Colorful Convertibles From Colorado: 1973 Fiat 850 vs 1993 Geo Metro

Who’s ready for some open-air fun up in the high country? For your viewing enjoyment today, I have found two tiny convertibles from the Rocky Mountains. They’re both nice bright colors, and in what might be a first here, they’re both just under one liter of displacement.

One of yesterday’s cars had a tiny engine too, but it didn’t do it any good. Uniqueness and a manual gearbox wasn’t nearly enough to pull votes for the Daihatsu Charade. Kermit the Frog’s Ford ZX2 beat it by a country mile. I guess being both cheaper and in better condition made up for its slushbox.

I have to agree. If the prices were equal, and the Charade didn’t need tires right away, I might feel different; I do like small hatchbacks with stickshifts. But I had a regular Escort with an automatic for years, and it was fine. I wouldn’t mind this one with an automatic and more power.

“Welcome To Colorful Colorado,” a large friendly sign announces when you enter the state. And they’re not kidding. Between the wildflowers, the forests, and even the rocks themselves in some places, the big rectangular state is anything but boring. Well, except for the eastern third; that drive down Interstate 76 from Ogallala, Nebraska to Denver gets pretty tedious. Today’s cars add even more variety to the palette, and offer plenty of outward visibility to let you enjoy the sights. Let’s check them out.

1973 Fiat 850 Spider – $3,750

Engine/drivetrain: 903 cc OHV inline-4, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: Denver, CO

Odometer reading: 86,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives, but needs brake work

There’s a fact about project cars that non-car-people don’t know: they’re never finished. Nope, not even that 100-point restored Hemi Cuda gleaming on the auction block. There’s always something to do on an old car. Most of us never get to that flawless Mecum status anyway; we make do with some rust spots and dents, and live with minor mechanical problems for years. That doesn’t make the car any less fun, or the owner any less proud, or having to sell a car before you’re done with it any less difficult. The seller of this little green Fiat has done a lot to it already, but life has gotten in the way, and now it’s time for a new steward to carry on the work.

Fiat revolutionized automobile design with the front-wheel-drive 128, but before that, its small cars were rear-engined and rear-wheel-drive. The 850 range consisted of a two-door sedan, a small van, a fastback coupe, and this two-seat convertible Spider. Looking at all four side-by-side, you’d never guess they shared the same underpinnings; they look completely different. 1973 was the final year of production, and only the Spider was still available. It’s powered by a 903 cc pushrod four-cylinder, mounted longitudinally behind the rear axle. It only makes 47 horsepower, but the Spider weighs 500 pounds less than an NA Mazda Miata, so it doesn’t need much. The seller has gone through the fuel system and tuned it up, and it runs just fine. It also has new tires. However, trailering it home is recommended, because it still needs new brakes.

The interior is a mixed bag; the door panels look nice, but the seats have covers on them, and I imagine they need reupholstering. The dash top is cracked in several places, but a new dash is included – probably bought years ago, just waiting for the time to take it all apart and replace it. It has an aftermarket-looking hard top on it, and comes with the soft top frame, but it sounds like the fabric is MIA. Both seat upholstery kits and top fabric kits are available to fix it up.

Outside, it’s colorful, and has a lot of stripes. As befitting an Italian car, the color scheme echoes the tricolore Italian flag. The stripes and lettering on the doors are confusing; I’m not sure why they’re only on the doors, and don’t carry over onto the fenders. It looks a little strange. The whole thing could use repainting anyway; the green paint is blotchy, like it’s been touched up over the years. And yes, it does have a little rust, but if you’re scared of rust, don’t buy an old Fiat.

1993 Geo Metro LSi Convertible – $3,500

Engine/drivetrain: 993 cc OHC inline-3, five-speed manual, FWD

Location: Lone Tree, CO

Odometer reading: 102,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives well

Of all the great cars of the early 1990s, the one I never expected to still be in demand thirty years later is the Geo Metro. This little Suzuki-built three-cylinder wonder just won’t fade from relevance. I guess it makes sense, in a way: it’s tough, easy to fix, and fun to drive, as long as you aren’t in a hurry. The vast majority of them are hatchbacks, of course, but for a couple of years, this convertible version was available. You lost the back seat and most of the cargo space, but gained a whole lot of headroom.

The Metro’s engine is a study in minimalism: three cylinders, one overhead camshaft, throttle-body fuel injection, and a total lack of pretense. It also has a really distinctive exhaust note that makes it sound more powerful than it is. You could get a Metro with a three-speed automatic, but trust me, you don’t want one. This one has the standard five-speed manual, which is the only sane choice. It just had its head gasket replaced, and a new clutch was installed at the same time, It runs great, according to the seller, but is hard to start sometimes; it sounds to me like the fuel pump might be a little weak.

It has a couple of minor upgrades inside, including a nice wooden shift knob and a steering wheel from a Suzuki Swift GT. It also has the post-facelift dashboard, which is much nicer than the earlier version. It all looks to be in pretty good shape, though there’s no telling what’s lurking under that dash cover.

The minor improvements continue outside, with taillights and wheels from a Swift as well, probably the same one. Upgrading your car with a few bits from a fancier model in the junkyard is a time-honored cheap car tradition. The paint isn’t great, and there are some dents and dings, but it’s rust-free.

With safety regulations the way they are these days, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see small, lightweight convertibles like these for sale again. And I think that’s a shame; I really like them. These both have the potential to be a lot of fun. All you have to do is decide which end you want to carry the engine.