Club126UK

Fiat 126 Chat => Fiat 126 Chat => Topic started by: stuey on April 26, 2005, 05:19:07 PM

Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: stuey on April 26, 2005, 05:19:07 PM
A question for fun-

what made you buy a 126 (or makes you want one if you havent yet)

personally ive always wanted to mod one since i was a teen and only just (Job, Kids, Marriage allowing) got the time to do it now......
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: Chris Lakin on April 26, 2005, 05:30:38 PM
thats actually a very philosophical question, in my case i gotmine from my mum, we had it for about 6 months, and the head gasket went, so it wa sin the garage for about 6 years, i had always had visions of getting it back on the road for my first car so i did. Although it has was my first car.

I think anyone who wants to buy one now, has seen a 126 owner, and has thought, style, class and character. i want to be like him/her. haha im joking. but they are truly a unique and as we all know well sort after.

Chris
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: slater on April 26, 2005, 06:07:17 PM
Well ive allways been strangly attracted to smaller cars. I was origianly after a fiat 500 but they are just too highly priced for what they are so i turned my attention to the 126.

I like the idea of them being rare and not being able to get every single bit off the shelf (like escorts,minis etc). It forces you to use your brain a bit more when modding them and means nearly all others are going to be differant to yours. You dont see many of them around, let alone modified so it makes them quite unique. I think the more 'boxy' 80s style of the car is fashionable at the moment as alot of early 70s stuff has become to 'classic car' for my taste.

I also like their stupidly low performance which gives them great potential as a 'street sleeper' when the enevatble engine mods are done.

Basicly take the worst car i can think of and make it into somethign special :D
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: Chris Lakin on April 26, 2005, 09:29:40 PM
Nice statment slater!

Chris
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: maxlee on April 27, 2005, 12:38:44 AM
i had 2 befor and i bought them coz they were cheap to by insure tax and so made a good 1st car they never got finshed,and ended up bing sold  :roll:

what has put my back to getting one is me and my m8 have got a plan and it use's a 126 and gives us a good reson to own one
and as said above you dont see any about
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: ianc on April 29, 2005, 08:38:48 PM
Similar reasons to Slater.  I'd always wanted a Fiat 500 but couldn't afford one (well, I could but I'd have had to sell my Westfield  :cry:  )  Then we really needed a second car so I wanted something really cheap to insure, tax and run.   :idea:  Fiat 126  :idea:  

I just love the fact that they are so basic, the ultimate 'utility' car.  So we've never modded one and don't intend to.  Insurance is ?110 per year, cheap tax, 50mpg overall and I once got 69mpg on a  tank when I used it for some long journeys  :lol:
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: PaulB on May 03, 2005, 09:15:47 PM
I have a 500 which I use daily, but felt I needed a bigger, more powerful car to express my masculinity :)

However, the 500 has a late FSM engine in (from an old wreck of course) after the first engine blew up, and its quite a bit faster than the 126.
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: fiatfsm on May 15, 2005, 03:10:40 PM
I got one because I had a Cinq, the wife had a Panda and I wanted something with bags of character, had three now. First was a wreck, second my current one and a third I had for a few months. Cant ever see me getting shot of mine, had it over 6 years now.
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: stuey on May 15, 2005, 09:52:18 PM
that you nuovapanda......?
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: fiatfsm on May 16, 2005, 12:18:26 PM
might be!!!! yep!
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: stuey on May 16, 2005, 07:11:28 PM
thought i recognised the spec... welcome!
Title: 1976
Post by: 126dave on May 17, 2005, 05:03:52 PM
hi guys, 8) ,i was 16 (1976) when my best mates father bought him a spanking new 594cc 126 for his 17th.we were italian car mad then,i still have the sales pamplet for that car,we drew wide wheels and spoilers on it and dreamt of doing that to his!.......he also got treated to a night in a house of ill repute by his dad to show him the ways of the world! :shock:  (they are italians!).
so now i can do what i dreamt of then,sadly i havint found my ideal 126 (italian build 594 dark red) but am happy with the 3 that i have.
i love the 500 (had three),but its the 126 that hits the spot for me :P
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: Chris Lakin on May 17, 2005, 07:28:38 PM
yes there is somthing about the 126's retro design, i have heard the FSM made polish 126's are of better quality than the italian. what does everyone think i have a polish BIS, i love the look of this 126

(http://www.carsfromitaly.com/fiat/wallpapers/126_2_1024.jpg)

but lowerd

Chris
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: slater on May 17, 2005, 08:39:56 PM
Like this

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v469/slater3333uk/Fiat.jpg)

 :)
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: Chris Lakin on May 17, 2005, 10:28:47 PM
yes exactly like that one my freind!! beauty isnt she.

