Welcome back! We’re working our way through the alphabet of unusual and sometimes undesirable cars, and we’ve made our way to the letter F. One of today’s choices had Enzo Ferrari’s seal of approval; the other might be the world’s newest automotive orphan. Either way, you’d have to really love them to want them.
On Friday, we looked at an over-the-top boutique brand, and a joint-venture coupe from the heyday of sport compacts. A lot of you worried that the rust on that Eagle Talon is far more advanced than it looks in the photos, a fear I share. I’d imagine that thing has one or two more good winters in it until you’re shopping for a rust-free bodyshell in the desert to swap that drivetrain into. But that didn’t stop the Talon from taking a comfortable win.
I like the Talon, but not for that price. For three grand, sure, it would be fun until the tin-worm kills it. But I think I’d have a lot more fun with the Excalibur. It is absolutely not a car to be taken seriously, and that makes it wonderful. Expensive, yes, but worth it.
Yeah, I know, today’s cars are expensive too. I’ll throw some more cheap ones in as we go along. Today, though, we’re spending a bit more of your fake internet money. They’re both terrible ideas, but they both have good stories to tell. Here we go.
1977 Fiat 128 – $17,995
Engine/drivetrain: 1.1-liter overhead cam inline 4, four-speed manual, FWD
Location: Wilmington, DE
Odometer reading: 24,000 miles
Operational status: I get the feeling it has been sitting for a while
If you know my writing from Opposite Lock, or the old Drivetribe days, you already know about my affection for the Fiat 128. I grew up with one of these boxy little wonders, and I have wanted one of my own ever since. Sadly, they’re rust-prone and can be mechanically fragile if not treated well, so finding a good one now, more than forty years after the last one was sold in America, is not easy. That’s why this super-clean example for sale just two hours north of me caught my eye.
If you’re one of the many car enthusiasts who resent the fact that so many cars are front-wheel-drive, you have this car, and an Italian engineer named Dante Giacosta, to blame. Fiat wasn’t the first to use a transverse engine and FWD – that was BMC with the Mini – but it was the first to place a transverse engine and a separate transaxle side-by-side. Its engine is a short-stroke, high-revving four-cylinder, designed by that master of Italian engines, Aurelio Lampredi. As far as I know, all 128s were four-speed manuals, and geared pretty short – highway cruising is a noisy affair. This one hasn’t seen many highway miles, or many miles at all, for that matter; its odometer sits just shy of 24,000. I think it has been sitting for a while. The seller says the fuel system was just replaced, and it’s sitting in a garage on jackstands, which makes me think they’re in the process of reviving it.
At such low mileage, you’d expect it to be a time capsule, and it is. Fiat built almost three million 128s, and this is probably one of the nicest ones left that isn’t a special version like the Rally or the 3P. It’s a little dirty inside, but everything is intact, and looks like it would clean up well. It comes with service manuals and a bunch of parts to get you started, including the all-important timing belt; it’s a 30,000 mile change interval on these.
More importantly, and absolutely miraculously, it is one hundred percent rust-free. My dad’s 128 had significant rust on it after two Chicago winters. This one, looking like it just rolled off the ship back in the Carter years, is astonishing. It’s a lot of money; this car retailed for $2,998 in 1977, which would be $15,785 today, meaning it’s priced more than new even counting for inflation. But where are you going to find another one in this condition? Believe me when I say that if I had eighteen grand to blow, I would buy this car in a heartbeat, and I don’t care who thinks I’m weird for that.
2023 Fisker Ocean One – $18,995
Motor/drivetrain: Two 349 kw AC electric motors, single-speed gear reduction, AWD
Location: Woodinville, WA
Odometer reading: 13,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
But I get that Italian economy cars from the 1970s aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, so I also wanted to show you something a bit more modern. Fisker is, of course, no more, having gone bankrupt last year, making this Ocean possibly an even riskier proposition than the Fiat. This electric SUV was produced for only two years, by Magna Steyr in Austria, and the availability of future service and repair for it is very much in question.
And that’s a shame, because it’s kind of a neat car. I’ve seen two Oceans locally (three, if you count the Atlantic – sorry, I couldn’t resist), both in this blue, one glossy and one sort of a satin finish. They’re good-looking cars, and decent performers, from what I understand. It has two motors and all-wheel-drive and has a 360 mile range – plenty for pretty much anything except cross-country trips. This one is for sale up near Seattle, and has only 13,000 miles on it.
