How does the Fiat 131 Supermirafiori rank in terms of unreliability?

[2MB]

No idea about reliability but I saw one pulling out of a side street while driving into Huddersfield one morning and I was buzzing at the sight of it

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

Back in the early 70's I was repairing damaged cars for a living. I fixed a minor front end shunt on one and delivered it back to the owner, it went like SOTPS.

 

Main problem with Fiats back then was they dissolved quicker than Lancias and Wartburgs, never much of a reliability issue with them in my experience

 

.http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=fiat+131+mirafiori&FORM=VIRE4#view=detail&mid=D2307EA26251471551DAD2307EA26251471551DA

[Guest Renault20tx]

No idea about reliability but I saw one pulling out of a side street while driving into Huddersfield one morning and I was buzzing at the sight of it

How recently? Haven't seen one in the wild in many years!

[nigel bickle]

131? Nice car...

 

Now the Argenta, that REALLY. Shite..

 

Ask Boll......

[Rocket88]

I worked in a Fiat dealership in the early eighties, when Fiat replaced the 131 / 132 range with the Regata. Old 131 customers deserted us in droves, although the Regata was more "modern" it looked dreadful, and was terminally dull to drive.

 

The creeping lightness was the 131's Achilles heel, being stored outside for 2 years, on damp grass, before they even reached the dealership was never going to end well. This probably didn't do the electrics any good either

 

A well sorted, well maintained 131 was, [and still is] one of the finest motoring conveyances known to man............... [agree with above ref Argenta]

 

I've has Renault 20 TX, and driven many a 131..................I leave you to hazard a guess as to the better car [iMHO]

[Taff]

Valid? its fucking shit. zero effort, zero information, basically its yet another thread with FUCK ALL actually in it. As to your point, who says 131's are unreliable? they were the preferred taxi in Italy & Spain for at least a decade and they are (or were until recently) almost a 'national car' in Turkey. in this country there are so few left today that theres no way you could say they are reliable or unreliable off a sample size of about 10. So basically its a shit thread containing nothing but a single statement, which itself is bollocks.

 

Don't forget that those 10 that have survived are mega bucks amongst their fanbois , meaning that unreliability is a figment of everyone elses's imagination

[UmBongo]

Don't worry Renault20tx, I quite like your threads.

 

They are quite random.

 

Haters gonna hate, YOLO etc etc.

[2MB]

How recently? Haven't seen one in the wild in many years!

About 3 months ago. Onlky saw it once but it was definitely real

[Hertz]

Eccentric Richard was one of the few who actually managed to get banned from here.

 

Wrote like he was only about 12 and spouted ludicrous opinions about cars he had never even sat in on the grounds that his dad had one driven one before he was born.

 

Rubbed everyone up the wrong way and got increasingly indignant that his Bullshit was true and that we were all idiots.

 

This is sounding more and more familiar....

[Partridge]

I'm off to drive a Fiat 126 today. True story.

 

HTH LOL

[flat4alfa]

I had my 131 Mirafiori for a whole year as a daily and it never left me by the side of the road.  It was a good car, roomy, went very well, upset Escort yobbos at the lights, etc.  It was my dodgy driving ability that put it into the scrapper before any rot.

 

My later experiences with Renaults were very different.

 

Would love to have another but the values have gone way beyond what I am keen to give and many of the best have left the country for collectors elsewhere

 

Check

http://131mirafiori.com/gallery.htm

[UltraWomble]

Early 1990's I used to knock about with a physiotherapist called Sabino - Italian bloke who had a  late LHD (but on UK plates) Supermiafiori.

 

Lovely car, handled well, went like stink. Didnt break down and AFAIK never suffered any electrical maladies - it did however suffer from galloping rust and that is what finally killed the car off in the end - I think it was about 9 or 10 years old when it went to the great knacker yard in the sky ( or to be more accurate his dads back garden with an assortment of other Fiats oh how I wish I had a time machine there was at least one Mk1 Panda there).

