[manishalive]

Originally Posted by vinboy

I came across this car close to my house and was keen to know how much a car like this would cost me to buy, restore and make it ready to use regularly??

What are problem areas I should be aware of? Can members here advice?

The car shown is in good nick but has many parts out of later models. Can i have the contact no of the owner, or atleast where you spotted this car. There is just one thing that has caught my attention.

As for a similar looking car, the prices have gone up the roof even with lots of unoriginal stuff. Some are available off internet for 75,000 bucks. Go with a decent body car, what you spend on body work will be enormous. The more the original the better.

Later search for the original parts. And if you get a very original down to flasher unit, bolts etc., with rotting body, don't ever give away. You only need a donor body then .

As for restoration sky is the limit.

[vinboy]

Originally Posted by manishalive

Later search for the original parts. And if you get a very original down to flasher unit, bolts etc., with rotting body, don't ever give away. You only need a donor body then .
As for restoration sky is the limit.

on a cursory glance the car looked in a good nick! but when looked around there was reasonable amount of rust at the bottom edges of the door and in one of the door the rusting had created a palm sized hole ....so I guess body work would be extensive!!

I found the car in Rajarajeshwarinagar, however I have not been able to locate the owner yet....

[Stanher]

Originally Posted by vinboy

I came across this car close to my house and was keen to know how much a car like this would cost me to buy, restore and make it ready to use regularly??

What are problem areas I should be aware of? Can members here advice?

Originally Posted by manishalive

The car shown is in good nick but has many parts out of later models. Can i have the contact no of the owner, or atleast where you spotted this car. There is just one thing that has caught my attention.

Later search for the original parts. And if you get a very original down to flasher unit, bolts etc., with rotting body, don't ever give away. You only need a donor body then .

It looks like a '59-62 select but indeed its got quite a few parts from the subsequent models, but mostly nothing that cant be replaced AFAIK. Also note the rare, original tail-lamps sans reflectors.

As for the rust, if its not too extensive and the body can still be salvaged, you can always get it done up at a good bodywork guy's. Check out manish's restoration thread (he has a similar fiat)

Good Luck!

[manishalive]

Originally Posted by vinboy

on a cursory glance the car looked in a good nick! but when looked around there was reasonable amount of rust at the bottom edges of the door and in one of the door the rusting had created a palm sized hole ....so I guess body work would be extensive!!

I found the car in Rajarajeshwarinagar, however I have not been able to locate the owner yet....

well if it is only on doors do not worry, look far more deep, the channels below doors, the floor the wheel well and the underbody to acess a prospect.

[vinboy]

Originally Posted by manishalive

well if it is only on doors do not worry, look far more deep, the channels below doors, the floor the wheel well and the underbody to acess a prospect.

Well so what kind of restoration budget I should be prepared for? I have never owned a Fiat 1100 nor a Padmini so my knowledge about these cars are almost Zilch!!

[EARTHed]

Originally Posted by vinboy

Well so what kind of restoration budget I should be prepared for? I have never owned a Fiat 1100 nor a Padmini so my knowledge about these cars are almost Zilch!!

Frankly, I would suggest you to buy a Premier Padmini instead. A neat car, 15 - 20 yrs old, will cost you around 30k. They will mostly be rust free and all mechanical and cosmetical parts are easy to source.

Tinkering one such car will cost around 15k and painting again 15k. Mechanical stuff around 20k.

Kindly think over.

[Karthik1100]

@ doctor uncle, well said. @vinboy, if you considering fiat select or millecento cars you should have at least 1-1.5 lakh budget to get it to pristine (Stock) condition. but a Premier padmini needs half of its budget. and maintenance is also very cheap. i spend about Rs.4000 for my padmini per year apart from fuel charges. hope now you can make a right decision based on your budget.

Originally Posted by EARTHed

Frankly, I would suggest you to buy a Premier Padmini instead. A neat car, 15 - 20 yrs old, will cost you around 30k. They will mostly be rust free and all mechanical and cosmetical parts are easy to source.

Tinkering one such car will cost around 15k and painting again 15k. Mechanical stuff around 20k.

Kindly think over.

[EARTHed]

Originally Posted by Karthik1100

i spend about Rs.4000 for my padmini per year apart from fuel charges. hope now you can make a right decision based on your budget.

Thanks Mr.Karthik. My suggestions are based on my decades of experience. One more issue with "Classic" FIATs are protecting the valuable cosmetic parts. One cannot just leave the car in a public parking lot.

A Padmini, by far, is safe.

[adheesh]

Originally Posted by Karthik1100

@ doctor uncle, well said. @vinboy, if you considering fiat select or millecento cars you should have at least 1-1.5 lakh budget to get it to pristine (Stock) condition. but a Premier padmini needs half of its budget. and maintenance is also very cheap. i spend about Rs.4000 for my padmini per year apart from fuel charges. hope now you can make a right decision based on your budget.

