heya, im thinking about buy an uno for a runaround, ive seen a really cheap one, just wanted to know what sort of things to look out for that are uno specific. its a 1.0 IE START
thanks guys!
thanks guys!
General advice on what to look for?
- Thread starter alainax
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General advice on what to look for?
Erm, rust, rust and more rust!
Generally Unos are tough cars, but can get tatty and also feel flimsy. The main thing to check for is rust. They can go just about everywhere, but worst places are front and rear inner wings/ arches, sills, floor pan and boot floor. These are all structural so will fail the MOT if bad enough. Outer arches and fuel filler panel can rust through, and if bad enough (jagged edges) can fail an MOT.
The other weak point is door bottoms. Most will be going rusty, but it's more unsightly than anything. It's quite common for the door skin to detatch itself from the door frame and flap around! If you find unrusty doors then you are very lucky and should inject lots of Waxoyl into the cavities immediately!
Gear changes can be a bit sloppy and rubbery, but the gearboxes do tend to go on forever. Often they just need new linkage bushes and a change of oil to make them feel better.
Engines are mostly FIRE units, though there are still some 1116/ 1301cc sohc and 903cc ohv engines still knocking around. FIRE units are tough and will normally outlive the car, most of the checks apply as per the Centos so you should be familiar with them. Sohc 1.3's (and mk1 1.1's) are also strong, but you'll won't find the sohc 1.1 in a mk2 unless it's fitted to a Selecta. Mk2 1.1's used the later 1108cc FIRE unit. 903cc ohv engines are ok, but can get tappety and burn oil with age. I don't know that much more about them to be honest.
Carbed Unos can suffer from 'icing' in winter, but this is normally down to the metal pipe from manifold to airbox being missing or the thermostatic flap in the airbox not being set correctly.
Distributor diaphragms often fail causing stalling and rough running. They are cheap and simple to replace.
Electrics can give problems, but that's mostly down to age and corroded connections. This normally affects lights/ indicators more than anything, but the Uno electrical circuit is quite simple (SX and turbo models excluded) so often just needs a clean up and some WD40.
Overall a simple car that if looked after will give you many years of service. They are getting old now, so all the usual age related checks as per any car apply. If the body is good don't worry too much about mechanicals as most parts are easy to get hold of (especially FIRE engines). Saying that, the older sohc engine is getting harder to find spares for now. Interior trim is made of unobtainium, so don't even bother asking a dealer if they can get parts. Seats, switches and door cards can still be found in scrapyards (getting rare now) or from people breaking Unos on the forum/ Ebay/ small ads etc.
Get a nice one and you can't go too far wrong
Generally Unos are tough cars, but can get tatty and also feel flimsy. The main thing to check for is rust. They can go just about everywhere, but worst places are front and rear inner wings/ arches, sills, floor pan and boot floor. These are all structural so will fail the MOT if bad enough. Outer arches and fuel filler panel can rust through, and if bad enough (jagged edges) can fail an MOT.
The other weak point is door bottoms. Most will be going rusty, but it's more unsightly than anything. It's quite common for the door skin to detatch itself from the door frame and flap around! If you find unrusty doors then you are very lucky and should inject lots of Waxoyl into the cavities immediately!
Gear changes can be a bit sloppy and rubbery, but the gearboxes do tend to go on forever. Often they just need new linkage bushes and a change of oil to make them feel better.
Engines are mostly FIRE units, though there are still some 1116/ 1301cc sohc and 903cc ohv engines still knocking around. FIRE units are tough and will normally outlive the car, most of the checks apply as per the Centos so you should be familiar with them. Sohc 1.3's (and mk1 1.1's) are also strong, but you'll won't find the sohc 1.1 in a mk2 unless it's fitted to a Selecta. Mk2 1.1's used the later 1108cc FIRE unit. 903cc ohv engines are ok, but can get tappety and burn oil with age. I don't know that much more about them to be honest.
Carbed Unos can suffer from 'icing' in winter, but this is normally down to the metal pipe from manifold to airbox being missing or the thermostatic flap in the airbox not being set correctly.
Distributor diaphragms often fail causing stalling and rough running. They are cheap and simple to replace.
Electrics can give problems, but that's mostly down to age and corroded connections. This normally affects lights/ indicators more than anything, but the Uno electrical circuit is quite simple (SX and turbo models excluded) so often just needs a clean up and some WD40.
Overall a simple car that if looked after will give you many years of service. They are getting old now, so all the usual age related checks as per any car apply. If the body is good don't worry too much about mechanicals as most parts are easy to get hold of (especially FIRE engines). Saying that, the older sohc engine is getting harder to find spares for now. Interior trim is made of unobtainium, so don't even bother asking a dealer if they can get parts. Seats, switches and door cards can still be found in scrapyards (getting rare now) or from people breaking Unos on the forum/ Ebay/ small ads etc.
Get a nice one and you can't go too far wrong
Hi alainax i must say i love your chinq! probably the best ive seen, as for picking an uno for a runaround 1.0 ie start you won't go far wrong great reliable motors, i think you know all the usual things to look for, proof of history, miliage, any work done, etc etc so i'l advise on corrosion and where they rot, sills inner and outer, floor to sill, rear wheel arches inner and outer, where the rear bumper bolts on to quarter panel, rear strut tops, fuel tank, etc, theres actualy an uno with 20k 1 owner 4 door on ebay at the mo! looks mint Ant!
OP
OP
wow thats top advice!! thanks alot for that!
well it may be too much of a bargain then as there is rust on the arches.
its this one,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FIAT-UNO-1-0-...oryZ9843QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
ps thanks for the comments antsuno2.
well it may be too much of a bargain then as there is rust on the arches.
its this one,
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/FIAT-UNO-1-0-...oryZ9843QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
ps thanks for the comments antsuno2.
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Looks ok Alaina, but needs an MOT. Could be a lot of other things wrong with it.
Have a look at these two:
https://www.fiatforum.com/auction-watch/90606-my-uno-has-twin.html
Oldskool mk1 45S, simple as anything and tough as old boots if you get a good one. This one needs an MOT though.
https://www.fiatforum.com/auction-watch/90604-17k-uno-sale.html
Very, very low mileage mk2 in nice condition (apart from the corner of a front wing and broken indicator). I reckon this one might go for a lot...
Have a look at these two:
https://www.fiatforum.com/auction-watch/90606-my-uno-has-twin.html
Oldskool mk1 45S, simple as anything and tough as old boots if you get a good one. This one needs an MOT though.
https://www.fiatforum.com/auction-watch/90604-17k-uno-sale.html
Very, very low mileage mk2 in nice condition (apart from the corner of a front wing and broken indicator). I reckon this one might go for a lot...
OP
OP
thanks, there a bit far away tho, id spend more on fuel gettin there!
Its not far from me about 20 mins very rare that a car like that comes up for sale, watch how many bids it get they nearly all get around twenty, very popular runabout,
