looking to buy a fiat coupe 20v turbo
Discussion
hi guys
new here !! and sorry if this has been ask a thousand times before !!
well looking to sell my toyota camry v6 sport and getting a fiat coupe 20v turbo
i have owned many turbo cars before all jap from scoobies to rx7 twin turbo's
but fancy a chnage from the jap stuff
can i have some advise if it;s a good move and any info on the coupe as the camry has been a very good car with no faults as yet (touch wood)
any bad points to look for when getting a coupe
are they cheap to run and maintianing the car and fuel cost
any advise would be appriciated
regards
chris
new here !! and sorry if this has been ask a thousand times before !!
well looking to sell my toyota camry v6 sport and getting a fiat coupe 20v turbo
i have owned many turbo cars before all jap from scoobies to rx7 twin turbo's
but fancy a chnage from the jap stuff
can i have some advise if it;s a good move and any info on the coupe as the camry has been a very good car with no faults as yet (touch wood)
any bad points to look for when getting a coupe
are they cheap to run and maintianing the car and fuel cost
any advise would be appriciated
regards
chris
Edited by chris@yoco on Monday 5th February 01:06
Have a look at www.fccuk.org and especially the forums, all the answers are there somewhere.
You'll definitely find the FCCUK as the best source of coupe info.
Things to considers are:
All Fiat Coupes are over 5 years old so MUST be on their 2nd cambelt at least. If you find one on the original belt it will cost you £400-£500 to have replaced by a specialist.
Front suspension bushes wear after about 40-50k miles so budget £150 for the wishbones to be replaced. The damper top mounts also tend to need changing at the same time as the front wishbones. Other than that, a well looked after car should be as good as anything else you'll find out there.
You'll find 5-speed versions pre-1999. There are 2 special editions, the LE and the Plus. The LE has the 2-tone red/black interior. The Plus has the black leather with red stitching. Both have a strut brace and 6-speed gearbox, Recaro seats as standard as well as the bodykit.
The late model standard cars also had the 6-speed box and starter button, but not the recaros, strut brace or bodykit, however the body is all colour coded on the late cars.
I bought a 2000 model Plus last year and although I've spent money on replacing the wear and tear items listed above (tho not the cambelt) I'm very happy with it. Search the FCCUK forum for posts on Bilstein B6s.
DC
Things to considers are:
All Fiat Coupes are over 5 years old so MUST be on their 2nd cambelt at least. If you find one on the original belt it will cost you £400-£500 to have replaced by a specialist.
Front suspension bushes wear after about 40-50k miles so budget £150 for the wishbones to be replaced. The damper top mounts also tend to need changing at the same time as the front wishbones. Other than that, a well looked after car should be as good as anything else you'll find out there.
You'll find 5-speed versions pre-1999. There are 2 special editions, the LE and the Plus. The LE has the 2-tone red/black interior. The Plus has the black leather with red stitching. Both have a strut brace and 6-speed gearbox, Recaro seats as standard as well as the bodykit.
The late model standard cars also had the 6-speed box and starter button, but not the recaros, strut brace or bodykit, however the body is all colour coded on the late cars.
I bought a 2000 model Plus last year and although I've spent money on replacing the wear and tear items listed above (tho not the cambelt) I'm very happy with it. Search the FCCUK forum for posts on Bilstein B6s.
DC
I own this car, and the way to own it is to treat it like a mini Ferrari. It is not cheap to own, will require plenty of maintenance, but eats the road up! For the money, i cannot think really of any other car that can perform like it. They are now getting seriously cheap.
What to look out for;-
Turbo smoking from cold and hot.
Oil pressure should read 3 bars [max on gauge] cold idle.
Oil pressure should be 1.5 bar min hot idle. Good ones reach 2 bar. When you rev the engine, oil pressure should read 3 bar.
Modified cars can give trouble, so keep shy of them.
Watch for paint repairs. Many cars are crash repaired.
Cambelt change [not cheap]is 36k max or you face a snapped cambelt. Tensioners should be done at same time+ water pump.
Clutch is a not cheap to replace [£380 from specialist]and can wear out if the car is driven hard.
Radiators are a weak point.
Bottom wishbones wear due to engine weight and torque.
Boots can leak.
Front tyres get eaten and do not last long.
All servicing should be half mileage Fiat says, to keep it healthy. So oil should be done no more then 6k. I change mine every 3k. Do not use thin oil. Use a 10w/40 or 15w/40 semi synthetic oil. What happens with thin oil, is it gets blown past the waste gate and out of the exhaust and oil goes thinner at high temps, and loses its ability to lubricate as it loses its thick viscosity and causes shear wear. There has been a few Coupe 20v engines blowing up due to wrong[too thin]oil being used.
