely, and would actually corner to some extent.

the 1438cc engine in the early years seems to small to me, especially as i live in denver and the car will see mountain usage. i like the look of the small bumpers over the big, clunky, and useless '5 mph bumpers'. i have some experience with a 1600 engine, although i don't remember if it was a 1608 or a 1592.

what's the best way to approach this? hints/tips/advice?

it's hard to be rational about a mostly emotional purchase, but i intend to try

[divace73]

Hi dhagood

A little confused about the 1984 reference to the 124, they stopped some time in the Seventies (unless you have another unit that was built in another country other than Italy?)
Or could it be a 131?

I reckon go for a more common big bumper model and get it converted the small bumpers (I am in the process of doing that), there should be more of them around.

however if you get your hands on a 1973 1608 twin carb model take it, that it my preferred pick if I had a choice, then again it maybe the 1985 supercharged VX unit.....hell if I had the choice, I'd get the AS, BS, CS, CSA, CS0 turbo , DS and what ever the VX was designated at.

you're right about being rational, it is hard once these babies come into it, I remember ignoring all the flaws when I bought my spider.

good luck with it.

[TX82FIAT]

I would agree with getting a later model and converting the bumpers. However, the bumper conversion may cost as much as the car. From what I have seen of the Fiat TC engine, if you can work on one you can manage your way around any of them. The 1995CC has some benefits for mods and if you live in an emmission friendly state for classics you can gain back a lot of HP just by stripping the emmissions stuff.

As Divace73 mentioned, I too overlooked some known flaws when I bought my spider. It was an emotional purchase I could not walk away from. This added some time and money to the process of making her truly road worthy. There are a ton of spiders on for sale all over the place. Take your time to get to knw the car before you buy. A better car up front will save you a ton of time and money on the back end.

Good luck hunting, keep checking these sites as cared for Fiats often come up for sale.

Ray

[wikkid]

Agreed - do not let bumpers be the deciding issue. There are good alternatives, such as removing them (see red car at top of the forum, in the title block), doing bumperettes, converting to small.... I'd be looking more at soundness of body and chassis.

I'm pretty sure you will get your head and heart wrapped around any/all of the years of Spider, and the good news is that there really isn't a "wrong" year to have.

[Zippy]

The first thing I would do is search the members list for other Fiat owners in your area. I know there are several in Denver and 1 in Littleton. Click on the word "Location" at the top of the list until it sorts them alphabetically and then scroll through the different cities. PM them to see if they will show you their cars.

I don't know what your skills are, how much work you want to do, how much you have to spend or how far you are willing to go to get the car, so it is hard to say what to look for. Get any old rust bucket for $500 and do a full restore with lots of welding, body work, paint, engine and interior repair ($$$$) or pay $4,000 to $5,000 and get a sound car in good condition and drive it as is. Pay $10,000 for a car that has had a major restoration?

From what I have seen in the Seattle area, and if you're in that middle range you should be able to get a car with minimum rust. Check the floor pans, shock towers, under the front and rear, around the wheel arches. Make sure the top operates easily and doesn't leak. No cracked glass. The engine should run with no smoking(rings and valve guides are an issue), do a compression check before you buy, minor body imperfections, electrics all work, transmission should not pop out of gear. Make sure there are no cracks in the crossmember. Either side of that price point you need to make compromises. Just keep in mind you can't go out tomorrow and get what you want, you have to be patient.

This is just my point of view from the few cars that I have actually seen, your results may be different.

[dhagood]

Hi dhagood

A little confused about the 1984 reference to the 124, they stopped some time in the Seventies (unless you have another unit that was built in another country other than Italy?)
Or could it be a 131?
.

sorry, it was the 1974 model, not an 84...

[manoa matt]

A 1984 124 is entirely possible. Fiat imported the 124 spider series from 1966 to 1982. In 1983 Fiat decided to pull out of the American market, however Pininfarina who was making the bodies for Fiat decided they would keep the model alive. From 1983 to 1985.5 the spiders were made and sold as Pininfarina spiders, not Fiat spiders.

Thats with regards to the 124 spider series, a 124 sedan may be a different story.

[divace73]

Agree that a 1984 is possible , they were made up to mid 85, however I haven't seen any 4 door spiders from 1984?
The 131 series made way where the 124 left off, this was somewhere in the seventies. The spider was a 'special' production as they were being built by Pininfarina (under licence of course) (the Fiat X1/9 was built by Bertone) and not Fiat, they were a good cash cow for Fiat for a long time unitil that 82-83 period where Fiat dropped it of their books and Pininfarina continued production under their own banner, there were some dash changed and supposedly quality improvements?
In saying that many 124 series vehicles where being built in other countries, I think in Spain they where called Seat, and also the some Lada’s were based on the 124's.
Quite an achievement for Fiat really…..If only they could’ve done something about their rust management….

[baltobernie]

Hello Dhagood, and welcome. Does this bring back memories?



I'm with TX82 on this one; check your emissions and safety inspections regs before going car shopping.

A well-running 2-litre Spider is a wonderful car, and should be even more desirable in your circumstance with altitude variations to contend with. They also have better electricals, mirrors that you can see out of, and better seats. The old Spiders have footwell vents, clock, prettier door handles, and of course the freedom to modify the engine. They also have a lower final drive ratio, which helps acceleration and hinders highway cruising. But pre-75 Spiders that aren't ravaged by rust and neglect are getting rare.

Good luck and let us know how you make out!

[dhagood]

wow baltobernie! yes, that does bring back a few memories. my car had the standard steel wheels and stock fiat hubcaps, and the bumpers were the 5 mph monsters (which didn't really look all that bad on the car). otherwise, that's it exactly.

that era of my life was really fun, and that car was right in the middle of it. ah, to be 25 again

[baltobernie]

I dunno, it's great to be an Old Fart, as long as the health is good.

I had a 1972 128 and a 1975 orange 131, which despite being choked to oblivion with smog stuff, was still a great car, easily a match for the BMW, Volvo, etc offerings of the day.

Take your time looking for the right car, and don't be afraid to consider vehicles well outside of Colorado. There are knowledgeable members on this forum nationwide who will offer to inspect for you.

[WarbirdAL]

Funny, I just picked up a 1974 124 sedan TC last month. The only bad part about it is the automatic trans. But being in my mid 50's and having a Spider and a Coupe with manual I think the auto will suit me just fine. Buying the 124 sedan has brought back so many old memories that were closed up somewhere. The first car my wife and I had was a 1973 Fiat 124 Special sedan.

Just seeing this car in our driveway was amazing, so many warm and happy memories of long ago. (not mentioning the many times I had to work on that blasted car hehe)
[img][IMG]http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/jj155/warbirdal/th_74124tcspecial.jpg[/img][/img]

[RoyBatty]

Hey WBAl,
Looking at your pictures I saw the P-51 video.
Thought you might enjoy seeing some of these. Especially the race vids.
http://www.youtube.com/user/topmenace?feature=mhum#p/u

[divace73]

Hey WarbirdAL
I guess that's what this is all about, that warm fuzzy feeling you get.
I remember when I was a kid travelling in my uncles british racing green 132 that had a massive sliding sunroof. It would be stinking hot and we'd always go to Cronulla Beach ( A beach in Southern Sydney).
I miss those days.

[spidernut]

I'd recommend avoiding any 79/80 carb'd cars unless you plan on doing a ton of conversions to get enough power to exceed 20 mph on Vail Pass. The EFI model seemed to do just fine even at 5,000 feet in California. The 79/80 carb'd model seems to be very doggish at any altitude (I own one). I'm sure the older models 78 and earlier would do better since they have better carbs and more horsepower.