Hey Jazz - What do you think of these?

doctor_evil99, Apr 20, 10:49am
drive it fast before it rust!

thejazzpianoma, Apr 20, 11:26am
They were a lot of reasonably practical fun back in the day, They sound great and really do feel quite special to drive and travel in. But like any car that age they are getting too long in the tooth now to be a sensible daily driver unless your a bit of an enthusiast who is happy to keep on top of things. Those boxers are belt driven and you often see them withleaky waterpumps and/or headgasket issues due to lack of maintenance.

As above some of these did rust badly but I think later ones were galvanised. Not sure if galvanising started with the series two in 1990 or was a little later.

So, yes, depends on your purpose.

In terms of bang for buck you can pick up a later 146/147 for not a hang of a lot more if you keep your eyes peeled. That gets you right out of the rust issues, possibly into a twinspark engine and at least some safety features.

My other thoughs on the theme would be a Stilo Abarth. Realistically the Stilo would require no more upkeep than a 33, can be picked up under 5K sometimes and is a whole different world of automobile.

But again, depends on what you are looking for. the Stilo is a VERY different car that requires a different kind of maintenance.

So yeah, perhaps fill us in on your intentions/purpose and I might be able to guide you a bit better.