Considering Fiat X1/9
Discussion
Mechanically they are pretty good but look out for weak synchros on second and third, wear in rear balljoints (not readily available anymore), clutch and brake master cylinders (very difficult to change) and seized rear calipers (not easy to find replacements). General servicing is straight forward but made more difficult by the unusual layout. Servicing parts are very cheap though.
Bodywork is a whole different matter, expect rot virtually anywhere in a car that still gets wet and sees salted roads regularly. A lot of repairs, especially on the rear half of the car will require plenty of engine and transmission removal. Surprisingly most body parts and repair sections can still be bought with a bit of searching on ebay and specialist sites. Check the steel coolant pipes that run down the centre of the car as they can rot through. They can be changed but it is a difficult and potentially expensive job, best avoided.
Electrics are suitably flaky as you would expect with the youngest X1/9 now being 20 years old but most problems come down to bad earth points and crappy italian multiplugs.
Interiors are fragile, heater controls and most plastic bits break easily. Seat materials split but when all is well the interior is a lovely cosy place to be. The targa top gives you open top motoring but without the cold draughts found in a full convertible.
I've had mine for 2.5 years now and it really is a great little car. It handles well even by todays standards, they must have been awesome in 1975 when we were riding round in Marinas and the like. Fuel economy is around 40mpg, tax is £67 for 6 Months and classic insurance is £140 with an agreed value of £6000.
It pays to shop around and go for good original body work, there are quite a few low mileage one owner cars surfacing quite regularly. Your budget of £2k should buy a fairly solid car with absolute best "timewarp" super low mileage, dry use only one owner cars reaching £6k at the moment. Bear in mind that if you are looking to build a "minter" it's going to be cheaper to buy one of the "timewarp" cars for around £5k than restoring a £2k runner
One of the best things about the X1/9 is the relative exclusivety they have compared to say an MGB or similar priced car. Mine is a very late, one elderly owner, 5000 mile, dry summer use only Gran Finale with full history.
Give me a shout if you need anymore info.
Cheers
Rich.
Bodywork is a whole different matter, expect rot virtually anywhere in a car that still gets wet and sees salted roads regularly. A lot of repairs, especially on the rear half of the car will require plenty of engine and transmission removal. Surprisingly most body parts and repair sections can still be bought with a bit of searching on ebay and specialist sites. Check the steel coolant pipes that run down the centre of the car as they can rot through. They can be changed but it is a difficult and potentially expensive job, best avoided.
Electrics are suitably flaky as you would expect with the youngest X1/9 now being 20 years old but most problems come down to bad earth points and crappy italian multiplugs.
Interiors are fragile, heater controls and most plastic bits break easily. Seat materials split but when all is well the interior is a lovely cosy place to be. The targa top gives you open top motoring but without the cold draughts found in a full convertible.
I've had mine for 2.5 years now and it really is a great little car. It handles well even by todays standards, they must have been awesome in 1975 when we were riding round in Marinas and the like. Fuel economy is around 40mpg, tax is £67 for 6 Months and classic insurance is £140 with an agreed value of £6000.
It pays to shop around and go for good original body work, there are quite a few low mileage one owner cars surfacing quite regularly. Your budget of £2k should buy a fairly solid car with absolute best "timewarp" super low mileage, dry use only one owner cars reaching £6k at the moment. Bear in mind that if you are looking to build a "minter" it's going to be cheaper to buy one of the "timewarp" cars for around £5k than restoring a £2k runner
One of the best things about the X1/9 is the relative exclusivety they have compared to say an MGB or similar priced car. Mine is a very late, one elderly owner, 5000 mile, dry summer use only Gran Finale with full history.
Give me a shout if you need anymore info.
Cheers
Rich.
Edited by X1/9 on Thursday 29th October 19:41
Edited by X1/9 on Thursday 29th October 19:56
Edited by X1/9 on Thursday 29th October 21:40
X1/9 said:
Mechanically they are pretty good but look out for weak synchros on second and third, wear in rear balljoints (not readily available anymore), clutch and brake master cylinders (very difficult to change) and seized rear calipers (not easy to find replacements). General servicing is straight forward but made more difficult by the unusual layout. Servicing parts are very cheap though.
