General Using 1988 Fiat Uno 45s daily...

[happypaul]

Using 1988 Fiat Uno 45s daily...

Evening, as you will have probably seen, I am interested in swapping the engine in the 45s mk1 uno...

But on a money saving note.....

I currently drive a 1800 zetec mondeo, which isnt too bad on fuel.. around 480-490 miles to 60ltr or just below..

But as the Uno will be mine again very shortly, I was tempted to stick the mondeo in the garage come tax time, the Uno is cheaper to tax and insure by miles!

Now what are the running costs petrol wise?

I will be looking at doing around 350-400 miles a week!

So will running an uno like this be worth it? And also, comfort wise... I dont want to hate driving! My mondeo is very comfy..

Uno has only done 60k and recently had new water pump and timing belt

 

[irish uno]

How you doing mate. I am driving a 1990 uno 45 with the 999cc engine.Now you wont break any landspeed records but as far as going in and out to work everyday its great.I need to get my carb tuned a little cause she is runing a little lean but i am still getting 38mpg average which ant bad for a 20 year old car with a 4 speed gearbox on the motorway.The best i got out of a tank of petrol one time was 315 miles but on average it is around 300 miles for a tank of juice.We have a mondeo aswell which is comortable but the uno is more fun especially on the backroads here in ireland.Either way you wont be disapointed with an uno and there a peace of **** to work on and i am not a mechanic.
Have fun in you uno.

 

[happypaul]

Cheers for the reply

What is the tank size on them??

Mondeo is 60 and ive been doing around 38-40mpg depending on the driving style and roads used.

Still unsure on wether I should run the Uno tho, doing a 130 mile run on the A1 twice a week might be abit painful lol

But if I do use it as a daily it will be getting the following:

Oil, Filter, Plugs, Leads
Speedo Cable
Blacken bumpers with heat gun
Lowering springs
Tidy passenger door, was bent in a break in


Just keep it generally tidy, as Im impressed with how well its lasted for its age!

 

[Chas Uno]

No reason why you can't run a 1 litre Uno as a daily driver - I did for 10's of thousands of miles

As Irish Uno says, you won't break any land speed records but speed and power aren't everything. The little engined Uno is FUN to drive! As you have an 'S' model you'll have the 5 speed gearbox which really makes a difference on the motorway and with economy. The 45S will easily cruise at 70mph and can maintain 80mph quite happily. It can get a bit noisier above that speed though and hills will knock a bit off the top speed. Saying that, for a 1 litre it is surprisingly able to hold its speed even in 5th gear.

Economy can be good, I once managed nearly 400 miles to a tank whilst trying very hard to drive with economy in mind (keeping the econometer in the green zone and speeds around 60mph on the motorway). Otherwise expect 350'ish for motorway driving and just over 300 round town depending on driving style and weather conditions. I can't remember the tank size and can't access any manuals as I'm away from home at present.

It won't be as quiet as a Mondeo nor as comfortable (especially with lowering springs) so bear this in mind if you are to run this as a daily driver. But overall running costs will be cheaper plus you can drive a 'classic' car every day. And as mentioned above, a small engined Uno is fun to drive

 

[alexGS]

And, the Uno is easier to park.

I think salty roads are the real problem, and why there aren't so many Unos left. So if you're in the North of England, perhaps it's less Uno-friendly than the South.

Anyway, that seems like a lot of miles, so perhaps you need both cars - one as a backup

-Alex

 

[Ucof]

I've got the 999cc version, with the 32 litre fuel tank, and my average MPG is 45.2 (haven't updated my signature).

 

[irish uno]

I managed to get 33 litres in my tank one time and she was on the orange light a couple of hour's. I only once ran out of fuel and i just pulled up outside the house and hadnt even got enough to reverse into driveway. I dont make a habbit of runing out of fuel or runing thet low on fuel i was just lazy that night. Had to walk down the garage with me jerry can later that night.

 

[biggaitch]

Paul, biggaitch calling...I have 2 45s's and sometimes do 1000 miles a week. towed a 1 ton car recently on a 4 wheel trailer 600 miles and still got 45 mpg..normal running, 70 to 80 miles an hour, 55 to 60 mpg secret is steady throttle openings, letting the car do what speed it feels. the real trick is huge wheels, 185/60 14's not everyone agrees, reconned engine 25000 miles ago, and keeping well maintained. Tailwind definitely helps, but the big wheels make a 6 speed box..

 

[barefoot]

... the real trick is huge wheels, 185/60 14's ...

I don't understand,
surely 185/60X14 is the same diameter as
175/70X13 or 155X13
just wider & consequently higher rolling resistance?

if you think you've got a 6th gear,

please explain.

 

[happypaul]

Many thanks for the replies

Well as the mother is still using the Uno, I am having to tax and insure the Mondeo at the end of the week (boooooo! )
Hopefully the other car is sorted within next couple of months for her to drive, then I shall shove the Uno in my garage for some tinkering..... 6 months down the line from now I'll drag it out for Summer and get some cheap use out of it!

I am in desperate need of a Passenger Door (ours is a little bent), and most importantly a Speedo cable for it! as its just snapped!

Also, the gearbox is making some interesting noises, sounds as if its a straight cut box... any ideas? (I fitted a new clutch 6 months ago)

 

[lewey]

Noisy gearbox = probably needs more oil.

 

[happypaul]

I'll have a looksie and top it up if needed

Now on the lookout for the door and speedo cable

 

[biggaitch]

I don't understand,
surely 185/60X14 is the same diameter as
175/70X13 or 155X13
just wider & consequently higher rolling resistance?

if you think you've got a 6th gear,

please explain.

ok barefoot, these wheels are much wider than standard agreed, it means you don't slow down for corners and roundabouts! but the rolling diameter is 6% longer than the original 155's so you gain 6% roadspeed at same engine revs..something like an extra overdrive...it works..the tyres can touch the plastic inner wheelarches on a full lock parking, but having turbo springs and shockers on the front now has helped.

 

[unostar]

Use a 1989 Mk1 45s everyday for a 52 mile round trip. Been doing this for 7 years and it has broken down once (snapped cambelt due to waterpump seizure). No damage done and was back on the road next day! Cheap to run at 50mpg at 60mph. Parts are cheap aswell. Go for it.