Somebody (Constant Reader) heard me thinking about this high mileage Fiat, as just the other day I was wondering whether it was still racking up the miles for owner Gil Cormaci. His goal was to make it to 600k miles, but the Fiat’s engine has finally succumbed, despite all the babying it’s gotten over the years. He’s decided 559k miles was close enough, so if you’re looking for a Fiat 131 Brava project car, here’s your big moment.
I’ve covered this car twice, back over at the other site, and here. And as I said, I was thinking about a couple of days ago. And today, Constant Reader sends me the link to the ebay listing. A variation of the CC effect. The bidding is up to $560, but there’s still three days left, so who knows how high the world’s highest mileage Fiat Brava will go.
Here’s the ad copy:
I am the original owner of this 1980 FIAT Brava. It now has 559,355 miles and has been sitting for the past year. It needs piston rings (blow-by with some tailpipe smoke), the a/c is not operating, the sunroof leaks, splits in the vinyl seats (some stitching gone), tires (185/70-13) have flat spots from sitting, original brown paint still shines when buffed out, however, surface rust on roof, hood and rear trunk, rust on pass. side rear window area and bottom of driver door needs patching, windshield trim needs resealing, and the battery is weak.
Certainly honest enough.
Paul,
I’ve also followed this gentleman’s Fiat over the last few years. Sorry to see he’s saying goodbye to it.
Here is the link to a 2010 article from Autoblog about this remarkable car.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/19/500k-miles-fiat/
Does Fiat have a museum somewhere, or at least a private collection of significant Fiat automobiles? That’s where this one belongs after a life like that. If not that, then perhaps a stateside museum would want it for “obscure car with an interesting story” value. I can’t see this being economical to restore, though perhaps there are Fiat die-hards out there who are willing to give it a shot due to the car’s history! And it deserves to live on, somewhere.
Pity rust took so many of these away, the 131 really is an attractive design. But I can’t remember the last time I saw a Fiat on the street that wasn’t a Nuovo 500, X1/9, or spider of some stripe.
Fiat museum : Centro Storico Fiat (picture gallery here : http://www.supercars.net/gallery/119513/2660/1.html)
As for an american museum about oddballs, there’s the Lane Motor Museum in Nashville : http://www.lanemotormuseum.org/
It looks good in the pictures, too bad it has some rust. I only need another 259k miles on the original trans/engine Jetta to catch up to the Fiat. As much as I drive these days I’ll wear out long before that. Fiat should buy it just to show the world if the owner is determined enough you can keep an old Fiat 131 Brava going.
These cars were my first introduction to Fiat and there were a handful of battered examples running around most Iranian cities until the early ’90s. They were quite attractive; I usually saw them with four road headlights like this US market version.
I can’t imagine the restraint and dedication involved in keeping a car like this so nice over such a long period of time. It speaks to many admirable qualities about the owner himself.
555, 355 miles….that’s got be some kind of a mileage record for a Fiat! At the very least Mr. Cormaci should contact Sergio Marchionne, maybe he could work out a trade for a new Fiat 500 or the supposedly upcoming Fiat 124 (or an Alfa.) This vehicle belongs in some kind of museum, I hope it finds a good home, it doesn’t deserve to go to the crusher.
Yeah, you’d think maybe he could get a new 500 out of Chrysler for it.
Hey, what do you want? It has 555,355 milkes. More than half a million-if my math is right.
That is pretty amazing. Though I had a high-mileage Fiat 124 and found it very reliable and would have had it for much longer were it not that I rear-ended an Alfa and destroyed it. I suspect that the generally held belief that Fiats are short lived is wrong, though the older ones certainly did rust more than most cars.
The sad thing here is that this guy commutes 150 miles a day. Even when its in a cool car, that’s just too much of your life to give up for a job. At least it is for me.
I’d like to know what his current daily driver is!
This car would look awesome with a slight drop, and I’m sure I can find a more potent motor to put in that engine bay!
Amazing. Mum’s four door lasted 8 years; she was not a harsh driver and the car was regularly maintained but it just deteriorated. I don’t think Marchionne would be interested because this one seems to be the exception to the rule for 131s so to speak. I did have a great conversation on another CC post with a guy who had good experiences with these but I suspect the guest book at the Fiat Museum would be full of colourful expletives re: this model. I love it, a two door with that neat c-pillar detailing, nice wheels, brown… dang, it’s brown.
The owner lives within a 10 mile radius where I lived from 67-97. I probably saw and drove by that car countless times years ago. Not rust country.
These older Fiats keep going forever , we have a Regata Wagon , never missed a beat has 412,000 klms , now a farm vehicle .
