Timing belt.
it's not the first production car with a timing belt ( Jensen Healy might be
........an unusual British sports car ....I even have a factory shop manual
for one ) ....

but Fiat was early in switching to timing belts, and the 124 uses one.

----- Original Message -----
From: "The Bus Depot" <vanagon@BUSDEPOT.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, June 17, 2011 4:22 PM
Subject: Re: Fiat (no vanagon content)

>> So as my 40th birthday approaches and along with it a
>> self-imposed mid-life crisis, can someone tell me why I
>> shouldn't buy a red Fiat 124 Spider convertible with 46,000 miles.
>
>
> Over the years I've had a couple of Fiat 124 Spiders, and a couple of Fiat
> 500's (which resemble a Beetle that got shrunk in the wash - 2 cylinder,
> air
> cooled, rear engined).  I no longer have my Spider but still drive my 500
> around town regularly. The Spiders aren't fast by modern sports car
> standards, but are lots of fun to drive. They were actually quite advanced
> for their time (i.e. 4 wheel disc brakes, a brilliantly designed folding
> top
> that put their British competitors to shame, and of course bodywork by
> Pininfarina).  Rust can be a MAJOR problem so you will want to look it
> over
> carefully or have a good body shop do it. As with an old Bug, a 124 can
> have
> fatal frame rust but look flawless on the outside. Also, as I recall (and
> I
> may recall incorrectly), they have an interference engine, so the timing
> chain (or belt? It's been a while) should be replaced if you don't know
> its
> age.  Most parts are readily available online and not too expensive. 124
> Spiders don't have tremendously high resale values, so don't pay too much.
>
> - Ron Salmon
>  The Bus Depot, Inc.
>  www.busdepot.com
>  (215)  234-VWVW
>
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