General I found a Fiat X 1/9 for less than $400, should I buy it?

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General I found a Fiat X 1/9 for less than $400, should I buy it?

Danielnguyenj

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The seller said that it was his uncles and they were going to work on it together but he never found the time. The car "ran when parked" two years ago and ever since its been sitting under a carport.
I figure since they bought an extra parts car for it, at some point they actually did care for this car ImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420471734.554357.jpgImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420471745.733225.jpgImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420471758.599325.jpgImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420471780.423882.jpgImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420471796.400371.jpgImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420471816.772040.jpgImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420471861.031009.jpgImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420471879.372693.jpg

Should I buy it?
 
$400?

That's about £300 the engine and gearbox are worth that if she's a runner.

Depending on how much work the body needs potentially you could multiply your outlay tenfold. ;)

Whether you should I can not answer but I definitely would. :)
 
$400?



That's about £300 the engine and gearbox are worth that if she's a runner.



Depending on how much work the body needs potentially you could multiply your outlay tenfold. ;)



Whether you should I can not answer but I definitely would. :)


Thanks. The seller told me that all it needs to run is maybe a new battery and new fuel. I think I'm going to take a look at it either today or tomorrow
 
I would buy it too!!!

I use mine everyday its not broken and its great! expect 25-30mpg (European spec)

These cars are fantastic to work on for the DIY mechanic. Apart from welding which is a different skill entirely :) Most parts are not too hard to get hold of either.

Although it will only increase in value I would suggest you have a very good look in the spare wheel well behind drivers seat, check the sides of suspension struts in the engine bay carefully, extreme front of nose in the front trunk etc. If these areas are not too bad and the sills and floor are good then you can hardly go wrong.

Before its used as a practical car you should renew expect to renew the clutch slave and possibly the radiator etc. Which can be replaced cheaply with one from a VW Scirocco. Its all guess work really but expect to work on it as things fail if it has not been on the road in a while. remember running is not the same as a reliable X1/9... You wont regret it though!

Now go buy it!



This book is also good if you can find one thats not too pricey:
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1899870512/motorera-20#reader_1899870512"]Fiat X1/9: 1300, 1500 and Abarth Including Performance and Styling Conversions: Phil Ward: 9781899870516: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51V5WBBgWDL.@@AMEPARAM@@51V5WBBgWDL[/ame]
 
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I would buy it too!!!

I use mine everyday its not broken and its great! expect 25-30mpg (European spec)

These cars are fantastic to work on for the DIY mechanic. Apart from welding which is a different skill entirely :) Most parts are not too hard to get hold of either.

Although it will only increase in value I would suggest you have a very good look in the spare wheel well behind drivers seat, check the sides of suspension struts in the engine bay carefully, extreme front of nose in the front trunk etc. If these areas are not too bad and the sills and floor are good then you can hardly go wrong.

Before its used as a practical car you should renew expect to renew the clutch slave and possibly the radiator etc. Which can be replaced cheaply with one from a VW Scirocco. Its all guess work really but expect to work on it as things fail if it has not been on the road in a while.

Now go buy it!


Thank you for all of this information! I'll definitely check those spots when I look at it. From the pictures it looks to be only slightly tainted by rust.
But is it safe to drive? In terms of speed, and rigidity? Aside from the old standards
 
The design of the body shell is very strong as it was conceived to pass strict US tests back in the 70's. However rust is a major issue with any car of this age.

What state are you in? I don't know what kind of vehicle safety tests you have over there? We have yearly safety tests called MOT's in the UK.

so safety... the steel brake lines should be inspected carefully and replaced with copper If necessary. I'd be very suprised if the brakes didn't need some attention/rebuild after its been standing for years anyway. Alloy brake callipers with steel cylinders if I recall.

Suspension shock absorbers might need replacing if you want a spirited drive. One of mine has begun to fail and leak oil.

Fuel lines should be replaced also as they perish and are eaten by modern fuel additives. This is very easy though as you will see the lines are short and easily accessible.

realistically your going to need to service and 'refurbish' the car at the very least to get it on the road. Most people would be thinking about a minor restoration. However once you have the basics like brakes and any rust dealt with you can renew things as you use the car, more of a rolling restoration...

I guess you must work on your cars?

You could spend quite a bit on parts in a short time getting it on the road, as with any old car. From my own experience I'd budget $300 for starters and that's just for parts, not labour.

You will not find a cheaper X though.
 
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The design of the body shell is very strong as it was conceived to pass strict US tests back in the 70's. However rust is a major issue with any car of this age.

What state are you in? I don't know what kind of vehicle safety tests you have over there? We have yearly safety tests called MOT's in the UK.

so safety... the steel brake lines should be inspected carefully and replaced with copper If necessary. I'd be very suprised if the brakes didn't need some attention/rebuild after its been standing for years anyway. Alloy brake callipers with steel cylinders if I recall.

Suspension shock absorbers might need replacing if you want a spirited drive. One of mine has begun to fail and leak oil.

Fuel lines should be replaced also as they perish and are eaten by modern fuel additives. This is very easy though as you will see the lines are short and easily accessible.

realistically your going to need to service and 'refurbish' the car at the very least to get it on the road. Most people would be thinking about a minor restoration. However once you have the basics like brakes and any rust dealt with you can renew things as you use the car, more of a rolling restoration...

I guess you must work on your cars?

You could spend quite a bit on parts in a short time getting it on the road, as with any old car. From my own experience I'd budget $300 for starters and that's just for parts, not labour.

You will not find a cheaper X though.


Thanks for all the info!
I'm currently in Washington state. There should be some sort of guide somewhere for all of the possible fixes you listed right?
 
I would buy it too!!!

