$250 Fiat in NC

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/1866780548.html

That looks like a turbo badge on the fender.... Rare find on the uber cheap if so...

There were turbo fiats? Do tell....

Yes, that is the rare turbo model. Quick car, with turbo cutting it with a bang. I went 115mph+ in one down the Long Beach Freeway one night. Next morning, while driving to workl, I lost the left rear wheel from the wheel bolts backing out, (thankfully only doing about 30 in LA traffic)..checked the other three wheels, and they were backing out, too. Scary. Rust is a BIG problem with those, but if the engine is complete, it's a good deal.

They took regular fiat's and added magical snails to them.

http://www.spidercenter.com/ said: In 1981, FMNA jumped on the turbo bandwagon and commissioned the Turbo Spider. This was a time in American car history when turbos were the answer to every performance problem; they could even be found on Chrysler's new invention, the minivan! Unlike the factory Chryslers or even the 'skunk works' Mustang SVO, the Fiat Turbo Spider was pieced together by an independent company called Legend Industries. Conveniently located in New Jersey (home of FMNA and port of entry for most Fiats), Legend took stock Spiders and added the turbo system to them. Legend had spent a whole 18 months developing the car, which basically meant they figured out a way to put a turbo on it and not blow it up. Peak boost of 6psi came at only 3000 rpm, so the car was no performance demon for the sake of reliability, but did manage to gain 20 hp in the process. A good deal of the system was crudely hand-built, and replacement parts were expensive, including the turbo which cost around $1000 as a replacement part. As was typical of the period, most people who bought them didn't know how to properly care for them, and as turbos failed, the cars were de-turbo'd back to stock in all too many instances. Aside from the obvious turbo installation, all Turbos had the 14" alloy wheels as pictured along with the stripe kit and logo decals on the fenders. There was a boost gauge in the center of the dash with no numbered markings, only color coded 'zones'. The VIN number will not divulge if the car was originally a turbo, since the cars were pulled at random from the port of entry inventory. Despite the meager power gains, the cars are rather desirable today, and properly cared for deliver reliable service. Indeed, the engines rarely suffered, only the oil cooled turbo unit itself was prone to premature failure. Approximately 700 Turbo Spiders were built.

It does indeed appear to be a turbo. It has the stripe and everything.

I'd like to know why the owner can't be bothered to get a title

Soooo.... theoretically speaking, of course...

Replace with a modern turbo, and how would one run? What kind of power can one get one of one with the basics?

Tacked 20hp onto how much? 140-ish? Or am i way overestimating these things?

(EDIT)

Looks like they made about 120hp WITH the turbo...

Question still stands, though.... replacing the old turbo with say a T28 or something... How much power will the engine and computer deal with happily?

captain_napalm wrote: I'd like to know why the owner can't be bothered to get a title

One word. Lazy. I constantly see people trying to sell cars without titles saying i"t would be no problem for you to get one". It would easier for them to get one.

I thought the turbos were all automatics. That one looks like a five speed.

In reply to spitfirebill: The one I drove had a five speed, and it felt like it had more than just a 20hp increase. Judging on the overall look of the car, you may want to replace the OE computer, as it was a bit crude. 30-year old internals and lots of boost equal Kabloom! Even with the premium fuel it required, it still pinged-at times--under acceleration. Go through the motor, throughly, add a new turbo, proper electronic engine management, and probably 160hp+ all day long. Reliably, it is a Fiat, of course. Due to its rarity, If it were me, I'd restore it to OSE specs--even if you had to replace most of the rusted-out body.

Sold? Post is gone.. Bye, bye

I called him, it just sold, DAMN!

The title process here is "easy" for the seller, harder and much more expensive for the buyer. DMV told me I needed title insurance for 3yrs. Total fees for the car I was looking at was around $1800. You have to really like to the car for that kinda money.