Help choosing next car. Dino, Stratos or Abarth?

Will be difficult to find a good Stratos for that money, but it is my favorite car to drive bar none. I’ve owned mine for 7 years and I’ll never sell it. I’ve owned Dinos as well fwiw and they are fun but not nearly as exciting.

 

£400k is a good budget. The driving position is not an issue. It’s also not a car you drive once and ace it, which is part of the appeal. It takes some time to master but once you do there’s nothing more rewarding.

 

Dino/

 

stratos is the fun one.....dino is the smart one....the abarth is the less smart or fun one....

 

Don’t buy the Abarth. It is not that exciting to drive by modern standards, the driving position (and seat) is awful and finding body/trim parts is a nightmare.

The Stratos is the best car, although it is the worst in terms of build quality and it requires a lot of respect as it is pretty twitchy (although cars with Gr4 suspension mods feel a lot better). If you buy a bad one God help you as restoration costs are very high. Finding a decent car below 500k EUR is a challenge, I have been looking for 3-4 years. In theory this should be a 400k EUR car, but no one is selling at these numbers and the few cars that are available cheaply are either Jolly Club cars, or have a new scocca/non original engine/history of a big accident (take your pick).

The Dino is a much more common car and arguably less exciting, but it is very well supported with parts and mechanics, it is absolutely gorgeous and if you spend the time to sort out the electrics it can be very reliable. I have owned two and the last one is a keeper. Also when the time comes to sell it there is always a person out there that dreams of owning one.



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I have only had experience with a nice Euro Dino. Beautiful Platinum example that I did enjoy driving. But being a V-12 guy since '76 the little guy just didn't float my boat. There was an engine builder in Sweden (?) that could up the hp to 220. Pull the original out and have a Fiat Dino 2.4 upgraded and more powerful motor installed and the Dino would be perfect.

Sold my Dino before traveling down that road. Bought another V-12....lol.

Good luck with your decision and search. The Stratos is a screamer.

 

I know of a few who have had the Stratos in the past, and as cool as the car was, it quickly ended up being a garage queen or sold. Finding a good Stratos is difficult at best, and even a good one is a moody bugger.

Not sure there's much "screamer" in a Dino, but never the less it would be the car I'd choose.

It is pretty reliable, and all things considered, parts support and maintenance is manageble.

From a parts and maintenance standpoint, the Stratos can be a nightmare, and combine that with a car that needs a lot of care and you have a lot on your hands.

The Fiat. Well, as cool as they are, I suspect that it's more of an old romance and chances are, that you don't feel the sane way once you have the car. Sometimes memories are better than reality.

With a Dino you get into something unknown and exciting, which have a good chance of being a fun experience, so for me the answer is easy.

Good luck.

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The comments that a Stratos is high maintenance is nonsense. I’ve had mine forever many years with zero issues. It’s a Dino engine after all! They are relatively simple cars. They are also not going to bite you if you understand the driving dynamics and don’t push it to the limit. I drive mine more often than any other of my cars because it is so rewarding. You may bore of the Dino after awhile as I did, but that’s just my opinion. 52 is plenty young to enjoy it.

 

Where did you end up?

 

Hadn’t seen this originally but if I were considering these cars I’d probably buy a Lister Bell make Stratos and a nice Dino… this way you can have the Stratos experience without overcommitting financially and get the Ferrari too!

 

Banned for being a BS artist