Motoring Discussion > FIAT - I think I'm beyond help	Miscellaneous
Thread Author: Alanovich	Replies: 40

New Tue 22 Mar 16 20:33   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Alanovich

I am actually seriously considering buying this for a project/hobby car and to teach my children to drive in/service a car when they're a bit older. www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/detail/motors/classic-cars/fiat/regata/167373 Help. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 22 Mar 16 20:37   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - The Melting Snowman

£750 for that? Real value is closer to £40 scrap. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 22 Mar 16 20:39   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Bromptonaut

AK was a West Riding registration, Bradford IIRC, so it started out in an OK place. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 22 Mar 16 23:23   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - legacylad

Bromp... Bradford an ok place? It might have been when I was growing up there years ago, but I assume you haven't been for a while? Neither have I, for a d**n good reason. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 10:49   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Alanovich

>> £750 for that? Real value is closer to £40 scrap. >> I think this is the clincher, really. If I could find an interesting old project car for under £100 I might go for it. £750 is never going to get Board Approval, is it? Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 22 Mar 16 20:49   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Zero

WTF is that doing in a classic car add? It was a shed new, and its now a rotten shed. Reply to this message | Report message       2

New Tue 22 Mar 16 20:54   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

Oh dear God ! You're not really going to inflict that on your children ( or yourself ) are you? Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 22 Mar 16 21:00   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - tyrednemotional

...I think he's already bought it, and used your tip about touching up the paintwork with a black felt-tip, to judge by the NSF wing......... ;-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 22 Mar 16 21:07   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

Mind you, scroll down that page a bit and there's a 124 Spyder... I may have just bitten through my hand. Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Tue 22 Mar 16 21:17   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - WillDeBeest

There's a nice-looking 900 T16S too. Not a Ruby but the next-best thing. The Fiat is beyond awful. And you've done the AC thing of posting a car in Non-Motoring. Do you have his excuse? Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 09:43   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Alanovich

>> And you've done the AC thing of posting a car in Non-Motoring. Do you have >> his excuse? >> No. Evidently my marbles are heading for the woodshed. Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Tue 22 Mar 16 23:21   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - legacylad

Runfer, I thought that 1990 Panda was more your thing. You keep going on about them. That Spyder would be a huge disappointment after the Westfield. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 13:13   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

>> That Spyder would be a huge disappointment... Soooo pretty though. How did you know I'd had a Westfield? Have I mentioned it at some point? Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 22 Mar 16 21:19   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Mike H

I think you need a lie down, you'll soon feel better. Reply to this message | Report message

New Tue 22 Mar 16 21:25   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Robin O'Reliant

The number plate tells you all you need to know. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 06:11   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - madf

POC Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 07:59   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - R.P.

www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/ Check out the advisories....I wouldn't let a child of mine near this pile of crap. Reply to this message | Report message       1

New Wed 23 Mar 16 09:40   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Alanovich

Of course not, RP, it wouldn't be on the road until such time as it was fixed properly. That's the point of a hobby/project car. I have many years (6) until the eldest gets to 17. It's a nostalgia thing with Regatas for me, I had one when I was a student and it was brilliant. Got me to Gibraltar and back, twice, from Nottingham. Slept in it often, never let me down, apart from a cambelt breaking (natch), but I got away with only one slightly bent valve, replaced the belt, and on it went. There can't be many left, as there aren't many maniacs like me who think fondly of them. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 09:45   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - CGNorwich

Eleven in all www.howmanyleft.co.uk/?utf8=✓&q=Fiat+regata Pretty exclusive eh! Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 10:14   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - WillDeBeest

It's a nostalgia thing with Regatas for me, I had one when I was a student and it was brilliant. It presumably wasn't 31 years old, though - or 37, as this one will be if it survives till you have a young driver ready for it. I know there's an argument for learning in the simplest possible car, but this is already so far removed from the reality of modern driving as to be an irrelevance. I did some of my early driving in a 1985 car - but that was in 1988; I wouldn't want one now. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 09:53   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Alanovich

>> The number plate tells you all you need to know. >> I bought an Alfa 33 once, the last letters on the number plate were "DUD". Ha, thought I. What sort of idiot would be scared by such trivia? I bought it and the cambelt broke two weeks later, on the way to a booked service appointment to have the cambelt changed. Car scrapped. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 10:25   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - martin aston

You are not beyond help but the car is........... Why not buy it and keep us posted? That way your venerable Saab 9-5 thread will soon be exceeded ;-). Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 19:10   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - The Melting Snowman

I saw an old D reg UNO today, bit scuffy around the edges but motoring along quite nicely. Maybe one of those would be a better bet? The UNO was a good characterful car in its day. I don't remember the Regata being particularly well written-up back in 1984. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 19:28   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Boxsterboy

