I've only SEEN it so far (test drive is somewhere next week), paint is in good shape, except for a few rust spots (right front wheel, driver's window, rear hood).
The current owner told me it has 170,000 kms (approx. 110,000 miles).
Since he bought it 8 years ago the waterpump has been replaced and 4 years ago there's been some work done on the eninge (most parts replaced/renewed).
He drives it daily and says he encounters little or no problems.
I haven't seen the bottom of the car yet, and I expect more rust in less visible places.
At 1450 EUR (about the same amount in $) this does look like a (big ?) bargain though (which makes me suspicious at the same time LOL).
Anyway, I'd like people to give their feedback, as honest and critical as possible. What's the most critical spot/part on a Fulvia, and is a car with 170,000 kms worth buying or should I save my money for a fully restored one ?
I realise the info I gave/have about this car is pretty basic, but I hope it's enough to give me some kind of feedback.
Thanks in advance.
Thinking of buying a Fulvia... feedback needed
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Huib Geurink
Re: Thinking of buying a Fulvia... feedback needed
Here are some remarks. The first one is true in all cases. The others are true in most cases (you are safe if you assume they are facts too)
1. New Fulvia's with factory warranty have not been available for more than 25 years.
2. Everybody has a different interpretation of the word "restoration". In my book a true restoration means that it is brought into the same condition as a new one which includes a bare metal respray and overhaul of engine, gearbox brakes, steering, suspension including springs, etc etc. This costs between 25.000 and 40.000 euro, depending on the initial condition and the hourly rates in your part of the world.
3. A Fulvia in excellent condition is a joy to drive. Nobody will sell one which is in a truly excellent condition. If one comes up for sale then it is not in said excellent condition. The present owner simply does not have the experience or time or money to truly restore it completely or have it restored completely.
You already indicated you don't believe in Santa Claus. Good, because there is work coming your way. Nothing wrong with that. Make a plan depending on its intended use.
4. If it has been used as daily driver in Belgium for the past 8 years, it will need some welding.
5. If you agree that a recently fully restored Fulvia has just cost at least 25.000 euro's, you must expect to pay that. However, I have seen only very, very few Fulvia's in such a condition. None of them was for sale. Neither will they be for sale in the foreseeable future. See also 3.
If you expect to buy a fully restored Fulvia for a few 1000 euro, you and I have different definitions of "fully restored" or you expect to get much more than what you pay for. If the latter is the case, your changes for succes are better in the lottery.
6. 1450 euro is not much for a Fulvia coupe in driving condition and with legal status. Seems a good starting point for a restoration. With a bit of luck it might be a rolling one. If you use it as a daily driver, I strongly advice to completely strip the car and do a bare metal whenever serious welding and / or a paint job is necessary. If you at any time go for a complete paint job, open the sills for inspection. I have always regretted the times I did not.
1. New Fulvia's with factory warranty have not been available for more than 25 years.
2. Everybody has a different interpretation of the word "restoration". In my book a true restoration means that it is brought into the same condition as a new one which includes a bare metal respray and overhaul of engine, gearbox brakes, steering, suspension including springs, etc etc. This costs between 25.000 and 40.000 euro, depending on the initial condition and the hourly rates in your part of the world.
3. A Fulvia in excellent condition is a joy to drive. Nobody will sell one which is in a truly excellent condition. If one comes up for sale then it is not in said excellent condition. The present owner simply does not have the experience or time or money to truly restore it completely or have it restored completely.
You already indicated you don't believe in Santa Claus. Good, because there is work coming your way. Nothing wrong with that. Make a plan depending on its intended use.
4. If it has been used as daily driver in Belgium for the past 8 years, it will need some welding.
5. If you agree that a recently fully restored Fulvia has just cost at least 25.000 euro's, you must expect to pay that. However, I have seen only very, very few Fulvia's in such a condition. None of them was for sale. Neither will they be for sale in the foreseeable future. See also 3.
If you expect to buy a fully restored Fulvia for a few 1000 euro, you and I have different definitions of "fully restored" or you expect to get much more than what you pay for. If the latter is the case, your changes for succes are better in the lottery.
6. 1450 euro is not much for a Fulvia coupe in driving condition and with legal status. Seems a good starting point for a restoration. With a bit of luck it might be a rolling one. If you use it as a daily driver, I strongly advice to completely strip the car and do a bare metal whenever serious welding and / or a paint job is necessary. If you at any time go for a complete paint job, open the sills for inspection. I have always regretted the times I did not.
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alan cooper
Re: Thinking of buying a Fulvia... feedback needed
the one thing I would advise is to,if you can, get someone who knows fulvias to glance over it with you; the biggest danger is in restoration that has already been done if this is not right it can be more hard work/cash to correct than if it was honest and straight but with some rust holes. I do not think the kms is a problem but it depends how it has been looked after, for a well looked after car this is nothing. You should judge it by how it drives but remember that the fulvia was far far better than anything else at the time so if you are less than astonished at how good it is it may need a lot of care/cash to nurse it better
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pascal garnier
thanks !
right now I'm basically looking for a car that looks good, isn't too expensive AND rides.
all three are the case with this Fulvia.
