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I bought a Fiat X1/9....I think

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My friend here in Cyprus has a Bertone X1/9 among his toys. He loves it, and it looks really cool beside my Capri.
 
I've been wrenching on the Fiat for a month. Got her from totally non start, non cranking to getting me to work and back. Total cost for repairs so far: $65 (a new battery) and $15 (an air filter). Everything else I "fixed" myself. Gotta luv that!
It still has lots of needs but it is fun to drive. Interesting comparison to the Midget. Very much a "modern car" by comparison to the '63 Midget. My hope was to make it a commuter mobile for cheap and so far so good...knock on wood. It does seem to handle very well but the tires are crap so I'm not pushing anything very far just yet.
 
Stumbled on this thread while searching google, spooky.
Anyway, bit more than a year later; new tires, struts and tons of tinkering time fixing various bits and the X1/9 carried me through the entire Michigan winter. So much for the "reliability issue". Well designed and built car, very pleased with it. And it handles unlike anything I've ever driven, just can't corner fast enough to upset it (I can't anyway).
 
:wall: I've been biting my tongue on this one. I owned a Fiat X 1/9 and honestly - owned it for not a quite a year, purchased new from showroom floor and traded it for the biggest American car I could find - Oldsmobile Toronado. I had terrible luck with it. All sorts of things that caused me to be towed on so many occasions that the only way I recognized it was seeing it attached to a tow truck. Most of my problems were electrical and couldn't believe it wasn't British. No question it has great styling and I did have great fun with front and rear storage. In the days when they carried your bags from the grocery store I would ask if they could put the bags in the front as there wasn't room for all of them in the car. Engine thing/total confusion. Anyway I digress. Enjoy your fiat and be sure and carry extra fuses and never, never try to clean your windshield by using the washer/wiper when it is borderline freezing.

Glad you got it up and running. Again I always thought it was a great looking car.
 
I have done a lot of electrical, relays on headlights, low and high, relay on solenoid, modded headlight switch (after it fried), modded ignition, and fuse supply, relays on wipers. Similar to what I did to my Midget really. I guess once you've corrected some "design flaws"? THEN, it's a great car?
 
Seen a lot of that over the years.
Rebuilt the engine. Rebuilt the transmission, Replaced all the suspension and brakes. Went through all the electrical, put in a "modern" alternator, relays, rebuilt switches, fixed leaks, new tyres, but never had a minute's problem with it.
FORMER Fiatsco owner.......Final Italian Attempt at Technology....and never, as in ever, again.
 
:lol:

I said that in 1975... and yet my daily driver is an Alfa. Go figger. :smirk:
 
There are REASONS they quit selling those SOB's in the US.
The occasional unit that actually functions as advertised notwithstanding.

When I was in Naples (several times) many moons ago, seriously, there was a FIAT garage, full of broken FIATS, every other corner.
 
Funny, the guys at the X1/9 site say the same about the British stuff! Enjoy whatever you like says I, I like 'em all.
 
All I can say, is that owning a British vehicle is a prerequisite to owning a Fiat!
 
There is always Ebay after all the swearing!
 
Sarastro said:
But then there was that rental Fiat that died on me halfway between Paris and Versailles.
Click to expand...

Must have been the one I rented in Europe when I was there.
We beat the tar out of it for nearly three weeks and when we returned it, I doubt there was an ounce of oil left.
BTW, I love that X-1/9. Color is kind of bland but you'll fix that I'm sure. A friend of mine had one and was always laughing when he came into work from all the fun he was having driving it.
 
I now have one too! My friend still has his white one, and I've bought a gold-over-black 1987 Bertone, allegedly for Mrs Ramrod to drive (she said she wanted a sports car... red rag/bull, anyone?). I drive it a lot, and it handles like it's painted on the road, it's brilliant.
 
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