Let's hear your funniest Spider story

[SoFlaFiat]

Here's mine,
During the first week with my 1977, back in 93, I got caught in the rain. Summer rains in Florida are more like monsoons, coming out of nowhere and coming down in bucket loads.
The car needed a new top as the back window was missing. I had the top up and was racing to get home before I got too soaked when I hit a large puddle, or lake, in the road. The carpet on the passengers floor blew right past my head and out the back window. That scared the s*<t out of me and the spray completely soaked me. So much for getting home without being soaked.
Needless to say, I said goodbye to that piece of carpet, shook like a wet dog, and kept hauling home!
The next day, the car went in the shop for a little restoration

[fiat218]

Hmm
On my 72 I was driving and it was raining,top was up
No leaks
Then there was a drip on my right knee,then another, I thought ok not bad,sudden there was more and more lol
Shook my head and laughed,drove the 60 miles to my destination,
When I got there my woman said,wth did you drive here with the top down
Do I need to say more ,

[TX82FIAT]

Many moons ago during high school years I owned a 79 Spider that was managed and repaired on a shoe string budget. I had a nice young lady as a girlfriend at the time that would complain about top down driving and the sound of the engine (hole in muffler). After of few months of dating a few other annoyances came to the surface with this relationship and it was time to break it off. However, I could not bring myself to tell her.

My spider saved the day. It developed a leak in the heater valve (just fixed this on my 3rd spider a couple months back) that dripped on her foot giving her a little burn. While that is not funny, she said "it is this car or me, one of us has to go". I drove her home and as she got out of the car I said "did you mean what you said... it is the car or you. She said yes. I said, well. I guess you have made your choice since this is the only car I own and can afford. I'll see you around and drove off.

About 16 years later at a high school re-union we bumper into each other. She said jokingly to my wife. Your husband chose a car over me in high school. My wife laughed and said was it a FIAT Spider, we drove here tonight in his Spider. He refused to drive with the top up, since it is a nice night, that's why I have my hair pulled back. A couple of the guys chimed in saying how they loved that car and asked if they could see it. A group of us walked outside to my then red 83 Spider. X-Girfriend in tow with the group. When X saw the red 83 Spider she assumed it was the same red 79 Spider from many years earlier. Shared the full story with my wife on the way home that night. She smiled and said, I guess I have a FIAT breakdown to thank for us being together today.

[SoFlaFiat]

Now THAT's a good one!!

[RedWolf]

I got caught with the top down snowing in Dallas - had to pick up an extension ladder from my parent's house and didn't check the weather; I mean it never snows in Dallas right?

[azruss]

When I was young, imaginative, and stupid I drove the 70 from Eugene to Spokane with wife and 2 youngin's in tow to my brother-in-laws wedding. The original ragtop had self destructed in the oregon rains, so i built a fiberglass targa top. The issue was, it wasn't done, when it was time for the trip. I worked to the last minute getting it workable. The only issue was, the back section of the targa was not bolted to the car. So off we went and arrived at our 500 mile destination without a hitch. Did an all nighter on the way home and thought i might make it trouble free......forget it. I got within an hour from home, driving down I-5, when BANG, the back of the targa disappeared in the dark. I quickly pulled over just to watch a big caddie nail the fiberglass and sent it flying in pieces. So grabbed the baby and stashed her her at my wife's feet, wrapped the son in the back in a blanket and drove home with just the removable section intact, being held on by the convertable top clips and resting on the side windows. I very cold ride home. BTW, we passed the caddie about a half mile down the road where it was parked on the shoulder with a flat tire. yes, campers, i still have the top.

[hayesbd]

Great stories!

I haven't had the spider long enough to tell any funny stories, but years ago, when we were first married, we had a 124 sedan as our only car. It was pretty old and worn out by then (hand-me-down from my Dad) and one day after shopping for groceries, the starter gave out. No problem, I said. We'll just push start it! However, my wife did not drive anything but automatics and was 8.5 months pregnant at the time. After many tries and no success with my wife behind the wheel, we finally realized that she would have to push while I started the car. I have often wondered how many people, seeing a hugely pregnant woman pushing a car while hubby sits blithely at the wheel, shook their collective heads at me!

31 years and 8 more children later, she still sticks with me! What a woman!

Brian

[fiat218]

Great stories!

I haven't had the spider long enough to tell any funny stories, but years ago, when we were first married, we had a 124 sedan as our only car. It was pretty old and worn out by then (hand-me-down from my Dad) and one day after shopping for groceries, the starter gave out. No problem, I said. We'll just push start it! However, my wife did not drive anything but automatics and was 8.5 months pregnant at the time. After many tries and no success with my wife behind the wheel, we finally realized that she would have to push while I started the car. I have often wondered how many people, seeing a hugely pregnant woman pushing a car while hubby sits blithely at the wheel, shook their collective heads at me!

31 years and 8 more children later, she still sticks with me! What a woman!

Brian

8?

[SoFlaFiat]

Brian, thank!!!
I was there and all these years I have been wondering what kind of a d... Would make his pregnant wife push the car!!
Thanks for clearing it up

[steve8462]

maybe if the car ran better they would have spent less time at home having kids! LOL thank god for spiders breaking down!

[azruss]

here is another one. When my son was in high school, the 70 was getting pretty long in the tooth with a very tired 1438. I had a fiberglass shop at the time and first concocted the ground effects panels i am currently adapting to my current spider. It also had a very nice black and silver paint job with a big-ass driving light. My son fully understood it would not outrun a VW bug. One day, i overheard the kids talking and they got on the subject of cars. I discovered the reputation of the Fiat at the high school was that is was soooo fast it wasnt even worth contesting. My son didnt do anything to dispell the myth, either. I laugh thinking that all those kids to this day probably still think that car was grease lightning. It was a great lesson to my son on the difference between illusion and reality.

[davery]

I was dating my furure wife when I had my first 85 20 or so years ago. She was visiting her dad in Houston and wanted me to come pick her up. At the time I owned the Fiat and an 85 Jag XJS. No way I was driving the Jag, I owned it for 3 years and it only ran for 18 months. Not to mention how much gas it would take. So off I went, driving from Indy to Houston, I drove the entire way with the top down. It didn't matter, there was a hole in the top I could climb through. I knocked on the door of her dad's house and when she answered all I said was "shower". Not "hi, how are you?", just "shower". We ended up taking the long way back home. The first night we stayed in the FL panhandle. The second night we stayed in Charleston, SC to watch the 4th of July fireworks. The next night in Pigeon Forge and then somewhere in KY. The only mishap was in Charleston when I ran over something and blew a tire. Go figure, the spare was a different size, but at least fit. I drove the car back to the hotel and the next morning drove and had a new tire put on. I had that car for a couple of more years before a HS girl came around a corner and hit me head on. Totaled it. I didn't have the space or I would have kept the car, but I did pull the turbo wheels. For all I know it is still sitting in Bloomington, IN in a salvage yard.