Advice on a 1977 X1/9 "Barnyard find" for $500

Is $500 a good deal for this?


  • Total voters
    9
Five hundred is not enough, unless it's drivable; most people with working cars want more than that for it.
 
My opinion on this may not be a popular one. But if I understood you correctly, your lease on the 500 is ending and you do not have any other vehicles. Therefore I would not consider ANY "X1/9" as your only car and daily driver. Sorry but unless you are a skilled mechanic, have lots of free time to spend on it, and don't NEED to be anywhere at any given time, then o.k.. Well, actually I should add to that list, you will never have another person in the car and have a huge life insurance policy.

And this statement was not just about X1/9's, but any old car. You sound like a young person with a family. You need a very reliable and dependable and SAFE car. Sorry but these are not such a car. It might be one of the few times your wife was right (joking). Don't get me wrong, I have several old cars and love them all. But I am not in your situation. Be smart and realistic of your needs as a family man.
 
My opinion on this may not be a popular one. But if I understood you correctly, your lease on the 500 is ending and you do not have any other vehicles. Therefore I would not consider ANY "X1/9" as your only car and daily driver. Sorry but unless you are a skilled mechanic, have lots of free time to spend on it, and don't NEED to be anywhere at any given time, then o.k.. Well, actually I should add to that list, you will never have another person in the car and have a huge life insurance policy.

And this statement was not just about X1/9's, but any old car. You sound like a young person with a family. You need a very reliable and dependable and SAFE car. Sorry but these are not such a car. It might be one of the few times your wife was right (joking). Don't get me wrong, I have several old cars and love them all. But I am not in your situation. Be smart and realistic of your needs as a family man.
Sometimes I am a lazy reader so missed the part about this possibly being your only car.
After going back and rereading I concur with the doctor.
X19 are fun cars but working on any old car can quickly become a nightmare.
I have never had much since so have always been drawn to older vehicles and it is usually fix one thing and something else goes wrong.
Don't let stars get in you eyes and make a purchase you will regret.
 
I have owned many a X19 as my only car. would NOT recommend it unless you are single, and live within walking distance to everything you need; food, hospital, work etc. I remember the first time I got to the point in my life where my X was just a fun car rather than daily driver. It was awesome. no more quick hack fixes, (ok, I still do some) and no more worry when it wanted to cough a little. I would have to agree with the side that is probably not the best option at this point in time. Now as a secondary? I would say go for it, even as a $500 POS. the things you will learn as you try to get it roadworthy will suite you well when you get another, as you will, as these are VERY addictive.

Odie
 
I was worried about the first group of responses and was going to say what the doc says. No classic Fiat should be your daily driver, who the hell needs that stress. That car would be great for someone like me who has the time, not a lot of money and tons of misdirected enthusiasm to make this a project with no timeline. On cars like this I try to determine what it's parts car value is if I decided the car was too far gone to restore. Also, I have lots of parts.

For someone starting from scratch, admitted limited skills and having to depend on someone else to get it ready in a short time span, this is not the car for you.

Is your wife adverse to getting another car on lease?
 
I may be going out on a limb, but for 99.9999% of Americans, 32 year old $500 Italian sports cars retrieved from fields are NOT good choices as daily drivers.

If looking for daily transportation and want to buy at $6,000, I'd be looking for the best Asian econocar locally available in that price range.

Or you could lease a 4-6 year old Asian or American car for about the same "muntly" as what you are paying for the 500e. (Funny, I haven't seen a 500e around my parts for ages, but saw one yesterday in the Dunkin' parking lot. Can't miss 'em, they look like a Creamsicle!)

As much as you have the bug for an X, get an economical DD for now and build a kitty for a future toy.
 
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My opinion on this may not be a popular one. But if I understood you correctly, your lease on the 500 is ending and you do not have any other vehicles. Therefore I would not consider ANY "X1/9" as your only car and daily driver. Sorry but unless you are a skilled mechanic, have lots of free time to spend on it, and don't NEED to be anywhere at any given time, then o.k.. Well, actually I should add to that list, you will never have another person in the car and have a huge life insurance policy.

