At about 14 or 15 I drive my brother’s 124 right, exactly line that one, into our house when I mistook the clutch for the brake!
A kid I knew bought a new X/19. He loathed it, and it spent more time in the shop than on the road. He also discovered the trade-in value was nil.
The X1/9 would actually rust in the showrooms of Chicago.
My boss bought his wife one in the late 70’s, it looked great - for TWO years. Then the rust struck with a vengeance, exceptionally horrible on a white car.
Thought the X/19 was very cool up until I had a chance to buy one for a great price. Asked a friend’s dad about the one he had new a few years previous— he asked if I remembered him driving it very often and why did I suppose he got rid of it? He told me that I should avoid it even if it was $100 and that I’d be better served by buying a new pair of shoes and cutting out a picture of one from a magazine because it would be about the same situation but less aggravating or expensive.
I had to laugh when Fiat bought Chrysler. Apparently, they were going after the same market segment-— those that thought vehicle reliability and quality are unnecessary. My dads best friend owned a Chrysler dealership and they bought shitbox after shitbox from him.
One particular gem was a new, fully-loaded gold 1975 Town & Country wagon. With less than two hundred miles on the odometer, my mom was very unhappy because it was clunking in the back, shuddering, and not very smooth. They put it on lift and wAtched the rear suspension and bent driveshaft drop. Apparently, the leaf springs were no longer (ever?) bolted on and gravity and the shock absorbers were holding things together. Was immediately replaced with a green one that experienced almost perpetual vapor lock for the few months they had it.
Dealer made it right by by swapping them a new 75 Chrysler imperial for it. The Imperial’s hideaway light covers and air conditioning compressor didn’t last through the summer. And then came the Chrysler Cordobas....
2017 Fiat 124 Spider