...and he was not kidding. Coming out of Meijer with my groceries, guy in new-ish Mustang getting out of his car with lady-friend sees me pop the hatch, says "I like your Fiat!". I waited about 0.6 seconds to see if he was berkeleying with me but quickly realized he was not. "Thanks! It's a fun little car, not as fast as yours but still fun". He replies "they all have a purpose".
And I quickly replied "Yes, yes they do". Some people get it I guess. (Minor story, but I was pleasantly surprised.)
I get it.
I like your Fiat too. This thread needs some pics. 
I don't know what car he has. I hope it's a Dino 308 or a Polski 126 or something.
I like your car too.
I drive a Mustang, and I love Abarths! In all fairness, I also drive a minivan and I haven't mowed down any pedestrians at Mustang Week, so my cred as a Mustang owner is pretty weak ;-)
I'm selling one of my cars with the intent of picking up an Abarth.
Are any years better or worse? Anything to look for?
when the abarths first came out, I talked to a very italian gentleman about his. He stated he had owned Vettes, Porsches, and a Viper at one point, but found the little fiat the most fun you could have without going to jail.
In reply to EastCoastMojo :
A few recent photos. That nitrous bottle is my secret weapon. As long as the dog doesn't get ahold of it...
A guy in a Ferrari 458 Italia pulled up to me at a traffic light and complimented my Miata. I know this sounds like the beginning of a joke, but it's really not. That's the whole story. Car guys get it.
Car guys and gals are car guys and gals. Whether it's a Ferrari, Mustang, MG or Miata. We recognize an enthusiast when we see one and at the end of the day know that it's the love of all things automotive that unites us. It doesn't matter if it cost 10k or 300k. The flip side of that is that snobs are snobs whether it's a guy in a Camry wondering why "anybody would by an American car" when he sees that Fusion or the guy in an F-150 claiming he'd "never buy a foreign car".
(quotes lifted from real life conversations).
penultimeta said:Car guys and gals are car guys and gals. Whether it's a Ferrari, Mustang, MG or Miata. We recognize an enthusiast when we see one and at the end of the day know that it's the love of all things automotive that unites us. It doesn't matter if it cost 10k or 300k. The flip side of that is that snobs are snobs whether it's a guy in a Camry wondering why "anybody would by an American car" when he sees that Fusion or the guy in an F-150 claiming he'd "never buy a foreign car".
(quotes lifted from real life conversations).
People that enjoy things automotive understand.
Suprf1y said:I'm selling one of my cars with the intent of picking up an Abarth.
Are any years better or worse? Anything to look for?
Honestly I haven't kept up with the various years. They started in '12, I have a '13 bought at 144 miles. I'm at about 56k at the moment, so far besides routine scheduled maintenance I've replaced a driver's side axle and a steering half shaft, both to get rid of a clunk in the steering that popped up over the Fall. It was either '14 or '15 they went to an LCD dash display vs my red LED. Otherwise I've seen them approaching the $9k and under mark. A local SCCA guy went for a ride-along at an event last summer and now he's on the hunt for a cheap one as well.
penultimeta said:Car guys and gals are car guys and gals. Whether it's a Ferrari, Mustang, MG or Miata. We recognize an enthusiast when we see one and at the end of the day know that it's the love of all things automotive that unites us. It doesn't matter if it cost 10k or 300k. The flip side of that is that snobs are snobs whether it's a guy in a Camry wondering why "anybody would by an American car" when he sees that Fusion or the guy in an F-150 claiming he'd "never buy a foreign car".
(quotes lifted from real life conversations).
Just like at a car cruise or show and you have someone with a Ferrari parked next to a original mini or like rockin August one year my dad has his 69 corvette 427 parked beside an isetta . And they all chat it up about cars because cars and racing is what brings everyone together. Regardless of where you came from or how much money someone has we are all car people.
Hey now! I just started daily driving a Mustang and I like Fiats, but I really only like the Fiat convertibles from the late 70s and early 80s. Which means if I like it those are probably the worst ones to ever think about owning.
