Any Fiat Barchetta opinions please .....
Discussion
I have driven quite a few but dont own one, I have come close but no cigar a few times!
They drive very well. They have a very balanced chassis and very good handling, probably better than some rear wheel drive roadsters. They share some mechanicals with the mk2 punto HGT so are pretty good, apart from a few electrical gremlins, but are cheap to maintain.
Insurance is supprisingly high, but running costs are supposed to be very low.
I will have one oneday!
They drive very well. They have a very balanced chassis and very good handling, probably better than some rear wheel drive roadsters. They share some mechanicals with the mk2 punto HGT so are pretty good, apart from a few electrical gremlins, but are cheap to maintain.
Insurance is supprisingly high, but running costs are supposed to be very low.
I will have one oneday!
I had one and loved it, it was lots of fun to drive, reliable, cheap to run(apart from insurance) and looked great. IIRC they are fully galvanised and do not suffer badly from rust, failed cam shaft variators are a common and fairly cheap to fix fault, this does not stop the car from running but makes it sound a bit like a diesel.
I would definitely recommend one.
I would definitely recommend one.
Bought an ex demo for my wife about five years ago and owned it for about 18 months. Put 20k on it in that time and never missed a beat. Good build quality but it was virtually brand new. Cam variators the thing to watch.
Would recommend one but may be a squeeze if you're over 6ft or "chunky"...
Would recommend one but may be a squeeze if you're over 6ft or "chunky"...
Have bought and sold a few over the years although the last one was over a year ago. Overall I think they are a sound car, they drive very well, much better than an Alfa Spider of the same era due to being stiffer and lighter. The series 1 cars look better to most people although the series 2 is better built. Most cars now will be on a replacement hood so check how it fits, most of the ones I've seen have been pretty poor, early ones will be starting to rust on the floor now, check that the speedo works its a common fault, the cam variator is an issue and costs approx £250 to replace while fitting a belt kit at the same time, exhausts rotted so most now have stainless back boxes which makes them sound better. Most cars are grey imports, the spec of these was quite basic compared to the UK cars - ABS, front fogs were optional. Early non-metallic paint cars, Red, Yellow, Orange and Black will be going flat by now, although bright colours suit the car best.
When they were contemporary the one to have was an LE in Silver with Red Leather, now I think Yellow, Red or Sea Blue cars look best, even with the retro steel wheels.
When they were contemporary the one to have was an LE in Silver with Red Leather, now I think Yellow, Red or Sea Blue cars look best, even with the retro steel wheels.
My wife has had one for nearly ten years, she's had it from new. Great little car and the only problem we've had was the variator, I don't even know what one does but it made the car sound like a diesel on start up. As I say, cant really fault it, it has been used every winter and has not rusted, the only issue with winter is the door handles freeze easily if parked outside overnight as they are recessed. The two models to go for are the riviera and I think the other one's called the milano I'm not sure but they both have leather interior and a few other extra's that make them a bit more special than the standard ones
We go touring round Devon and cornwall in ours every year and it's great fun.
We go touring round Devon and cornwall in ours every year and it's great fun.
We've had a series 2 from new. No real problems - variator changed 2 years ago, uses oil (as do most Fiat twin cams).
Its a real joy to drive and cheap to run. No rust yet...
I susspect that parts will be a problem in the future especially for body work. Hoods are expensive.
Check the mileage carefully as some earlier cars are imports and have had replacement speedos (the trip seems to stop working - unable to reset- on a lots of these.
All in all fun to drive, cheap to insure and very unusual.
Its a real joy to drive and cheap to run. No rust yet...
I susspect that parts will be a problem in the future especially for body work. Hoods are expensive.
Check the mileage carefully as some earlier cars are imports and have had replacement speedos (the trip seems to stop working - unable to reset- on a lots of these.
All in all fun to drive, cheap to insure and very unusual.
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff