I'm confused...what's with the low value of these cars?

[Andy]

I appreciate everyones replies to my posts about the '75 Spider I'm looking at buying here in Northern Michigan.

I am honestly confused about a few things though...

Some of you guys are picking up these cars in good condition for 400-800 bucks. You can even drive some of 'em home.

Here in Michigan (land of snow, cold, salt, and rust), there aren't many two-seater drop-top sports cars. Specifically there aren't many old cars that are over the age of 20yrs that aren't eaten away by cancer. Or, if they do exist, you pay outta-the-arse for 'em.

So...my question is this...are these cars simply NOT that highly desireable? If I found a 70's Chevy in the same condition of the '75 Fiat I'm looking at, they'd be asking 2500 bucks for it. But I'm getting suggestions from some of you guys (most in CA, TX, or WA - not exactly rust belts!) to NOT pay more than 250-500 bucks for the Spider.

So, is it that you guys have SO MANY of these cars available in your area that you can pick and choose and pay less for 'em than us here in the midwest? I would imagine there would be a higher number of cars in the warm-climates where they could be used year 'round, vs. those in the northern climates.

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this. Anyone from the midwest wanna chime in?

Thanks!
Andy

[mbouse]

Andy,

How many car shows have you been to recently in the grand state of Michigan? And while there, how many foreign cars have you actually seen being shown? Most people living in Michigan have a direct tie to 'the big three'.

We are a pariah at best, lost in the land of Detroit issued muscle cars. No one wants to feel out of place, and their choice of automobile is no exclusion to that feeling. Unwanted autos are not highly priced, all auto sales prices are a relative issue to what the local market will bear.

At the Grand Ledge Car show this past weekend, our little group of three Spiders appeared as the ONLY entrants from Italy in nearly 300 cars present. There were only two other European makes in the entire show. All, and I mean all the rest were from DETROIT. Nothing from the rice burners either.

I have seen $3,500-5,000 fantastic shape Fiats sold in Michigan and Indiana. If they were vintage Chevys, they would have fetched three times that price easily. What is the problem? Well....

Who wants an orphan? Who wants an 'outsider'? Not many. And that is what keeps the prices down. More so than availability. Most Fiat owners (except the Detroit group) are unfamiliar with the knowledge that there are quite a few of us about. Lack of knowledge and lack of desireablility will keep even a cherry Fiat price down.

Which is ok by me until I need to collect from the insurance man. At this time, the price I paid for the 2nd Spider in the stall was all well and good If it hadn't been, I would not have been able to add it.

Just my chime...

[ICF]

"So...my question is this...are these cars simply NOT that highly desireable?"

Hi, Andy. My rule of thumb is this: If you cannot drive the spider home, it is not worth more than $200. Someday, a car in that same condition may be worth more than that. Other cars have gone from undesirable relics to desirable classics. The Austin-Healey 3000 is most obvious.

But currently Fiat/Pininfarina spider prices are low and I think Mike made some very valid points as to why.

To enhance desirability and value, our club is proposing the 'Best Spider Challenge' to major Fiat-oriented clubs. We feel so strongly about it, we have budgeted a substantial sum for this project.

Since there is no factory support, the only means for these cars to become coveted is for the owners to create a buzz about these cars by fixing them, showing them, and convincing others what we already know: these are great cars.

Healey owners were sucessful. There is no reason we cannot do the same if we so choose.

-Jerry Lee Phillips

Italian Car Club of the Southwest
italiancarfest.com

[jacksplace]

One of the strongest urges that fuels prices for vintage cars is nostalgia. In 1952 I wanted a 1948 MG TC or (later) a '57 TR3 and would pay dearly for one today (I owned each of them in the day). However, most of my contemporaries wanted a '57 Chevy. In '57 it was my opinion that the '57 Chevy was a dog (and now it's an old dog). Lousy brakes and suspension and what we called a "cooking engine". The engine was big and torquie (is that a word?) but lazy. The Chevy wallowed down the road while the MG had brilliant handling (for its price). If you watch the vintage auctions you'll find that the '57 Chevy brings outrageous prices. The day will come when those who are nostalgic about the '57 era cars are dead. I predict that the bottom will fall out of the price for the Chevy then. However, a 1938 dual cowl Packard Phaeton or a Ferrari 250 GT was a work of art when new and will always bring a good price. Just my opinion.

[So Cal Mark]

the fact is Fiats were never very popular in this country to begin with, since there was'nt a huge market when the cars were new, there isn't much demand now either. And Fiat has never had a great rep here for reliability. The market is pretty much limited to fans of the marque.
Just think what the market would be if average joe thought "fastest in a turn" rather than "fix it again, Tony" everytime he saw a Fiat.

[Michael N. Marcus]

"Since there is no factory support, the only means for these cars to become coveted is for the owners to create a buzz about these cars by fixing them, showing them, and convincing others what we already know: these are great cars.

I've shown my '78 at a number of car shows. A few times I had the only non-muscle car, or only sports car, or only import, but it always draws a crowd, and often wins a trophy.

At my very first show, when the car was pretty rough (mismatched seat colors, etc.), it was judged the best of all 1970's cars. More people looked at it than at the Shelby Cobra it was parked next to. Everyone loves a little red sports car.

At one car show, a 50-ish man pointed to my car and said to his teenage son, "if it wasn't for the Fiat Spider, you wouldn't exist, because that was the car that helped me seduce your mother."

Hopefully, not in the back seat.

[topless moma]

Love your car for sure, Mike, but did the young man gag thinking about Mom and Dad in that way?