General Need some backgound info... please?

[JetNoise]

I'm looking at buying a Fiat this weekend, and I wanted to know the types of things to look for. Certain problems and trouble areas and the like...
As far as I know, it's a 1976 Fiat 124 Spider.
It has some body rust and other minor body damage. It hasn't been started in years. It's been stored for years in a garage and has had stuff stored on and around it.
Thanks in advance for the info!

 

[GeorgeT]

Look at the front shock towers carefully - if they are rusty, pass on this car. Why hasn't it run for years? Motor rebuild parts are available as well as new short blocks. Brake system would need to be rebuilt, fuel system would need cleaning/replacing. You would be buying a "pig in a poke" so you should pay in the $1000 - $1500 range at most. Figure $2000 - $5000 to put it in top shape and you will have a car worth $4000 - $6000.

 

[JetNoise]

Owner just never ran it. He drove it into the garage and it hasn't moved since. From pictures I have, the shock towers didn't look too bad. The odometer said 6,600, but I'm not sure if it had flipped or not. I live in the Motor City area, so it will probably end up as a cruising car when I'm done with it. Thank you for the info!