What to look for when buying a Lancia Beta

'So, give me the bad news....'

The first thing to remember when buying a Beta is that they're relatively cheap and fast cars. As a result they tend to attract three types of people -- Italian car enthusiasts (that's us), 'boy racer' types looking for cheap performance, and people simply looking for cheap transport. If you're lucky enough to find a car that's previously been owned by enthusiasts, you'll probably have a bargain, but in the latter two cases maintenance will probably have been ignored and you could be looking at some big repair bills.

'What sort of price am I looking at?'

The simple answer is, probably not much. Even good examples of most Beta models can be bought for the same price as a rusty old Ford Escort, if not less. Typical UK prices at the time of writing (1994) are approximately:

Berlina/Trevi : £300-1000 Typical £350
Coupe: £300-2000 Typical £500
Coupe 2000 IE: £500-3000 Typical £750
Coupe Volumex: £1200-4000 Typical £2500
HPE : £300-1000 Typical £450
HPE Volumex : £800-2500 Typical £1200
Spider : £1000-5000 Typical £1800
Montecarlo : £2000-8000 Typical £3500
037 : £ too much-100000 Typical £45000


The ranges above go from 'road legal but rusty' to 'good/excellent' the typical figures are for roadworthy and road legal cars with no major faults (either mechanical or bodywork).

'OK, looking good, now what about insurance?'

Ah, well, you should be aware that, in the UK at least, you may well end up spending more to insure a cheap Beta than you did to buy it, especially if you're under 25. However, there is a wide disagreement between companies over rates, and by shopping around you may find prices varying by up to a factor of four!

In addition, different companies have different age limits on drivers, some reckon that you should be able to insure a Volumex HPE at 25, but not a (slower, cheaper, less powerful) Spider until you're thirty, others the opposite, others no limits at all.

'Where should I look for rust?'

To some extent this depends on the model - here are the main things to look out for on the bodywork front:

Doors - almost all Beta doors I have seen have rusted out at the bottom, rust patches often occur along the seams, and the lower few inches of door-skin. On cars with internally-adjustable mirrors, water often leaks in through the mirror mechanism, in addition the door skin often rusts below the mirror attachment due to water leaks (these areas can get very bad, especially on the inside of the door under the door trim). Windows often will not open or close properly, and electric windows are notoriously unreliable. Door hinge areas can rust, in some cases the hinge will almost seperate from the door (e.g. my first HPE Volumex!).

Front - the front valance usually suffers badly with surface rust from stonechips, but if badly damaged can be unbolted and replaced. The bib spoiler on the Volumex cars is fairly delicate and carefully placed so that it will probably be broken if the car is towed using the front towing-eyes (rare, and expensive to replace). Check the front jacking point - it will probably be rusty, but should be still structurally sound, also check the condition of the front subframe, and on early cars examine the rear attachment points for signs of structural rust. Rust often occurs around front grille, and again, Volumex grilles are difficult to find.

Front wings - can rust along top where they are bolted to the main body, and can rust badly at the lower rear attachment point. Often surface rust around headlights, see also comments on wheelarches. Inner wings often have surface rust patches under hood, sometimes major cracks between upper and lower sections. The battery shelf can also come apart on models where it is welded rather than bolted together.

Hood - the leading edge of the hood often rusts due to stonechips and the like, accident damage can result in the hood not closing properly, stretched cables can result in problems opening it. Note that the series one 1600 hood is will not fit the later 2000 models as they have a raised section in the center to give more clearance over the engine (this hood was adopted as standard for all [maybe not Berlina/Trevi ?] series two models). Volumex Coupe/HPE hoods have a second 'power-bulge', a small lump that gives clearance for the carburettor intake, and cannot be replaced with the standard version - they are VERY difficult to find, and probably expensive (last one I heard of available new from Lancia was priced at UKP 1250!!!).

Paintwork - on early cars you may find that the paint is peeling in places, with resulting rust underneath.

Rear wings/rear valance - rust often occurs around tail-lights, worst on Spiders, (note: Spider tail-light assemblies almost impossible to obtain), often rust along seams at base, around gas tank cap, and all around the gas cap area on cars fitted with cover-flap (e.g. Spider). Also, the gas caps locks can get stuck due to collected gunge inside the cap clogging the rather complicated mechanism. If so, dismantle the cap and clean it before refitting.

Roof - on cars fitted with rain-gutters above the side windows, leaves, twigs and other junk often collects, holding water until it eats its way into the roof and down the windshield surrounds. Rust can also occur around the edges of the tailgate on HPEs, and around the top of the windshield.

Sills - often rusty on cars that haven't been carefully treated, check for holes along the entire length, and at ends inside wheelarch, check drain holes in base of sills are clear, and if possible feel inside for rust deposits. Check for structural rust around jacking points at sides. Sills on Volumex models may be full of rust-proofing gunge which burns when exposed to a welding torch, making replacement difficult and expensive.

