Even though 2020 is coming to a close it seems like social distancing will be the norm in 2021. I can think of no better way to enjoy the outdoors, away from other people than some top-down motoring. Fiat just announced that the 124 Spider will be discontinued for America, and that means deals!
When Fiat announced that it would co-build a convertible based on the Miata, we were excited to get what could have been the best of both worlds, Japanese build quality combined with Italian performance. The resulting 124 Spider was certainly a fun car, especially in Abarth trim. Some of us even thought it was better than the Miata. However, the model never really found traction within the dwindling convertible market.
As expected with any outgoing car there are some serious deals to be had, but the amount of savings available depends heavily on where you live. A quick search on Autotrader reveals over 500 brand new 124 Spiders still on dealer lots, some of them can be potentially had in the low $20,000 range.
If the standard Spider doesn’t offer enough bite, the Abarth can still be had at reasonable prices with some stores advertising upwards of $10,000 off the MSRP.
Of course, there is always a catch, you will notice that most of the more aggressive discounts are in the Southwest region. I spoke with a Fiat dealer in Texas who told me that FCA has offered the best rebates for customers in this region. So if you are in Boston and hoping to score a deal on a Spider from Austin, those big rebates would not apply.
But, you can score an even better deal regardless of where you live, because the 124 Spider used market has even better numbers. There are several Spiders between $15,000 and $18,000 with reasonable miles.
It may not be “convertible weather” in most areas of the country, but at these prices, I wouldn’t let a little cold stop you from zooming around with the top down.