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I had a 76 124 spider...
and friggin loved it!
The cars take a bit of work, but if well cared for will give you lots of driving pleasure. The one you're looking at is a 2 liter FI motor. It's not fast but it's nimble. There is a company called International Auto Parts that does on-line sales of lots of parts for this car.
Look for rust at the base of the doors (mostly near the front is where it starts). Also look at the undercarraige and the biggest problem is if the front upper A-arm is loose it's a royal pain to fix (parts are available for the shock tower repalcement, but it's a lot of labor if the metal is shot.)
Good parts of the car:
Dual A-arm front suspension.
Al caliper 4 wheel disc brakes. (rotors are CHEAP)
Centrally mounted rear battery (For weight distribution).
Pan-hard bar to help with the solid rear axle.
I almost cried when I loaded up mine on a flat bed to give to my mechanic (it had bad rust, and in four years of sitting some rats had nested on top of the engine and eaten all the wiring and hoses). I'm planning to get one for my daughter when she's old enough (she's only 4 now).
It's a great driving experience, and you can't get Pinninfarina lines for any less money. A beautiful car that will be very fun to own and drive.
Find a good mechanic if you don't work on your own cars. Not because it's trouble prone, but if you need to get a tranny rebuilt or something major (after all, it is almost 30 years old) you want someone who knows what they are doing.
There was an article in the NY times June 28th that talked about owning old Fiats.
Go for it!
Matt
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