WTB '79-82 FIAT X 1/9

[WantAnX1/9]

It's only about a 2.5 day drive from CA to the northeast and it may be easier to find one without rust issues.

True...but I don't have 5 days to just take off to buy a toy which may---or may not, be the bees knees.

I work 90+ hours. Every. Week. Sometimes 7 days straight.

I am not retired. I have obligations which keep me firmly here, working and earning a tidy sum.

I wish I could take a week-long vacation, but that isn't in the hand I have been dealt.

California cars are also not 100% immune to rust. I am sure many, if not most sports cars spend time at the beach, taking in that sweet, sweet salty sea mist...which begins the steel cancer, the stuff of which my nightmares are made.

I do not consider any seaside or northern (snow-heavy) state a panacea for rust-free vehicles.

I'd sooner have more faith in say, a car from a land-locked, non-snowy state, such as Arizona or Nevada. Sure, the paint and seals are all fried, but the well-rumored and high-quality Russian steel has the highest chance of having most of its integrity still intact.

I'm playing the long game here.

 

[dllubin]

True...but I don't have 5 days to just take off to buy a toy which may---or may not, be the bees knees.

I work 90+ hours. Every. Week. Sometimes 7 days straight.

When I was doing that, my X was laid up for over 20 years waiting for me to have time to work on it. I'm just saying don't necessary rule out travel if it gets you a good car. Five days is nothing as far as work goes on a less than spectacular X Besides, you don't need to drive both ways so 5 days would be a stretch (or a leisurely drive).

 

[78paesano]

I would just spend the extra $1200 and have it shipped. I hate driving long distance.

 

[DanielForest]

I would just spend the extra $1200 and have it shipped. I hate driving long distance.

Let me think. I could take a plane from Montréal to California and drive back your nice X1/9 to your place for 1200$. That money will pay for the plane, the gas, the hôtels and the food and I think I may still having some money plus having a nice trip for free! Or I can split and have a co-driver...

So @78paesano, if you are buying car from far away, let me know!

 

[kmead]

There is a one off X on Ebay which was built on a clean 1986 X out of California you might consider. It is currently in Warren OH where it has been since 1999 when the customizer, Lavin Cuddihee, sold it.

This car started off as a red over dark gray metallic car. I went to look at it with Lavin Cuddihee a friend and classmate, drove the car as I was shopping for an X to take with me back east at the time (1993). He bought the car shortly after we had looked at it in Studio City. I should have bought it but passed for no good reason, instead I bought a cheaper one that requires a ton of cosmetic work. Bang head.

He kept the car OE for a number of years but being an Art Center grad and car designer he couldn’t leave it be. As can be seen the door panels are custom, new seat back design, slight changes to the seat cushion and notable changes to the body. The rear side markers were shaved entirely, the front side markers were also filled and replaced with EU side markers from another Fiat (as I recall). The biggest change was obviously the removal of the OE bumpers. Holes were filled and new bumpers were fabricated and then chromed when he felt they were good enough from a surfacing standpoint (it took a number of tries as I recall). The car was fully repainted. The wheels are the Bertone designed CD27 used on EU 850 Racers and on the X1/9 Corsa.

I don’t have a dog in this race just interested in seeing this particular car go to a good home now that it has resurfaced after 20 years with only 200 more miles on it than it had when Lavin sold it in 1999. Lavin can’t afford to buy it back although he would truly love to. If you are interested in knowing more about the car I can put you in touch with Lavin who lives in North Carolina now. He likely has lots more pics and a good memory of what he did, why and how.

The Ebay listing with really bad pictures is here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-Fiat-X-1-9/293192018269?hash=item44439b295d:g:N9gAAOSwtchdIzYY

One of Lavin’s pictures of the car:



Many more pictures here:
http://imageevent.com/xfactor/86x

In any case, it was and I believe is still a nice car. Warren Ohio is northwest of Youngstown OH so within a day’s drive of Manchester NH, (a trip I took more than once as I used to live in Jeffrey NH in the mid 80s).

Just a thought.

 

[78paesano]

Let me think. I could take a plane from Montréal to California and drive back your nice X1/9 to your place for 1200$. That money will pay for the plane, the gas, the hôtels and the food and I think I may still having some money plus having a nice trip for free! Or I can split and have a co-driver...

So @78paesano, if you are buying car from far away, let me know!

I bought this one 3 years ago. $1200 shipped from MD-NV. Worth it to me. I can't drive that far.


In my driveway 4 days later.

 

[WantAnX1/9]

I bought this one 3 years ago. $1200 shipped from MD-NV. Worth it to me. I can't drive that far.
View attachment 24482

In my driveway 4 days later.
View attachment 24483

I like...It is just a big leap of faith to buy a car without seeing it, driving it, firsthand.

I prefer to vet the car myself, drive it completely, do hot starts, cold starts, check brakes, steering, suspension, all electronics---in person (and not feel rushed---I am talking 2 hours with the car before I decide---if it is junk, I don't waste my time or the seller's), interview the owner, get a feel for who I am buying the car from. You can tell a LOT about a car or motorcycle, and how it was treated, just by meeting the owner.

Ideally, I would love to buy from an enthusiast, who has several X 1/9s...or has had the car for a long time. This way, I know the car was at least loved, cared for.

I'm trying to screen out someone's rust bucket. I want it to stay their rust bucket----not mine.

As an aside, when searching for my MG Midget four years ago, I saw perhaps 6 cars. ALL photographed beautifully. Oh, they had several photos, the cars looked so gorgeous.

However, when I arrived, every MG, each one, save for the last that I bought, was beyond repair (hidden chassis rust, terminal rot). I am talking spray paint job, car won't run, all the excuses in the world to go with the rust.

Buying from a distance puts me, the buyer, at the mercy of the seller, and how he presents the car to me.

Shipping is on the table, but as a last resort.

I won't be burned.

 

[ng_randolph]

I work 90+ hours. Every. Week. Sometimes 7 days straight.

I am not retired. I have obligations which keep me firmly here, working and earning a tidy sum.

Owning a car that is 30+ years old is a bit of a time commitment, even if you get the best one around. I am wondering if someone with your schedule perhaps would be happier with an Alfa Romeo 4C. It is definitely a true exotic, and used ones are reasonably priced.

 

[WantAnX1/9]

Owning a car that is 30+ years old is a bit of a time commitment, even if you get the best one around. I am wondering if someone with your schedule perhaps would be happier with an Alfa Romeo 4C. It is definitely a true exotic, and used ones are reasonably priced.

I have enough time to wrench, but not enough time to lose 5+ days going from one half of the country to another.

Like many people on this forum, I fit my classic car time in between work and family life when I am able.

Also, the 4C, while it looks great on paper is still $50k, and offers no manual transmission.

The X 1/9 and 4C...worlds apart in terms of price.

I WISH I could be able to afford a $50K exotic!

I like cheap(er) classic cars, like the MGs, Triumphs, X1/9s, etc.

I expect it will take around a year or more to land the right car.

I'm in no rush, but I am excited to finally have an X 1/9!