And this statement was not just about X1/9's, but any old car. You sound like a young person with a family. You need a very reliable and dependable and SAFE car. Sorry but these are not such a car. It might be one of the few times your wife was right (joking). Don't get me wrong, I have several old cars and love them all. But I am not in your situation. Be smart and realistic of your needs as a family man.

Thank you, Dr.! It's great to login this morning and see the whole other side of the coin! So technically speaking, I can bike to work easily (would suck in the winter months but it's possible) and our family's primary vehicle is a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan my wife drives exclusively with our two kids. I pay $65/mo for the 500e because I qualified for the stupid high California subsidies so we've gotten away for 3 years on paying practically nothing. That's let me save up quite a bit for a "fun car" with my wife and I always having an agreement that I'd buy her something reliable and then I'd be able to get something that would be a bit more "me" than a 4door sedan. She's super supportive and knows that I work really hard to support our family so she can stay at home with the kids, so one of her ways of showing me some love is being supportive (as much as she can, haha!) with me wanting something fun.

That being said, I totally appreciate you and @dragonsgate and @autox19 and @carl and @dan giving your honest opinions. I definitely want to have something that combines fun and reliability. For a few years into our marriage I had a Honda Del Sol and it was like the cousin of the X1/9 and it was incredibly reliable even if I had to give it a quart of oil every month! o_O I guess what I am wondering from you all is if the X1/9s are notoriously unreliable then why do people enjoy them so much? Every person that I've talked to or posts I've seen show people enjoying these cars like mad. How can people enjoy them if they're worried that they're going to go out on a joyride and have the thing break down? Are they really that prone to catastrophic failures?

Also just to clarify... I may not be a trained mechanic but I've worked on plenty of cars in my day. But ultimately you all are right... I do need a car to get to work and back at least semi-reliably!
 
Thank you, Dr.! It's great to login this morning and see the whole other side of the coin! So technically speaking, I can bike to work easily (would suck in the winter months but it's possible) and our family's primary vehicle is a 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan my wife drives exclusively with our two kids. I pay $65/mo for the 500e because I qualified for the stupid high California subsidies so we've gotten away for 3 years on paying practically nothing. That's let me save up quite a bit for a "fun car" with my wife and I always having an agreement that I'd buy her something reliable and then I'd be able to get something that would be a bit more "me" than a 4door sedan. She's super supportive and knows that I work really hard to support our family so she can stay at home with the kids, so one of her ways of showing me some love is being supportive (as much as she can, haha!) with me wanting something fun.

That being said, I totally appreciate you and @dragonsgate and @autox19 and @carl and @dan giving your honest opinions. I definitely want to have something that combines fun and reliability. For a few years into our marriage I had a Honda Del Sol and it was like the cousin of the X1/9 and it was incredibly reliable even if I had to give it a quart of oil every month! o_O I guess what I am wondering from you all is if the X1/9s are notoriously unreliable then why do people enjoy them so much? Every person that I've talked to or posts I've seen show people enjoying these cars like mad. How can people enjoy them if they're worried that they're going to go out on a joyride and have the thing break down? Are they really that prone to catastrophic failures?

Also just to clarify... I may not be a trained mechanic but I've worked on plenty of cars in my day. But ultimately you all are right... I do need a car to get to work and back at least semi-reliably!
why are they adictive? I cant put into words. you need to drive one that is in decent shape.

Odie
 
why are they adictive? I cant put into words. you need to drive one that is in decent shape.