I don't mind doing a lot of maintenance myself, but I don't know how realistic this is ... are most people here doing most maintenance and repair themselves or is that a hard task with a Fulvia ?
I don't know how much Fulvia owners here spend yearly on maintenance (assuming you have a car in good condition) ?
all three are the case with this Fulvia.
I don't mind doing a lot of maintenance myself, but I don't know how realistic this is ... are most people here doing most maintenance and repair themselves or is that a hard task with a Fulvia ?
I don't know how much Fulvia owners here spend yearly on maintenance (assuming you have a car in good condition) ?
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Huib Geurink
Re: thanks !
The main thing is to make sure the body and subframe are all right.
The sill structure and the subframe mounting box at the front have a somewhat complicated inner structure which is not obvious when looking from the outside. Often the steel inside the sills has completely rusted away resulting in such a way that someone who does not know that it should be there will never know it should be there. I have seen many "restorations" where these inner parts have not been properly repaired. The result is an unstable car. Sure signs of a weak mechanical condition are cracks in the front wings right above the front wheels.
If or once the body and subframe are all right, you can drive the car and repair whatever comes up. The quality of the Fulvia is very good. If repairs are properly done, they will last for a long time. It is often smart to replace other parts which you have to take off when doing a repair job if they don't cost that much and are susceptible to wear. I run some Fulvia's that way with good result.
I do about 45000 km per year with my three Fulvia coupe's. Maintenance is very low once they are in good condition and not driven with the pedal to the metal all the time.
The sill structure and the subframe mounting box at the front have a somewhat complicated inner structure which is not obvious when looking from the outside. Often the steel inside the sills has completely rusted away resulting in such a way that someone who does not know that it should be there will never know it should be there. I have seen many "restorations" where these inner parts have not been properly repaired. The result is an unstable car. Sure signs of a weak mechanical condition are cracks in the front wings right above the front wheels.
If or once the body and subframe are all right, you can drive the car and repair whatever comes up. The quality of the Fulvia is very good. If repairs are properly done, they will last for a long time. It is often smart to replace other parts which you have to take off when doing a repair job if they don't cost that much and are susceptible to wear. I run some Fulvia's that way with good result.
I do about 45000 km per year with my three Fulvia coupe's. Maintenance is very low once they are in good condition and not driven with the pedal to the metal all the time.
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pascal garnier
euhmmm
>The sill structure and the subframe mounting box at the front have a somewhat
>complicated inner structure which is not obvious when looking from the outside.
>Often the steel inside the sills has completely rusted away resulting in such a way
>that someone who does not know that it should be there will never know it should
>be there.
Is there a way to check this without dismantling the car, can I just open the front hood and see it ?
>complicated inner structure which is not obvious when looking from the outside.
>Often the steel inside the sills has completely rusted away resulting in such a way
>that someone who does not know that it should be there will never know it should
>be there.
Is there a way to check this without dismantling the car, can I just open the front hood and see it ?
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Huib Geurink
Re: euhmmm
You cannot see it. Symptoms are the cracks over the frontwheels. Then you are alsmo 100% sure the sills, A pillar and subframe mounting boxes are bad. Also the inner wheelarches could be bad. And theoretically it is possible that the sill structure was repaired without repair of the crack.
What you can do is put a crowbar between the rear subframe arms and the floor pan and move it up and down. See what moves. If there is litle movement and the bolt does not move, you may be all right. If it moves a lot and the bolt moves with it, it is bad. It simply has to be fixed.
The amount of money you are talking about leaves plenty of room for a good repair job.
What you can do is put a crowbar between the rear subframe arms and the floor pan and move it up and down. See what moves. If there is litle movement and the bolt does not move, you may be all right. If it moves a lot and the bolt moves with it, it is bad. It simply has to be fixed.
The amount of money you are talking about leaves plenty of room for a good repair job.
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pascal garnier
Re: euhmmm
>Also the inner wheelarches could be bad
Well, that's the case with the rear right wheelarch, there's a 6x6 cm hole there ... haven't inspected the other wheelarches yet, but I'll definitely look out for the cracks over the front wheels.
>The amount of money you are talking about leaves plenty of room for a good
>repair job.
That's exactly what I'm thinking ... and it also allows me to spend my money gradually instead of having to shell out the full amount at once.
Well, that's the case with the rear right wheelarch, there's a 6x6 cm hole there ... haven't inspected the other wheelarches yet, but I'll definitely look out for the cracks over the front wheels.
>The amount of money you are talking about leaves plenty of room for a good
>repair job.
