I have a Fiat 124 Lusso. My car is comfortable. My car is reliable. My car has enough space. My car is my daily drive. Not sure what car you are referring too wrt comfort/reliability/space ?
Long term reliability? Looking around to get into 124 Spider at the moment.
Hello, I was just looking around for cars to buy as a daily driver + fun car to have. Decided to just go with one car to save up overall.
I understand that this car isn't necessarily best daily driver with the lacking space and possible lack of comfortability, but I just could not pass by its design and just overall aesthetics.
Planning on moving down to Los Angeles, CA, for about 4-6 years possibly shorter depending on my situation, coming from Seattle, Washington PNW.
As I understand the potential discomfort that comes with the car, I just needed to confirm this one last but not least important part, the reliability.
I was hoping to get some information about the reliability of the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth at about 35,000 miles+ or around that, I've seen a lot of 15,000 miles reviews and even
25,000 miles, but not much information about any above that.
Concerned me when I saw a lot of Fiat 124 Spider out in the used market that were around 20,000 miles, I was forced to think that they start to have some issues after the 20k mark.
I'm so near of just going at this car as my daily for next 4-6 years, my other options would be Challenger GT AWD or possibly the new Bronco, the new Mini cooper convertible.
But they just don't have that similar excitement of the Spider and I needed to go over this one factor, if anyone could help me just sum this up for me, that'll be much appreciated.
I understand that this car isn't necessarily best daily driver with the lacking space and possible lack of comfortability, but I just could not pass by its design and just overall aesthetics.
Planning on moving down to Los Angeles, CA, for about 4-6 years possibly shorter depending on my situation, coming from Seattle, Washington PNW.
As I understand the potential discomfort that comes with the car, I just needed to confirm this one last but not least important part, the reliability.
I was hoping to get some information about the reliability of the Fiat 124 Spider Abarth at about 35,000 miles+ or around that, I've seen a lot of 15,000 miles reviews and even
25,000 miles, but not much information about any above that.
Concerned me when I saw a lot of Fiat 124 Spider out in the used market that were around 20,000 miles, I was forced to think that they start to have some issues after the 20k mark.
I'm so near of just going at this car as my daily for next 4-6 years, my other options would be Challenger GT AWD or possibly the new Bronco, the new Mini cooper convertible.
But they just don't have that similar excitement of the Spider and I needed to go over this one factor, if anyone could help me just sum this up for me, that'll be much appreciated.
1 - 20 of 62 Posts
Hi and Welcome....First of all ...Did you know that the Fiat / Abarth 124 Spider model is based on and was built alongside the Mazda MX5 ND ? Reliability wise that's a "BIG" Plus....All cars have a "Pup" (dog) every now and then so you will always get the odd failure, however overall and by the vast majority here....WE LOVE THE SPIDER for it's looks and it's reliability with quite a few members owning higher mileage examples. Did you know the the "MultiAir" engine fitted to the Spider was "2010 Small Engine Of The Year" ? been fitted to Millions of Fiats since and still going strong in most....
Some Spider will on Lease cars so those you now see "On The Market" is about right timing.
Cheers
ron
Some Spider will on Lease cars so those you now see "On The Market" is about right timing.
Cheers
ron
I see, it is coming from someone who's never owned a Fiat for the longest time because of all those times I'd get bashed on by bringing up 124 Spider.I have a Fiat 124 Lusso. My car is comfortable. My car is reliable. My car has enough space. My car is my daily drive. Not sure what car you are referring too wrt comfort/reliability/space ?
As I know nothing much about cars I'd ask my friends who are "car guy" and they would always tell me to never go with Fiat because you wouldn't be able to drive it as it'll sit in the shop.
But I just can't let go of this car because how good it looks. I just needed to confirm.
That's very reassuring to hear, I'm glad one of my big concerns were just part of a myth.Hi and Welcome....First of all ...Did you know that the Fiat / Abarth 124 Spider model is based on and was built alongside the Mazda MX5 ND ? Reliability wise that's a "BIG" Plus....All cars have a "Pup" (dog) every now and then so you will always get the odd failure, however overall and by the vast majority here....WE LOVE THE SPIDER for it's looks and it's reliability with quite a few members owning higher mileage examples. Did you know the the "MultiAir" engine fitted to the Spider was "2010 Small Engine Of The Year" ? been fitted to Millions of Fiats since and still going strong in most....
