I've been writing this blog every day for 2 1/2 years. This is the first nice Fiat Strada I have seen for sale.
I've wanted to write about one because in the early 1980s I briefly dated a girl who owned a Strada. (Looking back, I think I dated her because she owned a Strada. I figured that any woman who was cool enough / brave enough to use a Strada as daily transportation had to be fun, right? Crazy was more like it...) We took it on a number of trips and it was fun to drive. A few years after we stopped dating she called me and said she was buying a new car. She offered to sell the Strada to me. I came really close to buying it, but wound up buying an Audi Fox station wagon instead. I still don't know if I made the right decision. The Audi was practical and dependable, but the Fiat would have been more fun (and cooler looking).
The Strada was the last sedan Fiat sold in the US. It came with a 1.5 liter engine that, while no rocket, could be entertaining if you kept the revs up. The handling was decent and the ride very good for a small car.
The exterior was what set the Strada apart. The hood sloped down to meet the grille and the Strada had a pair of round headlights that were recessed into the grille and hood. The coolest touch was the door handles, which were also round.Unfortunately, the Strada had a lot of Fiat's typical problems; poor electrical systems, mechanical problems and, of course, rust. Lots of rust.
This Strada is in amazing shape. It has been restored, or at least refurbished. It's recently had its head and 5 speed transmission rebuilt. It's recently been painted. The seller points out that it was once a Jalopnik "Down On The Street" car. You can see the article - and plenty of pictures of the car - here.
Located in Alameda, CA, click here to see the Craigslist ad.