[Trandz]

So I currently drive a 2020 GTI and am looking for something more "fun" and I've been just wanting a roadster for a while. So I'm thinking about trading it in for a 2019/2020 Abarth. I know it's 3/4 Mazda, but can anyone answer some questions?

Hows the reliability on them? And if something breaks, is it easy to work on or find a shop to work on it?

How is it in the winter? If I make the switch it would be my only car. The north east gets some bad days of snow once in a while. I'm already figuring to swap tires and have a winter set ready but even with that how does the car do?

Anything else I should know regarding it?

 

[Stillrollin]

I'm in Rockland County NY - just north of our border.

Generally, very reliable. Many here do there own work. I'm mechanically challenged so I use a trusted mechanic. You won't find a a reliable FIAT service department in NY/NJ. Useless as tits on a bull.

I don't drive mine in the winter but many report it do be decent with the right tires. And, as you note, there really aren't many days (certainly consecutive days) where you can't drive in our area.

The car is a blast to drive, great looking and has brought me much pleasure in my six years of ownership. Looking forward to the next six and many more.

 

[pikeman]

Hi;
Hey I love the GTI. It's a great winter car and if I were on the E Coast, it would be on my top five for a winter car.
Great that the 124 is on your radar. You need to consider a road trip to find the right car. Think of it as an adventure!
NJ is way too small to have more than a few 124s, and they're not for sale!
Work the forum.
best regards
Pete

 

[Myoutrage]

I’m in Connecticut (Danbury area). Bought a Lusso brand new and have had NO problems what so ever. I have a Honda Pilot with 200,000+ that I drive during the winter months - only because it gets too cold to put the roof down on the spider.

 

[Chipshot]

There's a member from New Jersey who posted a lot a few months ago and drove his car during the winter. Does anyone remember his name?

 

[Trandz]

Hi;
Hey I love the GTI. It's a great winter car and if I were on the E Coast, it would be on my top five for a winter car.
Great that the 124 is on your radar. You need to consider a road trip to find the right car. Think of it as an adventure!
NJ is way too small to have more than a few 124s, and they're not for sale!
Work the forum.
best regards
Pete

I hear you! What would be a fair price I should seek on a 2019/2020 Abarth?

I too love the GTI. I put on AT Conti's on and it handled winter super well. I didn't even slide for a second the whole season. I did tune it to stage 1 and it flies.....I just want something I guess more engaging? the mk7.5 GTI is so refined and comfy its starting to lean on the "bland" driving aspect.

 

[Trandz]

Also curious how is getting maintenance/ service work done on them? As dealers are few and far in between

 

[Stillrollin]

My mechanic has done all of the mods listed in my tag line except the turbo blanket. So easy, even I could that!. He's also done my oil changes, spark plugs and installed new tires.. Car is a car to a pro.

Full disclosure, I'm lucky that he's a trusted friend. He does get giddy when he does the mods and always asks how they perform when I return. I guess it's nice to have an enthusiast as my mechanic.

 

[Augerhandle]

There's a member from New Jersey who posted a lot a few months ago and drove his car during the winter. Does anyone remember his name?

jfmenna?

 

[Evolved]

@Trandz I came from a Stage 2 tuned MK7.5 Golf R to a bone stock 124 Spider because I just wanted something a bit more fun and engaging. The Golf R was a DSG and my first auto in about 10 cars. The DSG was quick, but I missed driving a manual. The 124 cured the itch as I switched back to a manual. From then I started modifying it and currently it's full bolt ons, bigger turbo, and zero issues so far. Keep in mind I don't put a ton of miles on it, just over 6,000 miles as of right now, but it gets a ton of abuse. Over 10 launches, plenty of hard driving and slamming gears to calculate new times, 100+ datalogs, overheating dyno days; and still going strong with no issues.

As far as who to work on it, I'm in NJ too and the guy you want to go is Doni over at New Jersey Speed Shop in Dover, NJ. He specializes in Fiats. He did the turbo install and others stuff on my 124 and there are always 500's at the shop. He's taken apart and built plenty of 1.4L MultiAir engines and really knows his Fiats well. Below is a few shots of his shop I took. You can check out his Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/newjerseyspeedshop

Where in NJ are you located? If you end up getting a 124 keep in touch! Currently i'm the only 124 there with a bunch of 500 owners lol If you're interested I have a good amount of 124 content on my YouTube Channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DrivenDistrict

 

[Chipshot]

There's a member from New Jersey who posted a lot a few months ago and drove his car during the winter. Does anyone remember his name?

@jfmenna ?

That's the one. Let's see if he responds to a tag.

 

[pikeman]

I hear you! What would be a fair price I should seek on a 2019/2020 Abarth?

I have no idea!
It might be more than you expect to get the right car. When I bought my Miata years ago I wound up giving the owner what he wanted. It was low mileage, two years old and had been carefully driven by his wife. It turned out to be a zero-defects car that I owned for 16 years.
best regards
Pete