So that means Rowdy won? He was in the Ford, right? I know it wasn’t the Dread Pirate Roberts, he shows up later in the movie. (I had to make sure I got in a Days Of Thunder reference, after missing the opportunity yesterday.) Now. It has become a rallying cry among enthusiasts: “Save the manuals!” And believe me, I’m right there with you all; I’m wearing a T-shirt that says “Two Pedals Are For Bicycles” as I write this. (Not kidding.) So it’s encouraging when someone goes to great lengths to keep a manual-gearbox car on the road, and an opportunity to keep the worldwide fleet average up when a manual car shows up that needs to be revived. Today, we’ve got one of each: a Saab that’s been to the moon, and a Fiat that’s a bit of a fallen star. This could get interesting: we’ve featured two Fiats and two Saabs before, and they’ve both won both times. Someone’s undefeated record is about to fall. Let’s see whose.
1981 Fiat Spider 2000 – $1,600
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter inline 4, 5 speed manual, RWD Location: Garden Grove, CA Odometer reading: unknown Runs/drives? yep, but has been off the road for a while Last time we looked at a Fiat Spider, it was a basket case. This time, it’s at least all in one piece, and even runs! It does look like it’s been sitting a while, and possibly with the top down. The interior is nasty. It’s all there, at least, even the amusingly tiny back seat. They call this a 2+2, but the back shelf-with-seatbelts is completely useless to anyone who doesn’t represent the Lollipop Guild. Might be a nice place for your dog to ride, though.
By 1981, the Spider’s Aurelio Lampredi-designed twincam four had grown to 2 liters and gained Bosch fuel injection, so at least there’s no carb tuning to worry about. You’ll have to smog it, though, if you live in a state that requires it. And as always, “runs and drives” doesn’t mean you can hop in it and head straight for a run up PCH; depending on how long it has been sitting, there might be all sorts of soft bits that ought to be replaced. And you absolutely, positively must replace the timing belt immediately, if not sooner.
It looks like it’s worth saving, though; I don’t see any obvious rust, and while the interior is ugly, all that is fixable. Or gut it and go for the race car look. The outside is faded, but more or less straight; I’m pretty sure it used to be sage green, but it’s hard to tell. That lovely Pininfarina coachwork deserves to shine again.
1990 Saab 900S sedan – $2,200
Engine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter inline 4, 5 speed manual, FWD Location: Sacramento, CA Odometer reading: at least 240,000 miles Runs/drives? Yep Ah yes, our old friend the Saab 900, the sport sedan market’s weird uncle. This is sadly not a hatchback, nor is it a turbo, but all the Saab greatest-hits-of-oddities are present and accounted for: the backwards-facing engine, the ignition switch in the center console, the gearshift that has to be in reverse before you can take the key out, the massive ’50s style wraparound windshield. But there too is that sure-footedness and that rock-solid feel.
The seller says they saved this car from the crusher in non-running condition, got it going again, and then the transmission “kersploded,” to use the seller’s term. After that, both engine and transmission were replaced with lower-mileage used units, along with a new clutch and a bunch of refreshed seals. It’s said to run and drive very well now.
Inside, things aren’t quite as rosy: the seats look like they had a date with Jack The Ripper, and the airbag is disconnected. But a thirty-year-old airbag is a little suspect anyway, and seats can be reupholstered. You could even throw some cheap covers on them and ignore the tears, if you want. Outside, it looks just fine; I swear, Saab 900s don’t age. They all seem to look about fifteen years old, no matter how they’ve been treated.
Ignore the “Turbo” badge on the hood, by the way; the seller says the hood has been replaced. So there they are: one manual that needs saving, and one that’s well on its way to being saved. Both are worthy of some attention, and either one would make a cool runabout with some elbow grease. Which one will it be? Quiz Maker So I’m voting for the Saab. What’s wrong with me?!? So I think Jason and David have hit their target demographic of people who spend a lot more time than money on cars. I have to take the Fiat. Roached interior or not, you don’t see any around for less than five grand that isn’t half rust, or paint over Bondo and rust, that is an amazingly clean body. The 900S that’s for sale is just about broken in at 240K(?) miles. The mechanical refresh makes it the hands-down winner. A trip to a junkyard for some better seats and a going-over with Windex and Armorall will have the interior habitable in no time. I figure the airbag is definitely fixable, though it may cost more than what the entire car is worth. So I guess I have to pick the Fiat. I like Fiat Spiders, but I have bad associations with the majority of people who drove them when they were more common. It was an near even split between clueless folks who just wanted a 2-seater convertible and complained about winter driving or the mesh driving glove dudes.
