On the web, today

[scusi]

http://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/classic- ... spartandhp

[Boris61]

Comments at bottom are harsh indeed.

[vandor]

There are always some 'know-it-alls" who say Fiats are junk. In reality they are not any less reliable than other 35-45 year old cars. A lot depends on how the car was maintained throughout its life. The major problem is that most people do not understand that a 40 year old car will need more than the typical "light maintenance" that a 5-10 year old car needs, they think that as long as the oil is changed and the shocks are good everything is ok.
Buying an average 40 year old car expecting it will only need a few little things can lead to major disappointment.

[zachmac]

I have to agree, anyone who thinks any car that old is going to just be a no brainer daily driver is living in a dream world. BUT, I had two roommates in Massachusetts in the late 70s that drove new Spiders as exactly that (daily drivers) and they both did fine through some of the worst winters on record. Having owned lots of British sports cars makes it very clear that the Spider is much better than any of those choices but again, it isn't a Miata and doesn't pretend to be (unlike the new Spider which IS a Miata and pretends NOT to be!).

When I was a young my dad would always spend several days on tuning up and preparing our family cars for any vacation trip and we still expected we might have car trouble anyway. That was just the nature of the cars built back then, all of them, foreign and domestic. We've gotten very spoiled by the ability of 95% of all modern cars to drive across country and back at the drop of a hat without a thought or care. That wasn't the case in 1970 no matter what you drove (except maybe some old Volvos).

I had a very nice 1970 E-type Jaguar and, much like our Spiders, once the electrical system was put right it was very reliable. I would venture that a very large number of the issues Spiders have are electrical in nature. That and the tin worm, but what car from that era didn't have rust issues? Seen any Vegas lately?

Sort your electrics thoroughly, perform a complete re-conditioning of the suspension, brakes and cooling system and enjoy the ride!

[pwilliam]

It may have been the case in 1979! I drove my '79 cross country in 9 days, 2 years ago.

[Dawgme85]

I've had my Spider for more than 6 years and put almost 25k miles on it in that time. While I have had the head, brakes, differential and cooling system rebuilt during that time, I still consider it among the most reliable cars I've ever owned, which includes a number of Lexus' (Lexii?). It's never stranded me, yet . It does help to start with a solid car to begin with (mine had 54k when I bought it as a good driver, no rust), not to mention good sources of Fiat expertise (I'm a member of Fiat Enthusiasts Northwest and live within 15 miles of one of the best Fiat mechanics in the U.S. - Ray and Lorri Mortensen at Performance Apex). This forum is also a great resource for keeping it running well and improving its performance, not to mention the parts houses that stock the parts that keep these cars on the road 40-50 years later.

All in all, I couldn't be happier that I get to drive, work on, and appreciate my Fast Italian And Topless sports car.

[georgeramos]

Let the haters hate. Keeps the pricing down. Gotta love the boob that posts the fix it again comment as if he just thought it up himself...

[johndemar]

Eh, let those guys drive a Prius!

In just short of 2 weeks I will have owned my spider for 40 years. It has never left me on the side of the road.
True, it was only my daily driver for the first 5 years, but I still run it regularly to Flagstaff to avoid the furnace that is Phoenix.
About 120 miles and it easily keeps up with the 75-80 MPH traffic.

[scusi]

I bought mine last year as a retirement gift to myself after 40 years of Fire/EMS service. From spring to fall last year and this year it is a daily driver for us. Since buying it, we only take the our motorcycle out once or twice a month. I am at the point where I am seriously considering taking it down to Austin Tx for the F1 race this year and an extended road trip. There, has been a few times that it coughed and sputtered on the way home. But, it has always gotten us there. The wife and the dog both love this little car and we look forward to it being in our life for a long time.

[Dawgme85]

Since I switched to ethanol free gas, mine doesn't cough or sputter any more. That was about 4 years ago. Luckily, there's a Grange Supply about 7 miles from my house that requires a drive along Lake Sammamish for most of the way, so it's a nice drive to boot.