Italian cars...

I’ve owned somewhere around 40 cars in my life (I’ll be 40 years old in a few weeks). But thinking back to the cars that I can remember owning, I've shied away from cars with no soul. I’ve only owned two Japanese cars, a Forester and a Miata. Then I was thinking about the fact that I’ve owned just 4 European cars, but three of them were older and/or obscure so they were not boring at all. While thinking about European car ownership I got to thinking that I’ve never owned an Italian car. I think I’m really missing out on something here. A car enthusiast that’s never owned an Italian car has missed an entire level of the car ownership experience. Not owning an Italian car is like finding out your proctologist has small fingers. You know you’re missing part of the experience and you aren’t sure that you really want to experience it.
Regail me with your Italian car ownership stories….but not fat-fingered doctor stories please.

DrBoost wrote: Not owning an Italian car is like finding out your proctologist has small fingers. You know you’re missing part of the experience and you aren’t sure that you really want to experience it.

That metaphor is diabolically brilliant, but now is burned into my imagination. Damn you DrBoost.

Of course, as usual, I have nothing useful to add. Carry on.

Had a 73 Fiat x 1/9 back in the early 80s. Loved the go-cart handling and feel. Most memorable was a road trip from Kansas City to Dighton, KS. By the time we arrived a strut tower had ripped open and an engine mount had gone AWOL so reverse wasn't available. My buddy lived on a farm in Dighton, so we had access to a stick welder and tools - put it back together - trip home was an uneventful drive but we did meet a couple of exceptionally friendly young ladies in Great Bend (pre Mrs. Oldtin days).

In reply to DrBoost:

Kind of ironic based on who you liked to autocross with.

I've owned an Alfa of some type since 1987. Total of 7 to date.

I would start with a Ferrari F360 Stradale Challenge. It is my favorite of the late model mid-engined cars. The last before they made the nose hideous. It is only 75% likely to burst into flame vs the 99.5% chance with the Enzo.

I've got a Fiat 850 Spider, PO screwed up the wiring something fierce so most of the time we've owned it, the harness has been out being detangled and repaired. We've had it for something like 3 years, and I've never driven it. Wife has driven it maybe half a dozen times, and never exuberantly.

I HAVE driven an Alfa Romeo Alfetta exuberantly, and (when it was running) it was a hoot. Not very fast in a straight line, but really came into its element in the corners.

I'd own another Italian car, but I'm kind of a sucker for punishment.

I've looked at 348s, 355s, 360s, and even Testarossa's over the years...never pulled the trigger though. One of these days,.....

I guess I should clarify. I could never own an Italian car that ends in 'i'.

Had a 124 Spider with A/T for a very short time. I had 2 X 1/9's, one brother had an X 1/9, the other had a 131 Brava 4 door that had been used by a paint contractor to carry ladders, paint etc so it was pretty beat up. The 124 was slow as January molasses and I was able to flip it for a small profit pretty quick.

My '79 Xxie came to me cheap (no reverse, very common in 5 speed cars) and I fixed it, then beat the cowboy E36 M3 out of it for about a year and a half. Something was ALWAYS broken, the worst of which was the calipers seized due to corrosion inside the rubber boots. That was a damn fun little car and I wouldn't mind having another. My second one was a 1981 with fuel injection, same reverse torn up, got it cheap yada yada. Fixed it, painted it, then got a decent offer pretty quick and let it go. Everything worked when I sold it so did not get a chance to see if it always had stuff go wrong the way the '79 did.

My brother's 131 was tough as nails mechanically. If he couldn't kill it no one could. That does not mean it didn't have problems, like my Exxie something was always wrong with it. The interior had splats of housepaint everywhere, not the car's fault but I couldn't really judge how the interior held up.

From what I hear about Italian cars' reliability, owning a car with a soul comes with a price tag- every two months you have to stand at the side of the road while your car evacuates the contents of it's cooling system.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I would start with a Ferrari F360 Stradale Challenge. It is my favorite of the late model mid-engined cars. The last before they made the nose hideous. It is only 75% likely to burst into flame vs the 99.5% chance with the Enzo.

This is also my desktop on my work computer. It is the only flappy-paddle gearbox car I lust for. Everything about it just "does it" for me. Mmmmmrrrrrrr drooooooooooooool

Sorry about that, I'm back now. Anyway, yes, I, too, would like to own Italian as well at some point. Probably a Fiat Spyder to start, I didn't realize how amazingly cool they are until the GRM article. I have already owned US, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Germany, Britain, and Korean. I need me some French love in there too...

I have had a number of fiat 124s.. only ONE ever left me stranded and that was due to a bad batch of balljoints that was going around back in the 90s.. literally a 3 month old balljoint exploded into 4 seperate pieces without warning..

I walked down to the nearest parts store... got a new one.. and went back and an hour or so later.. was back on the road.

Something was always broken as said above.. I usually left the hazard lights broken.. kept the gremlins happy.

They are fun little cars that LOVE to rev and with a motor in euro spec.. can produce some decent power. Handling is good, if a bit understeery in stock trim... the only gripe I ever had was the driving position.. arms straight out and knees up around your ears is not exactly comfy for long drives.