That's exactly what I'm thinking ... and it also allows me to spend my money gradually instead of having to shell out the full amount at once.
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Randy Adams
Re: euhmmm
I know that Huib won't approve of this, but I ran a Fulvia coupe with cracks over the wheelarches in a dry climate for ten years before finally reaching the point where I had to take it off the road. I am not suggesting that you don't need to repair the sills, but this illustrates how incredibly overbuilt the cars are. They can put up with a surprising amount of abuse. If you buy a car with this problem, you can probably get acquainted with the car by driving it a while first before spending all the money. As for working on it yourself, I predict that you will find it very satisfying to work on. Except for replacing a broken front spring--that's just not a very fun job.
I still can't believe that the Fulvia didn't make Lancia the sort of commercial success that BMW is. It literally had no peer in terms of style, handling, efficiency, reliability and sheer durability in the late 1960s.
I still can't believe that the Fulvia didn't make Lancia the sort of commercial success that BMW is. It literally had no peer in terms of style, handling, efficiency, reliability and sheer durability in the late 1960s.
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Huib Geurink
Re: euhmmm
Well, Randy. I have been running my 1976 coupe for two years now with cracks over the front wheels.
Some years ago I crashed the car severely during the SLS rally, replaced the front and the right front wing and repainted the car. Within two months cracks appeared. I fixed the cracks, the sills and the subframe mountings, partly resprayed the car and within two months again cracks appeared over the front wheels. This time the cause were the inner wheelarches which had all but disappeared underneath the "protective" coating. I did not fix the cracks and they continue the crack further and further.
When I finish the restoration of Tina, my light blue 1967 coupe, I will totally strip and blast the 76 coupe untill that time it just runs with cracks.
BTW, that my daughter and I came out of the crash without a scratch is the result of the very, very strong construction of the Fulvia coupe. We were even able to continue after a farmer had pulled us back onto the road with his tractor.
Two years after that accident we skidded into a ditch during the Horneland rally. This time the boyfriend of my daughter was driving. After pulling it out ourselves we continued and even made it in time to the next TC
Replacing front springs is great fun. I have replaced a dozen or so over the last two years. None of them broken though but the original springs are all sitting too low and have lost their strength. Once I discovered how splendidly the car behaves again with new springs, I bit the bullit and replaced all springs on the cars I use often and on some of my friends cars. Civilisation has struck in this country. There are traffic bumps all over the place. With new springs the Fulvia can be driven over the traffic bumps at 80km/h. The problems I had with suspension ball joints, shock absorbers and track rod ends disappeared. And they no longer skid unexpectedly!
To every Fulvia owner I can recommend to replace the springs. The Fulvia will be a different car. Here in Holland we are fortunate to have an old guy who reconditions the three springs for about 100 euro and a bottle of old genever. He does it the only right way and finishes the process by heating the leaves up to 900 degrees C and dumping them in cold oil. The guy is 77, so the bottle is important to ensure his good health for many more years.
I agree that the Fulvia had no peer. Not only in the late sixties, even today it has no peer.
Some years ago I crashed the car severely during the SLS rally, replaced the front and the right front wing and repainted the car. Within two months cracks appeared. I fixed the cracks, the sills and the subframe mountings, partly resprayed the car and within two months again cracks appeared over the front wheels. This time the cause were the inner wheelarches which had all but disappeared underneath the "protective" coating. I did not fix the cracks and they continue the crack further and further.
When I finish the restoration of Tina, my light blue 1967 coupe, I will totally strip and blast the 76 coupe untill that time it just runs with cracks.
BTW, that my daughter and I came out of the crash without a scratch is the result of the very, very strong construction of the Fulvia coupe. We were even able to continue after a farmer had pulled us back onto the road with his tractor.
Two years after that accident we skidded into a ditch during the Horneland rally. This time the boyfriend of my daughter was driving. After pulling it out ourselves we continued and even made it in time to the next TC
Replacing front springs is great fun. I have replaced a dozen or so over the last two years. None of them broken though but the original springs are all sitting too low and have lost their strength. Once I discovered how splendidly the car behaves again with new springs, I bit the bullit and replaced all springs on the cars I use often and on some of my friends cars. Civilisation has struck in this country. There are traffic bumps all over the place. With new springs the Fulvia can be driven over the traffic bumps at 80km/h. The problems I had with suspension ball joints, shock absorbers and track rod ends disappeared. And they no longer skid unexpectedly!
To every Fulvia owner I can recommend to replace the springs. The Fulvia will be a different car. Here in Holland we are fortunate to have an old guy who reconditions the three springs for about 100 euro and a bottle of old genever. He does it the only right way and finishes the process by heating the leaves up to 900 degrees C and dumping them in cold oil. The guy is 77, so the bottle is important to ensure his good health for many more years.
I agree that the Fulvia had no peer. Not only in the late sixties, even today it has no peer.