>>So ...they were crappy cars?<<
Yeah — looked great, a lot of fun, but after less than 2 years I started having significant problems: clutch, brakes, electricals, pretty much all systems. And for some reason they were never QUITE covered under the “extended warranty” I paid for.
Well it was that “looked great” thing for me (I was 16) lol. It’s a good thing my dad was a firm no then, sounds like Fiat was crap quality overall. I ended up with a VW Super Beetle which was a great car. Back then (mid-70’s) gas was .50 a gallon and I could put around $3.00 in it and go a week. The good old days.