Italian Vert: 1978 Fiat 124 Spider

When you think of classic affordable roadsters, you'll first think of the ubiquitous Mazda MX-5 Miata...but it is far too new and common, I'm talking about cars like the MGB, Alfa-Romeo Spider, Datsun Fairlady/Sports 1600...but there's another option in this genre that is often overlooked, still fairly plentiful, and worth consideration as a respectable alternative (if you don't have a healthy fear of rust). We are referring to the Fiat 124 Spider, which was designed by Dutch-American legend Tom Tjaarda and built in a remarkable multiple decade production lifespan starting in 1966 and ending in 1985.  The later ones have big rubber bumpers, raised ride height, and more safety weight...but they also have less rust. Find this 1978 Fiat 124 Spider offered for $8,500 in Fountain Hills, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Italian Style: 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Spider

This next car reminds me of a time when classic European sports cars were sold for less than $5k on Autotrader print magazines found at your local 7-11 market (Autotrader stopped printing the English language version of their classifieds in 2013)...and unfortunately I've got to think that this car is either (A) already gone or (B) a scammers lure meant to catch a big fish.  Either way, I'm not biting.  But maybe I should? Find this 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Spider offered for $3750 in Santa Cruz, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

We are familiare: 1973 Fiat 124 Wagon

Welcome to Wagon Wednesday, can I take your order?  Small, Italian wagon with 5 doors?  Dual overhead cam engine designed by Aurelio Lampredi? Manual transmission?  Oxidized paint, almost brown in color?  Minimal rust and dents?  For not a lot of cash?  Find this 1973 Fiat 124 Wagon for sale in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, WA for $3,800 via craigslist.

Fistful of Problems: 1969, 80, & 81 Fiat 124 Spider(s)

The current car with a Fiat 124 Spider badge on the back might be a Miata under the skin, but the original version sold from 1966 through 1985 was a purebred Italian from Turin.  Today we've got a selection from a seller that might be more spiders than spider.  Find these 1969, 80, & 81 Fiat 124 Spider(s) offered as a package for $6,500 near Sacramento, CA via craigslist. Tip from Rock On!

Please No Scammers! 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe

The 124 Sport Coupe was a 2-door three-box styled classic (with the nickname "Tartufo," Italian for truffle) from Fiat designed by the same guy who penned the Ferrari 250GT, Fiat 600 and Simca 1000.  The final iteration of the Sport Coupe was the CC version that included revised front/rear styling and a bigger engine.  The 4-cylinder all-alloy powerplant puts out 100 horsepower via a 5-speed manual gearbox into the rear end.  They are typically very expensive, so I'm not sure why this one is so cheap!  Find this 1973 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe offered for $8000 in Stonington, CT via craigslist.  Tip from Rock On!

Ol' Blue Eye-talian: 1973 Fiat 124 Spider

There has been a bit of hype lately about the new Fiat 124 Spider, so I thought it was appropriate to revisit the original.  In case you are a hermit living in a cave, the new 124 Spider is Miata under the skin, built on the line in Ujina Plan No. 1 in Hiroshima, next to the Miata.  The original Spider was designed by an American and built by Pininfarina in San Giorgio Canavese.  No shipping engines across the world here...  Find this 1973 Fiat 124 Spider for sale in Clinton, WA for $1,400 via craigslist.

Looks Familiare: 1970 Fiat 124 Wagon

For some strange reason, it seems that most of the Fiat 124s we find for sale are some Soviet built Lada 1200/1300 version or some other licensed oddball...but not today.  Today, we've got a scruffy looking Fiat branded version for a bargain price where you might need to bring a tow dolly.  Find this 1970 Fiat 124 Wagon offered for $250 in SF Bay Area, CA via craigslist.  Tip from Kaibeezy.

Repli-can't: 1972 Fiat 124 Spyder Custom

Vintage Fiat roadsters are common enough that their appearance on the streets or in the classifieds rarely raises an eyebrow. If you want your Fiat 124 to stand out, you will have to go to drastic measures. Here is one way of doing just that.  Find this 1972 Fiat 124 Spyder custom for sale in Villa Ridge, MO for $5,000 via craigslist.

Rough Landing: 1978 Fiat 124 Spyder

It's hard to get a good deal on classic car auction these days, mostly because sellers are wise enough to put in a reasonable reserve (or crooked enough to use shill bidders), but for the most part it is just an issue of too many small time Wheeler-Dealers throwing bids on cars that look like a potential easy flip.  So, you've got to be sneaky and find cars that other buyers won't find, such as Fiat convertibles located in the single engine section of eBay Aircraft.  Find this 1978 Fiat 124 Spyder here on eBay bidding for $3,050 reserve-not-met with 5 days to go, located in Medford, OR.