This is the One model, which is the fancy version. It has power everything, cameras everywhere, and all sorts of driving aids – and a big-ass touchscreen to control it all. That’s not my preferred way of doing things, and I know I’m not the only one, but that’s how this car does it, for better or worse. At least the seats look comfortable.
It’s in good condition, which you would expect for a car so new, but it looks like half the photos in the ad were taken before it was detailed. I’m not sure why the seller would do that, unless they were just in a hurry to get the ad up, and then added more photos later. I think, if you’re looking for a nice electric SUV to drive daily, this probably isn’t the car for you, but if you are an enthusiast who wants to get into something that is going to be a classic simply because of the story behind it, this might be an interesting choice.
So really what we have here are two collector’s items: one historically important economy car of which very few examples survive, and one artifact from a failed startup in the early years of the EV revolution. You wouldn’t want to rely on either one for daily transportation, but they’re both just going to get more rare as time goes on. I already know which one I would choose; how about you?
Insane price for the Fiat, but at least you can get parts for it.
Fiat! The first car I bought with my own money was a ’71 Fiat 128! Great car but it did have some eccentricities. The “cruise control” was actually a throttle lock. You pulled out the knob which was attached directly to the throttld lever on the carb. To disengage, you had to twist the knob to release the lock. Not an action that is exactly easy to remember in an emergency. Hit the brakes you say? Sure, but the engine is still revving along fighting the brakes. Yowser.
I managed to forget to replace the oil fill cap one time. Kinda freaky to see oil start fo come up through the vents on the hood while on the highway like a horror monster creeping out. Luckily the cap was still there.
A “mechanic” managed to nick a shift rod one time which resulted in the transmission locking in second when shifting into reverse. I drove home from college (UC Davis) across the causeway at 25 MPH locked in second, scary ride with lots of big rigs. I had to pull off the highway a couple times to avoid getting squished. After the second time in the shop for that issue, and understanding what was going on, I drilled a hole in the transmission side cover. Unscrew the self-tapping screw there, poke at the shift rod with a rounded off nail to put the shift rod where it belonged. Heaps of fun. I sold it like that and didn’t inform the buyer. Got a call about a week later from the buyer!! Turned out that I needed to sign some paperwork.
/F/I/A/T/ Fix it again Tony, but at least it can actually be fixed… for awhile!
The Fisker can’t even do that
The Fisker would appear to be one software glitch away from permanent immobility. Therefore, I’m going with the wildly overpriced Fiat – at least it will always be fixable, over and over and over again.
The Fiat seems a bit overpriced as already mentioned,but the parts availability and aftermarket support for this is probably,at least here in Europe,better than for a EV nobody really gives a shit about anymore.
That Fiat is massively overpriced. The case could be made that it’s an “appreciating classic”, but it would have to appreciate a hell of a lot more to overcome the ridiculous ask. For that kind of money I’d expect a much nicer presentation than we’re given here, too. I’d still take it over a vehicle that’s so hopelessly screwed that its only value is as a trade-in on a Rivian.
Internet money is worth nothing apparently. $18k for a Feeble Italian Attempt at Transportation! In the real world there’s a ton of cool cars for $18k. Been looking on Trovit. An Avanti or an AMX can be had for that kind of money. And they run!
IMHO the seats in the Fisker look flat and not much side bolster. Look cheap. Like Pinto cheap. Have to be an electrical engineer to work on it as parts may not be available. Gee will the flux capacitor from a Tesla work?..
Not a lot of F cars if you omit Ford. Ferrari, Facel Vega, Frazier Nash, Franklin, and Faraday. Is that Effed up enough for you? Lol
An Avanti! Now there’s a neat car.
If you look on Trovit, there are Studebaker Avantis for 10-15k. Good value for the $ IMHO. With a Paxton Supercharger? Where do I sign?.. lol
Jesus, you aren’t kidding. $10K buys you a lot more fun than I thought!
That Fiat is way too expensive and the Ocean doesn’t even have the 3 spokes. This is a neither kind of day but I’ll vote for the Software Defined Paperweight. It’ll make a fine addition to the Vaporwave Startup Collection.
The Fiat is priced as though the seller doesn’t want to sell it.