Soft Top (Spider) - check clips for correct operation, check seal between frame and top for leaks also rubber seals between frame and bodywork, plastic rear screen will probably be opaque unless replaced since new, check top for decay. Ensure top can be raised and lowered correctly.

Sunroof - check it opens and closes properly, and that the locking mechanism works correctly (parts are available, but not easily). Check around the aperture for signs of rust, and check the rubber seal around the sunroof for water leaks (which will probably end up rusting out the sills from the inside).

Tailgate (HPE) - check for rust around edges, ensure lock mechanism works correctly, check hydraulic struts for correct operation (often weak), check for structural rust around strut attachment points, check for rust around drain channel outlets, and make sure they're clear. Similar checks should be carried out on trunk-lids of other models.

Targa Top (Spider) - check clips operate correctly, also rubber seals may have become detached from body allowing water leaks. Cracks in glassfibre may be difficult to repair.

Wheelarches - series one cars often have rusted suspension mounts if the wheelarches haven't been cleaned out regularly. Later cars were fitted with plastic wheelarch liners at the front, as a result of which they rust around the edge of the arches where dirt and water gets caught between the plastic and metal. Rust holes often occur at each end of the sills where they meet the wheelarches. Leaky spider soft-top may result in rear wheelarches rusting out from the inside.

Windshield - on cars with sunroofs, the windshield surrounds are used as drains for water from leaks, and can rust out from inside if blocked. On cars without sunroofs, they are normally filled with gunge to keep water out - except that if water gets in (e.g. due to rust holes in the roof) the water stays there and eats its way out through the metal (this is usually not a problem on Spiders). Sealing around the glass front and back can break down allowing water to leak into the car, also the metal surround is often loose.

Underbody - underseal is often peeling off, resulting in rust underneath, gas tanks sometimes leak at seals, check exhaust system and brake pipes for serious rust, and ensure exhaust mountings are secure. Volumex cars should be fitted with non-standard exhaust, but normal system appears to do the job adequately.

'What about mechanical problems?'

Fortunately, Beta mechanical parts are generally robust and long-lived - however, lack of correct maintainance may cause problems as previously mentioned. Some specific areas to check:

Automatic Gearbox - the Beta automatic gearbox has a reputation for unreliability, and also knocks about 30% off of the car's acceleration. If badly maintained, the only real solution to your impending problems is likely to be replacement with a manual gearbox, but if properly looked after you should be OK.

Brakes - disks are often worn down or scored, calipers may have seized (probably due to lack of brake fluid changes), if car has been stored for more than a couple of weeks with handbrake on rear calipers may have stuck on. Check handbrake operates correctly. Check operation of brake servo, and check for leaks from brake pipes and hoses. Abuse of handbrake lever can result in the contents of the lever being catapulted out across the car by the internal spring. This is very funny at the time, but the mechanism is difficult to re-assemble !

Engine - generally few problems before 100,000 miles. Head gaskets can blow, more likely on two liter cars, camshaft housings often leak oil (gaskets fairly difficult to replace), cam belts should be replaced at least every 37,000 miles, and preferably every 25,000. Non-injection cars often run roughly when cold, this usually doesn't indicate a problem. Ensure that the radiator fan cuts in and out correctly with the engine idling (though some owners may have replaced the thermostat with a switch on the dashboard. In this case you should ensure that it's fitted with 16A wire or better, as the fan requires a lot of current, and otherwise you may have a fire risk). Volumex cars use competition-grade head gaskets, and should be replaced with the same if they blow. Volumex engines are sometimes hesitant on rapid depression of the accelerator pedal, again this seems to be a common problem and was even reported on new cars. Check condition of radiator, oil cooler (on left in front of radiator if fitted - probably only on Volumex models), and condition of all rubber hoses. Check water for oil, and vice-versa.

Heater - generally speaking, a Beta's heater is either always on or always off. Mostly this is due to stretched cables connecting the levers to the heater valves, however redesign of the cooling system layout may have contributed to a lack of heat in Volumex cars. Spider heaters are generally very effective for top-down cold-weather driving (outside of Scandinavia and the Arctic Circle !).

Manual Gearbox - high mileage 'boxes often have erratic synchromesh on second gear, stiff gear change may be solved by greasing linkage, problems engaging gears may also be due to incorrect linkage alignment or worn linkage. Clutch judder may indicate worn engine mountings, stiff clutch may require new cable (relatively easy to fit). Check for noise from thrust bearing when clutch depressed, replacement is long and complicated job. Volumex uses uprated clutch, available but typically twice cost of standard unit (~ UKP 150). Occasionally pinion oil seal cover snaps off, resulting in squeal when clutch depressed, again requiring several hours work to replace (this is thought to be due to use of incorrectly sized thrust bearing).

