new Fiat 124 Spider, what have I done?

[giusto]

Uh, that's the salesperson who brought me for a test ride...?

Steve.

and that fact had nothing to do with the sale right?   

[stevet]

and that fact had nothing to do with the sale right?   

Uh, very persuasive.

Steve.

[danomar]

Not that I rate MotorTrend or any other car review organization, but MotorTrend ranked the 124 Abarth as the top Leftover driver's car:

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/fiat/124-spider/2017/chevrolet-camaro-1le-bmw-m2-ford-focus-rs-fiat-124-spider-abarth-porsche-718-boxster-s-toyota-86/

Just saying that you picked a good car to obsess over.   

[stevet]

Not that I rate MotorTrend or any other car review organization, but MotorTrend ranked the 124 Abarth as the top Leftover driver's car:

http://www.motortrend.com/cars/fiat/124-spider/2017/chevrolet-camaro-1le-bmw-m2-ford-focus-rs-fiat-124-spider-abarth-porsche-718-boxster-s-toyota-86/

Just saying that you picked a good car to obsess over.   

I'm buying the more tame Classica  rather than the rowdy Abarth  , but I know I'm going to enjoy this, a lot.  I sure hope spring comes early here in MN.

Steve.

[charlie b]

That one would tempt me too.  My first car was an Alfa Spider.  Then later had two 240Z's (about 10yrs apart).

The little Fiat is just the thing to be a bit different than the Mazda crowd.  And I do like turbos.  My two favorite vehicles in the world are my Cummins truck and my old WRX.

[Air-Cooled]

Most of the reviews favor the Miata, but the Fiat has it hands down in the looks department.

[uncle]

Mine was a 1975 124 Spider in bright yellow with a black top...  I rode it back and forth fro Virginia to Vermont until the engine blew.  I have a wanderlust  for the new version for nostalgia sake - I fear I may not fit in it as the Miata is a bit small for me.

[Devildog]

I think I remember '78  X19 a bit differently, cramped, underpowered, cheap suspension, and the front end would float at high speed. My brother's Porsche 914 was superior in every way. After 6 months I traded it for a new Alfa Spider which I happily owned for 12 years.

[drums4money]

I'm buying the more tame Classica  rather than the rowdy Abarth  , but I know I'm going to enjoy this, a lot.  I sure hope spring comes early here in MN.

Steve.

Doesn't the "tame Classica" have the same engine as the "rowdy Abarth"??  sans the stiffer suspension?   We were looking, and thought that aside from some cosmetic bits & Bilstein suspension parts that the base model manual had the bang for the buck. 

Give us a ride report sometime in the spring.  We're really lusting for one of these.

[stevet]

Doesn't the "tame Classica" have the same engine as the "rowdy Abarth"??  sans the stiffer suspension?   We were looking, and thought that aside from some cosmetic bits & Bilstein suspension parts that the base model manual had the bang for the buck. 

Give us a ride report sometime in the spring.  We're really lusting for one of these.

Yep, the engines are the same, 160hp in the Classica and Lusso, but 164 from the Abarth.  These are USA hp ratings, different in Europe.  I've not bothered researching why the USA Abarth has 4 more hp, maybe it's the exhaust system.  I could not tell the difference in power in a test ride situation, and it probably matters little.  You'll hear the Abarth rumble a little more, I could feel the rumble of the Abarth exhaust a little more in the car at idle, and the Abarth holds itself firm and tight in the turns, like a big go kart.  Classica, a bit quieter, smoother, and more foregiving in the suspension.  The Lusso will ride and sound like the Classica, it is the trim and tech packages that set it apart from the base Classica.  The Classica also has the cloth seats I wanted.  I thought the cloth seats fit a bit more snug in the hip and shoulder side bolstering than in the leather Abarth/Lusso seats, but I'm counting on break-in to relax the foam over time.

Both cars were great fun.  The Abarth being rowdy in the exhaust sound and the sportier suspension.  If I were a younger buck out on the prowl for... adventure, I'd go Abarth.  But I am a more, uh, matured, middle-aged, married fellow who appreciates the calm, relaxed comfort and style more than sportiness and, uh, automotive vigor(?).  Actually, my wife will want the smoother, quieter ride as well.  If I were buying just for me, the Abarth ride and sound would be fine.  I'd say if you can test drive both, try them both, or all three.

In the days I've followed the 124spider.org discussion board (dedicated to the 2017 124 Spiders), I have learned a lot about this car.  There may be other discussion sites as well, and Youtube has a ton of reviews (good ones and quite amateur), so you've got a lot of opportunities to research and learn.

I'll update my ride report here later in the springtime.

Steve.