Oh! And THE best convertable top ever made

Miss my Spider Veloce.

Gotta do it at least once.

So far in my life I have owned two Japanese cars, four British cars, two Yugoslavian cars (but those are based on Italian cars does that count?) and a German. I would love a Italian but currently I am lusting after a Frenchie (aka the 505 or 504 wagon).

I have a Yugo, a licensed knock off of a Fiat 128 stuffed under a Fiat 127ish body, does that count? I have put 3 miles on it since I got it, the rest of the time it's been torn apart in my driveway. Maybe next week it will be running and driving! To be fair, most of that time is because it can only be welded on 3-4 hours a week. It's very easy to work on. Parts are pretty much all online, but cheap and mostly available.

Matt B wrote:

DrBoost wrote: Not owning an Italian car is like finding out your proctologist has small fingers. You know you’re missing part of the experience and you aren’t sure that you really want to experience it.

That metaphor is diabolically brilliant, but now is burned into my imagination. Damn you DrBoost. Of course, as usual, I have nothing useful to add. Carry on.

Thank you sir. I was rather proud of that...I think. I'm not sure what it says about me though.

If you can't keep a vintage italian car on the road you need to hand in your car guy card. You don't deserve it. The electrical systems pre 78 are points and condenser. My 71 Fiat doesn't didn't have one relay in the entire harness I had to add some to do what I wanted.

The guy who invented the Leatherman made a hand tool that had everything needed to keep a Fiat 600 running. Seriously. Look it up.

When they get into fuel injection it is the same Bosch stuff that every other euro car used.

I don't get the whole "vintage italian cars are unreliable" thing. They are made from the same bits as every other car at the time....sure the body might rust away in between ground points and cause some problems but heck, any rust that bad you already knew about, right?

They had timing belts before pretty much anything else and have silly short service intervals. The little motors in 850's and such made a heck of a lot of power for their displacement for the time and the oil filter service/ engine rebuild schedule was every 30,000 miles. That is low but they were making well over 1hp per cubic inch in the late 60's. That was high end car territory.

A customer of mine is selling her Pininfarina Spyder 2000. She hit a big puddle a few years back and hydrauliced the motor, so insurance paid us to replace the broken bits, and we freshened the rest...

Sounds like something you might need, Doc.

DrBoost wrote: I guess I should clarify. I could never own an Italian car that ends in 'i'.

So you're buying alfa's and fiats now?

I've owned 23 Fiats. Most were 124's, but I've had an 850 Spider, 128, Dino Coupe, 1500 OSCA cabriolet and an X1/9. They are all uniquely different yet similar in their lust to be revved to the heavens. They are momentum cars, because all the power is higher up in the rev range and the Italians haven't figured out what torque is. Build quality on bodies is indifferent; stuff breaks (X1/9 hood release cables, anyone?), they rust, and the electrical contacts need annual cleanings but the engines are made of wonderfully cast bits that are very sturdy. Reliable Weber carbs on almost everything instead of weird SUs or the complete garbage made by Zenith. I can only recall being stranded twice: once by my 850 (electrical, and probably PO induced) and once by my very first Fiat (engine fire...fuel fitting failure). Which, considering most were cast-offs that cost a few hundred bucks isn't a bad rate.

I think the most rewarding to drive is the X1/9. You can buy a perfect one for a few thousand bucks and the steering response will blow you away. Targa roof goodness and an engine you simply can't rev high enough. Really undervalued and under-appreciated.

Streetwiseguy wrote: A customer of mine is selling her Pininfarina Spyder 2000. She hit a big puddle a few years back and hydrauliced the motor, so insurance paid us to replace the broken bits, and we freshened the rest... Sounds like something you might need, Doc.

did she try to dunk it in the ocean? These cars have the intake pretty high up

Streetwiseguy wrote: A customer of mine is selling her Pininfarina Spyder 2000. She hit a big puddle a few years back and hydrauliced the motor, so insurance paid us to replace the broken bits, and we freshened the rest... Sounds like something you might need, Doc.

You're gonna get me divorced man, stop.
One day I'll own an Italian car (yeah, it'll be an alfa or Fiat, I don't want an 'i' car I can afford) for sure.
So ddavid, the X19 is the one to own huh? Interesting.....I've also never owned a mid-engine car either. I can kill two birds with one stone.

A friend of mine has a '79 Spider 2000 for sale. It's a solid driver that's needs some luvin'. $2000. Comes with a perfect set of Panasports too.....

Way back when, my boss had an Alfa 164S. I am aware that it is a large 4-Door sedan, but it was pretty flippin' awesome in it's day. Great leather interior with all the gadgets (and rows upon rows of buttons) gorgeous Italian flair to the engine, and a sweet exhaust note. It would really get up and go as well! (This was before there were cars like the 400HP G8 available)

They remain a great car and the most modern "real" Alfa available (before Fiat ownership). You should own one at some point.

pinchvalve wrote:

You had me at that sexy picture. See now, THAT'S Italian! Who else makes an engine that sexy? I would park it with the hood up just so I could peer at that.