Hi, I'm new here and I have become interested with the Fiat Spider as possibly my next car. I'm posting here now to ask if the Fiat Spider is right for me. Here's some background on me then: I am 16, but even so I have a decent amount of experience repairing and maintaining cars. I have been an automotive enthusiast my whole life, but haven't pursued Fiats until recently when I saw two in local classifieds. I understand that the Spider has a reputation as unreliable, or requiring of a little more maintainance. This is fine as long as I won't be dumping every cent I earn into the Fiat. I live in the US, so parts may be hard to come by. However, I'm still interested in the car if it isn't going to be so much of an "investment". I just want a car to casually tinker with and restore along the way. So is the Fiat Spider right for me? Please give me any information to guide my search.

Thanks, Alex

Hey man. I'm 16 as well. I just sold my 1963 VW Karmann Ghia and bought a 1979 Fiat Spider. It is a really cool car...however, yes you will need to put a bit of money into it. If your looking into restoring it, you will need to spend a small fortune, but if you are just looking at it to use to drive to school and work, then it should be cool for you. I live in the US too and parts aren't too ridiculously priced. I shop at www.international-auto.com for parts. Or even your local Kragen or Pep Boys will have some parts for it. It hasn't cost me too much overall, not yet at least *knock on wood*. It is a great simple car to use and get your hands dirty on, and its a sweet ride too hahahaha

Thanks. I will try to piece some money together to buy one. I'm not exactly looking for a restoration, just a car that will be a blast to drive when I can. I have a daily driver, so this will just be a fun car. Ideally, I'd probably get it painted and fix any rust, get a new carb(if carb model) and get rid of emissions, and also get new weatherstripping and convertible top if it needs it. I don't really consider that a full restoration, and I probably won't be buying all of that at once.

Also, I should mention that I am six feet, one inch tall. Will this be a problem? I currently drive a '93 Ford Mustang, and it's big enough for me. How much leg room and head room is there? Also are there any aftermarket oil pans that are either sturdier or higher off the ground? I here the oil pans are low and are prone to breaking.

Yea I am 6 feet tall, and there is enough room. There is room for your head, but its close. Just drive with the top down and you'll be fine. In the way of leg room, there is plenty of room if you scoot the seat back. The only problem is that there will only be about 6 to 10" of leg room for the back passanger...Its not too bad for them I guess... but its more of a 2 seater car anyways...

For the oil pan, yes is it is close to the ground. I'm not sure if there is any after market ones...but I do know that in my Fiat Catalog, the new replacement ones are $150. Or you could just go to a wrecking yard and get one for like $10...or maybe ebay too.

al_ngl said:

I understand that the Spider has a reputation as unreliable, or requiring of a little more maintainance. Thanks, Alex

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the FIX IT AGAIN TONY is only used by those jealous of our marque. I don't know how much that is used in Europe, but now adays here in the States, it is still only used by the totally ignorant.

I have found in my 13 years of owning my Spider, that i fix something ONCE, and most of those items were botched "repair" jobs by a sloppy previous owner. Regular maintenance of wear items is a must, as is routine oil and other fluid changes. Of course, spark plugs and wires need attention at a regular interval.

If you are referring to the fact that 30+ year old vehicles of ANY make require more attention than something with today's technology....then, yes, you may be correct. However, I will set my 1980 Spider up against anything that comes off the line this year. I know for sure I will get miles of smiles from my Spider, and would never be positive about that when looking at today's offerings.

Is a Spider right for you? That depends on who you are. Do you like folks staring at you with their mouths agap in wide eyed wonderment? Do you like being admired from afar? then, yup....you might like a Spider.

Will it always suit your + 6 foot frame? Prolly not, but are you thinking of it being your everyday driver? if not, then maybe it will work for you. I personally know several individuals who are +6 foot who love their Spider.

Thanks to all of you for your advice. I think that if I buy a Spider I'll probably buy one of the oil pan protectors. Furthermore, I will definitely keep up on maintainance. I had a Sandrail with a 1973 VW Beetle engine that had sat for four years in a leaky barn before I got it. I had to do some major work to it just to get it running; I know how much of a pain cars are if you don't take care of them. I take care of my cars pretty well, that is not an issue. I look forward to being a fellow Fiat Spider owner someday, it definitely sounds like a great experience.