I had a 1980 four door this same color that I bought for $900 in 1987 with 39,000 miles that wasn’t a bad car. It had an electrical problem (imagine that on a Fiat!) when I bought it with the headlight switch where the low beams wouldn’t work but the high beams did so I unplugged the inside two lights and drove it like that for a few months before replacing the switch. Over the years it had a few other quirky problems but it was comfortable and handled pretty well although it was slow with only 80 hp. It encouraged spirited driving (it is Italian after all) and became even more fun when I put a set of 14″ alloys with Pirelli P6’s off a Spider and became the epitome of the slow car that let the driver use all of its available performance regularly.
I’m glad to see this survivor made it this far and I hope that the next owner does what it takes to get it back on the road.
I really hope this car goes to a good home, it’s definitely earned a second chance. It shouldn’t be too difficult to source a good, used long block from a 124 Spider, which should be nearly identical to the Brava’s engine. I’m assuming the bidding will go at least a little higher… those nifty Speedline wheels alone are worth the current bid, it’s a 2-door, it’s got the fuel-injected engine, 5-speed and sunroof, and it’s famous.
If I lived on the West Coast, it would probably be going to my home! My favorite Matchbox car when I was a kid was the 131 Abarth Rally, which I still have and which looks like it’s been through the Safari Rally several times. Maybe Fiat should have just used the same metal supplier as Matchbox? I can’t remember seeing many Bravas out on the streets, but I do remember seeing classified ads for them (and Stradas!) every now and then back when I first got my license.
Good luck, little brown Fiat. I’m saying a prayer to the automotive gods for you!
I’ve got the Matchbox in Alitalia livery
Wow that looks so cool, never saw that one!
The Brava is still sitting at $560… maybe it’s got a future as a LeMons car. Not a bad fate for such a vehicle, IMO.
Alitalia livery! I still remember those.
Here is a snapshot from V-Rally 2, one of the few video games feature 131 ( video games tend to focus more on Lancia Stratos HF and such. )
Once upon a time I had the matchbox Fiat 131 also…
There’s an Abarth, and there’s another Abarth…
Left is the ‘standard’ Abarth Rally, right is the Abarth Rally Corsa featuring the 3.5 litre version of the 130 V6. Gimme…
Is this the one in which the co-driver /navigator sat behind the driver for better weight distribution?
Great memories of great series – the World Rally Championship. Where did it all go wrong?
just a nitpick of the ad, blow-by is rarely caused by “worn rings.” Piston rings are much harder than the iron used for the engine block/liners. Excess blow-by is usually caused by cylinder taper.
Then it needs a rebore or short block?.
I would love to have that car, even in its extreme brownness. Unfortunately the transportation to Wisconsin would cost more than the car will likely sell for.
Last time I saw a 131 in the wild was in Houston in 78: two of them rolling together.
The condition of this one sounds like the average condition of an 80 Fiat in west Michigan, in about 84.
Look at the speedometer below. Ran across it tonight on Craigslist for a 1979 Puegeot 504. A very clean example of a not too often seen car. Six decimal places all the same black background. So is that 560, 078 miles?
Probably, given the mph-speedometer. That would be almost 900,000 km. Then I assume it’s a diesel.
Just out of curiosity I checked a car site here and selected the cars-for-sale with the highest mileage on the clock.
The top 5:
1. 1999 VW Passat 1.9 TDI; 529,000 km.
2. 2000 Mercedes E-class 270 CDI; 498,000 km.
3. 2000 Volvo V40 1.8; 484,000 km.
4. 1996 Opel Corsa 1.7D; 451,000 km.
5. 2000 Peugeot Partner 1.9D; 450,000 km.
One gasoline car, the Volvo. Most striking this small Opel Corsa.
I feel sorry for the guy(s) who racked up all those kms in the Corsa.
Number 5. isn’t exactly an “executive car” either….
In a Diesel Corsa, that probably wasn’t very nice indeed. The Later Gasoline Models, with the 16v Ecotec engines make for quite a fun car though. The suspension is well balanced between ride and handling, and the 1.6L GSi model will do 200km/h and not embarass itself doing it. The lesser ones can still be run at 100 mph on the Autobahn, and in reasonable comfort at that.
The 2nd-gen Corsa was a smash hit for GM, worldwide, for a reason. Not the cheapest or smallest in its class, but in comparison nicer to drive, less noisy inside, and much nicer interior with cloth door panels even on the base models. And at least the European models have proved to be much longer lived than any competitor (especially the comparatively cheap and nasty Ford Fiesta). Parts are dirt cheap as well.