Steering - steering racks are generally pretty robust, but the rubber gaiters split regularly due to proximity to the exhaust downpipe. Power steering racks sometimes develop leaks, and use different track-rod ends to the manual racks. All steering columns are adjustable, but the locking lever sometimes goes slack, requiring simple but time-consuming adjustment (a fair amount of dismantling is involved).

Suspension - Check shock absorbers for leaks, check wheel bearings for wear, bushes often wear, and can be expensive to replace.

Supercharger - listen for noise from worn bearings or tapping from the supercharger when the engine is running, the latter probably indicating mis-aligned rotors (another expensive problem to fix). Check when the belt was last changed (an easy job, but it's annoying when you lose 30-50% of your power and all your power-steering if it snaps). Check oil level in attached plastic resevoir before and after test drive (allow five or ten minutes for oil level to settle after stopping engine). If the oil level drops significantly it may indicate blown seals, a very expensive repair job.

'What about the electrics?'

Cooling Fan - as mentioned above, often doesn't work.

Electric Windows - should raise and lower quickly and fully without significant rattling. Window regulators are fairly cheap, but tricky to replace.

Gauges - fuel gauges often misread, though low fuel lights are usually reliable. Tachometer usually OK, but on some cars can be out by up to 30%! Oil level gauge is usually accurate, but the dipstick should be used for the definitive reading, and some cars seem to be fitted with oil temperature gauges but no oil temperature sensor(?).

Headlights - reflectors often rust, there are several types of headlight used on different models, and if the incorrect type are fitted they may be held in purely by luck and bounce around while driving! HPE headlights are fitted to a system designed to keep them pointing in the right direction regardless of any load in the trunk, if this goes wrong it can be a pain to fix. Attachment points for lights sometimes break away from the body, especially after a front impact. Sometimes lights cannot be switched on or off due to burnt-out steering column switches (probably requiring a complete new set of switches, fairly expensive), though this may also be due to a blown relay or bad connection.

Ignition - occasionally owners fit a switch in-line with the ignition in an attempt to deter thieves. This is generally a bad idea (standard switches from car parts stores melt after a while), and I'd recommend putting the wiring back to normal unless it's a professional job.

Supercharger - vapour extraction pump fitted on top of supercharger sometimes doesn't work.

'What should I do on the test-drive?'

Firstly, if it's a Volumex, check the supercharger oil level as mentioned above - if the reservoir is empty, go elsewhere (or ask for a $ 1000 reduction in price)! Press the accelerator pedal twice before starting from cold if the car is a carb model, then start the engine - it should settle to idle at about 2000 rpm. The engine will probably be grouchy when cold, but should settle down as it warms up, and idle at 700-1000 rpm when fully warm.

On manual steering cars, you will probably find that the wheel is hard to turn when stationary or when moving very slowly, a result of having perhaps 60 % of the car's weight on the front wheels. With power steering the wheel should turn easily at any speed, and once moving at 10 mph or more there should be little difficulty steering with either system.

Temperature gauges are divided into three sections as usual, 'low', 'normal' and 'high'. On the highway, engine water and oil temperature should be near the bottom of the 'normal' section. Low temperature (i.e. the needle never gets into the normal range) will probably be due to a stuck thermostat, however, it could be that a low-temperature thermostat has been fitted to the car to cover up an overheating problem. Even in traffic queues, the temperature should never get much more than half-way up the scale, and persistent high temperatures on the highway probably indicate engine problems (but again, could be just a stuck thermostat). At 60 mph with a warm engine, the oil pressure gauge should be pretty much in the middle of the scale, probably higher on a Volumex which [I think] was fitted with a more powerful oil pump because of the oil cooler.

There may be some torque steer under heavy acceleration, but it shouldn't be excessive - in addition Volumex cars will spin their wheels with full throttle in first (and occasionally in second), and other models on wet roads or when accelerating hard in first round a corner from rest. In the former case it may take a little time to get used to ! Unfortunately this is a fact of life with front-wheel-drive cars. In addition, the car should stop in a pretty straight line even under heavy braking, but the first time you try it you should be ready for a sharp pull to one side if the car is suffering from seized calipers (as many cheap examples do).

Any Beta engine should be fairly powerful and free-revving, though the two liter engines often get loud and rough at above 5000 rpm. The 1600 cc engines should rev easily to the redline, and will survive being revved up to 7000 rpm or more if you're brave and/or mad (not recommended, especially on a test drive!). Any two liter car should be able to drive happily at 30 mph in fifth (at least on level ground) once the engine is warm, and smaller engined cars shouldn't be much worse.

Handling should be good by front-wheel-drive standards, and better on the short-wheelbase cars.