“Yes, honey, I put the Fiat up for sale”
This is thinking head, but I have a feeling I know what the cars for Z will be, but I’m very excited to see what you find for it
Seems steep for that Fiat.
Voted Fisker…Drive it for a few years, pray nothing goes wrong, and the salvage value should be high when your done.
Coincidentally F also starts the four letter word you’re going to use A LOT more if you buy either of these.
1977 Fiat 128 – $17,995
Wait! What?
Oh, I see what happened. The seller is a European for whom a comma is the decimal.point.
Yeah I could see someone buying this for $18 bucks. $18 grand though? Not even in the craziness that was 2022 would this thing have been *worth* anywhere near that price.
Let’s think about this logically.
Neither.
Okay, beyond that, if you wanted to blow some cash on a fun car. Do you think the Fisker actually represents fun? It’s basically automotive golf (not the VW kind); a nice walk, ruined. You’ll be waiting for the tow a lot with that thing. And it’s also kinda like trying to use a Blackberry in today’s digital reality.
That’s just no fun at all. It’s as intriguing as a modern washing machine, in that it looks nice, has some interesting engineering and mechanical details, but is completely bricked by the stupidest shit; software and proprietary modules.
So .. no thanks. You can’t even shift it.
It’s the Fiat. First – Giacosa, not Giacosta. Second, neighbor had one of these he’d park at the curb when I was a wee lad. Still remember it. Third, that, my friends, is a proto Yugo. And they built a bazillion. Play the parts swapping game. You can probably get a lot of what you want bolted in as upgrades. Fourth; you can work on the thing, and it’s gonna need it, and it’ll be fun as long as you don’t try to daily. AND…Fifth; if you had to bodywork a less-clean one, you’d blow right thru 20K. It’s not a good investment, but you’ll have a full heart to go with your empty wallet.
I do want to know what the hell that nest of spray foam is in the engine bay shot, tho.
Seems like the Fiat is priced about three times too high but I voted for it since it’s only internet money. However, that lump of spray expanding foam by the firewall does not speak highly of the maintenance in general of that Fiat.
Bit of a PSA for those who might not know it: spray expanding foam is highly flammable/combustible even when fully cured. A few weeks ago my clothes dryer went on the blink and when I was fixing it I decided to seal around the dryer vent on both sides of the wall with spray expanding foam while I had the dryer out. A couple days later, before I’d started a load in the dryer, I double-checked the microscopically tiny print on the can of spray expanding foam and found that it only needs 240 degrees F or 116 degrees C to become a fire hazard; I took a piece of excess foam to a candle and it immediately burst into flames almost even before it came into actual contact with the candle’s flame. Even though my clothes dryer is electric and not gas I went ahead & removed every trace of spray expanding foam just to be prudent, better safe than sorry and all that. Fitted some dryer-specific sealing gaskets to the dryer’s vent so Bob’s your uncle.
Can only hope whoever does acquire the Fiat, at a reasonable price, removes that spray expanding foam tout de suite; it’s bad enough that rust has claimed so many Fiats, we don’t need fire claiming another Fiat.
Fiat all day. It might break, but it will be fixable.
The Fisker has great potential but I voted 128 even though it’s vastly overpriced.
Fisker. Drive it until it dies, then strip it down and sell the parts of it to make your money back.
That’s about 10 minutes.
And a glorious 10 minutes it will be.
That Fiat 128 would be awesome…at about 5K.
I did body work on one many years ago, for someone ( who paid me), I thought these left the factory with rust as a standard offering. Fiat for how clean it is, but Ridiculously over priced. I know if can be kept running for anther 10 years.
My 1974 SL arrived coated in promolene.
Wouldn’t have rusted if I had buried it.
Fragile forsaken Fiat fells fancy financial failure Fiskar
Both are terrible choices and I wouldn’t want either. But that’s not how this game works. I’ll take the Fisker I guess.
Question: does anyone know if the Rivian buyout applies to second owners of Fiskers? Asking for a friend.
Can we add a neither button?
The only Fiat 128 I ever rode in belonged to friend and it had an exhaust leak that was so bad it could’ve been certified as a method of execution for death row felons. You had to travel with the windows down year round and New England winters are not friendly. Driving more than 15 minutes could be headache inducing. I chose the Fisker because if I’m going to die in a car, I’d prefer electrocution to asphyxiation.
Mmmmm… No.