Thinking about buying Bravo w. dodgy central locking.. Problem?

[Ove]

Hi all,

I'm thinking about buying a 1996 Bravo 1.4 SX (85000 miles) advertised at £1650. I think its a bit much for the high mileage, so maybe I can push the seller down to £1500.
Does that sound reasonable to you guys here?

Anyway, the seller has told me that there are two problems with the car;
1) The central locking only works properly from the passenger side, although the car can still be unlocked from the driver side.
2)The stereo does not currently play tapes (He doesn't know why) But the radio works perfectly.

I'm not so worried about the tape player, but anyone got some general advice on the central locking thing? Is this something that might be easy to get fixed?
Should I push him further on price?

Other info I can give is that the cambelt and clutch has just been changed (last year) so thats an issue from the bravo-guide that is sorted.

I'm hoping this is going to be my first car (at 28), so I hope you can give me some good news.

Cheers,
Ove

 

[Barakka]

Bear in mind that the 1.4 12v version is not very economical as it was an experimental engine from Fiat which they later dropped in the Mk2 for the 1.2 16v engine from the Punto.

I presume that when you say that the car can still be unlocked from the drivers door that unlocking that door does just that and not the others, but unlocking the passenger door unlocks both. Sounds familiar to a problem I had on my Tipo, it was due to a faulty solenoid in the door lock. However, Fiat being Fiat the door lock was one big sealed unit and cost about £100 for a new one- I presume the same would be true on the Bravo. Also, don't be surprised if you change one lock and it turns out to be a different one that's causing the problem. On the otherhand it could be a loose wire/connector.

Otherwise the price sounds quite good, and the mileage isn't that high my T Reg 1.6 has 77k on the clock and all by me
Personally I would be wary of a Fiat with electrical problems.

Barakka

 

[Ove]

Re: Re: Thinking about buying Bravo w. dodgy central locking.. Problem?

Hmm..

About the fuel economy, yes I have read about that, but I imagine I could live with it.. especially if I get the price of the car knocked down a bit.

On the issue of the central locking, with what you say, I think the faulty locking should at least take another £100 off the price, right?

What would you be afraid of in terms of the electricals? If the doorlock is not working, could that mean that other electricals are going bad??

- Ove
(First time buyer)

 

[Nick]

Re: Re: Re: Thinking about buying Bravo w. dodgy central locking.. Problem?

If you fit the Fiat remote central locking kit, you'll find you'll never put the key in the drivers lock again! Its a simple job, should take about 10 mins and cost about £70 from Fiat if you shop about. There are other suppliers too, look back through the threads here.

When you buy, make sure you get the red key. If no red key you should negotiate a significant discount, but I suspect that seller will not drop by the necessary £800 but will wait for an unsuspecting punter.
But at the end of the day, the car is worth what someone will pay for it. How does it compare to other Bravos that you've looked at? There should be a few around.

 

[Garry]

Remote kit

Nick,

The remote locking kit you refer to for £70 - do you have any more details on it? I have a Marea ELX with central, but remote would be nice.

Any suppliers online?

Cheers

Garry

 

[Barakka]

Re: Remote kit

If the solenoid has gone in the door lock then chances are that a remote locking kit will not unlock the doors at all... either that or it will unlock and then re-lock them in the space of about 3 secs...

 

[Nick]

Re: Re: Remote kit

But the central locking works fine from the passenger door, according to the original post, so the remote system will also work fine.
If it didn't open from the passenger door then I would agree with you.
Better to fix the problem properly, but the remote locking add on is a convenient work around.

 

[david]

Re: Remote kit

basical, you replace the central locking relay with the one in the kit and hey presto, remote central locking. Mention you work in the motor trade somewhere and you should get trade discount. i got my kit for £65 from my local fiat dealership.

 

[Barakka]

Except

the only reason I knew the solenoid had gone in my Tipo was because the remote central locking stopped working, may be different on the Bravo...?

 

[david]

Re: Except

it shouldnt be much different!

 

[Ove]

right..

So, wonder why the seller didn't get it fixed before trying to sell the car...? (what else didn't he bother fixing!??)

I asked him, and he said that it never bothered him, because the way he parked the car at home, the passenger side was closest to his house entrance... ??
Don't make much sense to me, but anyway, he said the problem with the central locking and the tape deck had been there since he bought the car two years ago..
Hmm..

Ove