 

Lovely bloke, made very very potent home brew wine and could drink like a fish.and drove like an Italian - almost led horizontal with one hand on the steering wheel and the other either out of the window or holding a fag. The family were all smashing people as well. Very hospitable.

 

Thats about as much as I know - oh and the name of the car translated as Millions of Flowers apparently.

[Sloth in a bowl]

If you look at the basic engineering of Fiats in the 1970's you could say that:

Engines: Lovely Fiat twin cam engine that was used in various forms up to 1997. The motor worked in motor sport despite its long stoke form. Some people considered then as being a bit too fussy (needed revs and to be maintained correctly).

Handling: Good, but not outstanding

Ride: Good, but not outstanding

Maintenance: The cars were designed with easy maintenance in mind as fleet operations start to become more and more important

Electrics: Italian, probably no worse than the UK equivalent parts.

Body: Rust, rust and more rust. Until the Tipo then Fiat never got this bit right, but then it doesn't matter so much in a Mediterranean climate.

 

At the time it was just mainly considered as another medium sized family car

 

 

 

As for general forum etiquette, you will notice that most threads are along the lines of 'I am doing this', 'I have just done that', 'car for sale', 'car wanted'. Very few are 'car X is shit' or 'car Y is great' the closest we get is when somebody says 'I am looking at this car (link ad), tell me about it'.

Also rude replies about your opinions are to be expected, collected and treasured as showing that you belong. They are not a signal to get all special snowflake. The average Autoshitter is insulted enough by/in life in general that a poster getting properly uppity over anything is considered a bad sign.

 

Remember Autoshite: We are the self deprecation society, and if you don't get the reference you can fuck right off.

 

All the best Sloth in a bowl

[Taff]

I had my 131 Mirafiori for a whole year as a daily and it never left me by the side of the road.  It was a good car, roomy, went very well, upset Escort yobbos at the lights, etc.  It was my dodgy driving ability that put it into the scrapper before any rot.

 

My later experiences with Renaults were very different.

 

Would love to have another but the values have gone way beyond what I am keen to give and many of the best have left the country for collectors elsewhere

 

Check

http://131mirafiori.com/gallery.htm

 

similar story here, but the added "bum rape of rusty shell for motor to stick in a Minor" ending that we all know and love.

[Bren]

The last one I saw was at Carr Mill auctions in 1990 - two litre, twin cam ,twin carbs. In a fetching metallic green.

 

It was there for a while - it was a novelty at Carr Mill to see a car enter the hall under it's own steam.

[D Spares & Tyres]

Anybody who can suggest an even worse car?

Renault 20?

[panhard65]

I had an A40 with a 2.0 twin cam out of a 132. It went like stink but was scary when the needle on the 120mph speedo would go all the way round. They are lovely engines with just rust the usual 70's car killer. No worse than anything from ford or BL of the era. There are just less of them about due to there being less of them to begin with. Would certainly have one above a Renault 20 that for sure and I love 70's Renaults

[nigel bickle]

I'm driving a Seat Ronda today.

 

Without any thought or preparation I'm going to cover about 50 miles west, drive around a few towns, then drive 50 miles west.

 

i hope it doesn't break down.

[Taff]

I'm driving a Seat Ronda today.

 

Without any thought or preparation I'm going to cover about 50 miles west, drive around a few towns, then drive 50 miles west.

 

i hope it doesn't break down.

 

That is just the kind of shenanigans that made this country what it is

[doobietoo]

131? Nice car...

 

Now the Argenta, that REALLY. Shite..

 

Ask Boll......

 

was the Argenta like a bigger 131 with the curtains in the back ...... there was one in a garage opposite where I worked in the early eighties for sale.. lusted after that car for months but couldn't get the money together to buy it.....

[Station]

Renault20X, don't worry about qualifying for any of these 'you must pass my quality bar' bullying posts; it's silly, just ignore it and keep posting.

 

 

There's a Supermirafiori that's been parked up near me since the 90's. It's completely rusted.

[spike60]

I wanted but never got one back in the day, lovely exhaust note but as said, galloping rot.