Hi Karthik,
I understand the restoration costs (time/money/energy) for Padmini's to be lower due to the more easily available trim, however shouldn't the mechanical costs be the same since all these cars were mechanically near identical ?
Apart from this the older cars (and even the Padmini's upto say '84-'86) were apparently better built in terms of the body shell. From the user's profile, I dont think this would be a daily runner for Vineeth hence we can also take into consideration the uniqueness factor of older Fiats as compared to Padmini's. Overall I think we have confused Vineeth more than helped him.
Regards,
Adheesh

[EARTHed]

Originally Posted by adheesh

Hi Karthik,
I understand the restoration costs (time/money/energy) for Padmini's to be lower due to the more easily available trim, however shouldn't the mechanical costs be the same since all these cars were mechanically near identical ?

Dear Adheesh:
Don't you think a 50 year old car will have more mechanical issues than a 20 year old car?

Take the example of Manish Car and Karthik's S1.

Manish has to change everything right from Chassis, all tie rod ends, complete engine overhaul, FIAT 1100s used to have different braking mechanism etc.

How much has Karthik spent on his S1? He has just changed some suspension bushes, air filters, points and condensers etc.

It's easy to say that mechanicals parts are same, but the wear and tear in 50 year old car is multiple times more.

Apart from this the older cars (and even the Padmini's upto say '84-'86) were apparently better built in terms of the body shell. From the user's profile, I dont think this would be a daily runner for Vineeth hence we can also take into consideration the uniqueness factor of older Fiats as compared to Padmini's. Overall I think we have confused Vineeth more than helped him.
Regards,
Adheesh

Just PM Manish and ask him how much he is struggling to restore a FIAT. He has all the parts and money, still he is getting screwed. I am still waiting for updates in his thread. I guess I need to help him out.

Also, are the door locking and window winding mechanisms still available for FIAT 1100s? NO!

Let me show you my Millecento Pics and share the restoration story. No time!

[funkykar]

^ I agree with you sir in terms of practicality. PP's are the ones to be owned and enjoyed everyday. Anything earlier than that could be classified as a collector's item. It may be too early to classify them as such. But going forward, to keep it in pristine condition and to be able to use it very regularly could be a head ache. Note that I am comparing with PP only.

To use the pre-PP's might be a costly affair in terms of finding the parts and quest to keep it original.

@Vinboy, if you want to buy it as a collector's item try and find the owner and get a good deal. If you would want to enjoy the car by driving it daily, get a PP.

By the way, I drive only PP/118NE everyday. I have a Palio Stile SDX too. I use it too less. May be 20% of the times. The Palio seems to have been sitting with me like a collectible more than the PP and 118 NE. LOL

[EARTHed]

Originally Posted by funkykar

^ I agree with you sir in terms of practicality. PP's are the ones to be owned and enjoyed everyday.

I'm sure Behram Sir might not agree as he drives a Select regularly. He was lucky to plonk in a new engine for that FIAT as told to me by Karthik when I was searching for a new Engine.. And he being the ultimate FIAT GURU, anything is possible for him.

Originally Posted by funkykar

The Palio seems to have been sitting with me like a collectible more than the PP and 118 NE. LOL

ROFL!

[funkykar]

Originally Posted by EARTHed

I'm sure Behram Sir might not agree as he drives a Select regularly. He was lucky to plonk in a new engine for that FIAT as told to me by Karthik when I was searching for a new Engine.. And he being the ultimate FIAT GURU, anything is possible for him.



ROFL!

Behram sir every nitty gritty of FIAT installed in his head. He is an exception! He can drive any Fiat in any condition. Whatever said and done, just compare the whole thing with other older cars, older gen Fiats are more reliable. If you have this faith, you can drive any old Fiat everyday

[Stanher]

@Vinboy, I would say, have the best of both worlds- IF your budget, space etc. permit- buy a good padmini for your regular use as they are still (fortunately) available at reasonable prices- you could even find the odd good/decent one with even clear papers ended up for scrapping at your local gujiri if you visit often. Saving a good car from being scrapped would be another good thing you'd be doing. Plus, you neednt fear about using the car on our mean streets regularly as parts also are still available in plenty for these, again from your gujiri, atleast at present. You can even find another such car to cannabalise for parts, worst case!
Then you could go for the good ol' 1100 like this select- if your heart so doth desire- and keep it relatively more pampered as a classic/occasional car and, in time, keep finding the original parts its missing to make it complete. Again, T & C apply (read the bold part of my post above! )

Well, thats my 2 NP. Its your call!

[funkykar]

^This is one hell of a killer response Shyam.

You are seeing this from an angle we missed. Yes, these classics are available for dirt cheap (you may not get a good bike for this price), consider Shyam's advice and possibly get both.