Odie

Haha! I did! The "one that got away" for $5500. That's what got me hooked. Someone else just showed up with cash faster than I could convince my wife! Hence this whole journey. :D
 
To me a big part of the excitement is wondering if it will get me back home, alive. But I also run with scissors in a dark room full of broken glass in bare feet. So don't follow my ways. :D

You will get lots of replies saying they are reliable, quotes like "I've driven mine four bizillion miles with no service and it has never had a single issue". But everything is relevant. Any semi modern vehicle is extremely more reliable, safer, more economical, etc, etc. As I said before this applies to just about any old car, so I'm not necessarily picking on Fiats. Although in my personal opinion Fiats (as well as many others) tend to be less reliable than some vehicles from other parts of the world, for about the same money. To me they make great "extra" cars with lots of fun. And by "extra" I mean not your first or second car, but another one that is only enjoyed on weekends with the top off, driving rapidly down a quiet twisty road with no pants on. ;)

So it depends on your situation. It is good that your wife and kids have another safe and reliable vehicle to use on a daily basis. I guess the question is how much can you afford to rely on your car on a daily basis? Do you have a job that is understanding if you call in with car problems somewhat often? Do you have other important needs for the car, like when the van is in for service and the wife and kids need to be somewhere? I could go on and on, but I know when I was in your position I seldom did the smart thing - usually opting for fun over practicality. I recall when I turned 21 I sat down and had a long thought. Did I want to get married, start a family, maintain a stable career, and be responsible? Or did I want to remain single, enjoy fun cars, go anywhere and do anything with anyone at any time I pleased? It's now 40 years later and I'm still having fun with cars and traveling as I please without having to answer to anyone. For me that was the right decision. But not for everyone.
 
I have been talking with another local (Eugene person who has their x1/9 up for sale.)

here is His craigslist link
https://eugene.craigslist.org/cto/d/eugene-fiat-x1-9/6893483460.html

There are more x1/9's running in Eugene then you would think.

there are three drivers out of my house.

Wifes' was just talked about on Facebook.

(just spent a lot of time but can not find it now).

There is also a 74 that is in great shape in the local area. This weekend I am meeting up with another x1/9 owner in Eugene to split up a parts order from Bayless.

We have been having great luck with our car's being used as daily drivers but there have been a few times we were happy that we have other vehicles to drive. The x1/9 has alway's been a dependable car. (mine has been on the tow truck only when I was doing something where I wanted my car with me. (I used to drive said tow truck) I even delivered a crane a few times with it.

Also, there is two 77's listed on craigslist (still in the field) if you are wanting project's
https://corvallis.craigslist.org/pts/d/lebanon-1977-fiat-19-complete-or-parts/6906459799.html

I would love to have some more x1/9's running in the local area. Would love to get together and see if we could help.

I will also add that I do recommend that you think of a new to you x1/9 as not your daily driver car, at least until you have it sorted out and some miles on it.
 
I have been thinking about getting them as they are not that much, but currently I have (9) x1/9's on the property and need to get some other junk off the property. (might start storing more x1/9s at my dad's in Sweethome.
 
I have been thinking about getting them as they are not that much, but currently I have (9) x1/9's on the property and need to get some other junk off the property. (might start storing more x1/9s at my dad's in Sweethome.

That Eugene car that you posted is the one that got away!! The guy (Darrick, he's awesome, been texting him even after he sold it) was the one who got me into this in the first place. Now that it's gone I've been wanting one so bad. You say you have 9 X1/9s on your property? Here in Eugene? How many of them are in repairable condition? I'd love to meet up and talk through it. So here's a question for you: If I got one now, and then had 4 months to sort through any issues before I had to turn in my daily, do you think that's enough to find and repair any issues/quirks or does stuff pop up much more long term?

Gosh I love this forum. You all are the best!
 
Yes, I can see that. often it is less costly to get a nice car that someone else fixed up then what it cost to fix it up to your self. The person selling it is often taking a loss. Many people would say that is taking advantage of someone, But if no buy's it at all. they are in even worse shape.
 
This may sound crazy but a $5,000 X1/9 is cheaper than a $500 X1/9.
True. And for that matter, in the case of someone that really needs a very dependable, all around use vehicle, a $5000 Japanese car is cheaper than a $5000 Fiat....if you get my meaning. ;)
 
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