The brembo brakes are a bit wooden until hot, and need regular cleaning to stop them squealing.
Besides this, and its really only general wear and tear, its a terrific car. Very quick and a joy to drive. Oh forgot, make sure it comes with a full service history with bills if possible. Specialist servicing is better then Fiat dealer servicing due to their better knowledge of the car and its needs. You will not regret buying one i can tell you!!
Andy
What to look out for;-
Turbo smoking from cold and hot.
Oil pressure should read 3 bars [max on gauge] cold idle.
Oil pressure should be 1.5 bar min hot idle. Good ones reach 2 bar. When you rev the engine, oil pressure should read 3 bar.
Modified cars can give trouble, so keep shy of them.
Watch for paint repairs. Many cars are crash repaired.
Cambelt change [not cheap]is 36k max or you face a snapped cambelt. Tensioners should be done at same time+ water pump.
Clutch is a not cheap to replace [£380 from specialist]and can wear out if the car is driven hard.
Radiators are a weak point.
Bottom wishbones wear due to engine weight and torque.
Boots can leak.
Front tyres get eaten and do not last long.
All servicing should be half mileage Fiat says, to keep it healthy. So oil should be done no more then 6k. I change mine every 3k. Do not use thin oil. Use a 10w/40 or 15w/40 semi synthetic oil. What happens with thin oil, is it gets blown past the waste gate and out of the exhaust and oil goes thinner at high temps, and loses its ability to lubricate as it loses its thick viscosity and causes shear wear. There has been a few Coupe 20v engines blowing up due to wrong[too thin]oil being used.
The brembo brakes are a bit wooden until hot, and need regular cleaning to stop them squealing.
Besides this, and its really only general wear and tear, its a terrific car. Very quick and a joy to drive. Oh forgot, make sure it comes with a full service history with bills if possible. Specialist servicing is better then Fiat dealer servicing due to their better knowledge of the car and its needs. You will not regret buying one i can tell you!!
Andy
Although I wouldn't read too much into a paint repair. Cars of this age tend to have a lot of stone chips, so a resprayed bonnet or bumper could just be evidence of an owner who wants their car to looks like new.
Mine's not been crashed but I'm considering getting the bumpers and bonnet resprayed to rid it of 6 years worth of stone chips. Once that's done and the wheels are refurbed the car will look like new....it already drives like new
DC
Mine's not been crashed but I'm considering getting the bumpers and bonnet resprayed to rid it of 6 years worth of stone chips. Once that's done and the wheels are refurbed the car will look like new....it already drives like new
DC
hi guys
you have been great help on this matter it;s always good to get advise from people who know the car and love them at the same time
well i come from a jap car background so for me to jump into this area i am finding quite hard not that there is anything wrong with this cars i love them to bits for the styling and performance
but i have to say i am shying away from the idea and staying jap just for my own comfort and might go for a toyota GT4 st205 model been offered a good deal and what make it even better i work for toyota so would be easy for me to get this car maintained
but i like to thnak you all for your advise and i am not 100% what i am going to yet so i still might end up with a coupe 20v turbo
best
regards
chris
www.yoco.co.uk
you have been great help on this matter it;s always good to get advise from people who know the car and love them at the same time
well i come from a jap car background so for me to jump into this area i am finding quite hard not that there is anything wrong with this cars i love them to bits for the styling and performance
but i have to say i am shying away from the idea and staying jap just for my own comfort and might go for a toyota GT4 st205 model been offered a good deal and what make it even better i work for toyota so would be easy for me to get this car maintained
but i like to thnak you all for your advise and i am not 100% what i am going to yet so i still might end up with a coupe 20v turbo
best
regards
chris
www.yoco.co.uk
With prices dipping right down, as long as you buy wise, you cannot buy a better/faster car for the money. the value is outstanding. And it is a mini Ferrari at bargain bucket prices!! They are quick, ask the M5 owner who i out dragged from the lights a few months back!! Te syling is so good [Bangle], that a cut up model appeared at the Tate modern as modern art!!
Andy.
Andy.
Great cars. The LEs and the Plusses add a bit of extra "tart" value with the kits, wheels and other added bumph (some of the later 20VTs seem to have had some of this stuff thrown in too). Been looking for a Pearl White one, only available in Germany and Malaysia I believe, for many a moon. Only advice I can offer is try to stay away from anything too heavily modified - looked at a 350bhp one around here and it was a certified nightmare. 220bhp is more than enough in a fwd car anyways.
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