My Fiat Coupe 20vt
Discussion
Lately I've been thinking of selling the car because I'd like a change but I've come to realise that for my budget this car is pretty hard to beat.
Basically I'm doing this write up with the aim of falling back in love with the car.
Around a year ago I felt the time was right to make a change from my trusty Rover. I'd owned this car for over three years and it truly was a great car for an 18 year old to learn how to make 'swift' progress in. Its mighty 1.4 engine was actually a little peach when the second cam kicked it in
It was safe to say that it took a trashing daily but never gave up on me. With 60k on the clock I sold it in September '09 for £500 quid over book price. Happy days: D It took a while mind you but I felt the car was worth the £1400 I asked for it and eventually after some really silly offers the right buyer came along.
This is how it looked before I sold it.
Good car and I'd recommend one to anybody.
Prior to selling it I'd been on the hunt for a good Fiat Coupe for a couple of months. Having viewed a few cars they were all pretty shot and looking a bit worse for wear. I finally settled on a little beauty with 70k on the clock and full service history. It even had the original supplying dealer’s number plates and stickers throughout and the factory fit Clarion cassette player with CD changer in the boot.
After a thorough viewing I returned with cash in hand to drive home my new car. Quite a pleasant jump in power for the 2 hour return journey
Unfortunately I deleted the original advert pictures but it was safe to say the car was looking a little tired in the body work department but as far as I was concerned that was fine, as long as the car was mechanically solid.
On making the journey down the M1 with a cautious eye on the oil pressure gauge I made a stop off at a service station for fuel only to find out the central locking was a bit dodgy
If I locked the car it would simply unlock the doors but arm the alarm. So not knowing if the car was locked or not I bought my fuel and headed home at a fair rate 
Getting to know the car over the next week or so was a great experience. Quite a few dawdling cars experienced second gear overtakes as the turbo kick proved to be very addictive
After a month or so of owning the car the opportunity to drive through some of Wales' great roads presented itself. This was the first chance I had to see how the car really performed. Needless to say I was impressed.
Not long after selling the Rover I used the Fiat to take part in the Pembrokeshire County Run for classic and special cars.
After a day of elbow grease I managed to make the car pretty presentable.
mmmmm shiny
The car held its own amongst some pretty special machinery and drew plenty of attention which was a surprise. Here it is looking sleek next to a midget.
So far I've completed a full brake refresh with new disks and pads all round with fresh fluid, four new Falken FK452 tyres (which I'd highly recommend) and a good service. Later this month I'll have the auxiliary belts changed, a new radiator and a new rocker cover gasket.
Future plans are to tidy up the engine bay with a painted rocker cover and fuel rail followed by a wheel and petrol filler cap refurb. Then repair a dent in the bonnet and respray it, along with the rear bumper as it has a deep scratch in it and the boot lid as for some unknown reason my garage door fell on it
Luckily it didn’t dent.
The car also has an external aerial that was added by a previous owner due to poor reception from the standard integrated aerial. I'll remove this and fill the hole left behind followed by more paint to cover it.
So that’s all really. Hopefully you didn’t fall asleep reading that essay
All comments welcome good or bad
Basically I'm doing this write up with the aim of falling back in love with the car.
Around a year ago I felt the time was right to make a change from my trusty Rover. I'd owned this car for over three years and it truly was a great car for an 18 year old to learn how to make 'swift' progress in. Its mighty 1.4 engine was actually a little peach when the second cam kicked it in
It was safe to say that it took a trashing daily but never gave up on me. With 60k on the clock I sold it in September '09 for £500 quid over book price. Happy days: D It took a while mind you but I felt the car was worth the £1400 I asked for it and eventually after some really silly offers the right buyer came along.
This is how it looked before I sold it.
Good car and I'd recommend one to anybody.
Prior to selling it I'd been on the hunt for a good Fiat Coupe for a couple of months. Having viewed a few cars they were all pretty shot and looking a bit worse for wear. I finally settled on a little beauty with 70k on the clock and full service history. It even had the original supplying dealer’s number plates and stickers throughout and the factory fit Clarion cassette player with CD changer in the boot.
After a thorough viewing I returned with cash in hand to drive home my new car. Quite a pleasant jump in power for the 2 hour return journey
Unfortunately I deleted the original advert pictures but it was safe to say the car was looking a little tired in the body work department but as far as I was concerned that was fine, as long as the car was mechanically solid.
On making the journey down the M1 with a cautious eye on the oil pressure gauge I made a stop off at a service station for fuel only to find out the central locking was a bit dodgy
If I locked the car it would simply unlock the doors but arm the alarm. So not knowing if the car was locked or not I bought my fuel and headed home at a fair rate Getting to know the car over the next week or so was a great experience. Quite a few dawdling cars experienced second gear overtakes as the turbo kick proved to be very addictive
After a month or so of owning the car the opportunity to drive through some of Wales' great roads presented itself. This was the first chance I had to see how the car really performed. Needless to say I was impressed.
Not long after selling the Rover I used the Fiat to take part in the Pembrokeshire County Run for classic and special cars.
