New to the 126 world, advice on what to buy!!!

[lisaconway]

Hey People!

I have loved the 126 since I first saw one about 15 years ago. Due to the tightness of finances through out my life so far I haven't been able to buy one. Now I'm 28 with a stable income and dont actually 'need' a car I can have what i want for fun and something to learn about mechanics!
I have been doing research into the 126 and have been told to buy aircooled cos they have less mechanical problems buy one person, or water cooled by someone else cos they had better body work! I appreciate everyone is going to have different opinions, but all are welcomed as it will all help me! I have not set a budget as i just want something to catch my eye and see how i can stretch myself to suit the price! hat i do really like is the chrome bumper versions but i have no idea what model it is?? or can you get a chrome bumper to fit any model???

so chrome bumpers as a possible starting point... what should i look out for, pro's and con's???!!!!
cheers
Lisa

(PS sorry for the life story!!) 

[bis13]

have a look around the threads here theres a multitude of arguments/debates that are or have been debated as to which is the better . personally i find the aircooled to be more reliable however is considered more spartan than the watercooled bis version which is in my own experience a car that has to be maintained more than neccesary in order to keep it reliable. i am sure this will activate more pros and cons ... by the way welcome to our little 126 haven and hope you find what you are looking for .

[nathan126]

Welcome 
having only owned a BIS (watercooled) i don't know what it's like to have driven or owned an a/c. But the a/c is far simpler and easier to work on.. as far as bodywork is concerned - age is immaterial, you'll know if you find one that's been looked after 
I'm sure you'll see previous threads about what to look for  [-/
just don't go for pink rally ones 

[Gordan]

just don't go for pink rally ones 

lol  [-/ [-/

im not going to start another argument, if you think that chrome is what you want, and think aircooled is better, id say go for a pre 80s italian chrome bumpered original.
on the other hand, if youre trying to get a fun car you could go for one of those POP 126es. essentially these are cabrio versions, there was the bis and aircooled pop. only problem is that theese are RARE...
whatever you choose, i hope itll make you happy like it makes all of us... and (-*

[Rusty's Uncle]

Hi Lisa , thought I would chip in here as I have owned a number of Air Cooled cars plus had a Bis from new for 3 years.
If you get a reliable 126 of any model & are OK with the ride then you will certainly have fun & draw attention.
If you are wanting to learn about mechanics & are a novice then you are probably best starting with simple servicing then working up to more advanced tasks. The Haines manual that covers the Air Cooled cars is pretty easy to follow if you have the tools.
You are probably best off dabbling in the rarest pool of cars that have a known & documented history plus a genuine reason for sale. Little gems do keep turning up on this forum & on eBay and prices seem to be on a steady rise for all models.
Chrome bumper models are obviously harder to get but it is quite an easy conversion to convert to chrome bumpers if you get a later car.
I personaly would prefer the Air Cooled car from the point of view of spares availability, potential for "improvement" & the fact that it is a direct descendent of the Fiat 500 designed in the mid 50's.
Good luck on your quest  [-/