Bodywork is a whole different matter, expect rot virtually anywhere in a car that still gets wet and sees salted roads regularly. A lot of repairs, especially on the rear half of the car will require plenty of engine and transmission removal. Surprisingly most body parts and repair sections can still be bought with a bit of searching on ebay and specialist sites. Check the steel coolant pipes that run down the centre of the car as they can rot through. They can be changed but it is a difficult and potentially expensive job, best avoided.
Electrics are suitably flaky as you would expect with the youngest X1/9 now being 20 years old but most problems come down to bad earth points and crappy italian multiplugs.
Interiors are fragile, heater controls and most plastic bits break easily. Seat materials split but when all is well the interior is a lovely cosy place to be. The targa top gives you open top motoring but without the cold draughts found in a full convertible.
I've had mine for 2.5 years now and it really is a great little car. It handles well even by todays standards, they must have been awesome in 1975 when we were riding round in Marinas and the like. Fuel economy is around 40mpg, tax is £67 for 6 Months and classic insurance is £140 with an agreed value of £6000.
It pays to shop around and go for good original body work, there are quite a few low mileage one owner cars surfacing quite regularly. Your budget of £2k should buy a fairly solid car with absolute best "timewarp" super low mileage, dry use only one owner cars reaching £6k at the moment. Bear in mind that if you are looking to build a "minter" it's going to be cheaper to buy one of the "timewarp" cars for around £5k than restoring a £2k runner
One of the best things about the X1/9 is the relative exclusivety they have compared to say an MGB or similar priced car. Mine is a very late, one elderly owner, 5000 mile, dry summer use only Gran Finale with full history.
Give me a shout if you need anymore info.
Cheers
Rich.
Thanks for that info Richard, much appreciated. I'm going to have to wait till I finish my college, but I assume these will become more rare as the time goes on.Bodywork is a whole different matter, expect rot virtually anywhere in a car that still gets wet and sees salted roads regularly. A lot of repairs, especially on the rear half of the car will require plenty of engine and transmission removal. Surprisingly most body parts and repair sections can still be bought with a bit of searching on ebay and specialist sites. Check the steel coolant pipes that run down the centre of the car as they can rot through. They can be changed but it is a difficult and potentially expensive job, best avoided.
Electrics are suitably flaky as you would expect with the youngest X1/9 now being 20 years old but most problems come down to bad earth points and crappy italian multiplugs.
Interiors are fragile, heater controls and most plastic bits break easily. Seat materials split but when all is well the interior is a lovely cosy place to be. The targa top gives you open top motoring but without the cold draughts found in a full convertible.
I've had mine for 2.5 years now and it really is a great little car. It handles well even by todays standards, they must have been awesome in 1975 when we were riding round in Marinas and the like. Fuel economy is around 40mpg, tax is £67 for 6 Months and classic insurance is £140 with an agreed value of £6000.
It pays to shop around and go for good original body work, there are quite a few low mileage one owner cars surfacing quite regularly. Your budget of £2k should buy a fairly solid car with absolute best "timewarp" super low mileage, dry use only one owner cars reaching £6k at the moment. Bear in mind that if you are looking to build a "minter" it's going to be cheaper to buy one of the "timewarp" cars for around £5k than restoring a £2k runner
One of the best things about the X1/9 is the relative exclusivety they have compared to say an MGB or similar priced car. Mine is a very late, one elderly owner, 5000 mile, dry summer use only Gran Finale with full history.
Give me a shout if you need anymore info.
Cheers
Rich.
Cheers
Brad
skwdenyer said:
shouldbworking said:
wow... thats a remarkable condition example. Mine was the £150 version of the same car (not a dent in the door mind, just a reflection) 
If you don't mind me asking, where did you find that for £150?A chap had it as a long term project, never got around to it and decided to weigh it in. The yard put their saveable cars out next to the road, I saw it and pulled in to check it out - £150 later it was mine.
It needed a little bit of welding in the door shut, the exhaust welding up, a general run around and clean all the grounds and replacing some perished fuel lines for an MOT. Trouble is I found the steering wheel was in contact with my legs and my eyeline was more in line with the top of the windscreen frame than the screen itself!
The pictures flatter it slightly - the interior was a right state, one of the headlight pods needed repainting, the nosecone was just starting to show the usual signs of rust, the bootlid was scratched and the spoiler was missing, and the wheels could have done with a refurb.
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