1978 Fiat 128 3P review from North America

Clutch cable broke.

Minor electrical problems with wiring to tail lights.

Had problems with periodic engine stumbling and loss of power. I rebuilt the carb and that fixed it.

Rust around rear window, bottom of hatch.

I put on wider performance tires which required spacers on the front. Perhaps the stress from this or just the poor quality of Fiat steel led to a separation in the chassis where the front suspension bolted on (on one side). My tire began rubbing on the wheel well and it could have been catastrophic. My mechanic welded it and it performed fine afterwards.

Seats were badly worn out and required aftermarket seat covers.

I bought mine heavily used, with unknown mileage (the mileage figures I entered are just for the website requirements). The owner was in the middle of a repaint and opted to sell it, so it was primer black! My stealth car. $450 USD, not a bad deal for a car that lasted me several years.

A very spartan car, no A/C, creature comforts nil, but fun to drive. As is typical of small Italian engines, you must rev them high to get going.

Except for a body weld repair, I did all work myself, which really wasn't a lot for the years I owned it, and the cost was low. I could actually get parts from local suppliers, and even one dealer that used to carry Fiat.

It was great in snow. I recall that the handling was good and predictable, and could recover well if I managed to break away on the rear.

Cargo capacity was great. I could load an amp, guitars, and big speaker cabinet in the back, and it was easy to load/unload.