Thinking of buying Abarth 124 spider

[Rob 131 Sport]

Zstar said:

Just to revisit this thread as I have started looking at the Abarth 124 (manual). My original plan was to buy a 996/997 as a weekend toy, but I am too afraid of the running costs and a big bill which I can't explain to the wife when the car is doing 2-3k miles a year. 165 road tax plus 300 insurance and cheap servicing is an easier sell.

Knowing that I can pop my son (3) in the passenger seat for school runs is a bonus, and I feel that the 124 will give me a lot of the same enjoyment that I used to get from my Elise 111s but with some more comfort and practicality (mainly Isofix if I am honest), and much lower cost of ownership.

2 questions though:

- How much is a waxoil treatment?
- Would keeping the car in a car port be ok? I don't have a full garage but do have a roof and both sides would be protected from rain. It's off road so I am not worried about vandals, but mainly rain and snow, and some afternoon sun

Bonus question:
- Prices seem high for a 3-5 year old low volume Italian (Japanese) roadster - are they likely to fall if cost of living increases as these will be second cars for many?

If your son is Three years old then why haven’t you joined the Slow Bad Handling MPV Generation Such a vehicle could be bought on one of those schemes where you never own it However after 3 years you can update to the latest version of Automotive Misery

[Zstar]

Rob 131 Sport said:

If your son is Three years old then why haven’t you joined the Slow Bad Handling MPV Generation Such a vehicle could be bought on one of those schemes where you never own it However after 3 years you can update to the latest version of Automotive Misery

My wife made me buy a Countryman Cooper S (I paid cash though). So I need a weekend release, and something cool that I can take my son to Brooklands/Goodwood in!

[karl c]

I’ve looked into the cost of waxoil as this is something I’m intending doing to mine, you can get it done for around £350 although the mx5 restorer who are based Down near Eastbourne charge £540 and take 3 days to do a really comprehensive job.
I would only keep any nice car garaged, I have a mate that’s put doors and a back on his car port and practically turned it into a garage for his vw camper, food for thought.

[Zstar]

karl c said:

I’ve looked into the cost of waxoil as this is something I’m intending doing to mine, you can get it done for around £350 although the mx5 restorer who are based Down near Eastbourne charge £540 and take 3 days to do a really comprehensive job.
I would only keep any nice car garaged, I have a mate that’s put doors and a back on his car port and practically turned it into a garage for his vw camper, food for thought.

£3-500 seems reasonable. Is it easy to check for corrosion without having the car up on a stand?

The carport is not really part of the property and is joined to other houses' car ports so no choice to enclose it sadly - I've only had garages since I first owned cars 20 odd ago, having always lived in flats, so I have no experience of keeping a car outside. My assumption is that as long as it's dry and not getting peppered with bird poo then it should be ok. And I don't want to be controversial, but I don't see a 124 like I would an Aston or Ferrari where I would see the lack of garage as a deal breaker. In fact one of the things that appeals vs something like a Pork is that it is relatively affordable and new, yet still has a good level of driving fun (and is easy to tune)

[Trevor555]

If you're prepared to be patient there are cars out there that are not too bad underneath., I've had two.

Many were bought on cheap lease deals, and probably used mostly as daily drivers, through the winter.

I also read that the later registered ones sat at a dock some where, as all of the UK bound ones were built in 2016, and early 2017.

If I was buying one now to keep, I'd be looking at 2016/2017 cars, and wait patiently for a summer use only car to come up. Could be a long wait though.

Failing that a decent rub down underneath, and waxoil, would be second best choice.

Great cars, I've owned two, and would probably not resist another if a tidy one came up near me.

[Zstar]

Trevor555 said:

If you're prepared to be patient there are cars out there that are not too bad underneath., I've had two.

Many were bought on cheap lease deals, and probably used mostly as daily drivers, through the winter.

I also read that the later registered ones sat at a dock some where, as all of the UK bound ones were built in 2016, and early 2017.

If I was buying one now to keep, I'd be looking at 2016/2017 cars, and wait patiently for a summer use only car to come up. Could be a long wait though.

Failing that a decent rub down underneath, and waxoil, would be second best choice.

Great cars, I've owned two, and would probably not resist another if a tidy one came up near me.

I don't mind spending a bit of money bringing it up to spec, just not thousands on replacing totally corroded components. My budget was up to 40k, but if I can get a fun cheap car for less, then I can use the money saved for other projects (or about 3 tanks of super unleaded). I have also realised that the lumpy roads and speed cameras in Surrey mean that fun has to be had at a lower speed than one may require in a Porsche or more highly powered sports car. I do like the Abarth's image vs the MX-5. I just moved back to the UK after a 12 years stint overseas and the first 124 I saw turned my head

I assume like any car I can get it inspected before I buy as I am not very practical?

[Trevor555]

Zstar said:

I have also realised that the lumpy roads and speed cameras in Surrey mean that fun has to be had at a lower speed than one may require in a Porsche or more highly powered sports car. I do like the Abarth's image vs the MX-5. I just moved back to the UK after a 12 years stint overseas and the first 124 I saw turned my head

I assume like any car I can get it inspected before I buy as I am not very practical?

