[San Jose Steve]

The End Of A Legacy: Why The 124 Spider, AKA The FIATA, Failed

 

[TX_Bandit]

Cliff Notes version.

The Fiat 124 Spider failed due to:

• It was a hard sell due to Fiat's poor reputation for quality

• The engine - under powered to begin with - was never improved over the model years

• The ABARTH edition did not live up to its namesake's performance lineage as it was little more than an appearance package

I love my little car, but I can't say I disagree with their conclusion. I really like the looks of the 124 Spider. Too bad Mazda didn't keep the bodywork and offer it as a styling option to the current Miata. They could of called it the Itali-ata edition.

 

[BGcAnAdA]

A critic can write what they write but it, in no way, alters the reality that the fiat 124 spider attracts positive attention and curiousity wherever it goes. Thats been my experience with my 124 abarrh.
I can write that ive always found the mazda miata to be as attractive as a tadpole with its tail cut off but that isnt going to stop people who like a certain type of ugly from buying it, is it ?

 

[Anjin]

Keep in mind folks that the less they make, the smaller the community, the higher the value far into the future. Course, there is a question in my mind of the real value cars like these can maintain, as the integration of ECU and system makes a service nightmare. But, as more information is decoded and kept as resources by open source minded folks.. the higher the odds of keeping these wee little machines going long long into the future.

 

[AnClar]

Well...the thing that redeemed the car (for owners, not for Fiat) was the ease with which the platform could be modded. A few addons...intake, exhaust, and a good tune can easily add 20-30 HP to the car. Tires can be changed, suspensions can be modded. The perception of the Fiat brand in the US did not help...it was always a niche car, Fiat's marketing sucked, and Marchionne passing away really put an end to the car. It's too bad, but six years into ownership, I still wouldn't trade it for a Miata.

 

[MikeL]

I haven't run across anyone who thinks the Miata is a better looking car. And I have no complaints about the power or the non-issue of turbo lag. To me, the biggest problem was lack of advertising. When I first heard of the Spider, I knew I had to have one - and that was after the model had already been cancelled.

It still seems the dealer network is iffy at best. Surely that didn't help sales either.

 

[TX_Bandit]

Keep in mind folks that the less they make, the smaller the community, the higher the value far into the future.

Far, far, far into the future. Just my opinion, but I doubt this car will become collectable in the foreseeable future simply because of current parts scarcity. Owners (and insurance companies) are totaling these cars after what would normally be repairable damage due to a lack of available parts.

A vintage Ferrari, Maserati, Lambo, Porsche or Mercedes faces the same issues, but the cost of having a one-off part custom made is a fraction of the value of those cars. We are facing these issues now, on a car worth an average of 20K.

But hey, I'm probably wrong. Go ahead and lock a pristine example away in storage as an investment. But do it now, because if you have a wreck, getting it back to pristine will be more than the car is currently worth. Maybe your great grandchildren will thank you. I'm just going to drive and enjoy mine until the wheels fall off.

 

[frankmar]

What was mentioned about the 124, i cannot disagree. But was the article written to sell the MX5
IF YOU COMPARE the lines written about the 124 and the Mx5, I think the article is more about selling the Mx5 then the 124.
Oh yes you have to be naive not to say the 124 had and is better style than the Mx5.

 

[buckbrown97]

The End Of A Legacy: Why The 124 Spider, AKA The FIATA, Failed

I believe cars are like wine. I drink wine that I like, not what other people tell me I should be drinking. Same with cars; if you like it and enjoy it, who cares what others say. I love my 124 it’s by far the most enjoyable car I have ever owned in the last 40 years. So I could give a rat’s a$$ about what some two bit internet journalist has to say.

 

[fiatmidway124]

Now, I have never driven a Miata, with that “smooth and progressive“ power delivery from its non turbo 2 liter that everyone seems to love. But I do know that our little 1.4 will get you up and over Vail pass on I-70 in the fast lane, no problem. And doing it in a higher gear at a decent rpm, not screaming in third or fourth doing 5k plus.

 

[AnClar]

Now, I have never driven a Miata, with that “smooth and progressive“ power delivery from its non turbo 2 liter that everyone seems to love. But I do know that our little 1.4 will get you up and over Vail pass on I-70 in the fast lane, no problem. And doing it in a higher gear at a decent rpm, not screaming in third or fourth doing 5k plus.

I have to laugh at how easily I can run away from most of what passes for cars these days. As long as it's not a straight-line behemoth, like a Challenger or a 'vette, or a Camaro, I can leave them far behind w/o trying hard. And those big V-8s can be had on the twisties...just sayin'

 

[Aldo]

Fiat had an uphill battle with Spider.

