Danny O'Donnell is the proprietor of Fun Imported Auto and Toys (Get it? F.I.A.T?). He's owned more than 200 Fiats over his lifetime and knows as much about these cars as anybody. "I can assemble a complete car with the parts I've got laying around," he says.

So what's the deal with Fiat's poor reputation for quality? "In 1977, production was quite high," says O'Donnell. "They were shipping cars to America on the outside decks of ships. They'd get exposed to salt air and seawater on the trip. The problem only got worse because the dealers wouldn't wash the undercarriages and let them dry. Instead, they undercoated right over the salt, and the results were disastrous."

I owned both an 850 Spyder and later the 124 Spyder in the 1970's. They were great to drive but the 850 was like a Volkswagen in that it was driven with the accelerator to the floor most of the time [g]. I ended up cracking a piston as a result, and coincidently the 124 had the same failure for the guy who later bought it from me. I never had rust problems but they were only driven in California (and occasionally to Lake Tahoe).

Remember Fiat's slogan in those days? "How does Fiat do it for the price!"

I have to say that Fiat was far from the worst car I owned. I bought the Jaguar XJ12 the first year it was produced. Everything failed but the engine [g], the transmission three times!