Now an Uno would be worth getting. A totally underrated classic in the making (seriously!) I have half been looking out for one. But as for the Regata? - well, whatever floats your boat! Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 19:35   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

Uno or old Panda. Both fun wee cars and oh so simple to work on. Achilles heel is the clutch cable though. The route it has to follow on RHD cars leads to it wearing. Anything that age will have rust problems though. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 19:50   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - CGNorwich

Peugeot 306 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 20:08   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - bathtub tom

>> Uno or old Panda. I used to wonder if it would be possible to fit a Uno 1.3 in a Panda. That would make a wolf in sheep's clothing. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 20:18   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - tyrednemotional

....I had a Uno 1.3 (70) from new. In many ways a brilliant little car, but prone to rust from day 1. In only a couple of years I was rubbing down and repainting the door seams (where they sat in water against the door seals), and if I hadn't noticed the state of the fuel tank support "bands", I swear it would shortly afterwards have deposited the whole caboodle on the road! I don't think you'd get away with the indicator switches nowadays, though. It was liked, however; In some ways better than the two Puntos (Mk1 and Mk2) we had later for SWMBO, both of which were really much better cars. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 20:59   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Robin O'Reliant

>> Uno or old Panda. Both fun wee cars and oh so simple to work on. >> Achilles heel is the clutch cable though. The route it has to follow on RHD >> cars leads to it wearing. >> >>>> The Sceicento was of the same ilk. The shop had a Sport as a run around for about seven years and I had two clutch cables go while I was out in it, another went with someone else driving. I did like it though, lovely little car to drive and you could chuck it round like a go kart. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 21:51   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

There is something special about small Italian cars that makes them feel eager. Even those with the most basic of specifications seem to want to just go. Hang a large magnet off the back to catch the bits falling off and they are fine. I'd have a modern Panda now as a runabout if I needed such a thing and to heck with those who think they are Noddy cars. They're great fun and quite practical too. ;-) Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:05   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Ted

We had a mark 1 Punto 17 TD in 97 from new. It was a great little car. Pulled a 12ft caravan with no trouble and returned 45 mpg doing so. The Motobility people eventually wanted it back ! I remember setting off for Goswick Sands nr. Berwick with a full tank at the time of a tanker strike. I carried about 25 litres of DERV with us but we didn't need it in the end. I would like to find a nice Renault 4 or 6 and put a Sierra engine and autobox out of a 5 in it for myself. No problem with the conversion, the Sierra engine is the same for all three later models but finding A) car B) an autobox might be a problem ! Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:13   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - tyrednemotional

...I was always fairly dismissive of the Renault 4, until I had a hired one in Morocco in the late 70's, for a holiday climbing in the Atlas. It also took us half-way to the Sahara over roads that were then virtually undriveable, and I have very fond memories. (I say holiday, but it was more the nature of "experience", with a number of occurrences that ranged from the hilarious to the downright scary - I've never had a gun drawn on me by officialdom either before or since, but three times in Morocco!). Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:20   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

Did you know, ( here's one for the pub quiz ) that the front and back wheels are a different distance apart on either side of a Renault 4? Can't remember which side has the longer wheelbase or why but they do. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:30   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - tyrednemotional

..didn't know that this applied to the 4, but certainly does to later models (14/16?) due to the arrangement of the torsion bar suspension on the back axle. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:32   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

I'm actually slightly worried that I knew that. I know it's OK to admit it here and everything, but it has just occurred to me that it might not be the best topic to cover at any kind of normal social gathering. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:35   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - tyrednemotional

...my name is Humph, and I'm a caraholic...........? Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:38   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

I'm in denial. But in fairness I didn't know it applied to other Renaults. Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Wed 23 Mar 16 at 22:42 Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 24 Mar 16 07:04   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Focusless

>> ..didn't know that this applied to the 4, but certainly does to later models (14/16?) Yep, we had a 14. Dad had previously always gone for Escorts (no, the car), and he went back to them after this aberration :) Reply to this message | Report message

New Thu 24 Mar 16 09:29   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Fenlander

>>> certainly does to later models (14/16? I remember that too... an uncle owned two 16s and the difference was quite noticeable if you compared the bodywork between the rear wheel and rear doors... about 2" I reckon. As an aside the second of these was a bright red 16TX a couple of years old. Fully speccd way above a British car of the era, ride so smooth with thick comfy seats and very nippy.... if a bit roly on corners. Last edited by: Fenlander on Thu 24 Mar 16 at 09:30 Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:30   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Slidingpillar

Did you know, ( here's one for the pub quiz ) that the front and back wheels are a different distance apart on either side of a Renault 4? Can't remember which side has the longer wheelbase or why but they do. Yup, but then I'm a mine of useless information. Right hand side is the longer one. Reply to this message | Report message

New Wed 23 Mar 16 22:39   FIAT - I think I'm beyond help - Runfer D'Hills

You have issues too SP ! Reply to this message | Report message