Rusty But Trusty

Against its other competitors of the time – Golf/Polo, Renault 5 – the Fiat 128 always seems the sporting pick of the bunch. Yes, it’s not terribly fast, and it’s not the most solidly built, but it’s probably the most fun, engaging drive. And sure, you could write that off to the nonsense that every Italian car is part Ferrari – they aren’t, which you’d know if you’d ever driven a Lancia Beta sedan – but in the case of the 128, it does seem to have more spark than your average 1970s econobox. Aside from great handling and a lively engine, they also have some of the most comfortable seats of the time. With that, let’s check out this 1974 Fiat 128 for sale for $1500 in Bois D’Arc, France MO. Thanks to reader Eli, the seller of the car, for this submission.

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With the support of the compact 128 sedan, Fiat sales rose above 100,000 in 1975. However, lax build quality, poor resistance to corrosion, and poorly-trained mechanics all led to Fiat’s demise in North America, and they pulled out in 1983. At this point, you’d expect the survivors are mostly the mid-week cars that were the best-assembled. However, being cheap cars, there are still some about that need work, and being old cars, there are some that have sat for ages and need attention. This seems to be the case for this 1978 Fiat 128 sedan for sale for $2800 in Elmhurst, IL.

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