I traded my dads old broke down 3 wheel golf cart for a 1976 fiat 124 spider that looked just like the one in the video but with bumpers and no roll bar, I think it was a great deal

My first car. The best toy i ever had.

My mom had a 1970 Spider. By the time us kids came around, she was driving a Volvo sedan because she didn't want us in the Fiat. My dad drove the Fiat and every weekend he was in the driveway working on it. I have so many childhood memories of going to the auto parts store with him to get parts for that car. My mom says it shifted like a hot knife cutting through butter, and she got many speeding tickets in it. She drove it to California when she first got it. It must have been fun, they sold it in 1997 after a hail storm destroyed the top, but the new owner was really excited.

@drivinivan

4 жыл бұрын

Great memory! They are quite fun to drive! Thanks for watching and commenting and please SUBSCRIBE AND SHARE my videos! Drivin' Ivan

Fiat First in all things. pretty true as far as innovations compared to most cars in the late 60s through early 80s 5 speed tranny, 4 wheel disc brakes, brake compensators, overhead cam engine, I have owned a 77 since 78 and she still is beautiful and runs great. It has been unbelievably reliable with only a few minor repairs ( alternator, fuel pump) recored radiator and a few light bulbs other than normal maintenance. It was my daily driver for 19 years then I got a small pickup. I have always babied it and changed oil every 3 K miles. It still passes california emissions with flying colors and shows near new compression ratio.

@jamesbayly5785

3 жыл бұрын

I had a 77 it was green. Loved it! It was fun to drive. Took corners so well! I drove it in winter with the top down and the heater on high and it was comfortable. I also had a 78 mgb. I liked the 124 much more. I bought it used. Had the cam seals replaced as well as the timing belt. Never had a problem with the car until i got some bad gas. I had also gotten married and responsibilities put the fiat on the back burner and i eventually just gave it up to the junk yard....still sorry i did.

Bought a 2000 cc Spider in Canada in 1981. Drove it for 10 years. One of the most reliable cars I have ever owned. Used to drive it through the Caledon Hills near Toronto. Best driving experience I've ever had.

I had a 1969 Fiat 124 Spider. Loved it and drove it everywhere as my daily driver for years. I purchased mine just outside of Kuna Idaho. It was rough but rust free and the engine came in a few boxes. An engine rebuild, a paint job and some interior work and I was off and running until I totaled it on some icy road in Oak Harbor Washington State. Really miss that car. Oh well thanks for the memories. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith

Great review-it also bears mentioning that the great Aurelio Lampredi, designer of the Ferrari V-12, designed this engine. Ivan, these got a bad rap because the importer, Roosevelt Motors, didn't stress the importance of changing the timing belt (a Fiat-NSU invention), which was-and is-critical to keep fresh. I always did mine every 20-30k miles. I think I could do it in pitch darkness, because I've had five 124's-3 spiders and 2 coupes. You're fight about the Biturbo wheels-stylish, understated, and 14", which makes tire purchases somewhat easier. Great review, Ivan. Thanks for mentioning the GREAT Tom Tjaarda!

Drove a Spyder 2000 in Toronto, Canada. Drove the thing all year. Best car I ever owned. Used to zip through the Caledon Hills at 3 in the morning with Steppin Out blasting out of the cassette deck. The good old days!

Drove a 1981 Fiat Spider for 10 years. Best car I ever owned. Daily driver even in Canadian winters. Miss the car more than any woman I've ever known (excluding my mother, rest her soul). Used to zip through the Caledon Hills north of Toronto at 3 in the morning. With Steppin Out blasting on the cassette player.

@drivinivan

4 жыл бұрын

That's a great memory! Fiat Spiders are reliable if they are well maintained! They are also one of the quintessential sports cars since they are affordable, fun to drive and convertible! Steppin' Out by Joe Jackson is certainly a great cruising song! I've included a link to a version of me playing another great Joe Jackson song, "Is She Really Going Out With Him"! Thanks for watching and please SUBSCRIBE and SHARE and LIKE my videos and check out my music videos too where I play all the instruments, and my cover of Hey 19 as a Covid 19 song. Drivin' Ivan kzread.info/dash/bejne/Z4uGz8SAoaq-daQ.html

@moonlightmelodrama

4 жыл бұрын

@@drivinivan Here's a question for you. How do cars get soul? The Spider certainly has it. In a way that, for instance, the MGB never had. But in a way like thee Triump TR3 had. Is there something about Italian design and engineering? Or is it something else. Certainly, no car I've ever driven since has the soul of that Spider. Almost makes me weep to think about him. Cheers. And thanks for the link about the music. I will check it out.

I ha done in high school, a 76. It did break down a lot, but when running well it was a blast.

