I recently saw a 1980 spider for sale (actually 3, a '78 and '79 were only part cars though) for $1500. I'm thinking about getting them, as I've always wanted a "classic" convertible, but I really don't know a whole lot about cars. How hard are old fiats to work on? I always heard fiat stood for fix it again tony, so I'm kinda concerned about reliability too... Also, the car I am looking at has power windows, would it have power locks as well? And it said that it was fuel injected rather than carbureted, does that sound right?

Thanks

All three for $1500? If the '80 runs and there is just minimal rust it may be a good deal. Be sure to look for rust on the shock towers. The biggest problem with Fiats is electrical, but if you have the patience to unplug each connector, clean the contacts and apply a dielectric grease before reconnecting them and cleaning each and every ground connection and treat with dielectric grease you will not have electrical failures unless a part fails, which is seldom.

FI cars have increased power over carbed cars and are, in my experience, more reliable. You get in, turn the switch and go. When there is an FI problem, it is usually easy, but not always, to diagnose and fix. FI parts can be expensive however.

New and remanufactured mechanical, body and interior parts are readily available from many vendors.

No that would not include power locks. and if that is US Dollars you are talking....you may need the '78 & '79 to provide parts for the project car '80. If you are not mechanically inclined, you may wanna reconsider.

I look at my Spiders as a hobby. i promise you that if it is 30 + years old, it does not matter who made it; it will need attention...every year. The FIAT acronym DOES NOT stand for fix it again, Tony. It stands for FLING IT AROUND TURNS! Properly maintained Spiders are no less reliable than most vehicles half their age...and in personal experience MUCH more reliable than the similar age Triumph or MG offerings.

the second half of the model year, the 1980 went full swing into fuel injection here in the states. Previous to that, SOME '80's were f.i. but the majority were carb'd. So, yes; fuel injection would make sense. However, after an accumulated three decades, so many cars have traded so many different owners that it is no longer possible to predict which modifications were done when....or what parts swapping has occured over the years.

Be careful, this is not a hobby you can enter into cheaply. you will get what you pay for, and $1500 does not buy much. A good project car sells for $2-2,500 and up; and that is just entry cost.

if you are not handy in the tool box, you may be happier with a '95 Miata

Well, I'm not all that handy with a tool box, but it is something I would like to get into. I have a few friends who are into it, one has a '86 xj12, the other an '89 (I believe) rx-7. I have a '99 volvo, and I really can't work on it too much, just because of all the electronics and computers involved, but it seems that I wouldn't run into that problem with a fiat.

The other thing I'm worried about is I'm going away for college next year at Chapel Hill, about 6 hours away. I can't really bring it, so would it be worth it being a project car if I can only work on it and drive it during the summer? Or should I wait till I'm done with school?