Some Spider will on Lease cars so those you now see "On The Market" is about right timing.
Cheers
ron
JUST POsted a new thread UK MOT testing....read that and look at TOP 50 number 10. Then substitute the engine for the one I mentioned above and the Spider is NOT like most Fiats (The Brand is in the bottom 10) However...the FIAT 500 (at least here in the UK) is "Pretty Reliable" and Very Popular so your friends are not really up to date with the Good News models, just the general perception.....That I share by the way...I don't rate FIAT, but I do the 124 Spider and the car you are looking at...the "124 Spider Abarth". Boot (trunk) rack adds extra room if required and as for daily driver...Arthur above is a Great Example of that, as are many here.....CheersI see, it is coming from someone who's never owned a Fiat for the longest time because of all those times I'd get bashed on by bringing up 124 Spider.
As I know nothing much about cars I'd ask my friends who are "car guy" and they would always tell me to never go with Fiat because you wouldn't be able to drive it as it'll sit in the shop.
But I just can't let go of this car because how good it looks. I just needed to confirm.
OK. I'll quantify my earlier answer.... I am 5'8" tall and weigh 152 lbs and am a (relatively) fit 58 year old. My Lusso is stock. It has heated leather seats. My car has completed 26,000 miles with zero issues, this includes a few long distant road trips. The car (minus the engine) is to all intents and purposes a Mazda and as such carries Japanese reliability. The engine is proven to be one of the best 1.4 litre units available (as noted by Brexit). There is enough space for me. Your "friends" are not qualified to comment on the Fiat 124. You will find yourself better friends on this forum !!!
I really appreciate the reply Brexit, I will have to look into the trunk rack, I actually was really interested by one, just the fact that it is out in the open though.. on a road trip or such, while I take a break in certain areas, I wonder how safe it is..JUST POsted a new thread UK MOT testing....read that and look at TOP 50 number 10. Then substitute the engine for the one I mentioned above and the Spider is NOT like most Fiats (The Brand is in the bottom 10) However...the FIAT 500 (at least here in the UK) is "Pretty Reliable" and Very Popular so your friends are not really up to date with the Good News models, just the general perception.....That I share by the way...I don't rate FIAT, but I do the 124 Spider and the car you are looking at...the "124 Spider Abarth". Boot (trunk) rack adds extra room if required and as for daily driver...Arthur above is a Great Example of that, as are many here.....Cheers
Haha I definitely understand, sometimes I feel the need to do more research to get some credibility when I talk about cars so I don't get such down trying to back myself up about the Spider.OK. I'll quantify my earlier answer.... I am 5'8" tall and weigh 152 lbs and am a (relatively) fit 58 year old. My Lusso is stock. It has heated leather seats. My car has completed 26,000 miles with zero issues, this includes a few long distant road trips. The car (minus the engine) is to all intents and purposes a Mazda and as such carries Japanese reliability. The engine is proven to be one of the best 1.4 litre units available (as noted by Brexit). There is enough space for me. Your "friends" are not qualified to comment on the Fiat 124. You will find yourself better friends on this forum !!!
I really figured I'd get more quality information on the community itself where people actually owns the car and drove it before. It's been helpful, I will for sure come back with more questions, thank you.
You are welcome, we're only playing with you !!! But on a serious note, the 124 platform in any version/trim level is probably the best kept secret in modern day motoring. Bite the bullet and bag yourself a 124. I'm so confident that you'll absolutely love it.... if you don't I'll give you you purchase price back 😆 !!!
😂 For sure, I'm just going to wait a bit for some good deals and compare, planning around late July for the purchase, just out here doing some homeworks on the car. Will see you soon with another post...hopefully.You are welcome, we're only playing with you !!! But on a serious note, the 124 platform in any version/trim level is probably the best kept secret in modern day motoring. Bite the bullet and bag yourself a 124. I'm so confident that you'll absolutely love it.... if you don't I'll give you you purchase price back 😆 !!!
