I had an Fiat 128-E too and almost bought an X-19!
The biggest problem with Fiats was that the fuel hoses were made out of some tar impregnated cloth and routed around the distributor which also had cloth insultated wires. On top of that, the spare tire was stored in the engine compartment. They had a horrible reputation for burning to the ground and could thus be had real cheap.
My sister had a 128 to. It didn't catch fire, but rusted to the point of unsafe. She lived in Rochester, NY which in part accounts for it's short life. Those cars just aren't suited to our heavy salt use during winter. The other PITA for her was getting parts. Like the Renault La Car, the few dealers, parts availability and our climate killed them off. If I was in Europe, a Fiat or Renault would be practical.
Lots of problems with that Charger, and I just couldn't get use to the idiosyncrasy's of Chrysler products. Our family had a '70 Dart slant six for many trouble free miles. I might just have had a lemon with that Charger R/T. I still think they're a cool car.