Best job I've seen reviewing the Spider. Thanks

I k now Fiats have a bad rep, but I think that was from the cheaper models. The Fiat 124 sedans, coupes and Spiders were very dependable in their day relative to everything else. Back east in snow country they may have had rust problems, but here on the west coast there are still lots of them around. I have been driving a 77 124 Spider for 40 years now. The first 20 years it was my daily driver. Never stranded, excellent gas mileage, cheap, cheap to operate. Now with 148 K miles it still runs fantastic with original engine, tranny, etc. Changed alternator, fuel pump, radiator recored, heater control valve and a couple of bulbs besides clutch plate , brakes and OIL CHANGE every 3000 miles . Still passes California emissions in flying colors. Oh yeah, I changed the G.M. smog pump 3 times. I was told when they start making noise to change them so that if it fails it doesn't jam and break the OHC belt which will be a big problem. They were really good when they went to the Bosch fuel injection in 1980. I also bought 4 years ago an 82 Turbo Spider, and boy is it smooth. I am always smiling ear to ear when I am driving my babies!!

@ikkenhisatsu7170

2 жыл бұрын

I had a ‘78 for years. Great car.

I had a 1976 burnt orange one. I loved it, it looks awesome without the bumpers. I remember how great it was to have real wood trim. Easy enough to work on

@tomb4165

4 жыл бұрын

Mine was kind of an orangey red. Would that be about the same? It was a nice color. Interior was red like the one in this video.

Bought an 81 spider 2000 a year ago as a first car. Got a lot of flak for it but if you find a nice CA model they have held up very well. They certainly have some quirks, and maintenance is a bit higher than a modern car, but it's much easier to work on. If you see a good one, hop on it. They are well-built and if you treat it well it will treat you well. I daily drove it all summer and then drove from CA to WA nonstop with no issues. Only real lacking is tire selection in stock wheel size. They're an appreciating item with a low entry price.

Important advise from an old Fiat/Lancia enthusiast: Do NOT put Armor All on that dashboard. It WILL crack.

My dad had one. 100.000 miles, no problems. The lack of a rev limiter nearly caused me to blow it up. reved like crazy. I loved that car. A friends vega smoked it, I still loved it.

I had a 76 (I think). I loved driving that thing around, especially on hot late night summer drives to the lake. It was pretty much spent up by the time I got it but with regular effort, I manged to keep it running and pointed in the intended direction (mostly). It had a nasty drive-line whip that needed delicate clutch work to modulate. Some of the more interesting repairs: had a rear control arm break and fall off which made cornering interesting - somewhat like 'drifting' but with smoke eliminating from the wheel wells rather than the pavement. Had both upper and lower ball joints break suddenly sending the right wheel and brake disk AWOL - fortunately at low speed. I thought it was cool that they used fibre optics to light the small heater controls near the brake handle - the bulbs were located behind the dash somewhere.

The best review of the beloved Fiat Spider I've ever watched. 😎

I had one once, a '76 model. Purchased it used in '84. I don't recall it having the pingy sounding engine the one in the video apparently does. Nor is he showing what it really can do at speed. It was fun to drive at any speed but hugged the road and ran smoother the faster it went. The clutch went out a lot was its recurring problem, otherwise a great car. Don't know if I'd take a chance on one these days but I do kinda' miss it. It was a true sports car. The kind everyone should get to own at least once. And I'm glad I did.

I had a dark green one which I loved 100%.

Soft steel and steel fittings in aluminum brake calipers, the 2 largest faults. Slalom raced several in the 70's. A makes a very good upgrade, and bolts right on.

Without the US bumpers, it is so gorgeous. First time I saw it without the bumpers, was like seeing a beautiful girl after she got her braces off; a revelation of beauty.

I read that he (Pininfarina) had a hand in the design of the original Chevrolet Camaro as well. The 124 Fiat spider does resemble a small early Camero at least in my eyes. I own a 1980 Spider 2000.

Always loved the styling of these little beauties. And the bumper delete & Biturbo wheels really lend a more muscular appearance. She just screams "DRIVE ME"

I bought a beat up one in the 80s. My first car. What happened to the beautiful wood stealing wheel? It added so much class to the interior

My dad had one before I was born a 1980 one it was beautiful

I love the metallic brown pininfarina spiders...such a great colour on that particular car..hate brown on any other car

I’m pretty close to getting my license and my dad had a 1976 that I’m planning to restore so I just wanted to learn more

I'm thinking about getting one, how easy is the maintenance?