As I start to enter my 5th summer of driving my 2017 Abarth version of the 124 Spider, I would state that being the original owner, I have found the vehicle to be extremely reliable. I have just over 45,000 km on mine, which would be about 28,000 miles.
What I think needs to be taken into account when you're reading about a lot of vehicles coming up for sale with around 20,000 miles on the clock is that for many owners, they're a second vehicle. For a lot of others, a seasonal vehicle. I, for example, never drive mine during the winter months. That's a lot of why the low mileage listings. Also, they've only been around since late 2016. So what I suspect you may be seeing is the results of leases coming back in and being sold by the dealerships. Anyone who grinds on about Fiats being undependable is speaking from the same level of relevance that typewriters don't produce very crisp type. It has zero relevance in the current version of the vehicle. It's a rock solid little car for a multitude of reasons.
What I think needs to be taken into account when you're reading about a lot of vehicles coming up for sale with around 20,000 miles on the clock is that for many owners, they're a second vehicle. For a lot of others, a seasonal vehicle. I, for example, never drive mine during the winter months. That's a lot of why the low mileage listings. Also, they've only been around since late 2016. So what I suspect you may be seeing is the results of leases coming back in and being sold by the dealerships. Anyone who grinds on about Fiats being undependable is speaking from the same level of relevance that typewriters don't produce very crisp type. It has zero relevance in the current version of the vehicle. It's a rock solid little car for a multitude of reasons.
IN FACT.....Cars for sale section...."IF" it's still there....A Beautiful 124 Spider Abarth in RED selling by long term member "Jetlag"..as he iss selling "The Farm"...Literally....! DON'T MISS THAT...IT's Excellent 
The 2017-2020 124’s seem to be holding up pretty well and have disproven the Fix-It-Again-Tony moniker from olden days. Any future issues will involve parts scarcity and locating a dealer with a qualified mechanic for warranty work. As Stellantis takes a step back from FIAT in the US, so go the dealers. Search the forum for backordered seatbelts, windshields, etc. and lack of dealerships & service techs.
BTW, my daily driver is an AWD Challenger and it is the perfect all-weather vehicle to get me through the Michigan winters.
Good luck with your search!
BTW, my daily driver is an AWD Challenger and it is the perfect all-weather vehicle to get me through the Michigan winters.
Good luck with your search!
Thank you for your reply, a lot better and more credible for sure coming from an actual owner that has driven for almost 5 years wow, I can't wait to go for a test drive...soon.As I start to enter my 5th summer of driving my 2017 Abarth version of the 124 Spider, I would state that being the original owner, I have found the vehicle to be extremely reliable. I have just over 45,000 km on mine, which would be about 28,000 miles.
What I think needs to be taken into account when you're reading about a lot of vehicles coming up for sale with around 20,000 miles on the clock is that for many owners, they're a second vehicle. For a lot of others, a seasonal vehicle. I, for example, never drive mine during the winter months. That's a lot of why the low mileage listings. Also, they've only been around since late 2016. So what I suspect you may be seeing is the results of leases coming back in and being sold by the dealerships. Anyone who grinds on about Fiats being undependable is speaking from the same level of relevance that typewriters don't produce very crisp type. It has zero relevance in the current version of the vehicle. It's a rock solid little car for a multitude of reasons.
I will check it out, I would've never knew that section exists..IN FACT.....Cars for sale section...."IF" it's still there....A Beautiful 124 Spider Abarth in RED selling by long term member "Jetlag"..as he iss selling "The Farm"...Literally....! DON'T MISS THAT...IT's Excellent
From Michigan, wow so the challenger does drive during the winter, I can cross that off the list for sure haha. Well challengers are beautiful cars and they for sure are comfortable + practical, especially with that AWD in play, it just lacks that nimbleness and most importantly the convertible..in Southern California, I'm not sure if I can trade it off. I still am in the look out though, it's going to be tough choice between practicality versus ultimate fun ride..The 2017-2020 124’s seem to be holding up pretty well and have disproven the Fix-It-Again-Tony moniker from olden days. Any future issues will involve parts scarcity and locating a dealer with a qualified mechanic for warranty work. As Stellantis takes a step back from FIAT in the US, so go the dealers. Search the forum for backordered seatbelts, windshields, etc. and lack of dealerships & service techs.
