Hi,
My name is james, i'm 20 years old, and i live in south australia.
i currently have 5 cars ranging from great working condition through to more or less completely dead. this coming wednesday i am getting my first fsm niki (or first two if you count the wreck that i bought with it) or fiat 126 as theyre better known as outside australia. i already know a bit about their history, and have a bit of experience driving one (a friend and i drove one a couple of thousand kms or more half way across the country). i have been wanting one since i discovered the car in a readers digest article reviewing the book "Lemon!: Sixty Heroic Automotive Failures" the magazine was on top in a stack next to my girlfriends toilet, the niki was on the front cover, so i then read about it in the magazine. i also bought the book. and yes, the fsm niki failed quite badly here, it was released in '89, when it was already quiet obselete compared to the other cars on the market, and was discontinued in or after '92. i believe fiat had already been shamed out of the country due to its horrible reputation here, which is why the niki was release under fsm, not fiat.
anyway, back to me.
the cars i have in the order i got them are:
1980 mitsubishi gh sigma, which is not running and it doesnt really matter, it was my first car so im keeping it.
1979 chrysler cm valiant regal, running, but too freaking expensive to drive more than once every couple of weeks, 4.3l hemi straight 6 does that.
1967 morris 1100 s, daily driver for now.
1979 volkswaken type 2 kombi camper (factory automatic), needs new engine and interior
1949 fiat 500c "topolino", perfect restoration.
and to come next week, the fsm niki (fiat 126) i've been wanting.
i have only in the last couple of years wanted to learn about cars, and mechanics etc, i'm quite "technically minded" and so far most of what i've done hasnt been too difficult for me, just taken time because of having no experience. driving on that trip in my friends niki we broke down seven times, most times after a while i managed to figure out the problem and get us going again, and with no previous experience aside from knowing more or less what some bits do, but not necesarily how they do them.
the niki i am getting is white, with a blue and pink square pattern strip along the length of each side. it is in average condition, has ome rust under the rear window, and above the front left headlight under the boot lid. the interior is in pretty good condition, the engine has been painted (well painted) orange, which actually looks quite good, and it runs well. it has a slight issue with either the gearbox or the diff, most likely the diff.
the best part is that it is costing me AU$300 for that car, plus another one which has no engine, and also plus ALOT of parts. the guy used to wreck them for parts, and he says whatever i dont take will go to the dump.
so im getting another gearbox and diff anyway. unfortunately no extra engines.. otherwise i might have been able to make a whole 'nother car out of the parts car.
anyway, i think this post is long enough, ill leave it there:)
