Hello! Talk me into a spider please

[hodgepodgegarage]

I have my eye on a '76 Spider 124 for $4,500 that runs and drives well, but it has droopy-door syndrome, and somebody tried to polish the original paint but only succeeded in making it a rough, matte finish.

I could deal with all that, but then I started reading about the typical cracked front crossmember issue and got scared about the car in general. I'm handy, but not a "pull the whole engine out" handy. To be clear, I don't know if the crossmember has issues yet, but it seems common for this age.

Are my fears justified or should I dive in!?

[otter]

I can’t talk you into or out of this particular car, but Spiders are fun to drive, not very expensive, have lots of parts support, parts aren’t very expensive, and they’re easy to work on.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I'd have the car looked over by a mechanic, or even a friend that is knowledgeable about cars. $4500 seems a bit on the high side from what you describe, but not totally out of line. Some things to look for that can be deal-breakers:

1. Cracked crossmember, or stripped lower A-Arm bolts to that crossmember. It happens, but it's not terribly common.

2. Rust in the shock towers for the front suspension. Hard to fix if significant.

3. Rust in the underbody in general. Fixable, yes, but at a cost.

4. The "droopy door" is a sign of a broken weld/metal inside the door where the hinge attaches. Usually upper. Again, fixable, but it requires taking the door off, cutting it open, fixing the issue, welding it back together and then painting.

Electrical and drivetrain stuff can all be fixed, but general "red flags" are a body that isn't structurally sound.

-Bryan

[hodgepodgegarage]

Appreciate the replies. I'm going to go take a look again now that I know a bit more of what to look for. From what I saw the first time, there really wasn't any rust on it which is what kept me interested in this one. The cross member thing worries me so I'll do my best to look at those bolts.