You'll love the Abarth, it's refreshingly lightweight, and simple, with a bit of rarity thrown in.

And the fun at low speed is exactly what I enjoyed, after coming from a TTRS, and an RCF, that you couldn't use in anger without reaching silly speeds in seconds.

I'd advise anyone/everyone to get cars inspected. Or find someone local to you that you can drag along.

Or see if Veloches in North London have any for sale. They bought one of mine, and asked all the right questions, they know these cars well, so you should get a decent one from them.

[Rob 131 Sport]

I rented this 124 Abarth in Lanzarote a couple of weeks ago. What an absolutely brilliant car with good performance and that great sounding Monza Exhaust.

I would love to own one here as a weekend toy, there was absolutely nothing not to like.

[TISPKJ]

Hi Guys, purchased one for the wife yesterday and we drove home for what should have been a 3 hour journey, M11 shut so Waze took us on a trip round Essex, annoying as M25 was only 6 miles away, however sun was out and we had the roof down, as expected from a little 1.4 you have to wind it up but crack on the upshift was good fun, very lethargic in std mode but not to shabby in sport, albeit with a very firm ride.
Exhaust seems to be stuck open and sounds awful in std mode as you pull away, will have a look.

Few questions if I may
I seem to have a reverse camera but doesn't work, also no sat nav, were the pair part of an option package ?
Can I get apple car play from Fiat or is it aftermarket only from the likes of nifty city ?

Thanks

[TISPKJ]

[Trevor555]

TISPKJ said:

Exhaust seems to be stuck open and sounds awful in std mode as you pull away, will have a look.

The exhaust valve seizes up pretty quickly, even on the new warranty replacements they got.

It's just a spring, so as far as I know, it shouldn't make any difference whether you're in sports mode.

[Rob 131 Sport]

TISPKJ said:

Hi Guys, purchased one for the wife yesterday and we drove home for what should have been a 3 hour journey, M11 shut so Waze took us on a trip round Essex, annoying as M25 was only 6 miles away, however sun was out and we had the roof down, as expected from a little 1.4 you have to wind it up but crack on the upshift was good fun, very lethargic in std mode but not to shabby in sport, albeit with a very firm ride.
Exhaust seems to be stuck open and sounds awful in std mode as you pull away, will have a look.

Few questions if I may
I seem to have a reverse camera but doesn't work, also no sat nav, were the pair part of an option package ?
Can I get apple car play from Fiat or is it aftermarket only from the likes of nifty city ?

Thanks

Stunning and it looks great in white without the different coloured bonnet. I’m seriously envious.

[Luke.]

TISPKJ said:

Hi Guys, purchased one for the wife yesterday and we drove home for what should have been a 3 hour journey, M11 shut so Waze took us on a trip round Essex, annoying as M25 was only 6 miles away, however sun was out and we had the roof down, as expected from a little 1.4 you have to wind it up but crack on the upshift was good fun, very lethargic in std mode but not to shabby in sport, albeit with a very firm ride.
Exhaust seems to be stuck open and sounds awful in std mode as you pull away, will have a look.

Few questions if I may
I seem to have a reverse camera but doesn't work, also no sat nav, were the pair part of an option package ?
Can I get apple car play from Fiat or is it aftermarket only from the likes of nifty city ?

Thanks

The sat nav is just a memory card that you can get on ebay. Which is what I did. Cheap as chips too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266324974192?itmmeta=01...

[TISPKJ]

Trevor555 said:

The exhaust valve seizes up pretty quickly, even on the new warranty replacements they got.

It's just a spring, so as far as I know, it shouldn't make any difference whether you're in sports mode.

Yes thanks, I saw that on the other thread

[TISPKJ]

Rob 131 Sport said:

Stunning and it looks great in white without the different coloured bonnet. I’m seriously envious.

Thank you, yes Im not a big fan of the black bonnet and boot

[TISPKJ]

Luke. said:

The sat nav is just a memory card that you can get on ebay. Which is what I did. Cheap as chips too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/266324974192?itmmeta=01...

Thanks .... however the SD card reader that appears to be located next to the 2 USB inputs appears be blank ?

[TISPKJ]

Has anyone any experience of these guys ?

https://124spider.uk/shop/android-auto-carplay-kit

[Luke.]

TISPKJ said:

Thanks .... however the SD card reader that appears to be located next to the 2 USB inputs appears be blank ?

I can remember, there's a little flap you need to lift up. It's just under there.

[karl c]

TISPKJ said:

Yes thanks, I saw that on the other thread

As said this mechanism annoyingly seizes up, I’ve removed the spring and left the lever it fixes to in the loud position, works for me as I don’t drive this car as an everyday and love the sound.

[ecsrobin]

Trevor555 said:

The exhaust valve seizes up pretty quickly, even on the new warranty replacements they got.

It's just a spring, so as far as I know, it shouldn't make any difference whether you're in sports mode.

Yep only the newer Abarth 595’s have a solenoid controlled exhaust. The 124 has the valve on the Monza which is pressure activated which is around 3,000rpm. I wired mine open. As they seize as mentioned.