After a day of elbow grease I managed to make the car pretty presentable.
mmmmm shiny
The car held its own amongst some pretty special machinery and drew plenty of attention which was a surprise. Here it is looking sleek next to a midget.
So far I've completed a full brake refresh with new disks and pads all round with fresh fluid, four new Falken FK452 tyres (which I'd highly recommend) and a good service. Later this month I'll have the auxiliary belts changed, a new radiator and a new rocker cover gasket.
Future plans are to tidy up the engine bay with a painted rocker cover and fuel rail followed by a wheel and petrol filler cap refurb. Then repair a dent in the bonnet and respray it, along with the rear bumper as it has a deep scratch in it and the boot lid as for some unknown reason my garage door fell on it
Luckily it didn’t dent.The car also has an external aerial that was added by a previous owner due to poor reception from the standard integrated aerial. I'll remove this and fill the hole left behind followed by more paint to cover it.
So that’s all really. Hopefully you didn’t fall asleep reading that essay
All comments welcome good or bad
Hey there gj88!
The coupe is looking great to me, wine red is a very classy colour. I have had a 20v n/a for the past 6 years and I love it. I managed to place it at speed into the back of a mercedes a couple of months ago mind you and am currently working on getting it back on the road
.
Best thing for you to do is to go and sign up to the Fiat coupe forum http://www.fccuk.org/forum/ A great bunch of people who have a great love for these cars and a whole bunch of knowledge
Enjoy the car and as you said, for the money that you have spent you will show up a lot of higher priced cars
The coupe is looking great to me, wine red is a very classy colour. I have had a 20v n/a for the past 6 years and I love it. I managed to place it at speed into the back of a mercedes a couple of months ago mind you and am currently working on getting it back on the road
.Best thing for you to do is to go and sign up to the Fiat coupe forum http://www.fccuk.org/forum/ A great bunch of people who have a great love for these cars and a whole bunch of knowledge
Enjoy the car and as you said, for the money that you have spent you will show up a lot of higher priced cars
Edited by Pinosaure on Sunday 28th February 19:41
Thats all good then, my user name is Pino on the fiat forum, not that active but im on the site everyday (much like here)
Regarding rear space, more then enough room for a childs seat and also has the bonus of a respectible boot. I am an architectural student and have managed to store years of models, drawings and random bits of coupe parts with shopping room to spear Go for it!
Regarding rear space, more then enough room for a childs seat and also has the bonus of a respectible boot. I am an architectural student and have managed to store years of models, drawings and random bits of coupe parts with shopping room to spear
Go for it!
davidspooner said:
I agree - that aerial is terrible!
That is infact a lamp post behind the car buddy 
The aerial retracts when the ignition is off.
Gibby78 said:
I've just sold mine, I'd got up to 3 cars and the Coupe was just sat there, thinking of getting a + or LE next, Fantastic car and one of my favourite colours.
same username for me on FCCUK as here so hope to see you there sometime.
Maybe I'll see you around on FCCUK then. I'll look out for your username. I'd love a Plus and if the right one comes up I may just plump for it. It's on the list for the future that's for sure.same username for me on FCCUK as here so hope to see you there sometime.
As for the colour, under the correct light it really gleams with a deep shine. I like it a lot and it doesnt grab much attention from boy racers etc.
Thanks for the positive comments everyone!
Gibby78 said:
I've just sold mine, I'd got up to 3 cars and the Coupe was just sat there, thinking of getting a + or LE next, Fantastic car and one of my favourite colours.
same username for me on FCCUK as here so hope to see you there sometime.
Can you get LE in sprint blue or broom yellow?? Would love one!!same username for me on FCCUK as here so hope to see you there sometime.
falkster said:
Gibby78 said:
I've just sold mine, I'd got up to 3 cars and the Coupe was just sat there, thinking of getting a + or LE next, Fantastic car and one of my favourite colours.
same username for me on FCCUK as here so hope to see you there sometime.
Can you get LE in sprint blue or broom yellow?? Would love one!!same username for me on FCCUK as here so hope to see you there sometime.
sorry Falkster not been on in a while, as above though you'd need to go + for those colours, I'd be looking out for dodo eggs as well though as they are rare beasts, I too nearly bought a yellow one before my red but didn't go for it after I noticed every panel was a different shade.
I'mm off to look for another now, sod it.
I'mm off to look for another now, sod it.
Quick Update;
Well, the tip of my exhaust came loose on the way to Tesco last week. On investigation it turns out that the pipe coming out of the back box is crusty as hell and has broken through. Unfortunately as it isnt before the back box it doesnt sound any louder than standard
The car is booked in for a cat back stainless steel exhaust which should sound rather fruity
I'll post pics and a sound clip when I've had it made and fitted.
Well, the tip of my exhaust came loose on the way to Tesco last week. On investigation it turns out that the pipe coming out of the back box is crusty as hell and has broken through. Unfortunately as it isnt before the back box it doesnt sound any louder than standard
The car is booked in for a cat back stainless steel exhaust which should sound rather fruity
I'll post pics and a sound clip when I've had it made and fitted.
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