Fiat 127 Reviews from UK and Ireland

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1972 Fiat 127 Base 903cc

Year of manufacture	1972
First year of ownership	1979
Most recent year of ownership	1980
Engine and transmission	903cc Manual
Performance marks	10 / 10
Reliability marks	7 / 10
Comfort marks	8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	8 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	8.3 / 10
Distance when acquired	75000 miles
Most recent distance	86000 miles
Previous car	Lotus Elan

Summary:

Zippy and exuberant

Faults:

Oil pump relief valve jammed open. Luckily I checked the new one before fitting and found it jammed solid with swarf, very poor quality.

Body rust was pretty bad, one day I tried to wind up the window and the wire and pulley mechanism just ripped out of the bottom of the door.

Starting became difficult, cumulative wear in fuel pump cured by building up pushrod with weld (!)

General Comments:

I bought this car for commuting, it turned out to be a lot of fun. It would blow away mini 1275GT any time, top speed 93mph.

Also just keeping a light right foot would get over 50 mpg.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st July, 2003

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1977 Fiat 127 CL 1.05

Year of manufacture	1977
First year of ownership	1978
Most recent year of ownership	1985
Engine and transmission	1.05 Manual
Performance marks	9 / 10
Reliability marks	0 / 10
Comfort marks	3 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	0 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	3.0 / 10
Distance when acquired	20000 miles
Most recent distance	89000 miles

Summary:

A pile of junk

Faults:

Everything...

Blew up its engine twice:

2 head gaskets

1 timing belt broke (40,000)

Gearbox linkage failed.

Severe rust everywhere - door fell off, sills disintegrated.

Electrical problems constantly.

General Comments:

Nippy little car with a huge boot and nice handling.

Manufactured by school children from tissue-paper standard materials and recycled coke tins.

No wonder you can't find one today... they have all gone where they deserved to end up -- the crusher!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th July, 2001

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3rd Aug 2001, 02:58

Hey! Lay off the Fiat! There are quite a few happy Fiat 127 owners around the world (including me) :) Rust can be a problem but it really depends on how well the car's been kept. You mentioned the nippy handling - the 127 is used for racing for this very reason. It's a great first car and fun to mess about with. The only thing I'm not 100% sold on is the interior - but by the looks of things it's easy to change the material on the fittings.

In good condition it's a more than viable alternative to an expensive small car, especially since it's so much fun to drive.

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17th Aug 2005, 15:22

The Fiat 127 was built by SEAT in Spain.

Let's face it: In Spain there is about 20 days of rain a year and they do not need to put salt on the roads. Rust? what's rust?,...never heard about it.

There are plenty of 127 around in Spain. They are extremely reliable, and the gas consumption is ridiculously low.

My only complaint is the spartan interior. Being the owner of a 1979 127 900/L I still think that the marketing guys were having tons of fun when they added the "L" after the 900. This "L" means "LUXE"!!!

NOT EVEN A CIGARETTE LIGHTER!!!

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1987 Fiat 127 Formula 0.9

Year of manufacture	1987
First year of ownership	1988
Most recent year of ownership	2001
Engine and transmission	0.9 Manual
Performance marks	7 / 10
Reliability marks	10 / 10
Comfort marks	10 / 10
Dealer Service marks	8 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	8.8 / 10
Distance when acquired	12000 miles
Most recent distance	90000 miles
Previous car	Fiat 127