I worked for the Forestry Commission in Northumberland in the '80's  and the timber contractors always drove MOT fails with no docs, absolute piles of shite, until they disintegrated. One of these was a crumbling 131 which hit a Forestry Land Rover 88 head on a hilly, icy stretch of road. To everyone's surprise the Fiat staggered away, the LR had a bent front chassis and knackered radiator.

The Rover had the last laugh though, it got fixed in our workshop but the Fiat wasn't seen again.

[inconsistant]

Wasn't the Argenta the replacement/update of the 132? I remember the 132 being bigger than the 131 but it may have been styling & marketing smoke and mirrors: if you told me they were the same basic car with different front and rear ends I wouldn't be at all surprised.

[chaseracer]

As for general forum etiquette, you will notice that most threads are along the lines of 'I am doing this', 'I have just done that', 'car for sale', 'car wanted'. Very few are 'car X is shit' or 'car Y is great' the closest we get is when somebody says 'I am looking at this car (link ad), tell me about it'.

Also rude replies about your opinions are to be expected, collected and treasured as showing that you belong. They are not a signal to get all special snowflake. The average Autoshitter is insulted enough by/in life in general that a poster getting properly uppity over anything is considered a bad sign.

 

Remember Autoshite: We are the self deprecation society, and if you don't get the reference you can fuck right off.

 

Perfetto, Juliano.  Ideale.  Completo...

 

[Split_Pin]

Pity Fiatdaft hasnt been on here since June last year, he was your man for 131s.

 

I remember there being fucktonnes of Seat 131s in Menorca whrn I holidayed there in 93. Right early midels with the shallow oblong front lights and T shaped rears, excellent 😀

[castros_bro]

131s were made up to about 2010 and possibly the most widely produced car ever (ignore the golf and the golf which are different golfs). I've had some and ridden in loads but they spelt Fiat differently like "Murat".  Though the best and most reliable were the Perkins 4.108 engine ones but they were all as reliable as the last owner.  If you'd like to purchase some then get yourself a ticket to Turkey. 

 

Have some somnolent reading from Wikipenis

 

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_131

[Junkman]

What role does the initial reliability, or the perceived lack thereof, play in regards to any car that's 30 to 40 years old now?

And yes, the early 131s are tax exempt now, believe it, or not.

Any survivor must have been reasonably reliable, or maintained/improved/restored to be so to a degree, otherwise it would have been scrapped a long time ago.

In this respect, questions like this about classic cars are a bit meh. And yes, Supermirafioris are coveted classics, they had left shite territory already last century.

 

Also, reliability is relative and everyone has a different concept of what is tolerable. Ask the owner of a possessed Rover P6 V8 what he considers reliable

and compare it with the answer you get from someone having a Volvo. It'll range from "making it there exceeds expectations, making it back would be a sensation"

to "the left headlight washer jet clogged up a bit, what a piece of shit this car is".

[Sloth in a bowl]

What role does the initial reliability, or the perceived lack thereof, play in regards to any car that's 30 to 40 years old now?

And yes, the early 131s are tax exempt now, believe it, or not.

Any survivor must have been reasonably reliable, or maintained/improved/restored to be so to a degree, otherwise it would have been scrapped a long time ago.

In this respect, questions like this about classic cars are a bit meh. And yes, Supermirafioris are coveted classics, they had left shite territory already last century.

 

Also, reliability is relative and everyone has a different concept of what is tolerable. Ask the owner of a possessed Rover P6 V8 what he considers reliable

and compare it with the answer you get from someone having a Volvo. It'll range from "making it there exceeds expectations, making it back would be a sensation"

to "the left headlight washer jet clogged up a bit, what a piece of shit this car is".

 

 

On my dad's Volvo 850 if the washer jets got clogged then the pressure at the off side headlight washer would pop the hose off to the light unit occasionally.

We was not impressed with that bit of build quality. 

 

All Volvos are shit, etc

[Mr A Lawrence]

 

http://sniffpetrol.com/2015/11/20/ask-a-total-prick-from-an-internet-forum-volume-5/#.Vk8kdXrfWrU

[Taff]

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