Introduction
Hello Fellow Fiat fans.
I just got myself a 100HP - Finally! I have been looking for at least 3 years, and the last year looked very hard.
They are hard to come by in Denmark, and often fetch too much money. The word is that that just over 30 cars got imported, so as you can imagine, it's not often one comes up for sale.
I got lucky, and spotted an add for a very cheap one almost immediately. It was by far the cheapest one i had seen for sale, and the wording in the add didn't exactly make a good case for the car. It was described as being basically a shed, that needed restoration, and there was no mention of all the repairs that had been done, for example two brand new front calipers, and a new Varta battery. The mileage was lower than advertised, and the MOT ran for 3 months longer
It was owned by an older couple, and their son was selling the car for them. He was very helpful all the way through, and sent a lot of pictures (the add had only 3). Still there were many unknowns, and you just never know until you drive a car do you? As I had to travel 5 hours by bus and ferry, and drive it home again, I had to really want the car badly, but I just didn't. I had planned to go early saturday, but got cold feet, and dropped it. By sunday, the regret set in badly, and to my surprise it wasn't sold yet. So monday after work, and a trip to the dentist, off I went.
I had made a bid over the phone, to knock the price a bit. As i started to inspect the car, i found that all tires were worn completely down, the exhaust was rusted away, the fogs were blind, the left rear light busted, a rear wheel bearing had gone, and so on and so on. This was on top of all the things I knew before hand. I said to the son that I was sorry, but I could not stand by my offer at all, and that I was sorry for wasting his time. I could finish my inspection, and make an offer, if he was interested. He was ok with that, and I ended up making an offer 2/3 of the price i had made over the phone.
Then it was time to meet the parents, and going into the house, it was like stepping into a time capsule. The house was built some time in the 60s I guess, and everything looked to be from that time period. Don't get me wrong, it was very nice to be there, and I really enjoyed their hospitality, but I would never in a million years have guessed they drove a 100hp. I was offered coffee, and sweets, and I started explaining the state of the car, and finally made my offer. After 5 seconds the wife said, "ok, we will do that", and then that was a deal - Sweeet!
After all the car deal stuff was done, we had good chat, and I was offered a meal before the long drive home.
It was just one of those very pleasant experiences, meeting good polite people, and a deal where everybody was satisfied.
I was allowed to take a picture of the family with their 100HP, which I thought would be a nice thing to have, to remember that day.
So with a big smile on my face, I started the long drive home.
I have never bought such a healthy car, that need that much work before. For its relatively high milage it is in very nice condition, and it shall be saved, and be loved half to death just like my other Panda which I still have (https://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/436690-my-new-panda-newbie-saying-hello-denmark.html)
Better to keep Pandas in pairs, so they have each other for company
So to finish this off lengthy post a few observations about it so far:
It's quicker than I thought, and especially 2nd gear is a hoot <3, and it's more economical than I thought, especially on the motorway. I'm also surprised how totally different it feels compared to a 1.2.
I have started making a shopping list, and looking into what parts to get, but I need your opinion and you help with a few parts. Hope you are up for that
Have a nice weekend!
I just got myself a 100HP - Finally! I have been looking for at least 3 years, and the last year looked very hard.
They are hard to come by in Denmark, and often fetch too much money. The word is that that just over 30 cars got imported, so as you can imagine, it's not often one comes up for sale.
I got lucky, and spotted an add for a very cheap one almost immediately. It was by far the cheapest one i had seen for sale, and the wording in the add didn't exactly make a good case for the car. It was described as being basically a shed, that needed restoration, and there was no mention of all the repairs that had been done, for example two brand new front calipers, and a new Varta battery. The mileage was lower than advertised, and the MOT ran for 3 months longer
It was owned by an older couple, and their son was selling the car for them. He was very helpful all the way through, and sent a lot of pictures (the add had only 3). Still there were many unknowns, and you just never know until you drive a car do you? As I had to travel 5 hours by bus and ferry, and drive it home again, I had to really want the car badly, but I just didn't. I had planned to go early saturday, but got cold feet, and dropped it. By sunday, the regret set in badly, and to my surprise it wasn't sold yet. So monday after work, and a trip to the dentist, off I went.
I had made a bid over the phone, to knock the price a bit. As i started to inspect the car, i found that all tires were worn completely down, the exhaust was rusted away, the fogs were blind, the left rear light busted, a rear wheel bearing had gone, and so on and so on. This was on top of all the things I knew before hand. I said to the son that I was sorry, but I could not stand by my offer at all, and that I was sorry for wasting his time. I could finish my inspection, and make an offer, if he was interested. He was ok with that, and I ended up making an offer 2/3 of the price i had made over the phone.
Then it was time to meet the parents, and going into the house, it was like stepping into a time capsule. The house was built some time in the 60s I guess, and everything looked to be from that time period. Don't get me wrong, it was very nice to be there, and I really enjoyed their hospitality, but I would never in a million years have guessed they drove a 100hp. I was offered coffee, and sweets, and I started explaining the state of the car, and finally made my offer. After 5 seconds the wife said, "ok, we will do that", and then that was a deal - Sweeet!
After all the car deal stuff was done, we had good chat, and I was offered a meal before the long drive home.
It was just one of those very pleasant experiences, meeting good polite people, and a deal where everybody was satisfied.
I was allowed to take a picture of the family with their 100HP, which I thought would be a nice thing to have, to remember that day.
So with a big smile on my face, I started the long drive home.
I have never bought such a healthy car, that need that much work before. For its relatively high milage it is in very nice condition, and it shall be saved, and be loved half to death just like my other Panda which I still have (https://www.fiatforum.com/members-motors/436690-my-new-panda-newbie-saying-hello-denmark.html)
Better to keep Pandas in pairs, so they have each other for company
So to finish this off lengthy post a few observations about it so far:
It's quicker than I thought, and especially 2nd gear is a hoot <3, and it's more economical than I thought, especially on the motorway. I'm also surprised how totally different it feels compared to a 1.2.
I have started making a shopping list, and looking into what parts to get, but I need your opinion and you help with a few parts. Hope you are up for that
Have a nice weekend!
