)I have a friend with a Fiat spider....talk about a money pit...but he wised up and dropped a little more money on beefing up the engine bay and dropping in a small Japanese engine. It's not quite the stinker it used to be.
For all those fans of European cars...
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Tyler
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Fiat has never really been known for "quality." I dont speak Italian yet, but Fiat just might mean 'poop.' (in fact, you ever see the original "Italian Job?" How d'ya think those Minis were able to outrun those cops? They were driving Fiats! )
I have a friend with a Fiat spider....talk about a money pit...but he wised up and dropped a little more money on beefing up the engine bay and dropping in a small Japanese engine. It's not quite the stinker it used to be.
)I have a friend with a Fiat spider....talk about a money pit...but he wised up and dropped a little more money on beefing up the engine bay and dropping in a small Japanese engine. It's not quite the stinker it used to be.
“First lesson: money is not wealth; Second lesson: experiences are more valuable than possessions; Third lesson: by the time you arrive at your goal it’s never what you imagined it would be so learn to enjoy the process” - unknown
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peteinmn
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Ah yes, the Fiat Spider. A friend of mine bought a very nice looking used screaming yellow one some years after I had my experience with Fiat. I tried to talk him out of it but he had already fallen for it's sexy looks. Needless to say it was an automotive romance from hell. He loved her but, she done him wrong, over and over. 
Shut up and drink your gin! - Fagin
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Tyler
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- Location: SLC, UT and sometimes Delhi, India
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Once you get to a certain point with those things you think that nothing else can go wrong with them....peteinmn wrote:Ah yes, the Fiat Spider. A friend of mine bought a very nice looking used screaming yellow one some years after I had my experience with Fiat. I tried to talk him out of it but he had already fallen for it's sexy looks. Needless to say it was an automotive romance from hell. He loved her but, she done him wrong, over and over.
Like I said, 'Fiat' just might be the Italian word for poop...
My friend has to replace pody parts every now and again still, even though everything mechanical is japanese, including the suspension, it just keeps falling apart! He's got this thing for Fiats though...even had himself one of those golly-awful looking 500s for a while that he was able to shoe-horn a VW rabbit engine into(not a great improvement, but hey!).
“First lesson: money is not wealth; Second lesson: experiences are more valuable than possessions; Third lesson: by the time you arrive at your goal it’s never what you imagined it would be so learn to enjoy the process” - unknown
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daveboling
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Well, since everyone has started the piling-on of FIAT, I thought I'd expose myself to the throng 
. I've owned three different FIATs (FIAT is an acromyn for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, which sound much less sexy in English "Automobiles Built in Torino"), and never had to do anything more maintenance to them than any other sports car owner would (less than a multiple Jaguar owner down the street from me), and I drove them harder than most here would care to try. FIATs did have problems with rust, but no more than most european cars of that era (British car joke: Q - Why shouldn't you fix the oil leaks on the engine of your MG/Triumph/Jaguar/Healy/Mini/etc? A - Because if you do, you'll lose the protective coating and the chassis will rust away). I'll get a shot of the last FIAT that I raced up on the web and post it for the amusement of all.
dave boling
. I've owned three different FIATs (FIAT is an acromyn for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili di Torino, which sound much less sexy in English "Automobiles Built in Torino"), and never had to do anything more maintenance to them than any other sports car owner would (less than a multiple Jaguar owner down the street from me), and I drove them harder than most here would care to try. FIATs did have problems with rust, but no more than most european cars of that era (British car joke: Q - Why shouldn't you fix the oil leaks on the engine of your MG/Triumph/Jaguar/Healy/Mini/etc? A - Because if you do, you'll lose the protective coating and the chassis will rust away). I'll get a shot of the last FIAT that I raced up on the web and post it for the amusement of all.dave boling
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scottielvr
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Fun link! I've always liked the bug-eye Sprites; now I really wish I had one...note the fuel economy. And all of 42 mighty bhp; "go, hamsters, go!" Ad copy from 1958:
"NEW AUSTIN HEALEY SPRITE ANNOUNCED
An Inexpensive Sports Car with many Outstanding Features
Today the Austin Motor Company makes motoring history with the announcement of a completely new small and inexpensive sports car. It is the Austin Healey Sprite powered by a special 948 .c.c. B.M.C. ‘A’-type engine (developing 42.5 b.h.p. at 5,000 r.p.m.) and costing £455 plus £233 17s. Purchase Tax in Great Britain.
It is some twenty years since Austin made a small sports car but the “Sprite” lives up fully to the fine tradition established in the 1920's and 30's and more recently by the Austin Healey 100. It has a maximum speed in the eighties and rapid acceleration but with a fuel consumption ranging from 30-45 m.p.g."
..also a Saab enthusiast. Here's one you don't see every day: The Sonett. (I love all the old quirky Saab coupes, too, especially the turbos-- owned two of them; the newer Saabs, alas, have gone more mainstream in design). This one is a Sonett III, Italian styling, which explains its good looks:
"NEW AUSTIN HEALEY SPRITE ANNOUNCED
An Inexpensive Sports Car with many Outstanding Features
Today the Austin Motor Company makes motoring history with the announcement of a completely new small and inexpensive sports car. It is the Austin Healey Sprite powered by a special 948 .c.c. B.M.C. ‘A’-type engine (developing 42.5 b.h.p. at 5,000 r.p.m.) and costing £455 plus £233 17s. Purchase Tax in Great Britain.
It is some twenty years since Austin made a small sports car but the “Sprite” lives up fully to the fine tradition established in the 1920's and 30's and more recently by the Austin Healey 100. It has a maximum speed in the eighties and rapid acceleration but with a fuel consumption ranging from 30-45 m.p.g."
..also a Saab enthusiast. Here's one you don't see every day: The Sonett. (I love all the old quirky Saab coupes, too, especially the turbos-- owned two of them; the newer Saabs, alas, have gone more mainstream in design). This one is a Sonett III, Italian styling, which explains its good looks:
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Whistling Willie
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