New bicoastal member

[lasersailor]

Hi there -- planning to move my 1980 Spider 2000 from my parent's house near the Florida Gulf Coast to my home in SoCal. I appreciate any recommendations on shipping companies -- I'm favoring http://www.nationaltransportllc.com right now.

Regards,

Jim

[mbouse]

hello, Jim.

is that an early or late '80 Spider? carb'd or fuel injected?

welcome to the site. sorry i cannot help with a shipper.

[mdrburchette]

Welcome Jim. Good luck on your coast to coast move. When you finally get that baby in your midst, make sure you post pics!

[kilrwail]

Welcome Jim - We look forward to seeing your car and helping as may be required. For transport, you might want to check out http://www.reliablecarriers.com. They's a big Porsche club advertiser and an official Barrett-Jackson carrier. I don't know their prices.

[ga.spyder]

Welcome to the site,Jim.You will be in good company with the SoCal guys.I know someone that used Reliable,and were well pleased.They have an excellent reputation.
Craig

[Gunsmith]

Hi there -- planning to move my 1980 Spider 2000 from my parent's house near the Florida Gulf Coast to my home in SoCal.

Sorry Jim but no Spiders are allowed to leave the Sate any longer. Two Gentlemen in over coats and dark glasses will ring your door bell shortly. When they do just hand them the keys......

But since it's not an 82 I guess we can make an exception.

Hey man don't ship that thing, DRIVE IT! What other time are you going to get an opportunity like that?

[lasersailor]

Thanks for the welcome messages, and I'll also check out reliablecarriers. The Spider is a late 1980 fuel injected model, silver with red vinyl interior and black top, 5 speed, 78K miles. Sappy story follows...

"In Spring 1980 I was ready to purchase my first new car after driving the wheels off (literally) my fourth-hand 1967 VW Beetle. I was moving from Yorktown, VA to Dallas, TX and was lusting for a BMW 320i. But, new job salary wasn't gonna swing that, and while perusing new cars at some sort of local dealer show I saw a new 1980 Fiat Brava - chocolate brown paint, tan interior, 5 speed -- and my lust immediately shifted allegiances. I bought it that weekend ($7200 as I recall) and spent the next two weeks cruising around Tidewater VA with my Dad. He fell in lust with it."

"So I moved to Dallas during the infamous summer of 1980 with seventy consecutive > 100F days (and abysmal Brava air conditioning -- but I did love that car until it started serious rusting in 1982, and by then Fiat pulled out of the US so I had to sell it.) Four weeks after I left Yorktown, Dad calls me up and said 'guess what I just bought?'"

The Spider was my Dad's pride and joy, moving with my parents' to Florida when they retired and being kept in great driving condition as evidenced by the 78K + miles on the odometer. My dad passed away rather unexpectedly in May 2009 leaving care of the Spider to me. I'm in the process of selling their Florida house so in the next 30-days I need to move the Spider to where I live now in SoCal."

End of sappy story. As much as I'd like the adventure of driving the Spider out West, I don't have the vacation time available and I'm loathe to put that many miles on it until I can fix various fluid leaks (coolant, brake fluid, other mysterious essences.)

I'll try to post more about my experience with the car transport company and the process of getting it on the road again in SoCal.

Regards,

Jim
twitter: lasersailor

[baltobernie]

That's touching, not sappy, Jim. Thanks for the story, and welcome. None are discriminated against because of orientation. Bumpers, yes. Fuel injection, yes. But otherwise, live and let live.

[valdez]

drive it the fun starts when it breakes down

[valdez]

its like russian roulette

[rlux4]

Hi Jim, welcome to the forum. You got your Spider the same way my daughter will get mine. In the will.
What part of SoCal are you going to be calling home? Hopefully, it will be near us others who get together for Fiat functions pretty regularly.
Ron