126 De-Ville - 1979 - Pricing help please!!!!

[gooner71]

Hi - As i mentioned in my introduction message I am trying to find out the value of the following car for a friend of mine. He inherited it from his parents and is sat in the garage where it has been for years!!

Its a 1979 Fiat 126 De-ville 2 door saloon - 650cc - blue - his parents purchased the car in 1982 and according to the receipt it had done 19326 miles. My mate doesnt remember the car being used much at all - he said his mother was going to learn to drive in it but gave up!! I have a bill for work and MOT certificate from 1995 with a recorded mileage of 19641 so during the intervening 13 years it had done only 315 miles!! From the day of the MOT in 1995 my friend doesnt think it was ever driven apart from back from the MOT station that day and the mileage now stands at 19648 so it has travelled a grand total of 7 miles in the last 16 years!!! Thats only 322 miles in the last 29 years!!

The 1995 bill was quite extensive and included the following - both front wings - front panel - both sills - distributor cap - points - condensor - 2 plugs - air filter - oil - starter cable - battery - ignition switch - 2 tyres  - valet and respray plus the MOT test and a total of £1146.42 spent.

Obviously the tyres are now flat and the battery ls disconnected and has been for a while by the look of it - its a bit dusty but complete and Im guessing with a mini service there is no reason it wont purr like a kitten!! The interior is black in a cord type material and i cant see any rips or tears!! Everything looks original and no aftermarket extras have been bolted on!!!

I am trying to add some photos - not the best because of the limited space in the garage!! They may not work on the post because of the file size limit but here goes!!

Thanks for looking and any feedback is welcome!!

[Amateb8]

If the photo you provided is indicative of what the rest of the car looks like, I think you will quite easily recover the £1K+ spent in 1995. I very much look forward to see the other photos!

[gooner71]

more pics..

[gooner71]

more pics...

[gooner71]

last one....

[dajwid]

Haw are the sills, bottom of front / rear screens, Bottoms of wings, battery tray now. Repairs were done 17 years ago and if it has stood (and used as a store room) for that time it could be perfect or very very poor.

Best thing to do is put a years MOT on the car then people will know how solid the car is.

It is very hard to value a car by seeing a photo.

Sorry to seem negative, Maybe there is a local member that would pop over and have a look???

[gooner71]

Thanks for your input - I know what you mean - i have had a brief tap about on the sills etc and everything seems pretty solid !! On the face of it i am thinking - oil change - new battery - more than likely 4 new tyres and pray that the brakes aren't seized to get it through an mot - probably looking about £200 worth of messing about!!

If anyone has an interest in the car - or is local enough to Newport South Wales and just wants to have a look out of curiosity that can be arranged!!

My friend doesnt drive amd as the car hasnt really been used in the time his parents owned it - it doesnt hold any special sentimental value to him - I offered to help him sell it and he agrees rather than just stick it on ebay it would be nice to see it go to an avid collector/enthusiast who can really enjoy it and have the added advantage of buying a low mileage example.

As i say - if anyone has any questions give me a shout - might save someone a long drive home from Poland!!

[pav]

well..........
I do not think it is 1979
as new wheels have been introduced 1982

[1973/126]

 Only on the Polish made ones, on the Italian cars it was 77/78.

[DEYAN IYI]

For the year check the VIN code:

SU-SZ Poland
ZA-ZR Italy

F for FIAT

Mine is SUF126A00081... where SU is PL, F is FIAT, 126A000 the model of the engine,
then 81 for the year 1981, then the chassis number itself.

For the Italian made in 1979 must be sort of ZFA126A00079...

Personal 4 was produced 1976-1979 in Italy with 4x98 rims. The same model in Poland
was 650K since 1977. The export version was branded Bambino 650 (1980-1984).

[gooner71]

Ok - I only have the log book here with me at the moment and the VIN is only numbers as is the engine number - I am going over to the car on Tuesday so I will have a look at the VIN plate on the car then!!

But it does say Fiat 126 De-Ville 2 door saloon - date of reg 05-04-1979

[Rusty's Uncle]

You got me out checking mine now,

Date of first registration 24-04-1981 , Model 126 DE VILLE

Vin - ZFA126A00*07811158

Does that mean it took 3 years to flog the car after it was made ? 

[DEYAN IYI]

Well, according to the logic of numbering it could be 3 years on stock... somehow... For example mine has first reg on 01.01.1982, I can't picture whose hanged over head worked that day in the traffic police...

About the DeVille, what I see, there are Saloon (maybe the same Personal 4 but export version) and DeVille (Personal 4 with soft top). Here we have a brochure from 1977.

gooner71, on the first pic looks really delicious piece of 126. 

[gooner71]

After reading through posts on the forum and looking at pictures I half wish I could afford to buy the car from my mate and keep it myself!!! But alas, with 4 kids in tow I will have to stick with my trusty 140k Ford Galaxy diesel!!

I like the positive noises about the car though and I am determined that it goes to someone who will cherish it and treat it with the dignity it deserves!!

[hotdeffender]

This one is identical to the one ive been restoring. Mines an 81 w plate.