Honestly, I shed a Tear when I saw this!

[gaffo]

the fiat of today might not be the one of old - but you guys defending the reliablility of the Fiat of old is hillarious!

I had a friend with an 85 Spider (you know the convertable) - he bought it in 87 with 35,000 miles. He had it for one yr (or less).

1. within the first month - he drove into my driveway (a commercial space with a curb) and since the oil pan was located IN FRONT OF THE FRONT WHEELS his pan hit the curb BEFORE his FRONT WHEELS! - sliced the pan clean open.
He had to tow it out of my driveway. Oil all over my yard-driveway to boot.

2. this car had THREE keys, one for the doors - one for the glovebox and another for the trunk - why three key? so if you loose one you cannot open one of the above?

3. The carb one day just decided to catch on fire, the whole car burned up in the guys driveway one afternoon.

....................

Friend of my mom's - had one of those fiat boxy sedans they sold in the late-70's. It too one day just caught fire and burned up in her driveway.

....

Friend in collage had an x-19. He told me that the tranny was constantly falling apart and he was mechanically inclined and was able to fix - but he bitched about it all the time nontheless.

...

Me - had a Triumph Tr7 (oneof the last one built-rare fuel injected version with more power). Had 38,000 when I bought it. By 45,000 the thing started to fall apart, starters, alternators, vacuum-leaks. FUN to drive - but minor electrical problems that never were tracked down. Car had a habit of just "shutting of" - would be in the interstate going 85 mph - then the engine would just "turn of" (on - then off - fast). Before I knew it I was litterally coasting at 85!!............so I just re-twisted the key while in neutral, and the car would start up again!! Little things like that add up and by the end of the day'years you have it..................eventually you just want to get rid of the damn thing and get something that WORKS!.

Why the japs cannot make an Austin-Healey type stylish looking cars (using their reliable parts) has been a mystery to me for at least the last 30 yrs.

but they can't. nor can Americans.

.....................

I like the R1 myself:

http://jalopnik.com/cars/news/subaru...pan-120025.php

[churp]

Originally Posted by gaffo

the fiat of today might not be the one of old - but you guys defending the reliablility of the Fiat of old is hillarious!

................eventually you just want to get rid of the damn thing and get something that WORKS!.

Why the japs cannot make an Austin-Healey type stylish looking cars (using their reliable parts) has been a mystery to me for at least the last 30 yrs.

but they can't. nor can Americans.

.....................

I like the R1 myself:

http://jalopnik.com/cars/news/subaru...pan-120025.php

Can't really defend the old Fiat with present day cars...just IMO they weren't bad for the day (better than most). Didn't think driving over objects and ripping the oil pan open was a reliability issue--more of a driver training issue?? Triumph TR7's were well known when new about their reliability...couldn't have paid me to drive one, then or now.

Jag's (XKE) and Healeys are beautiful cars, with excellent engineering accomplishments of their own....why not get one and replace electricals and carb's, nothing much wrong with the rest. Japan has made beauties also....240Z, NSX, RX7, and several that didn't get imported.

[eTiMaGo]

Originally Posted by gaffo

Why the japs cannot make an Austin-Healey type stylish looking cars (using their reliable parts) has been a mystery to me for at least the last 30 yrs.

The old Honda S600 is a pretty handsome thing along those lines...