Jerry said:In reply to EastCoastMojo :
Love your car, love the sound they make, but I don't like the installation of your spine crushers err, sorry 'seatbelts'
Adrian_Thompson said:Jerry said:In reply to EastCoastMojo :
Love your car, love the sound they make, but I don't like the installation of your spine crushers err, sorry 'seatbelts'
Those look like Schroth 4 points with ASM. I ran them for a few years in one of my cars and liked them. I purchased them over 10 years ago when the ASM was a new thing and had to explain at almost every tech inspection. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=schroth+ASM+youtube&view=detail&mid=FD91BF250977200C2190FD91BF250977200C2190&FORM=VIRE
NOT A TA said:Adrian_Thompson said:Jerry said:In reply to EastCoastMojo :
Love your car, love the sound they make, but I don't like the installation of your spine crushers err, sorry 'seatbelts'
Those look like Schroth 4 points with ASM. I ran them for a few years in one of my cars and liked them. I purchased them over 10 years ago when the ASM was a new thing and had to explain at almost every tech inspection. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=schroth+ASM+youtube&view=detail&mid=FD91BF250977200C2190FD91BF250977200C2190&FORM=VIRE
Yeah, what's with the spine crusher comment? I've run the same Schroth ASM belts in a few different cars.
The shoulder straps on harnesses are supposed to be installed close to horizontal. That way when you are in an accident the mass of your body tries moving forward so the harness straps work in tension. If the are mounted low down like in that pic as your body moves forward it can, instead of restraining you through tension, they can rotate in a radius around the mount so your shoulders can initially move forward as you also rotate around your pelvis. There then comes a point where you’ve gone as forward as you can and the harness is now under tension and trying to squish your spine as it tries to continue moving forward.
I don’t know what power an autocross or track day tech inspector has but if that was presented to me the owner would have two options. Remove the belts and compete or go home.
Note. I’m not a safety nazi, I don’t buy a lot of hype about ‘race car’ safety on the street and the hysteria over toll bars on street cars, but this one I feel is valid.
For Autocross (not track day) use I’d rather see a harness bar or even attached to the rear upper seat belt mounts.
NOT A TA said:Adrian_Thompson said:Jerry said:In reply to EastCoastMojo :
Love your car, love the sound they make, but I don't like the installation of your spine crushers err, sorry 'seatbelts'
Those look like Schroth 4 points with ASM. I ran them for a few years in one of my cars and liked them. I purchased them over 10 years ago when the ASM was a new thing and had to explain at almost every tech inspection. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=schroth+ASM+youtube&view=detail&mid=FD91BF250977200C2190FD91BF250977200C2190&FORM=VIRE
They are. Made for the R53 (if I remember) MINI by Schroth to clip in and out, I've seen them run at autocrosses and track days by more than one event organizer. I put a second set in the WRX for rallycross and love them both.
Jerry said:...and he was not kidding. Coming out of Meijer with my groceries, guy in new-ish Mustang getting out of his car with lady-friend sees me pop the hatch, says "I like your Fiat!". I waited about 0.6 seconds to see if he was berkeleying with me but quickly realized he was not. "Thanks! It's a fun little car, not as fast as yours but still fun". He replies "they all have a purpose".
And I quickly replied "Yes, yes they do". Some people get it I guess. (Minor story, but I was pleasantly surprised.)
I braved the heat yesterday to roll my window down and give a thumbs up to a guy in the most wicked sounding Camaro ever.
Green Camaro with license plate HULKD UP guy, whatever you did to make your car sound like THAT is winning at everything automotive.
(Then I rolled my window back up. JEEZ it was hot out!)
Corrolarily, I got a huge thumbs up from a guy driving a Jeep last month. In the S60R, not teh RX-7.
Adrian_Thompson said:Love your car, love the sound they make, but I don't like the installation of your spine crushers err, sorry 'seatbelts'
What he said and more of it.
I have a SN197 at work right now with harnesses installed with the shoulder straps mounted to the seat mounts. I recoiled in horror when I first saw this car last fall, and I don't think my co-worker (who is now something like service manager since we hired like five more people, bringing us up to eight) understands the geometry involved when I tried to explain to him why that seatbelt installation would result in becoming a paraplegic at best.
(My harness may be mounted to kusogane with four 6mm bolts, but dammit the belt is at a greater than 90 degree angle when I am strapped in. I only wear it when rallycrossing, but I also wear it so tight that breathing is somewhat difficult)
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