[Mikester]

Does anyone own (or has anyone ever owned) one of these cars?

I'm thinking of buying one and would be interested if anyone has any pointers, war stories or other advice. Cheers!

P.S. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, look here: http://www.fiatbarchetta.com/

[FFL]

The only thing that comes to mind for me is a really cool Rush song.

[Maciej]

Rush? the video game? That shit was sweet... *goes to N64*

Fix it again tony.

[atomicbartbeans]

Originally Posted by Maciej Rush? the video game? That shit was sweet... *goes to N64* Fix it again tony.

*hits Maciej upside the head*

Rush is everyone's favorite Canadian progressive-rock trio, FYI.

Red Barchetta performed live

[Maciej]

Oppps... guess its time to go before the Canadians tie me to a post and dribble maple syrup all over me.

[psmith2.0]

Looks a lot like a Mazda Miati. I used to want something small and zippy like that, years ago. But as I've gotten older (and see how most folks "drive"), I'm thinking about some sort of tank.



Or that latest Batmobile from last summer's flick?

I don't know if I could go smaller than my current Saturn 3-door coupe.

And no, I don't want a dreaded *gasp* SUV (or anything truck- or van-like either).

[GSpotter]

A coworker had one. IIRC, he was mostly satisfied. If you want to buy a used one, be careful. I think esp. the older model years had some problems. When I was looking for a small roadster, the not-so-great reliability record of the Barchetta was one of the reasons why I decided to buy a Miata. I first had a '89 model. After an accident, I bought a '99 model (limited edition). I'm still satisfied (Thank god we have less Monster-SUVs here on the roads...)

[Luca]

One point in favor of a Miata, especially for driving enthusiasts, is that it has RWD. The Fiat is FWD. But that'll only make a big difference if you push the car to its limits.

[Mikester]

Thanks for all the (relevant) input! The Miata is called the MX-5 in the UK and is a great car. Unfortunately, it is about twice the price of the Barchetta and so is a little out of my price range for the moment. I've heard that pre-2000 Barchetta have unreliability issues but not so much after that time. Therefore I'm looking for a Barchetta for now and will upgrade to an MX-5 in a year or two.

[Robo]

The Miata was recently renamed the MX-5 in America, too. (It was called the "MX-5 Miata" for a while.)

Stupid, stupid move. Gotta love when a company axes a beloved brand because some insecure idiots think the name sounds too much like a chick car.

Anyway, I'm thinking about buying a Miata. Nothing too fancy, just an old-school, early '90s "fun car" (I'm moving to Vegas this summer).

[Luca]

It's still listed as the "MX-5 Miata" on Mazda's website.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by Luca It's still listed as the "MX-5 Miata" on Mazda's website.

Really? Maybe they decided against the change, then. Me happy.

Ignore my above rant (as if you didn't ignore all my rants).

[Dorian Gray]

The MX-5 (I've no idea why they don't call it Miata in the UK as that's a far better name) is reputedly a really fun car to drive, and it has a big fan-club out there, but I think the Barchetta is a much better looking car. But none of them come close to the Alfa Spider from a couple of years ago (uninspired wheels excepted). (The new 2006 model has a brilliantly executed retro rear, but I'm not so keen on its nose, and the flanks are a tad too complicated for a small car.) The steeply-raked furrow that defines the two hemispheres of the design was a great concept in 1994, although I feel the decision to have it dip sloppily under the Alfa vee on the nose was misguided from the start, so I was glad to see Alfa adopt a new broken furrow design in 2003. I really dig asymmetrical design (in cars, clothes, hairstyles, etc.) and that simple off-centre number plate is a nice touch. As for the deep Alfa vee of recent years: it's frankly erotic.

The Spider is probably way more expensive than an MX-5, but I was very surprised to hear that the MX-5 is dearer than a Barchetta, so maybe I'm wrong on that!

By the way, I would never buy a car based on anecdotal reliability reports. Spending a few quid replacing parts is preferable in my opinion to hating the look of your ultra-reliable car every time you see it in the car park.