1971 Fiat 125 special 1.6 from Chile

Summary:

The unknown hero of the Fiat

Faults:

The gearbox broke at the first year I bought it.

Some electrical problems, like overheating of the light system.

General Comments:

This car is incredibly fast, you depress the accelerator and then say goodbye everyone.

Some guys in their new cars could not believe it!!.

But the speed is one thing, and in the curves is like drive in a straight road.

The repair costs are lower than my bycycle repair costs.

You can do a lot of modifications on this car.

And finally, I had it during 11 years and still work perfectly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th July, 2002

1971 Fiat 125 p 1.5 from Poland

Summary:

Real adventure!

Faults:

Rear axle damaged.

Body rusted a little bit.

Rusted exhaust.

General Comments:

Charming little beast with its 70 HP motor it can still start out first in line and leave other new cars far behind and their drivers puzzled.

Stylish design, spirit of the early sixties, as the instrument panel was adapted from the Fiat 1300/1500. Big steering wheel with two rings - one to hold and one to honk.

The most comfortable seats made of false leather in red.

And the best thing of all - the gear lever placed neatly at the steering column - the feel of an American road cruiser.

The whole finished with abundance of chrome - from the front grille to the rear fender. One simply must love it!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th July, 2002

9th Jan 2005, 13:09

Eerm, I still own it, though it died a couple of months ago. First, a woman drove her car right into the centre of my Fiat's front door pushing it in beyond repair. And then the motor gave up vomiting the whole of the oil in every direction, the further up, the better. After a few days the motor was a quite efficient mayonnaise producer, until the moment it gasped and choked and stopped with one piston welded tight to the block. Now, it is standing next to my window rusting with every single drop of rain and flaking off iron ore into the dust of the road. I don't have a heart to sell it to the scrap yard. 7 years together - it's been a long and beautiful relationship.

Damian.

8th May 2005, 02:04

So I suggest repairing it :). It's not expensive though, and after a good repair the engine will be better than a new one. :)

Jack.

1969 Fiat 125 1.6 petrol from Croatia

Summary:

Timeless design and a good quality product

Faults:

I bought it with the carburetor in very bad condition.

At 102000 the transmission has broken.

General Comments:

The Fiat 125 was a really revolution for its time; for example - twin cam engine. Due to that it can still keep up with the newer cars in the streets.

Also, it was very nice designed, outdoors and indoors. For example, the instrument-panel of the Alfa Romeo 166 is very similar to that of the Fiat 125, this indicates the style was "evergreen".

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 2001

29th Jul 2001, 10:37

I'd like to add few words about my 125p.

It has a lot of space inside but the noise is horrible. Its quality is very bad - nothing inside works properly.

Running costs very high: on every 100km needs 12-13 liters of petrol; engine needs a lot of oil.

But I think I won't change it.

Fiat 125p 1.5C.

Tcherky@wp.pl.

13th Feb 2008, 19:03

Haha that makes me laugh!!!

Comparing a Polski Fiat with the original 'Italian Job' is like comparing a pedal car with a Ferrari. The Lampredi Twin Cam is undoubtedly one of the best four pots ever made and the design is now copied by most other manufacturers.

The 125 was a rugged design that lived on until the 90s under different badges, but lost were the beautiful subtleties and details of the the original.

This serves as a reminder of a product of Fiat when at their peak and many still survive, and are loved in drier climates around the world. Please let Fiat find their way again.

26th Jul 2010, 03:44

My father had one in the seventies. It was brilliant and trouble free. In the nineties I searched for one and couldn't get a good one.

Those were the glory days of Fiat.

In reply to 13th Feb 2008, 19:03

6th Oct 2022, 20:43

The Polski Fiat 125P is nothing to be laughed at or scorned. It didn't have the twin cam engine of the Fiat, but used the slower (and tougher) engines of the Fiat 1300/1500. Otherwise, the cars were similar, particularly the original Polski Fiat car's that were made under licence. Once the licence expired, FSO continued to make the car, but with many polish copies of certain parts that were not the quality of the originals. I have a 1978 Polski Fiat 1500 and the car drives and handles great. It's not as fast as the Fiat 125, but it has plenty of character of its own and is 100% pure Fiat with many of the parts stamped with made in Italy on them. Absolutely everything on this car is still in working order.