Friday 18th August 2006

Shed of the Week

1997 P Reg Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo Plus

---

1997 Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo

When it comes to cars, everyone wants a bargain. And with cars getting more reliable, more durable and more rot-free than ever they have been, paying pocket money for an older machine need not be a total restoration job.

In other words, old cars have never been such a good buy -- you get a lot of car for your money, and £1,000 is still throwaway money when it comes to cars.

So in the spirit of aiming for fun, low-cost motoring, here's our regular weekly slot following a trawl of Auto Trader's depths to find a drive-away bargain.

1997 P Reg Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo Plus. 2 Doors, Manual, Coupe, Petrol, Blue. ABS, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Air conditioning, Alloy wheels, Central locking, Colour coding - Body, Driver airbag, Electric mirrors, Electric windows, Foglights, Head restraints, Heated screen, Passenger airbag, Power assisted steering, Remote locking, Sports seats, Tinted glass. Insurance Group:20, taken in part exchange trade bargain to clear £995.

• www.autotrader.co.uk

[Saabstudent]

Love it, want it and its in the right colour. Fastest accelerating FWD car for a while if i remember rightly. Truly a performance bargain if i ever saw one - until it goes bang. (Well it'd be a fun few months!)

G

Edited by Saabstudent on Friday 18th August 12:18

[woodies92]

Absolute bargain! Best shed of the week ever although it doesn't state mileage so i expect it's on its last legs.

Woody

[neil_cardiff]

Absolute bargain, but my alarm bells have started ring like fookers - wouldn't like to know whats wrong with it

[Saabstudent]

Yeah the word cambelt springs to mind! Engine out job IIRC

G

[DavidCane]

The specialist have worked out how to change cambelts without removing the engine, so at somewhere like Powerfiat it's about £450 for belts. However, at that price I'd guess that it needs new exhaust, belts, wishbones, brakes and tyres. About £2k extra.

[neil_cardiff]

Still, 155 mph for a grand - can't be bad - IIRC they can be tuned well too...

[pdV6]

Blimey. Potentially a lot of car for yer dosh but potentially a money pit

[baSkey]

DavidCane said:

The specialist have worked out how to change cambelts without removing the engine, so at somewhere like Powerfiat it's about £450 for belts. However, at that price I'd guess that it needs new exhaust, belts, wishbones, brakes and tyres. About £2k extra.

shurely you could get the brakes done for <£300, an aftermarket stainless steel exhaust for a couple of hundred, how much are the 'wishbones' - do they need to be changed cos they contain the bushes and that's really what you're changing..?

surely it's nearer £2k to buy AND 'Do up' unless there is further knackeredness...?

i don't claim to know i am asking you people who know about them..!

if it isn't too bad it is the best ever shed!

[vixpy1]

Fanbleedin-tastic!

[neil_cardiff]

vixpy1 said:

Fanbleedin-tastic!

Charlie, do you know what you can do to these things at all? Mapping wise I mean.

[carl_w]

Saabstudent said:

Yeah the word cambelt springs to mind!

At £995, surely cheaper to drive it until the cambelt goes (which could be a long time).

[car.chic]

£995 therees got to be something wrong with it!! if there isn't WHERE IS IT?!! Brilliant Shed of the week!

[vixpy1]

neil_cardiff said:

vixpy1 said:

Fanbleedin-tastic!

Charlie, do you know what you can do to these things at all? Mapping wise I mean.

People generally use a chip (G-tech, i think its called). Its about £50 and together with a small boost rise and exhaust. Your looking at 250bhp+.

They are excellent cars, sound excellent, nicely tuneable. I have a real soft spot for them, and not only because the Fiat Coupe forum sends me so much business

[900T-R]

Never mind the effing cambelt - if the body's anywhere near as tidy as it looks, just tear the whole lump out, rebuild with upgraded components, sort chassis and brakes and for just a few grand you'd be looking at something seriously fast that has a fighting chance to last, too.

The current state of the used car market in the UK does make the efforts on my old Saab look like a very expensive eccentricity (which is probably correct anyways ).

[dinkel]

woodies92 said:

Absolute bargain! Best shed of the week ever . . .

I love those.

[Parrot of Doom]

Looks more like £5995 to me.....

Edited by Parrot of Doom on Friday 18th August 13:01

[baSkey]

it's in cannock!

the next nearest in price is over twice the price and has had an engine rebuild (this generally makes me more sceptical - i prefer the idea of a cheaper one that's tired but 'as built' - but i might be wrong!).

[Buttmonkey Racer]

Must be something wrong with it at that money

Probably got interstellar milege...

Nice car though and cracking colour. My mate's trying to sell his S plate one for £3k - better not let him know about this one

[exboxster]

North of Wolverhampton. 130k miles

[Istvan24]

These are lovely, I used to own a 16v Turbo version of this, drove all over Europe with it...comfortable and v fast!!

The cambelt change is a MUST though, as they do tend to go, taking the valves etc with them - a good grands worth of work :-S
That's 2 non-shed "shed of the week"s in a row!