I bought a French Blue 124 Spider new in 1971 for $3,200 including 5% sales tax and license. Five speed transmission, 4-wheel disc brakes and a 100 hp 1608 CC inline DOHC 4 cylinder engine. I also bought a 1973 124 Sport Coupe and a 1973 128 SL Coupe in later years. I am the first and the fifth owner of 1976 Lancia Scorpion #1438 today.

@JediSwordMasters

5 жыл бұрын

Want a cookie?

I owned a 75 for a few years and although it was very fun to drive I would not refer to it as fast. I don't care what you use from another fiat they are not fast. You get a sense of speed being low to the ground, manual, and convertible but fast is not a word I would ever use with this model.

@tracylemme1375

10 ай бұрын

The whole point of such cars isn’t how “fast”it is ,but how much “fun”it is to drive. But I drove my 1975 124 at 115 mph for 2.5 hours up I-5in California. The car loved it. (So did I). I ran low on so I had to stop. I also found a small twisty road in the San Bernardino Mountains and would race myself up it for about 3 miles. “Oh such joy”. By the way it was the same color as the one in this great video. Also a great plus was the Maserati air horn.

Nice review. Too bad someone removed the beautiful chrome tube bumpers though.

@Themattt28

10 ай бұрын

Beautiful???

Timeless classic

Dude. I once owned one of these things. The rear seat is useless if you have legs. Don't try to talk up the car too much. They're fun, but they're not good cars. If they look at water, they'll rust.

There are a lot of 1970 fiat spider working fine around the world..I don't think modern fancy and flashy cars are not going to last the same..

where was this filmed?

@Blizzhobbs

7 жыл бұрын

Most likely new England in the fall

The 850's and 128's were cheep cars that ruined FIAT's reputation, they were far below the quality of the top of the line 124 Sport. FIAT matched the mechanical advance distributor, two stage 2V weber and cam profiles to make that little engine scream like a banshee from 4,500 to 6,800 rpm (lofty in the late 60's). I enjoyed my 1970 spider for 8 fun years!

Someone wants to trade this for my lawnmower

Can I ask you how tall you are and how comfortable are you in the driver's seat thanks

@drivinivan

4 жыл бұрын

I'm short, but I sold it to a tall guy and he enjoys the car just as much as I did! Thanks for watching and commenting and please Google Drivin' Ivan and your favorite car and watch all of my videos, Share and SUBSCRIBE! Drivin' Ivan

Maybe the steel wasn't so good, but the italian engines are the best.

Is it just mine or is 5th gear not a freeway gear in these? I understand that that speed are lower back then but sheesh, but i love it just the same ahha

@CannabinatedFantasy

6 жыл бұрын

I've been on the freeway in 4th

Engine size should be an Alfa 2.8 v6 lol. What else is there?

The answer is always 124

I found one for 500 dls

Im gonna go buy one for 2k😭

@shafay2388

3 жыл бұрын

Same got one owner lined up for 2k is it worth it reliable?

MAGNIFIQUE SPYDER 👍👍👍👍👍

how much

@drivinivan

7 жыл бұрын

The car is sold!

@kodachrome919

7 жыл бұрын

Hey Darrell, If you're interested in the car, feel free to send me a message. I recently bought the car from the gentleman who posted this video. It's a very fun car! -Tim

@lanceneely

7 жыл бұрын

Hi Tim, please DM me - got a couple questions for you, thanks!

Wait... it has a back seat?!

@jamesreckling6697

4 жыл бұрын

No way 2 adults fit the back seats less they are midgets.

@dennisbrouillard5953

4 жыл бұрын

Yes but they are very small i recomend use in for a small dog or a large duffle bag

@vanallen9453

6 ай бұрын

..we used to take our two Great Danes..down the beach..in Oceanside..while everyone was honking their horns..as those two beautiful dogs.. were hanging their cheeks wide open..flapping in the winds.. going down the beaches...

(F)errari (I)n (A)ffordable (T)rim...

oh and one other thing...."she sounds like a sewing machine"

@k.j.g.9601

5 жыл бұрын

I think that was the fuel belt...at least I hope it was

@k.j.g.9601

5 жыл бұрын

The fuel pump

I had one it sure didn’t sound like that. Sounds like a sewing machine.

BTW that aftermarket steering wheel looks like shit in that car.

I had one. You drive like a grandma.

Man I wish you would have stopped talking with that piercing voice and let the exhaust note sing for a little bit on its own. Every OG Fiat owner can recognize the exhaust note at 4500+ rpm. No other car sounds like it when it’s performing where it should be. Pininfirina pa vida!

Your "great road" is more like a driveway. If your going to talk about fast and handling, you should show fast and handling. Crummy repeating clips suck in any review.

that particular Fiat sounds like crap

Man that thing sounds awful. Do they all sound like that?