BTW, my daily driver is an AWD Challenger and it is the perfect all-weather vehicle to get me through the Michigan winters.
Good luck with your search!
I moved from California to Washington State four years ago.
A Spider will be perfect in the sunny Cali weather and on some of the world-famous mountain roads near L.A., like Mulholland Drive, Angeles Crest Hwy and Ortega Hwy. Driving from L.A. to the Central Coast on CA-1 would be so sweet in a Spider.
Hopefully you won’t have a daily commute. L.A. traffic is pretty unforgiving. Angelenos habitually sustain 80 MPH on the many freeways traversing the city, until traffic comes to a dead stop. Road rage scenes are not uncommon.
Depending where you end up living, security can be an issue for a convertible parked on the street. Just don’t leave anything inside the car. I found pretty much any community west of the 405 to be tranquil enough to not be a problem.
I’d say reliability of 124 Spider is well above average. There’s well known issue with the water pump that gets fixed under warranty.
BTW, Fiat USA warranty is very generous: 48 months or 48,000 miles, bumper to bumper. That should have you covered.
Good luck.
A Spider will be perfect in the sunny Cali weather and on some of the world-famous mountain roads near L.A., like Mulholland Drive, Angeles Crest Hwy and Ortega Hwy. Driving from L.A. to the Central Coast on CA-1 would be so sweet in a Spider.
Hopefully you won’t have a daily commute. L.A. traffic is pretty unforgiving. Angelenos habitually sustain 80 MPH on the many freeways traversing the city, until traffic comes to a dead stop. Road rage scenes are not uncommon.
Depending where you end up living, security can be an issue for a convertible parked on the street. Just don’t leave anything inside the car. I found pretty much any community west of the 405 to be tranquil enough to not be a problem.
I’d say reliability of 124 Spider is well above average. There’s well known issue with the water pump that gets fixed under warranty.
BTW, Fiat USA warranty is very generous: 48 months or 48,000 miles, bumper to bumper. That should have you covered.
Good luck.
Me Spider is the most practical impractical car I’ve ever owned. I’m a bore to the point when I say - nobody makes ‘bad’ cars these days. A healthy 6’2” & 186 pounds (that’s 13st 4lbs in old money @Brexit ! ) she [literally] fits like a glove and drives like a dream. Longest non-stop to date was 250 miles, Newcastle to Milton Keynes, with the roof down 😊. She’s me daily drive and I love her. Heated leather seats help my ageing back too. Sooooo, don’t dilly-dally get one bought. You won’t regret it!
Wow that was a some load of important infos, I'm going to take notes on those backroads for when I'm down in Los Angeles no matter what car I end up with. That warranty is very generous.I moved from California to Washington State four years ago.
A Spider will be perfect in the sunny Cali weather and on some of the world-famous mountain roads near L.A., like Mulholland Drive, Angeles Crest Hwy and Ortega Hwy. Driving from L.A. to the Central Coast on CA-1 would be so sweet in a Spider.
Hopefully you won’t have a daily commute. L.A. traffic is pretty unforgiving. Angelenos habitually sustain 80 MPH on the many freeways traversing the city, until traffic comes to a dead stop. Road rage scenes are not uncommon.
Depending where you end up living, security can be an issue for a convertible parked on the street. Just don’t leave anything inside the car. I found pretty much any community west of the 405 to be tranquil enough to not be a problem.
I’d say reliability of 124 Spider is well above average. There’s well known issue with the water pump that gets fixed under warranty.
BTW, Fiat USA warranty is very generous: 48 months or 48,000 miles, bumper to bumper. That should have you covered.
Good luck.
Thank you so much.
1 - 20 of 62 Posts
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