1982 X1/9 in Orlando Area Silver/Blue (not mine)

jrt

Daily Driver
FYI, here is an X for sale in the Orlando area that appears to be a good value. Less than 6K miles on an engine rebuild, interior and exterior look good. Not mine and no relation to seller. My guess is that some on the Xweb know this car.

 
It looks like it's all there. There are a couple of things I would change right away, but it looks like something fun to noodle around with during the winter.
 
It looks like it's all there. There are a couple of things I would change right away, but it looks like something fun to noodle around with during the winter.

Hi, new member, first post, former owner of a 75 way back when... I currently own an 82 Spider but I am feeling nostalgic for an X1/9.

I am curious what you would change on this car? The car looks clean, but I am a little leary of non-stock engine and programmable FI system. As a retired person I am wondering if rust free reasonably priced examples come up very often?

Thanks for any insights you can provide.

Gary
 
Depends on what you consider a reasonable price and what you are looking for in the condition of an X other than rust free. If I was looking for a nice driver then I would keep away from this car only because I wouldn't want to fool around with the custom injection system. Some would look for a car just like this because they like to mess around with various components.

Look for a stock one unless you like messing around with the custom stuff.
 
Depends on what you consider a reasonable price and what you are looking for in the condition of an X other than rust free. If I was looking for a nice driver then I would keep away from this car only because I wouldn't want to fool around with the custom injection system. Some would look for a car just like this because they like to mess around with various components.

Look for a stock one unless you like messing around with the custom stuff.

Excellent advice. Thank you. I was thinking that was a reasonable price... am I dreaming? I have seen some pretty expensive ones...
 
I would think $7,000 should get you a nice X. Put out an ad here and see what response you get. BAT tends to get the higher end cars. There is always the dreaded eBay too. Midwestbayless (our favorite X parts vendor) has Xs for sale sometimes too.
 
Excellent advice. Thank you. I was thinking that was a reasonable price... am I dreaming? I have seen some pretty expensive ones...

I would contact the seller for more details. It sounds like a well sorted machine. Carl is a carb guy (which is a good thing) thus his reticence for a car with fuel injection, particularly one that has a aftermarket set up. I would bet it is Mega/Microsquirt which means it should be reliable and pretty easy to deal with. Get some sense of what sensors he used, most people who do this likely can produce a spreadsheet of parts and so on that were used in the build. This makes it easy to service later. If it is as I have described I would feel pretty good about it but I am pretty computer savvy and intend to do this to one of my X’s.

One could do as Carl would do, which is pull that stuff off and put on a nice single or preferably dual carbs. This would make it a pretty hot build car and likely something most backyard mechanics could deal with who are not computer nerds :)

Personally the things that are most important about buying an X is that the body is in good condition, has the least rust possible and that the various electrical systems work properly. For me all the mechanicals can be fixed pretty easily. Fixing rust and electrical items are either a nightmare or just a pain in the ass. This car looks to be well sorted by someone who really cared. It also has all the goodies many here spend years acquiring and installing.

I would see this as a car worth strongly considering if it isn’t rusty and things work.
 
I would contact the seller for more details. It sounds like a well sorted machine. Carl is a carb guy (which is a good thing) thus his reticence for a car with fuel injection, particularly one that has a aftermarket set up. I would bet it is Mega/Microsquirt which means it should be reliable and pretty easy to deal with. Get some sense of what sensors he used, most people who do this likely can produce a spreadsheet of parts and so on that were used in the build. This makes it easy to service later. If it is as I have described I would feel pretty good about it but I am pretty computer savvy and intend to do this to one of my X’s.

One could do as Carl would do, which is pull that stuff off and put on a nice single or preferably dual carbs. This would make it a pretty hot build car and likely something most backyard mechanics could deal with who are not computer nerds :)

Personally the things that are most important about buying an X is that the body is in good condition, has the least rust possible and that the various electrical systems work properly. For me all the mechanicals can be fixed pretty easily. Fixing rust and electrical items are either a nightmare or just a pain in the ass. This car looks to be well sorted by someone who really cared. It also has all the goodies many here spend years acquiring and installing.

I would see this as a car worth strongly considering if it isn’t rusty and things work.

Thank you for sharing. I am definitely not a computer guy. I am happy with the fuel injection system on my 82 Spider. It has been very reliable and I would be happy with the standard fuel injection system on a X1/9.

I have sent an email asking for some more information on the car. I am not looking for something that is going to turn into a non-running project, I am comfortable with basic maintenance type repairs, but that is prettymuch it. My recollection of my 75 X1/9 is that it was pretty straightforward to work on.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
 
Excellent advice. Thank you. I was thinking that was a reasonable price... am I dreaming? I have seen some pretty expensive ones...
Gazzspeed,
We are selling our X1/9 and moving overseas. We are taking our new Alfa and our X1/9 would be a challenge for me to upkeep.
We are asking $6000.00. She does need some love but she has a very strong engine, trans and brakes and will come with a lot of extra parts.
The 1986 X1/9 is completely stock.
PM me is interested.
Mike
 

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Karl, I hope you were just razzing me! I'm absolutely fine with the stock FI on this car and especially if you like what amounts to the same FI on your spider. I'm just leery of "custom" FI unless your comfort zone includes things like this.
 
Karl, I hope you were just razzing me! I'm absolutely fine with the stock FI on this car and especially if you like what amounts to the same FI on your spider. I'm just leery of "custom" FI unless your comfort zone includes things like this.

Just kidding around about what you would do. Though it is what you would do :)

I am with with you about taking on an unknown FI system built up by someone you don’t know. If it was at all questionable changing to carbs would likely be easier than returning to OE FI unless he kept the OE sensors and so on. The desirablility of a OE fuel injection system which has been tested by time and worked for nearly 40 years versus a hand made system of unknown provenance is orders of magnitude preferable.

Parsing out what someone else has done and fixing it could be a nightmare or starting over scenario. Or just say eff it and put on a new manifold and carbs...

Your advice is good for most owners or possible new owners and I don’t disagree with you in any way.

It does appear to be a nice car in any case.
 
It kind of boils down to skill level. I could see removing that custom FI system, selling it to an enthusiast and buying a stock FI system (or carbs). That would be no problem with my skill set, maybe not so much for others. However, condition of the body, interior, transaxle and general condition of the motor are critical to the value of the car. A custom FI would normally decrease the value of a car or severely limit the number of people who might be interested in the car.

I recently bought an 81 spider that a previous owner had ripped out the FI and installed dual IDFs. They had also done a bumper delete. I know from personal experience that both those are normally a deal killer for most potential buyers. I was looking for a Fiat project and was able to buy the car for a very nice price, below what that car would have normally gotten if stock. In fact, both mods appealed to me. But some day if I sell the car I will likewise take a hit on the price of the car.
 
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