Engine
The 1.4 16v 100ps F.I.R.E unit has been around in various guises for decades and is quite robust. However, it is worth completing some rudimentary checks for blue smoke on cold start up. Have an assistant hold a piece of tissue over the exhaust then start from cold, there shouldn’t be any oily residue on the tissue after and certainly not huge plumes of blue smoke. Also on cold start listen for a rattly valve gear, especially on higher mile cars.
Check the engine oil condition it should be a nice honey colour not black and there definitely shouldn’t be any mayonnaise under the oil filler cap, indicating a failed head gasket.
Check the belt has been changed, Fiat recommend this is done every 5 years irrespective of mileage, if it’s not been done budget about £200. The seller might try to play this down but believe me the 100hp is a car that loves to rev, the limiter is set to 6,500 and you definitely don’t want a belt snapping as that will set you back about £1000 for a half engine rebuild (I speak from painful experience).
