The Fiat Dino is one of those rare classic cars that allow you to potentially get in for a reasonable price with a good chance at seeing your investments pay off. Of course, the opportunity to drive a sensuous Italian coupe with the heart of a Ferrari for under $100K comes along quite rarely, so there’s a good chance at reward regardless of whether your intent is to flip it down the road. This Fiat Dino coupe is quite needy, however, and values aren’t so high that you can sneak under the high values for a coupe with the likely significant needs this car has. Find it here on eBay with a $20,000 Buy-It-Now and the option to submit a best offer.
The first-generation Fiat coupe featured a DOHC 2.0L V6 that also lived midship in the Ferrari Dino 206GT. I’ve always felt the Fiat-branded coupes should be worth more than they are, but take this nicely restored example listed on Hemmings for $62,000. I doubt you’re going to finish this car for anything less than $40K, likely more when you factor in what looks like fairly significant sill rot in the eBay photos. No info is offered on the mechanical health of the Dino at present.
The car presents as a serious project that was started and left unfinished. This is a tenuous position for the next owner to be in, as identifying which parts are missing and what components can be saved will be time-consuming, not to mention which parts have likely been lost. The interior is in pieces as well, although the backseat looks quite nice. The seller mentions that he has many parts, so hopefully he’s the one that did the initial disassembly and can put his hands on what’s needed for completion.
I’m experiencing a sense of relief after the owner of the shop I enlisted to assist with my junkyard rescue Isuzu Trooper project conceded he’s not going to have the time to work on it due to health complications. At first, I was disappointed, but absolutely relieved he hadn’t started tearing it down to reach the same conclusion. This Dino is a car that should be restored, but hopefully, the offer to submit a best offer is a real one in order to give the next owner some breathing room between what this car needs and the top-shelf price for a restored coupe.
That can’t be a true CA car unless it was dipped in the Pacific now and then. Rust in one photo is scary. Too bad cool little car.
Pacifica is on the coast, so salt air off the ocean probably got to this Dino early and often (assuming it spent its life there). I’ve seen plenty of other cars from coastal CA that displayed lots of rot, and they weren’t even Fiats!
These were/are neat little rides. Though I thought the styling might have been better, that V-6 was a real treat, and these were quality machines. Given the choice, I’d opt for a “real” mid-engine Dino, but in dynamic terms, there’s little to complain about with the Fiat version.
My wife grew up in Pacifica. The area was drenched in salt-spray fog.
Quite simply,,,nicest Fiat EVER! In the mid 70’s, I had a friend that was a salesperson for a Fiat dealer in Waukesha, Wis. ( the name escapes me now) I got to see all the Fiat’s ( mostly 124’s) behind the dealer waiting for parts, it’s where I got a ( slow) ride in a Multipla, and one day, he shows up in this, the exact opposite of the Multipla. To say it was an awesome car, would be a glaring understatement, it pressed you back in the seat,( if I remember, they were just as cushy as the rear ones look) sounded intense, handled perfect, stopped on a dime. Needless to say, I was quite impressed. Probably the neatest car I ever rode in. It’s cool to see one pop up here, proof positive, you just never know about this site. This one, pretty fried, but there isn’t another Fiat like it. It really is a neat car.
I was in negotiations on one and a day away from picking it up. (Busted gearbox which was normal from what I have heard) But ran great and no rust. ( visual at least, it is a Fiat and I knew that at the time) But some dude dropped a lot of money on the owner just for the engine. I tried to get the car without the engine. But they would not talk to me. (1975)
I have always liked the body style and if I found one in restorable condition at the right price I would be an owner. I consider this one too far gone. Too bad.
Yo Flavio…
Just drop it off at the body shop and tell them to call you when it’s done…………otherwise it will be a never ending restoration job.
THEN you can worry about the missing interior parts. Twenty grand for a FIAT…will wonders never cease
Fiat Dino? Equivalent of a Chrysler TC Maseratti….pass
Sorry @Sam61, you couldn’t be more wrong. Do a little research. Maybe even read some of the comments here from people who know what these cars are.
Hardly
This won’t be on the market too long.. If I had the space in my shop I would grab it.. rust can be cut out and new panels grafted in.. a day or two at the most.. probably has frame rot which also can be fixed.. assembled back together with a decent paint job .. sell at $50K +.. don’t believe me go look at auction results.. for those of us who do this to make a profit this one pencils out.
One of the rare cars where the coupe just looks so much better than the convertible.
Hardtops almost always look better (imho). Convertibles look like they’re incomplete.
Wrong. Coupe looks somewhat like a Fiat 130. Convertible looks like a baby Ferrari.
@Sam61 ………. uninformed comme, There is NO comparison .
This one will never be a $50K car. I see decent ones struggle to bring $40K. Price in this condition is way too high. The engine alone could cost you $20K to rebuild. Better to find one that runs and drives so you know what you’re getting into.
Leave alone unless you can do everything yourself, are 100% sure everything is there. You still won´t make anything on this car, so you´d need to want to keep it as well.
40-50000€ buys a good one in Europe. Which is a lot of car for the money.Beautiful shape.
1981 the bank I was working at had a customer whose dealership dealt with custom/ exotic cars. They had a 71 2.4 coupe with the independent rear suspension. The car was a joy to drive, just the sound that motor made was incredible. I decided to move forward and purchase it but it got stolen off the lot. When they found it the running gear was intact. The thieves couldn’t figure out how to open the hood and destroyed the car in the process.
Project car at $10K max in shown condition. Friend sold a beautiful original last fall at auction for $24K. Open wallet necessary on this one.