General Help/advice wanted on buying fiat 124 sports coupe

[mrtn_moller]

G'day from australia. Im new to this forum and also new to the world of fiats but i have fallen in love with my m8s Fiat 124 sports coupe(year unknown but 70's i think). Its a manual with a 1600cc engine thats hardly done 1000 kms since it was rebuilt(10 yrs ago). It needs new seats new window rubbers, some rewiring(but i can handle that), and rust removal and some sheet metal replaced on the flares and doors boot and bonnet :yuck:. It has mags and is pretty much complete with all the parts needed(except seats and window rubbers) inside or in the boot. He wants $200 and says it goes like stink.

Is it a good buy and how much would i have to spend on it to get it painted or chromed? (I was thinking of just chroming the whole body to stand out from the ford/holden/jap import crowd and to make sure it doesnt get missed if i go to any events)

 

[ABZSTILO]

If he's genuinely letting you have the 124 for Aus $200 then it's a genuine bargain Even if, inevitably, it will need work to get roadworthy again.

I have no idea the relative costs of getting a car painted in Oz, but if guessing (and depending on the finish) I'd have thought you should budget for at least Aus $1k for a half competent job.

If you restore it correctly (as in forget the idea of chroming it!) the car has collectors value.
You may have already looked but these sites might interest you and help you 'age' the car and give you an idea of what's possible when you start modifiying it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_124_Coupé
http://www.turbo124.com/

 

[mrtn_moller]

By the looks of the pics on wikipedia its a 1967-1969 ac body except with a BC tacho speedo and 1608cc engine

 

[ABZSTILO]

So you buying it?