Fiat 124 Spider

[davek_964]

Currently have a 2010 Audi TT Roadster (S-Line). In some ways, it's a good car - still hasn't hit 50k miles, the interior is a nice place to be, engine is nice and pulls well. However :

It's not a car I enjoy driving. It's OK as a runaround - however, when my other car was away for several weeks getting something fixed - I found I really didn't want to use the Audi to go any distance. It simply feels like a chore rather than fun.
It now has a problem with the roof - and although I've bodged a repair - it really needs a new roof at just over £2k. I'm not sure I want to pay that for a car I don't enjoy driving anyway - so I'm wondering if I should cut my losses and find a car I like.

MX5 would be an option - they are supposed to be fun to drive after all - but I've always really liked the look of the Fiat 124 Spiders. It looks like a 2016 - 2018 car would be between £10-15k which I could live with, even if it means I pretty much give the Audi away for a minimal amount of money.

Any comments from current / previous owners? Obviously I'd need to drive one - one of the other negatives of the Audi is that I've never found it particularly comfortable. So I want a car that is comfortable, and that I would be happy to take for a 200 mile round trip if needed.

[scot_aln]

Do have a google for "fiat 124 spider review pistonheads"

But as an example
https://www.pistonheads.com/news/ph-buying-guides/...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...


For a mate I helped research last year and in the end he ended up with an MX-5. If you go through those threads I think there were issues with parts availability (if you ever needed) on some of the 124 specific parts.

[davek_964]

Thanks, I'll have a read.

The main problem with the MX5 is - although they might be great to drive - I don't really like them much. And that does count for a fair bit (obviously there are other cars which might equally work for me so it doesn't really have to be one or the other of these two).

[dtulip8]

My mate has 2018 124 Spider, its a lovely car but it was out of action for over 4 months waiting for some specific trim parts around the windscreen which needed to come out to replace the glass. The infotainment screen is on the fritz now too, but I believe this is the same as the MX5 one so possibly not a Fiat specific issue.

[Panamax]

With any sports car "if it looks right, it is right". If you like the look of 124 I'd snap one up.

Having said that, I find some of the muticoloured Abarth models a bit "too much" in the visual department.

[dxg]

dtulip8 said:

My mate has 2018 124 Spider, its a lovely car but it was out of action for over 4 months waiting for some specific trim parts around the windscreen which needed to come out to replace the glass. The infotainment screen is on the fritz now too, but I believe this is the same as the MX5 one so possibly not a Fiat specific issue.

The MX5 is the same. Worse for the RF as they're supposed to be colour matched.

The problem is, you can get them off without breaking them if you strip the internal a-pillar and windscreen head panels and then push the outer trim clips out from the inside.

But most windscreen installers don't realise this and rip them off, breaking their integral clips in the process. And out comes the Sikaflex...

(My RF has a nasty scratch right in the driver's eyeline. I guess it's staying there.)