1980 Fiat Spider 2000 vs 1983 Pininfarina Azzurra Spider

[mattman079]

Hello Everyone,

Hope this would be the best place to post. I wanted input from others who have more experience with these wonderful/beatiful cars. I am close to purchasing one of two cars. As the title says, one is a low mileage (about 40k) 80 fiat spider 2000. The other is a 83 Pininfarina Azzurra spider with about 80k mileage. The 1980 is in better shape and has only had one owner, however, from what I have read (and couldn't find) it looks like the 83-85 Azzurra's are much more rare. The Azzurra is in great shape with three owners.

I wanted to get input on what everyone thought would be a better choice. The 1980 a little more expensive, only by about $2,000, and both cars have no rust.

Thanks in advance!!

[Odoyle]

Go with the 83, there were only 2,480 made compared to the 1980 spider, of which 14,435 cars were produced. Also,most have power windows, power trunk, and slightly thicker sheet metal for all the body panels.

[rridge]

There are easier ways to make money than investing in "rare" Fiat Spiders. Almost 200,000 were built over a period of 18 years with only small differences year to year. Is the red car in the header above an '80 or an '83? Not many people know or care.

The '83 had a better quality interior when it left the factory but it also had many unique interior parts that are difficult to track down and expensive to replace. If the 1980 model has the optional fuel injection, the driving experience in both should be identical.

If you are buying to car to keep and use for a few years, the car in better condition will give you more miles with less downtime and expense. On a forty year old cars, the one in better better condition is usually the one that has been driven more regularly, not necessarily the one showing the lower miles or the better paint.

[spidernut]

The 80 Spider was available with an ADHA carburetor and also with the Bosch fuel injection. The 80 carburetor is a pile of garbage and robs the car of power and fuel economy. The fuel injected version is far superior to the carb'd model. Make sure you're looking at the EFI version.

I agree about the 83 Pininfarina. It is much more rare, but imminently harder to find parts for as rridge noted already. I personally don't care for the dash modifications to the Pininfarina but it is a very nice car and quite rare.

Are you planning on keeping it all original as a future collector's car, planning on driving it daily, or something else?

[mattman079]

It should be a weekend car, driven really only during the summer on short trips. I would like to keep it as original as I can. I'm leaning towards the 83 because of how good of shape the previous owners seemed to keep it. The 80 is in great shape but it's also barely been driven.

[klweimer]

Sounds like both cars are pretty close. It does seem to me that interior parts are harder to find for the "rare" 83. Does the 83 have rack and pinion steering? If the 80 has a carb and the 83 has rack and pinion, I'd opt for the 83. If the 80 has FI and the 83 does not have rack and pinion, I'd go with which ever one you spouse/partner likes better.

[lglade]

I have an '84 Pininfarina, and with the exception of a handful of parts, it's just like the other years. So spare parts are generally plentiful. Rack & pinion didn't show up until mid-1985, so those cars are extremely rare. The standard Spider steering is kind of difficult in the parking lot (according to my wife), but at speed it steers very well.

If you're handy with tools, then pick whichever one you like the best. If you're going to pay others to work on your car, then pick the one that needs the least. Parts are pretty cheap, but professional labor is not.

[mattman079]

I have family friends who take care of their classic cars, although they are all american from the 60's, so I was planning on doing as much as I can myself with help. Anything serious or clearly out of my league I would trust to a professional.

I'm going to see the 83 this weekend and will possibly be coming home with her as well. I've read almost any article online that references the late year spiders, but if anyone has last minute advice on things to double check let me know!

[lglade]

These are easy cars to work on, and if you're motivated to do your own work then you'll no doubt be successful. And once you get a Fiat whipped into shape, it's not that hard to keep it there. You'll also find them to be as reliable as any other European car from that same era.

[mattman079]

Thanks, I am hoping to learn a good deal just by working on preventive maintenance. I'm hoping its in decent shape I go see it. I'm having the owner take it to a auto shop without me to get it inspected before purchase to be safe.

[MattVAS]

Everything that everyone else has posted is on the button.
The biggest button being the 83 having some harder parts to find. Those parts are actually only the interior consoles. Pretty much every other piece is the same as the regular Fiat version.

Also I agree with the car that gets driven more tends to be the one in better shape mechanically. Here at Vick Auto we get a lot of calls from people getting low mile cars and man do they have the longest list of needs. This is due to the simple fact that when it is driven so little people forget that age damages parts just as well as miles do.

My personal choice would be the one with the better interior so long as the car has fuel injection. And weigh that against what shape the paint is in. A good paint job costs far too much money. So if the cheaper car has the worse paint then it really won't be cheaper for long.

[mattman079]

Thanks Matt

I wasn't sure if I would even get a reply since I was going to see the 83 this Saturday. This is my first and want to thank the community for being so involved. I'm excited to get a nice profile picture up and dig a little deeper in some of the topics.

[PhillySpider]

There's a guy in my area with an 83 that has a big sign that says "THIS IS NOT A FIAT SPIDER" and lists all the diffs. Funny it references fuel injection and power windows...I pointed out our 1980 has both . A year later the sign wasn't changed for the same show. For this reason I'd tell you to join the FIAT club lol! In all seriousness, if the 80 is fuel injected I'd go with the 80. I love ours.

One major difference between the two is the FIAT is 2+2 and the Azura deleted the back seat for a package shelf. Personally I have two young boys that love the backseat. My wife has actually had 4 adults in our 1980...not overly comfy, 4 petite women, but a quick trip to main street for shopping and lunch puts smiles on everyone's faces. What I don't understand is why a $2K difference?

[joelittel]

Too funny!

We've had four adults in our '80 as well and years later that short trip still comes up in our circle of friends.

[aevansgatech]

As many others have said, pick the one which strikes your fancy and run with it. There are differences between the two, but if they are both rust-free good condition cars then there's not a lot of difference in maintenance/upkeep.

I've personally owned an '84 and now unfortunately I"ll be receiving my late father's '82. Both are exceptional and fun in different ways. I've grown accustomed to the "creature comforts" in the '84 and honestly it is a more luxurious car. The power windows are handy and the power trunk is laughably fun to operate. I'm a fan of the updated dash and after having the '84, pre-83s almost feel bare bones. Okay, okay, it's not that drastic but you do notice a difference when going back down to the earlier Spiders.

The other two factors I would consider are mileage and rust. The '80 you're looking at is at half the mileage! In my opinion, a car this old needs maintenance regardless of the mileage, but it sure is a better starting point to work with. The rust deal could go either way. As I'm sure you know the '83+ models have thicker sheet metal, were dipped and coated. That may be added insurance for you if you plan to keep it long term.

You can't make a wrong decision here, so good luck with whichever one you get!