Namely:

1. A poor quality reputation in N.A., as already mentioned. When Fiat returned to N.A., the first thing it had to do was dispel the perception that FIAT stood for Fix It Again Tony. But for a variety or reasons, including a management team with its head in the sand, they didn't. Sitting at the bottom of the quality rankings didn't help. Questionable dealers only compounded the problem. By the time Spider launched, the damage to the brand was done
2. Minuscule demand for 2-seat cars. Demand for 2-seat cars represents less than 1% of total market. Of which Mazda owns more than 60%. It was going to be extremely difficult to generate sales when market demand was nearly non-existent
3. Lack of commitment from management. It took Mazda three decades to get where it is with MX-5; Fiat gave up after four years

Despite all these headwinds, Fiat did a magnificent job with Spider.

 

[2020 Nordamericano]

Many reasons, in my opinion, for the demise of the 124 Spider. Many have been mentioned and some are probably legitimate. I think the biggest reason is, as mentioned by others and discussed elsewhere, lack of corporate commitment and support. FCA/Fiat never seemed to really commit to the vehicle. And that makes one wonder why they agreed to partner with/collaborate with Mazda in the first place. This collaboration not only resulted in the 124 Spider, the new/current gen Miata was a direct result of that partnership. One again has to wonder if Alfa Romeo had agreed to accept the results, the 124 Spider, of the collaborative effort as first proposed would corporate have felt different about the car and been a bit more enthusiastic about supporting and marketing the vehicle. But then you also have to wonder if the 124 Spider had been part of and marketed as an Alfa Romeo where would the price point have landed.

One of the premises being put forth by some for the demise of the 124 Spider is it's lack of power. That, again in my opinion, is completely off base. The 124 was never meant, never designed, never built to be a track demon or a record setter. Nothing points this out more clearly then it's price point. The 124 Spider was never meant, never designed, never built to compete with cars costing twice or three or four or more times as much. It was meant to be, designed to be, built to be a sexy little, affordable, fun to drive driver's car. And if measured by that set of standards the 124 Spider succeeded beyond all expectations.

The 124 Spider in it's latest and now last form is an absolutely marvelous automobile and I am extremely glad and feel very fortunate that it's short production time coincided with a period in my life that made it the right car at the right time.

 

[fiatmidway124]

Alfa didn’t want the car because it would be built in Japan, not in Italy, which I guess is a requirement.

 

[CDPond]

Maybe I have a selective memory, but my take on it was that the only place a Miata outperformed a 124 Spider were in straight line pulls. Anything involving a good twisting track was primo territory for the better looking cousin. I had to chuckle at the "evolution" image in the article where it shows the various generations of the MX. Going from tadpole blob into varying versions of the blob, ending with the current blob with a slightly sloped front.

 

[Aldo]

The part every reviewer forgets is that without FCA’s collaboration, ND would have never been the best MX-5.

Mazda was reportedly considering killing Miata because it didn’t have the funds to develop ND.

 

[Aldo]

Alfa didn’t want the car because someone at FCA figured, albeit belatedly, that brand prestige trickles down, not up.

I.e., it would have been tough for Alfa Romeo to sell a car based on a plebeian Mazda. Just like it was tough for Jaguar to sell cars based on Fords.

 

[rec911]

As a driver/owner of 300+hp sports cars, my mind could never accept that something with so little HP could be any fun. When I decided to buy 3 convertibles for my boys and I to chase each other in, I had the hardest time picking the last car and stay on budget.(I also wanted 3 that I have never owned before) The 124 Spider was really the only choice out there as I have not been a fan of the Miata's looks. My sons and I were joking with each other about who is going to get stuck in the Spider on trips! We decided to be fair, we would rotate cars during the trips. Well as you all know, these cars are so much fun and now I "get it". I think there may have been lots of enthusiast like me that just couldn't see what others knew. Hence low sales. (along with all the other valid points here)

I have to tell you tho, I am a research type guy before I buy, and based on this forum I swear I thought my brand new Spider was going to have to get towed home!

 

[Steele]

I saw the Spider at Chryslers HQ in 2015, I knew then I would get one, I was just waiting for the right time
that time came 7 years later and on April 21 2022 I pulled the trigger

 

[chnycs]

Go ahead and lock a pristine example away in storage as an investment. But do it now, because if you have a wreck, getting it back to pristine will be more than the car is currently worth. Maybe your great grandchildren will thank you. I'm just going to drive and enjoy mine until the wheels fall off.

So... I used to drive a pretty awesome old 500 ("air cooled" old). I had two 126s as parts cars for it and was very active in the local clubs which gave all kinds of advice and help on fixing things and on tracking down parts. I suppose... That probably worked better because FIAT made 4 million of them and continued making the 126 (5 million of those) until 2000.

Oh dear. That makes it feel like getting parts for the 124 is going to be very difficult. Maybe someone will start/run some specialist place and just pile up the 124s. That outfit in Florida (the one that did the parts compatibility list with the Miata)? Dunno if that makes a good business model just yet...

Well, I liked my 124 more than I like my short-tailed Miata.