Possible new 1978 1800 Spider owner in WA

boosteddreams · Post by **boosteddreams** » Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:43 pm

Hi everyone! I'm glad to have found this forum as I may be looking at one this week. It's a 1978 with 81k original miles, is daily driven, and is in good shape with quite a bit of maintenance/repairs done already. The price is right and it looks nice to boot. I'm new to Fiats; all my cars have been Japanese, 87-94 sports cars/coupes. Recently though I've been thinking about buying a roadster (Datsun, Fiat, or MG) to enjoy in the summer. From what little I know about them it seems Fiats are fun little cars. I was hoping to find a FAQ section on here and maybe differences between the models/years. Knowledgeable members are a good substitute though.

If anyone can give me a few pointers on what to look for I would really appreciate it. I've heard the ball joints can be a problem (front upper ball joints have been replaced on this particular car though). I've never even ridden in one so I don't really know what to expect out of it. Do they handle well, or can they be made to handle well?

Thank you in advance for any help you can provide! Hopefully soon I'll be able to join the ranks of Fiat owners.

Serena

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 12:56 am

welcome and good luck with the purchase. Fiat Spiders handle well in stock form, so not a lot of mods required to have fun with some spirited driving.
Things to look for; rust is number one, especially on a car in the northwest. Shock towers are the critical spot to check for, body rust is not crucial to the operation. Check the crossmember where it mounts to the unibody for cracks. Other than that, most everything else is replaced as any other car would be. Lower ball joints are more of a concern than uppers. The lowers are the load carrying joint. Timing belt is important as well as the flex joint between the driveshaft and transmission.

mbouse · Post by **mbouse** » Wed Feb 14, 2007 8:19 am

Welcome to the forum, and the sport!

I believe that a stock Spider handles as well as a Miata.

Watch for structural rust. Body panel rust is a repairable situation, but structural cancer is very expensive to recover from.

Also, watch out for drastic modificiations. I would suggest that you begin with a car that is as stock as possible. you can change things as your tastes desire later on. Don't pay extra for someone elses mods.

Gerard Del Monte · Post by **Gerard Del Monte** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:29 pm

Hi Serena-

Aways good to see another Washingtonian. Go for it!

TVST*R · Post by **TVST*R** » Tue Mar 13, 2007 12:47 pm

Just please don't buy an Auto-matic...aaaahhhhh!