I browse through Copart.com (an online auction for wrecked cars) occasionally to see what’s got the highest mileage on there. Some of them are surprising… a lot of the ones listed at the top of the list are typos/errors, but as far as I can tell here are the top 10 currently on there:
1998 BMW 528i 2.8 I6: 650,905mi (1,047,530km)
1995 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 4WD 5.7 V8: 581,100mi (935,190km)
1999 Dodge Ram Wagon 3500 5.2 V8: 557,398mi (897,045km)
1999 GMC Sierra W/T 2500 Pickup 5.7 V8: 538,401mi (866,472km)
1999 Ford F-350 Super Duty DRW Pickup 7.3D V8: 534,586mi (860,333km)
1985 Nissan Maxima 3.0 V6: 522,546mi (840,956km)
1997 Toyota Camry CE 2.2 I4: 516,334mi (830,959km)
2005 Chrysler Town & Country Minivan 3.3 V6: 507,815mi (817,249km)
2005 Hyundai Sonata GLS 3.3 V6: 506,140mi (814,553km)
1998 Pontiac Sunfire GT 2.4 I4: 502,579mi (808,823km)
The trucks/vans are all fleet/work vehicles. Only one diesel!
Freude am Fahren, apparently.
Love such stories.
To think, that a Fiat, the epitome of flimsiness and unreliability would rack up half a million millons is just mind boggling. there you can see what difference proper care / TLC makes. Even on a cheap car.
Just read owners blog.Oil changes every 3k miles and highway cruising at a stead 65. There gentlemen is the secret to long engine life…
I don’t see anything unusual about that. That is exactly how I maintain and treat my Malibu, except I keep the speed down to an indicated 60 mph. Not only does it make the car last a lot longer, it saves about 25% in gas over going an indicated 80 mph. I also bought an aftermarket transmission pan with a drain plug, and drain about 2 gallons of transmission fluid out every 6000 miles and replace it, and at the same time drain about 1 gallon of coolant out and replace it. That keeps the transmission fluid and coolant fresh. I think I replaced the transmission filter twice, there was nothing in it.
I spent 27 years with a fleet service department. I know the value of maintenance.
Big deal. I have a 1997 Civic with 270,000 miles on it with what I believe are the original engine/transmission and clutch. And very minimal rust.
I do agree, however, that if the current owner can prove he put a large portion of those miles on the odometer he should get a some kind of “consideration” from Fiat – Chrysler.
The point is that its an Italian car that made it thru 5 winters. If I had a Japanese car died before 150k Ild want a refund!.
If I recall correctly, there was a reddish-maroon color offered on these cars, that even the U.S. had an Italian name: Rosso Ossidato. I think someone in Fiat Marketing was either clueless, or had a great sense of humor. Seriously, I knew a lot of people with Fiats, and while rust (even in California) and poor electrical component quality were common, I don’t think basic engine/drivetrain durability were any worse than other cars of that era. And I think the overall styling and proportions of this car are very nice. I saw an immaculate, lowered 131 or Brava in the past year and it really stood out among the modern edgy-aero cars around it on the freeway.
Your wright. I was the warranty man for an Iveco truck dealer in the early 0s.Joke electrics let operators down and kept me in a job!.
I like it. 2 doors and it’s square. I wonder if a modern Fiat could last that long? My ’01 Malibu has 221,000 miles on it, and is still going strong. Had 98,000 on it when I bought it, and had not been properly maintained. I overmaintain it, at least by the book. I use it mostly as a highway car, and a daily driver in the summer, cause it has A/C. The 3.1 and 3.4 were among the best V6 engines GM ever made. It’s a shame so many of them didn’t last that long because people followed GM’s extended maintenance schedule, and GM put Dexcool in them
Did anybody run their 97-01 Sevilles to the 100k service intervals with out problems?.
Here in the UK they are regard as dogs and go for Escort money due to problem engines.
Ditto the 97-01 Seville in NZ.
Almost all Northstar engined Caddies disappeared from the streets here (Austria) too…
At risk of splintering off a separate discussion/rant, what exactly was the problem with Dexcool again? My wife’s ’00 Alero called for Dexcool and, not knowing any better, I used what it asked for. Made it to 174K miles (2.4 Twin Cam, not the 3.1 like yours) before we got rid of it in February 2013, though it did leak coolant pretty badly in the end. If Dexcool had something to do with those leaks I’m going to feel a little foolish. Though it also leaked oil badly by the time we got rid of it too and I’m sure the Dexcool couldn’t have had anything to do with that…
Dexcool did 2 things. I am not familiar with the 2.4 Twin Cam, But on several GM V6 engines, Dexcool destroyed the intake manifold gaskets. It is around $1000 to have these gaskets replaced, all but about $20 is labor. I did mine myself, taking extra care to clean all the parts, what with it being my car. Without a shop it took me 2 full days.
