Nice garage in Italy ...

[mirko131]

Look here , click on top right " auto usate "

www.matulliauto.com

Nice 132 Kevin

[kev131]

Nice selection of cars and what looks like a sound Fiat 132 - Thanks Mirko..! 

[jack1]

now that 132 looks the bizz

[Rob 131]

They have a great range of cars and the 132 looks wonderful. Having never driven a 132 (always liked them) I wonder what they drive like in comparison with say a S2 Super 1.6. Any feedback.

[djape1977]

i've had several 132s over the years and still have one.
more comfortable, softer, more bodyroll, faster than 131 1,6 super, less engine and road noise, great brake and steering servo. less "sporty". after 1000km drive non stop i get out of it and don't feel tired at all, unlike opel vectra (vauxhall) for example.
bigger inside, fantastic seats.
great sunvisors!!!
nice exaust note over 4k rpm

[kev131]

You are whetting my appetite Djape. 

Despite learning to drive properly and gain sufficient experience to pass my driving test in a 131 Sport, my very first car to drive, at age 15, was a 132 2000. I can remember every second of the experience! It was a short drive along a single track road, stop and reverse to where I started. End.

I still my remember my Dad's surprise that I didn't stall once and could steer in reverse never having performed either operation before (at least in a full size car). I was so pleased with myself! 

Still looking actively for the right car every day! 

[djape1977]

still think you're too picky. 
there's plenty good ones out there...
even the metallic red one from serbia i went to see drives nice.
or you're following my 131 restoration to see if it's up to your standards and waiting for me to restore my 132 and then make me an offer? 

frankly, 132 leaves something to be desired and i've made some mods over the years but i suppose it's a matter of taste

[kev131]

still think you're too picky. 
there's plenty good ones out there...

.....but too picky for who...? 

If I want a car that is as close new condition as I can find, why can't I try to do that...?

I know such cars exist and I have been either too slow or too mean to buy them up to now (ie ?7000 for a Fiat 132!!). I once bought a 131 Sport "cheap" and learnt a lesson that "cheap does not exist. Now I will buy the very best I can afford and I'm very confident that I will be rewarded for my patience.

I know of another car that I think would satisfy the standards I'm looking for but I am in competition with someone who has already done a deal for it - They have not paid for it yet so I'm hoping they get cold feet! I'll let you know how it turns out. 

[Heini131]

Good luck Kevin

I think you are wright, at the end it is always cheaper to buy the best
car you can get!
Go for it

[djape1977]

well, as far as my experience with 132 and other old cars goes, i predict this seres of events.
-you find the car that looks excellent on the outside and inside. there's no rust, it's always been in garage, low mileage etc. you buy it. price around 5k euro for pristine example.

when you start driving it more frequently you find out that:
-car has not been driven for last 10-15 years. it's been taken out of garage, cleaned, new battery, cables and spark plugs installed and tyres inflated. so far so good.
- after 100kms you find out that tyres are crap and need replacement as soon as possible. - 200e
- after 150 km carburettor fraks up. - 30e. if fuel injected - 200e
- after 500km fuel pump membrane fails. - 50e
- after 1000km fuel lines, brake lines and rubber seals in the braking system start leaking. -150e
- after 5.000km all rubber bushings in suspension fall apart - 300e
- after 6.000km all oil seals in the engine and transmission start leaking. you do nothing about it for now.
- after 10.000km oil consumption goes tru the roof. engine is consuming/leaking a liter of oil per 100km. you leave emberassing trail of blue smoke behind you. piston rings were siezed up and now that you've loosened them up oil goes where it shouldn't go. valve seals are busted too. engine rebuild - 500e
- while engine is out you coud as well change the oil seals in gearbox and rear axle - 100e

this is provided that you do all the work yourself. if you have to pay a mechanic to do it, i suspect that prices are at least x5.

better buy a everyday car, a runner, maybe even slightly worn on the outside.

p.s.
only way i would ever pay serious money for an old car is to have proper paperwork and proof (see and touch it myself) that everything written above has already been done.

