Finally got my first Bravo!! (help)

[Lee]

Hi good people.
After 5 years of failed driving test and hours spent drooling over pictures of modified Bravos -Ive finaly passed my test and bought my first Bravo.

2000 X reg 1.2 80 sx - 60 miles on the clock, Red and a little minter. Got it for £1350, have searched for months and nothing else came close in price or quality.
For all you hardened Bravo owners out there, any advive were to start with her?
For this year i'm just thinking subtle touches -maybe Alfa handle change over, spoiler, new lowering springs??
Any advice on which spoiler is easiest to fit and where i can get it??
As always i apprecaite everyones advice and hope you think back to that very first period when you embarked on this magical journey.
Thanks
Lee

 

[Anonymous]

looks tidy, look after it! welcome to Boo, assuming your new!

stephend

 

[Sabre 23]

Any advice?

Do what I've done.






LEAVE HER ALONE, SHE'S BEAUTIFUL!!!!



Mark.
Council estate lad.
And proud of it!
A battle of wits with the unarmed is no fun!

Member of the Guild of Experienced Motorists. Lapsed.

 

[Carroll]

Here, Here to that - there are too many b*ggered-up Bravos around and more will surely follow as they get older and cheaper.

Yours will stand-out in a good way if it's kept looking standard but smart and you're much less likely to ever get 'pulled' by plod.

If you want to improve/spend some money on it, give it/buy it a thorough service...

 

[Von]

I third that emotion! The 'Mods' on my HGT are bonnet lifters, marea handles and a different air filter. That's it, no more. Would like a leather interior perhaps, but apart from that she looks as she was supposed to. Leave such a nice one as it is, looks really tidy. Enjoy.

 

[marko]

You sound determined to make changes so I suggest you make ones that will at least maintain value and interest rather than reduce.
Consider:
- Marea Polyeliptical headlights from ELX/HLX models.
- Replace original stereo with amplified HU and good quality component installation
- Regular care of the Red paint with good quality products - red is V.poor in terms of perishing.

All of these have a guide of some sort on here and will not affect your insurance premium.
Oh and welcome.

 

[Lee]

Marea headlights

Any idea of the best place to get the marea head lights mentioned in this thread??
Thanks

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome abord my friend, if you are anythign like me once you have something you want to make it better! you will get the bug, the difference is that you need to know when to stop, i like the look of the bravo and if i could on mine i would do very suttle (spelling!!) things to it, like Speaker upgrade, springs, wheels and tyres, on the 1.2 there is not a lot of point onf fiddling with the engine as you can plough a lot of money in to it but newt wrong with sticking an air filter on there to make it suck a little harder, as for body i would say keep it simple, completely agree withthe points made about the paint, red can be a nightmare.

Keep an eye out for a MArea centre console as they are a godsend!

Be careful when fitting the new handles and make sure you put new plastic bungs in otherwise the old ones will wear out and fall into the door meaning you cannot use your lockls!! happened to me and it was a real pain in the ass!

If you need any help we are all pretty friendly on here.

As for the lights check out any scrap years, tyhe marea is a pretty common breakers car, i wonder why??

 

[Will]

Marea headlights are a deffinate upgrade, lowering springs would be good, but you would only want around 20mm or so (barely noticeable)
And what the hell is wrong with marea's!!!

 

[Mike]

If it was aimed at me dude there nothing wrong with mareas, i just find it wierd that every scrap yard i go to they alwasy have a marea sat in the corner people are scrouging parts from, I have pinched stuff from a Marea for my own car.

 

[Will]

haha naw i know, everywhere seems to be breaking them! unsure why, you can get marea's cheaper than a bravo now! Its a shame, cause they are smashing cars!

 

[Insomnia]

Congrats on your purchase. I remember when I got my first Brava some 7+ years ago. The excitement is fantastic and the journey in front of you will be paved with joy and disbelief It's all good!

Spoiler wise you have 2 'original' options. Either opt for a HLX/HGT spoiler or an Abarth spoiler.

The latter is considerably larger but in my opinion easier to fit - just glue. The HLX/HGT one usually is bolted through the back window (which on a standard HLX/HGT the holes are already there). This would require either a new window or new bootlid (in same colour naturally). Some people have claimed to glued the spoiler on - I personally wouldn't due to the lack of area making contact with the boot.

Hope that helps and as I say, congrats on your purchase You're in the best possible place for advice and assistance!

Longest Serving BOO Member

Stilo (3dr): Mar 06 1.4 16V Active Sport / 28,500 miles
Coupe: Feb 97 20V N/A / 136,000 miles

 

[Shaun Cook]

welcome over

have a good look round and remember..no question is a stupid question...


hope to see u at some shows.

She's a monster soon to be revealed

If they didnt want it stripping they shouldnt have used nuts and bolts

 

[sam]

welcome to the forum!
leave it as it is, its rare to find a standard one. if you waant to mod, suttle mods are ok, like alfa handles, hgt skirts ect

or you can put a ironing board on the back of it, its really your choice!

 

[rascal]

if your looking for a spoiler I'm selling a boot which has been smothed (de locked and de handled ) and its got a tinted window plus a genuine fiat abarth spoiler fitted. Look down the forum and you'll see my thread if interested!

 

[james]

sorry to go a little off topic!!

"Be careful when fitting the new handles and make sure you put new plastic bungs in otherwise the old ones will wear out and fall into the door meaning you cannot use your lockls!! happened to me and it was a real pain in the ass!"

by "plastic bungs", do you mean the little white pastic things the rods connect to? my passenger side lock doesn't work, handle opens the door no problem, but, i can't lock or unlock it, only from the drivers side!!!

is it possible to get replacements? where from?
many thanks
james

 

[Will]

I had exactly the same problem with the locks as you have, one of the white clips had broken and the rod that operates the lock barrel was always falling out, this kept jamming the door, in the end i took it out and can only lock/unlock the drivers side, but who really unlocks a car from the passenger side anyway ?

 

[james]

"who really unlocks a car from the passenger side anyway"

that was my first thought exactly!but, sure enough, i've gone to open it from the passenger door, and been cruely reminded!!!its just so annoying!! i've got to repaint them anyway as the clear coat has got a green tint to it and it looks god awful, so if it is possible to get replacement plastic thingys i'll wait til then

james

 

[Rob]

my cars C/locking is broken, and it only works from the passenger side... so i get that painful reminder from the drivers side every day!

 

[Mike]

Yep all the problems are down to the small plastic bits faling off, i dont use my passenger door but as soon as it brke it really pissed me off, plus if my drivers ock fails for any reason (i.e winter freezing -and it has done) i have had to get in to the car through the boot because my passenger door failed to open!

Definately worth getting new plastic bits, i asked on here and got a few of steve, i am sure fiat will do them but i would have no idea on price etc.

Good luck with them!!