The other issue, which applies to all engines, is that the stuff turns into a brown, gooey, waxy substance in the cooling system. I had to replace my radiator, hoses, water pump, thermostat, overflow tank, and coolant level and temp sensors. They were all plugged with this brown waxy stuff. The heater still does not work really well, I suspect the heater core is also full of this stuff. When I saw this, I figured the engine was ruined, as the coolant passages were probably also plugged up with it. It did run a little hot in the summer, so I put a manual over ride switch on the fans, so they ran all the time. This helped bring the temperature back down.
This is where it gets a little weird. My sister and brother in law had a ’99 Chevy S10. It wasn’t more than a few weeks after I finished doing all this stuff till their truck overheated badly, and had to be towed home. They took it to a shop, where they found the radiator completely plugged. They replaced the radiator, and it still overheated badly. They finally pulled the head (2.2L four) and found the coolant passages in the block almost completely plugged. I believe the truck had about 130,000 miles on it. They were unable to clean this goo out (they had dealt with it before) and said it needed a new engine. They sold the truck as it was, and bought a new one. This time they got a used Ford Ranger. I changed the coolant immediately, and told them that they needed to change it at least once a year, even though it was not Dexcool. Lots of manufacturers are experimenting with oddball coolants these days.
A class action lawsuit was filed against GM on behalf of those who had to pay big repair bills for damage caused by Dexcool. GM lost, but filed for bankruptcy before anyone got paid. They have reformulated it, it is now red instead of orange. I don’t know if it is any better, but be aware that you can still buy the orange stuff at most stores.
This is just like the ignition switch issue. It goes all the way back to the mid ’90s. Unfortunately it looks like they got away with the Dexcool fiasco.
Just luck with having a good car, still some what behind the record braking Volvo P1800.
Looking at the period tV ads Fiat tried to turn a Turin taxi into a default BMW 320i for the US market.Oh the power of advertising!.
Can any one tell me why 2dr sedans are so popular in the US?. This side of the pond they are looked as a pain in the butt what we having to get the front passenger out to release the ones in the back. If you put up with that then you buy the more glam coupe version.
I would take a 2 door anything over 4 doors. 4 door cars are at best mundane people movers. They cannot have style, because of the 4 doors. 4 door vehicles do not hold their value nearly as well as 2 door vehicles. Over 95% of all collector cars are 2 door models. I got my 4 door 1964 Ford Fairlane in an even trade for an ’88 Suzuki Samurai with a worn out motor. I just wanted an old car cheap. Had it been a 2 door, it would have cost over $10,000. In the U.S., being a 4 door totally kills a vintage cars value.
There was one 131 ad I read about but have had trouble finding. Stunt driver Remy Julienne was engaged to drive a 131 over a waterfall; he did so but they missed the shot so they took the SAME car back to the top of the waterfall and did it again. You can see part of the tvc in this segment on Julienne at around 1:21.
Co-worker had one of these 35 years ago. He was in SF and the salt laden ocean breezes did a number on the body. When it rusted thru the roof above the windshield and it was ‘pissing’ on him; he sold it.
The actual drive train; engine and trans and rear axle were pretty good designs and material. It was everything around the drive train that was fragile and suspect. I had 3 124 spiders over the years and that was what I noticed..
nice car, for some reason the styling of this car reminds me of a 1978-81 Datsun 510 2 door coupe, wish these cars weren’t so dang rare.
Memories! I had a ’75 131 S Mirafiori 4-door in the ’80s. SUCH a fun car. I’ve never seen another here in Michigan.
Sorry for the crappy pic, in a rush… that’s a ’74 model
Something that’s been in the back of my mind for some years: At one time or another, Fiat made cars with these model numbers: 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 130, 131, 132. Anyone know why there wasn’t a Fiat 129?
The successor of the Fiat 128 was the Fiat Ritmo. The 130 was also much bigger and offered more luxury and comfort than the 128, it was in another segment.
At one point Fiat switched to names only. And now they have the 500 while their other models (including a wide range of commercial vehicles) have names. Then again, you could say that five hundred is also a name.
Pbbbt! Just a half million miles? Try three times that!!
https://southcentrefinecars.wordpress.com/2013/03/04/the-volkswagen-beetle-with-more-than-1-million-miles/