[kev131]

You are certainly in good typing form today Djape.  

Thanks for the catalogue of potential pitfalls in buying and owning an old car - Your mechanical knowledge is certainly more comprehensive than mine.....but if we can get back to your "too picky" comment which is what prompted me to question you... and really how can one person really understand if another is being too picky or not - Surely an individual's standards are personal to them and should be respected...?

Back to buying a Fiat 132 - I want to buy one in pristine condition, period.  

I think that the majority of 132s that come up for sale have been out of regular use for many many years and have had either a light or thorough re-commissioning before being put up for sale. In the event that I find one that meets the standards I require, the next step will be a mechanical assessment and if bought, all wise precautions will be taken before attempting the drive back to Ireland. When that happens, you'll be the first person that I talk to about it...and send pictures to...

It took me 6 years to find the right 131 Sport so I know what it is like to have to wait...

[131R]

To reply to djape:  This always happens to the guys in SA when they buy old Fords.  Luckily for us Fiats are better engineerd!

[Rob 131]

Kev

You are a third of the way in to my perfect garage that would be:

1) An Orange 131 Sport

2) A Metallic Green 132 S3 2000

3) A Yellow 131 Supermirafiori S2 1.6

I see you ahve managed the most expensive of my ideal 3.

[djape1977]

as i already once previously said, this form of communication deprives us of those little things that human-to human contact is based on. facial expresions, body language, tone of voice. i try very hard to pick my words, specially considering that english is not my native language. i meant no insult. if we were nearer to eachother we'd be having a pint over this whole story of 132, and not just once.
the fact that it took you 6 years to find the right 131 escaped me so far. taking that into account makes things a bit clearer to me. you seem to be one of those people that first check the ground on the other side before they jump the ditch, as we say in serbia. on the other hand, sometimes they forget to check how far they can jump. again, no disrespect meant.

back to 132.

yes, majority of them, pristine examples definately, have been off the road for years.

some of them had a wash up only and rare are the ones that had light re-commisioning. i truly believe that none of 132s offered for sale had proper re commisionig done because we'd be talking about 10k euro. i talked to a classic car specialist in switzerland several years ago, a garage that restores, maintains and repairs classic ferraris, lamborghinis and simmilar exotics and when i asked about fiat 132 the owner told me to expect to spend around 25-30k franks, aprox 12-15k euro. seeing the look on my face, he proceeded to explain that it meant the car with swiss MOT. and believe me, they're anal about it. all that i written above included. engine, suspension and transmission dissasembled and all rubber and plastic bits replaced with good quality parts, new piston rings, crank bearings etc. + rustproofing the body and electrics overhaul. in his words that would make a car suitable to be everyday vehicle, next 100k kms. dependable over the point it was when it left the factory.
and the price he mentioned was with prices of fiat parts, not ferrari parts. that guy knows what's he talking about since he has fiat 130 as everyday car.
try to find a swiss 132!

from the cars i've seen recently, maybe a dark blue 132 for 7k and orange for 8k had the overhaul done. MAYBE.

[djape1977]

To reply to djape:  This always happens to the guys in SA when they buy old Fords.  Luckily for us Fiats are better engineerd!

wouldn't agree on that one.
i've had a red 132 diesel that i bought for pennies that was parked in a yard, covered with tarp, for around 10 years. when i started driving it, after couple hundred km, gearbox started making the funny on/off wining noise with a frequency aroud 1/10th of a second. it got progresively louder to the point that i couldn't hear the radio. i took the gearbox out, disassembled it and it turned out that all the gears and bearings inside were half coroded. and i mean half! lower half was immersed in oil as it stood idle for years and the upper half was not. where did the moisture come from? condensation probably.

on various fiats i've had same type of problem: o-rings on crank, halfshafts and gearbox all spewed oil after some driving. when i took them out rubber was brittle and pretty much desintegrating...