Aircooled or BIS?

[nathanfiddes]

Hi

I'm looking at some 126's and have always been after an air cooled one but with most of them being LHD in my price range I have wondered if i should get a BIS?

Whats the positive and negative points to these?

I know the BIS will have rack and pinion and a hatch back to make it more practical but is the water cooled engine an improvement over the air cooled?

I'd be really interested to hear your points from experience.

Thanks

[wsmitwil]

 
Hi, I've got an air cooled and a bis, I have to say my love is for the air cooled over the bis, but as I saw the bis in a scrap yard I had to have it

The bis has got its limitations, you can't realy modify the engine with off the shelf tuning spares like the air cooled so your stuck with the original unless you spend more on it, on another note the engine is famous for being unreliable, but talking to members on here and driving mine, they only break if you don't keep them maintained

I have to say the bis will be the one that's worth the more in the long run as they are getting pretty rare especially with the original layout, and it does attract more people at a supermarket as other people see you put shopping in the front and back 

If you want to have a less maintenance car then the air cooled is the one but as you have noticed the original British 126 is pretty hard to find so an import is the only feasible option, which isn't a bad thing they are still great cars,  just keep an eye out for more rust as they weren't made for the British weather

Hope I've helped

Will

[Gadge]

Yep I second that and just pick up on a point about reliability and say that if you look after them they will last. The BIS gets a bad wrap and my BIS is no exception but if you service it regular paying particular attention to the cooling system then they'll be ok. The air cooled is defiantly more reliable ild say and has a better parts supply but the BIS shares a lot of internal components such as con rods, bearings and rockers.

Values are on the up and as they get rarer (not helped by people desperately trying to shoehorn bike engines in them) they become more expensive - even rough ones are coming in at around £600 and decent low milers over £5000

[Da Londo]

They can both be fun, but as said above, BIS need more care. A good A/C one is my advise. The FL ones built after '84 and before '92ish are, in my opinion, the best to start with.

[nathanfiddes]

Thanks for the replies folks, very helpful. I'm not really worried about tuning just having one to run around in with maybe alloys being the only mod, done too much tuning to my cinquecento over the years so happy to have a NA car!


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[mintex]

I cant comment on the air cooled ones as ive never had one but our bis runs well and is totally standard (including the cooling system) and its been fine for us but i know others have had problems

I would buy on condition and price, also finding something in your price range as ive seen some well over priced ones of late, water and air cooled 

[Yoshimisumi]

I was in the exact same position a few months ago, drove a load of cars and eventually settled for an 89 polish import - price, condition, and spec it was exactly what I was after. I imported it (documents wise) without any hassle - would say the hardest part was the MOT.
The air cooled bit ended up being my priority along with quarter lights, so id say get out and see as many cars as possible to gauge what you'd be willing to shell out and prioritise what you're after.


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[dixie]

I've owned both too. An 1983 air cooled which I stupidity sold on a whim and now 3 years later a 1988 Water cooled bis. My bis has a new engine and most other parts changed by me. On the which do you go for Q I can only say that both are fun to drive but for me the bis is far more pratical. Iv folded the rear seats flat as 4 people in them is a bit much (only occasionally for a trip to pub) so theres plenty of room for most stuff. Its like a small van. The bis gets the same 'looks' and Qs from everyone as most people don't know theres different models.
If your after original spec with slightly easier maintenance then go for Air but for daily practical use go for bis.

[Kent126]

Technically the BIS was produced in lesser numbers, and can be argued is rarer. However you can always seem to pick up a BIS, probably because they were produced into the early 1990's and there is always one for sale somewhere, usually on eBay.

UK supplied or original Italian built aircooled cars are now difficult to find in RHD and decent condition.

If I had to choose, I would go for aircooled all day long. (if you can find one of course!)

Tom

[Rusty's Uncle]

Well I think that we are well past the rubicon on this one. Time was when the humble Fiat 126 were given away or just scrapped. In the past I had a car for free, others for £50 but then I did buy a new '89 Bis  which came in at under £3,000 with the extras. The Bis had a bad reputation due to the head gasket/ cooling problem which is now sorted. So all models now fit into the classic car category and as Tom points out the Bis is going to be a relatively rare car 

[Bar Vitelli]

The air-cooled are rare, especially the early ones. The BIS are becoming rare. The ones that are really hard to find though are the successful motor-bike engine conversions...

[Kent126]

Yes that's true! Never seen one motorcycle conversion that was road legal 😳


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[Amateb8]

I've owned a Bis for some years now. It has been quite reliable, apart from the loose coupling episode. No overheating issues.
One other advantage the Bis has, is the heating system. It is superb!!!! Also, personally, I think the Bis engine is quieter (though still noisy), and a bit faster as well. It has larger wheels, so also smoother. It has nice small touches over and above already mentioned (hatchback etc.), like intermittent wipers, halogen lamps, headrests (later Bis models) et al makes it easier to live with.

[1973/126]

 I prefer the air cooled because it`s easier to work on and you can get more tuning mods for the engine
 

[mintex]

Well us bis people do have more bhp and more torque so you need the mods to catch up lol 

Joking aside though people will always say the air cooled is better or the bis is better, the choice is yours.

Have you managed to go and look at any yet