Author Topic: air colled 126 on ebay , what do you think. (Read 5452 times)

m0gsia · « **on:** February 26, 2008, 10:07:03 PM »

I'm buying my first car for a 10 mile daily commute to college.

Would you recommend this?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&Item=250217630895&Category=18305&_trksid=p3907.m29

Thanks chris

Paulh81 · « **Reply #1 on:** February 26, 2008, 10:43:03 PM »

first of all welcome, and yes, a 126 is perfect for 10miles, alot of owners do alot more than that!!!!

m0gsia · « **Reply #2 on:** February 27, 2008, 02:09:36 PM »

Will it be ok on dual carriage ways, what is the speed and reliablity like. Also Will regular adults be able to sit in the back at all? Thanks for the reply. How often do they come up for sale? Because i assume they are quite rare and may not have another chance to buy one. Thanks chris.

Dom · « **Reply #3 on:** February 27, 2008, 02:33:51 PM »

They do come up quite often but that one does look particualrly tidy.
They can fit 4 adults, but it can be tight. I have carried 4 adults, including myself from London to Bristol in my Fiat 500, which is even smaller than the 126, but very similar.

They handle beautifully, can cope on dual carriageways, but do struggle if you try to push it over 70mph.

If they are well maintained, they can be very reliable, but they do require a degree of TLC. If something does go wrong, they are pretty simple to fix/source parts for and you will get mountains of advice from the good people on this forum.

m0gsia · « **Reply #4 on:** February 27, 2008, 02:44:29 PM »

Thanks , according to the owner , he can only get 50mph out of it , does this indicate a problem or des it just need a little tuning?

Gordan · « **Reply #5 on:** February 27, 2008, 03:48:05 PM »

What youre looking at is a aircooled model (and a beautiful one at that :wink: ) which is a bit slower, what u should be looking for is a bis model, they are a bit more powerful, (110km/h+ :cool: ) watercooled, and have a rear boot, which is more practical, but then again, im not sure u could find one in such a nice state :

:

Maddog · « **Reply #6 on:** February 27, 2008, 07:39:18 PM »

if someone is going to recomend you get a BIS then I'm going to recomend that you get an aircooled.

that one is an early 594cc which is a fair bit slower than the later 650cc. the whole point in owning a 126 is that they are quirky, rear engined and aircooled. BIS are just not cool. and the back end looks ugly as sin

that one looks ok from description, its a nice chrome bumper model, rust is the main thing you have to watch for, it should do more than 50mph, 60ish after a service/timing check

Gordan · « **Reply #7 on:** February 27, 2008, 08:15:58 PM »

Lets not get offensive, all im saying is that the bis is better suited for actual use and not just for showing off...

Oh yeah, my bis is NOT ugly!!!! :x :

: :x

And its faster too :cool:

:cool:

Paulh81 · « **Reply #8 on:** February 27, 2008, 08:29:51 PM »

i pitty the fool who talks trashy about a bis, come over here boy, my bis is gunna kick your aircooled little ass...

yours gratfully,

Mr T :smt011

Gordan · « **Reply #9 on:** February 27, 2008, 08:44:58 PM »

Yeah, what he said! :smt021

bis13 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 01, 2008, 07:09:38 AM »

right o i will like to state that if you are a 126 virgin and you want a car that will be low maintenance and practical i suggest an aircooled powered car over the bis watercooled version anyday. i have owned three bis and now own three aircooled cars. with the bis versions i had various problems with the cooling , electrical and fuelling and any work on the car was a little bit harder due to the engine bay being more compact . where as the aircooled is far more easier to work on and has less to go wrong.
for everyday use i would suggest a 650 engined version as most are now , i think that the car on ebay was a 600 as it was pretty old (i didnt look too closely to be honest). so fifty miles an hour is about right if not pushed. i can get 65 mph without pushing my cars and all will go off the clock easily and at this speed have no worries of overheating . if you intend buying one to blitz around dawlish then you have no problems are you travelling to exeter on the dual carriageways? if so get an aircooled version they are superior no matter what people say the production run of the aircooled engine prooves this fact. if the bis watercooled version had been equally as successfull (or better) do you think that fiat would have ceased production so early and not bothered with developing the cinquecento?

Gordan · « **Reply #11 on:** March 01, 2008, 11:15:34 AM »

erm in 1992 the design was what, 30years old, were talking fiat here gentlemen, not Zastava or FSM.... they would have gone for the chinq no matter how good the bis was... (in my humble opinion)

bis13 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 01, 2008, 09:24:03 PM »

no thats where you are mistaken the bis was designed to replace the aircooled as a more modern and usefull towncar however the engine was fraught with design and working problems , the cost of development and tooling up to make the bis was a loss so fiat cut their losses and redesigned the whole car. the first cinquecentos using bis engines . the chassis of the bis was merely a modified aircooled car . fiat are not in the business of wasting money on frequent model changes if you look at the engines and components of the whole fiat range you will see the proof the brakes on the punto bare a remarkable ressembelance to those of the 600, 750, 850, 652 etc etc . as for the erm 30 year design the bis ran from 88 to 92 thats only four years isnt it?

Gordan · « **Reply #13 on:** March 01, 2008, 09:41:25 PM »

I understand what u mean, but i must say that not all bises are prone to brakedown, my own has a few problems (with same parts that the airc. had) but for example the headgasket had never blown and I hope it never will. ( my uncle had a golf that blew its head gasket and the golf certainly doesnt have a flaw in design)
All im saying is that if the bis is well cared for it can have a same life span as a aircooled... (i understand that from the exp. i have vith my bis)

Erm... the design was 15 years old, the safety standards were that of the 1972 rather than the 1987 when the car was released. Bassically all that was changed was the engine, gearbox, rear hatch and interrior heating.

I certainly doubt that even had the bis proven to be more relialble than the almighty VW bug, FIAT would continue its production much longer...

bis13 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 01, 2008, 10:21:33 PM »

i only speak from my experience as well i drove a bis from london to wales and back and had several problems (this was a top notch car). i drove my everyday bis 75 miles a day and always had minor problems from day to day and some pretty major ones as well this was a good engine i tried to blow it up and couldnt! but with the aircooled version i drive the 75 miles at top whack and totally abuse the car and it runs on and on without any minor or major problems . i for that reason reccomend the aircooled to anyone who is venturing into owning a 126 . dont get me wrong as i like the bis but its a town car whereas the aircooled is more your rural peasant mobile!!!buy one and compare the two they are both fun !