Good morning, Autopians, and happy Thanksgiving! Before you eat yourselves into a food coma, I thought you might like to ease your way into the day by checking out a couple of old cars with me. Today we have one car I know very well, because there’s one in my garage, and one that I wish I knew better, because I’ve always admired them.

First, though, let’s get the final tally from yesterday’s Toyotas. From the sounds of it, most of you agreed with me that there wasn’t really a bad choice here. The Geo took the most votes, but I don’t think many of those were against that Tercel, really. I mean, just look at it; how can you not love a cute little car like that? It’d be like voting against a puppy.

The Prizm is probably the better bet, unless you’re just looking for a toy, though. It’s still just “old” and not yet “classic,” and parts are easier to get. But as for me, given these two choices, I gotta go with the Tercel, for the simple reason that I’ve already had a Corolla the same age as that Geo, so why not try something new?

Now then: I’ve got a lot to be thankful for, really: a beautiful, clever, kind wife who puts up with my terminal grouchiness and my weird little hobbies; a decent day job that pays the bills; a sweet side-hustle working for a really kick-ass website; a lot of cool toys; and some great friends, most of whom I don’t get to see often enough, but that’s all right. And I’m also thankful for my dad’s weird taste in cars, which rubbed off on me and has led me down some unlikely automotive paths in the past. MG and Fiat are like old friends to me because of that. I have one, but I’ve never had a chance to own the other. Not yet, anyway. Let’s see which path you’re willing to take with me.

Engine/drivetrain: 1.8 liter overhead valve inline 4, four-speed manual, RWD

Location: Kingston, WA

Odometer reading: 120,000 miles

Runs/drives? Yep

Confession time: I don’t actually like MGB roadsters all that much. If I were going to get a little British roadster, I’d much rather have an MGA or a Triumph TR6. But raise the windshield top, add that lovely Pininfarina-designed roofline, subtly tweak the shape of the front fenders, and something magical happens. One hundred and twenty-five thousand two hundred and eighty-two MGB GTs were built – less than a quarter of the total MGB prodction – and I wanted one ever since I was eight years old. Now I have one, and you can, too.

Under the long bonnet is BMC’s B-series four, a long-stroke powerplant that was never really meant for sports car duty. In the MGB, it displaces 1,798 cubic centimeters and is fed by a pair of SU carburetors. It puts out 95 horsepower to a simple solid axle on leaf springs through a four-speed manual gearbox. Some of these were fitted with an electric overdrive unit that operates in third and fourth gears; I have no idea whether this car has one or not.

This one runs and drives fine, the seller says, but “needs some tuning.” That’s easy enough; SU carbs are a lot more user-friendly than people give them credit for. The mechanical side of these cars is easy, and so, frankly, is the electrical side. The trouble here is that old automotive nemesis: rust. It has attacked this car’s rocker panels and floors, according to the seller, and there’s some sheetmetal replacement to be done. I wouldn’t worry about structural damage; MGBs are stout structures, especially the GTs. And patch panels are readily available.

One thing I would caution about on this car is the wire wheels. They look great, but they’re a pain in the ass to deal with. They require tubes for the tires, for one thing, as well as occasional truing and spoke-tightening. You can’t just have Les Schwab slap some new tires on this one, like I did with my nice simple Rostyle steel wheels; you’ll have to find someone who knows how to deal with the wire wheels, And such specialists are getting rarer all the time.

Engine/drivetrain: 2.0 liter dual overhead cam inline 4, three-speed automatic, RWD

Location: Bremerton, WA

Odometer reading: 54,000 miles

Runs/drives? Indeed

Here we have a car barely known in the US, but famous in Europe and elsewhere. The Fiat 131 was the successor to the famous 124 sedan, which of course lived on in license-built form as the Lada 2101 and its successors. The 131 was sold in the US as the Brava, Fiat’s top-of-the-line model, above the front-wheel-drive 128 and later Strada (Ritmo in Europe). It’s powered by the two-liter twincam “Lampredi” four, and sadly, in this case, a three-speed automatic. But this car has enough of a following that finding the parts for a manual swap shouldn’t be too hard.

Or I suppose you could leave well enough alone and just drive it as-is. It does run and drive well, according to the seller. This is not known as a reliable car; Bravas were routinely panned for mechanical failures and build quality problems. But if you want reliable, buy that Tercel from yesterday. This is a bona-fide Italian legend, a car with rally racing pedigree. It is capable of amazing things. It just breaks a lot in the hands of American owners, apparently.

Sadly, rust has begun to have its way with this one as well, mainly in the rear wheel arches and the back edge of the trunk lid. There is absolutely nothing anyone could have done about this at any point in this car’s history; Fiats of this era just rust. In saltier parts of the country, these poor cars didn’t make it past the Reagan administration.

I would still love to own an Italian car someday, and a Fiat Brava would be a fine choice. Of course, a two-door with a manual would be more fun, but this would be acceptable as well. It’s not worth fixing the rust on this one; just keep it as clean as you can for as long as you can, and enjoy it.

That’s all I’ve got for you; go forth, and enjoy your feast and football. Tomorrow, I’ve got something special in store, but you’ll have to check back in to find out what it is. Don’t forget to vote for your favorite, and have a happy Thanksgiving!

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)