Buying a 128 3P

Hi everyone,

Having owned a Fiat 128 3p Berlinetta Sports for my first car when I passed my driving test I want to buy one and restore it. Although mine was bought by a mechanic as a rolling shell for parts, he put a Strada 1500 Twin Carb engine in it (iirc) and it used to go like a bat out of hell, then I bought it from him.

Anyway I want to buy one again and I paid about £300 for mine about 10 years ago, I have seen one exactly the same year and colour for sale and totally standard with 1 owner from new and 32000 miles, but I dont know what the cars are currently worth???
Can anyone help me as I cant find much about prices i think its worth in the region of £300-£1200 depending on the condition (poor-Very good)
Thanks Simon
BTW its on a T plate 78-79 I think

Hi Simon. I think you'll be lucky to find one chap as most of them are scrapyard soil now.

My brother has been on the lookout for a good one for some time (had a yellow 3p about 15 years ago) but when they come up they are usually between £1k-£3k.

There was a couple in Classic Car mag last month I believe and being such a specialist buy they may be in again next month, especially with that sort of asking price.

Hi Simon, I have had 7 or 8 3p's over the years! I sold my 'last' 3p for £1200, and it had been restored 3 years earlier, which included new doors, tailgate etc. It was needing some cosmetic paintwork at the time of sale, but was still in good condition and taxed.tested with 75k on the clock. If the 3p you have seen is genuine 1 owner,32k in excellent order, I think it is worth more than £1200. If you can get it for less than £2000 in aforementioned condition, then personally I think you would be doing well. Only my opinion but at least it is based on ownership/experience of 'em!! They are a cracking car. Good luck.Regards, Chris

Thanks guys for the replies,
I believe that it needs the rust sorting on the doors at the bottom so depends how bad i.e superficial or if they are rotten. Could probably do with a full respray as it looks as though their is rust coming through here and there on the body panels. Also the interior needs retrimming or replacing according to the owner. The only thing that bothers me is trying to get spare panels for it and glass if i needed to.
And yes they are a cracking car! I really wish i'd kept mine when I had it.
Regards
Simon

tbh you may be better off asking the question on FMCGB as there is a 128 3p owner on there who has two very nice examples (he took both to Brooklands on Saturday) and may be able to give you some advice.

http://www.fiatmotorclubgb.com/

I suppose its worth as much or as little as someone wants to pay for it as with most things, although I dont know that many people who know what a 128 3p is or indeed many people that want to own one personally. I want it because I had one for my first car and want restore it.

Hi Simon,

I've had a few 3Ps recently and am just starting a long overdue 3P Berlinetta Special restoration!
The value of these cars is very much based on personal belief - some have been sold for next to nothing whilst others have commanded a much higher price - regardless of their condition - it is all a matter of what someone is asking on the day!
Could you give us any more details of the car for sale? the colour may make it rarer so poss more valuable - there are only 8 Berlinetta Specials on the road in the UK, of which more than half are metallic blue!

cheers,

Mike

Hi Mike I have attached 2 pictures of the 128 for you to comment on,

It also has the lovely deck chair interior LOL as you can see in the pics.
All I know so far is its MOT'D and is a one owner car with 32000 miles on it, I have not been to see it yet as its quite a drive away from me. Thats all I can tell you at present.
Cheers
Simon:thumb

HI Simon,
I spoke to the guy about this car yesterday as it is actually just up the road from my parents' house.............. He's already had an offer of £4k from someone over the phone which i guess means they'll be loathe to pass it on for pennies now. They did also say that if they didn't get a sensible price then they'd gladly hold on to it for a while longer as it is parked in a garage out of the way and not getting used often.

It looks like a nice original car but without seeing it in the flesh it is difficult to put a realistic valuation on the car

Good luck

Here is my 3p restoration thread that i've only just started

http://www.sportingfiatsclub.com/for...sp?FORUM_ID=30


Mike

Good luck with the search Simon. I had a 128 3P when I was young (long ago now) and it was a hoot to drive. Great handling and an engine that thrived on revs - good job too because it was turning at 4000 rpm at 60 mph in top gear. Paintwork was pale metallic blue (and poorly applied) and the clutch cable snapped at around 15,000 miles (it was a flimsy thing more suited to a 200cc motorbike) but hell, I'd love another.

Ha. I used to own a 128 Coupe (the earlier shape) and most of that applied also except that being '73 it pre-dated metallic paint and that lovely Starsky-and-Hutch stripe seen in the picture in this thread.

These cars were not especially expensive or indeed special in their day (being an early platform-sharing exercise) but they are becoming rare classics now. The fact that they were not as desirable as the Spider or the X1/9 (or the bloody MGB for that matter! ) means that few survive. Classic and Sportscar magazine lists the 'top condition' price as 3000 pounds, if I remember correctly. Definitely over 2000 anyway.

-Alex