4k: Spaghetti Western: 1974 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe

The Fiat 124 Sport Coupe pilfered most of the sedan's components and the Spider's five-speed manual transmission in the sedan-inspired three-box design. It had a more menacing aura than the doe-eyed Spider, yet offered more versatility and similar performance. This CC-generation 124 has shed its I-beam bumpers but retained the hardy 1.8-liter engine. Lest there be any doubt to its national origins of the rustic (that's an emotional trigger word for Fiat owners because for a minute there it sounds like you're saying rust) Italian countryside, it comes with the color palette of an Italian cafe. Find this 1974 Fiat 124 Sport Coupe for sale in Houston, TX for $3,950 via craigslist.

1k: Saved From The Crusher: 1972 Fiat 124 Sport Spider

The Alfa Romeo...whoa...this isn't an Alfa...this is a Fiat...right...the Fiat 124 Sport Spider was designed by Dutch-American designer Tom Tjaarda and built by Pininfarina starting in 1966 and ending in 1985.  The 124 Spider was upgraded as the years went by for performance, emissions, and safety, but the same basic chassis, suspension, and engine was retained for the entire lifespan.   Today, a used 124 Spider is an affordable way to get into an Italian car with a sweet sounding all-alloy DOHC engine mounted up front. Find this 1972 Fiat 124 Sport Spider offered for $1499 at a junkyard in Sacramento, CA via craigslist.

2k: Repeat Offender: 1974 Fiat 124 Spider

The subject of this next feature appeared on this website in March of 2014 and reader PeteL chimed in the comments and said he picked it up.  We ended the original post (link here) with the statement: "What a beauty.  If it really is rust free and just needs the tank drained and carb de-gunked...this could be extremely well purchased at this price."  Well...it turns out that the engine needed more than just new gasoline and PeteL has put the car back up for sale.  Find this 1974 Fiat Spider offered for $2,500 in Renton, WA via craigslist.

Mid Week Match-Up: A Runner, Ready For The Hacksaw

It is Wednesday so that means it's time for another edition of Daily Turismo's weekly game of spin the bottle jack, also known as Mid Week Match-Up!  Last week's match-up was a super car for the newly appointed CEO.  Now that the guy's been on the job for a while (and done the super car thing), he wants to get a toy to tinker with on the weekend.  Something inexpensive enough, not to raise his wife's eyebrows, but devious enough to know that he has plans to build it into something quite different.  Arbitrary budget cap of $7k and car must be running/driving to avoid too much CFO scrutiny. 

8k: Floridian Inebriated Again, Tony: 1974 Fiat 124 Spyder, 302-powered

Here's something you didn't think you would see today: a sprightly Italian roadster with pinstripes for its pinstripes and an American V8 halfway under the cowl. It sits high, as if God himself is calling this angel back to heaven from whence it came. All you linear-minded gearheads will appreciate the right-angle motif reflected in the rectangular side-exit exhausts and a roll bar erected with a T-square. Florida, you've done it again. Find this 1974 Fiat 124 Spyder with a Ford 302 for $7,500 in Panama City, FL (but listed in Westchester, NY) via Craigslist.

5k: Vintage Racer: 1970 Fiat 124 Sport Spider

The Fiat 124 Sport Spider was penned by Dutch-American designer Tom Tjaarda and built in a remarkable multiple decade production lifespan starting in 1966 and ending in 1985.  The 124 Spider was upgraded as the years went by for performance, emissions, and safety, but the same basic chassis, suspension, and engine was retained for the entire lifespan.   Today, a used 124 Spider is an affordable way to get into an Italian car with a sweet sounding all-alloy DOHC engine mounted up front.  Find this 1970ish Fiat 124 Spider Vintage Racer currently bidding on ebay for $3,450 with 3 days to go, located in Virginia Beach, VA.  Tip from Don.

5k: Seller Submission: 1981 Fiat 124 Spider

1-Feb-2014: The Fiat 124 Sport Spider was penned by Pininfarina and built in a remarkable multiple decade production lifespan starting in 1966 and ending in 1985.  The 124 Spider was upgraded as the years went by but the same basic chassis and formula was retained for the whole production lifetime.  Find this 1981 Fiat 124 Spider offered for $4,800 in Columbia, SC via craigslist.  Seller submission from Matt P.

14-April-2014 Update: The seller has put a new set of wheels on this Fiat and dropped the asking price to $3750.

3k: Interweb Spider: 1974 Fiat 124 Sport Spider

The collective car hunting power of the readers of Daily Turismo never ceases to amaze-- especially given a quick off-the-cuff challenge like "find a good Spider."  There was an extremely clean Triumph TR6 that Kaibeezy found, a rare 3000GT drop top from FTB, some nice 80s Italian ladies from AbnMike, but nothing beats the price/value ratio of the Fiat Spider suggested by commenter Gianni.  Find this 1974 Fiat 124 Sport Spider offered for $2,850 near Seattle, WA via craigslist.