Chris
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: ChrisRLewis on May 17, 2005, 10:50:11 PM
Not sure on the quality on the polish versions? But I was told once that the Italian engines were better than the polish ones!


Quote from: "Chris Lakin"
yes there is somthing about the 126's retro design, i have heard the FSM made polish 126's are of better quality than the italian. what does everyone think i have a polish BIS, i love the look of this 126



but lowerd

Chris
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: fiatfsm on May 18, 2005, 10:34:59 AM
I have it on good authority from someone who used to work for Fiat, that the Polish built cars are tougher and more durable than the Italian ones. Thing is, the Italians made them from 1972 up to 1984, the Poles made them from 1973 to 2000, so they got more practice. I know the Italian carb is way better though!
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: Chris Lakin on May 18, 2005, 11:36:46 AM
thanks for that Fiatfsm, we should have a historical timeline page on the website, if any one has any time to do a write up or a timeline that would be great. i have one fiat history book but it focusses on the 500,600 and seicento. I cant believe that the poles made them untill 2000???

Chris
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: Chris Lakin on May 18, 2005, 11:38:41 AM
My brother said to me the other day, could you imagine if you got hold of the moulds and designs, we would have 126's on the road for centuries.

 :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Chris
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: fiatfsm on May 18, 2005, 05:45:00 PM
Trouble with a timeline is the Polish built cars are a bit confusing and the language doesnt help!!!
But its something like this... I think!
 
1972 126 with 600cc engine, chrome bumpers, 500 style wheels/hubs.
1976 Gets 650cc engine, chrome bumpers on low spec cars, 126 Deville
        has black plastic bumpers, new wheels and hubs. Basically carries on
        with special editions and the like up till end of Italian production in 1984 Now all UK cars are Polish made FSMs, bigger bumpers, new interiors
        and at last a steering rack!
1987 Aircooled ends in UK and replaced by the BIS, aircooled still
        sold in Eastern Europe as 126p.
1991 Bis ends production.
1995 New bodypanels for wings and doors, smoothed off look.
1998 I think... cars get catalytic convertors and emmission stuff.
2000 Last 126s made all badged happy end!! 400 in total.
        Cars still in dealer network for a time, I saw one in December  
        2004 with no miles on for 3.5k!

 Thats not exhaustive but a rough guide.
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: Chris Lakin on May 18, 2005, 07:13:09 PM
Blimey thats brilliant, i had no idea they were made up untill 2000 im so shocked at that! did they look much different??

thanks for that time line, i might try and get that on the website in some format.

Chris
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: fiatfsm on May 19, 2005, 04:55:49 PM
Yeah, they smoothed out the sides, losing the scolloped out bit! I have a few photos of them but they are all normal pics, not digital! You must do Poland before too long, as they are everywhere, its amazing![/img]
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: slater on May 19, 2005, 06:03:39 PM
Like that?



(http://digilander.libero.it/cuoccimix/FIAT126MALUCH.JPG)
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: ChrisRLewis on May 19, 2005, 06:25:20 PM
did the last ones still have the aircooled motor?
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: fiatfsm on May 19, 2005, 06:32:02 PM
Thats the bunny! Yep, all the cars had aircooled motors, very late they had cats and emission stuff too. Trouble was, the cat wasnt to western european standards, but in the late 90s a swedish company made a 3 way cat for them and.... one enterprising German company called Petra started importing them into West Germany and modifying them for TUV standards (german MOT). They were around ?3000 and I tried to get one in 2000, but the DVLA wanted to test the car for drive by noise etc.... would have cost a bomb. The last ones were available in broom yellow like the cinq sportings! The very last 126 made is in a museum in Turin apparently. However, this was number 400 of the happy end model, but, when in Poland I saw a higher numbered one.....
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: ChrisRLewis on May 19, 2005, 06:41:44 PM
Thats very interesting information!
So I guess that they run on unleaded with no problem?
If so any idea if the cylinder heads are interchangeable with the older aircooled versions?
Sounds like an easy way for an unleaded conversion :roll:
Title: What Made You Buy a 126?
Post by: fiatfsm on May 19, 2005, 07:00:03 PM
Ah! Thats asking a bit much! An unleaded conversion wont cost much anyway, my mate had his Triumph Dolomite done for ?90 all in. Just you try talking to a Polish dealer and asking for a head!!! Im lucky, local to me is a garage selling the real leaded stuff at... ?1.23 a litre! Its not LRP, just real leaded fuel, I only do a few miles in the 126 so use it once every 3 or 4 fill ups.