I use mine everyday its not broken and its great! expect 25-30mpg (European spec)

These cars are fantastic to work on for the DIY mechanic. Apart from welding which is a different skill entirely :) Most parts are not too hard to get hold of either.

Although it will only increase in value I would suggest you have a very good look in the spare wheel well behind drivers seat, check the sides of suspension struts in the engine bay carefully, extreme front of nose in the front trunk etc. If these areas are not too bad and the sills and floor are good then you can hardly go wrong.

Before its used as a practical car you should renew expect to renew the clutch slave and possibly the radiator etc. Which can be replaced cheaply with one from a VW Scirocco. Its all guess work really but expect to work on it as things fail if it has not been on the road in a while. remember running is not the same as a reliable X1/9... You wont regret it though!

Now go buy it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4YaATieiVU

This book is also good if you can find one thats not too pricey:
Fiat X1/9: 1300, 1500 and Abarth Including Performance and Styling Conversions: Phil Ward: 9781899870516: Amazon.com: [email]Books


Also, are there any other videos like that? Ones that detail the features of the car? I found that one to be delightfully helpful
 
Yeah there is tons of info on the Web. Haynes manual is a must for starters. They are cheap.

Also loads of videos on youtube... Although not much educational stuff like that. There are lots of videos of people doing it all wrong!

The cars are an undervalued and underappreciated masterpiece IMO which will hopefully come to an end when prices start to rise, which they are just starting to. You can't buy them as easily as you once could.

Also check out the bertone website. See what other cars they designed.

http://www.bertone.it/?p=1

Enjoy
 
Update
I went to look at the car and the engine is fairly solid, but the car has been clearly mistreated and is dirty to hell and back. But what can you expect for $350 dollars?
I didn't choose to purchase the car then and there because of the rust issues. The entire windshield area looks like the surface of Mars. The tips of the hood near the hinge fell a part in my hands even though I held it like a flower. No rust under the targa roll bar, seals are a bit corroded for the windshield bits. Floor pan has had rust on it but it has been patched up. The carpet holds water because the owner "pressure washed it" and didn't bother to clear the water..
All in all, if it hadn't been for the rust I would have bought it right then and there. If I bondo'd the rust it might have been up to 2000. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't want it though.
2nd gear refused to accept my will, as natural with these cars. The gas pedal was a bit limp and sagged down, and the clutch was stuck at the bottom of the floor. The doors were rusted through, but it isn't visible from the outside. I looked in the spare wheel compartment, which didn't contain the spare( he told me that it was in the garage) and I found this strange, almost feral looking puff of cotton ImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420603660.568295.jpg

ImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420603676.987705.jpg

Over here in Washington, the sun sets much sooner than one would like to around this time of year, so I couldn't get a good look at the car, and the darkness made the already dirty and grimy interior feel even more uninviting. Some part of me tells me that it could feel like home if it was cleaned up to my standards of self respect. ImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420603755.616471.jpg


ImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420603769.375446.jpg


My uncle checked it out with me and told me that with a minimal amount of work, the car would be up and running again with no problems.
With that being said, the rust was definitely an issue that was beyond my skill level. ImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420603823.590284.jpg


ImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420603839.578883.jpg

ImageUploadedByFIAT Forum1420603854.736118.jpg



What do you all think?
 
...but would be worth $4,000+ when finished. ;)


I'm not so sure anymore.
The clutch was all the way to the floor and I couldn't lift it up with my foot. Also the gas pedal was abnormally low as well and there was only 1-2 inches of give till it hit the floor.
The car doesn't take second and the owner told me that I shouldn't try to start it because of the old fuel but it's making me a little sketched out because of the clutch.

Is it still worth it? I really want it still but I don't want this to flop on me
 
...but would be worth $4,000+ when finished. ;)


I'm also starting to think that I should just buy the green one because it's rust free, and engine and tranny free which could lead to some interesting engine swaps.... All of which will run me above $2000 easily.
There's no easy way out of this
 
Buy both if you can. The green one sounds better and you'll have a lot more than $400 worth of parts. ;)

Use the green one and restore the red one when the green one is finished. Win, win.
 
Even if you buy a really good X1/9 eventually you will find some rust, somewhere.

In the spare wheel compartment you should check behind the sound proofing material as this can disguise holes! That weird stuff could naybe be stuffing from inside the seat??

The clutch might be seized, I have read about various methods of freeing them off. You cant be sure on the gearbox until the clutch is working i guess but the gear syncros are usually weak, parts are available to rebuild the gearbox DIY (£200/$300 in parts+) whilst a rebuilt gearbox in the UK costs approx £700/$1000. Its usually cheapest to try and find an OK second hand box.

I reckon most good x1/9s have iffy syncromesh on at least one gear...

If I was to buy that car, along with dealing with the rust I would fit a new clutch kit, clutch master and slave cylinders. Brake master cylinder and probably rebuild the brakes. This would help improve any chance of reliability :)

Depending on how long the car has been standing the carb will most probably need a rebuild (presuming its not fuel injection). The auto choke will probably not work, most of them don't as I understand. My car was converted to manual choke when I got it.

The doors are renowned for rusting on the X, although we must remember that most 30yr old cars would be rusted if they were still on the road prior to restoration. At least in the US you have access to dry state cars

If you have a friend or relative who is willing to assist and advise then make the most of it. I have learnt so much from working on my X1/9 and although I'm 29 :)cry:) I have had older cars in the past which were in worse condition.

The typical advice is 'buy the best example you can afford'

I found this great blog last night http://www.x19blog.com/?author=1 although unfortunately it has not been updated for a while there is loads of really useful info and photos to demostrate the kind of work you would need to undertake with that $400 car.

Any info on this green car?
 
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