My Fiat Coupe 20vt

[gj88]

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

[gj88]

Hi Pinosaure,

I'm already a member of FCCUK and have been for a while

I'm under the same user name too.

[gj88]

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.

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!

[gj88]

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!!

Sounds like a plus is the car for you although in that colour they are as rare as rocking horse poop.

[gj88]

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.

[gj88]

S1MMA said:

Hey mate, this is common on the coupe's, just be careful because you can melt your back bumper if the tailpipe has fallen off, a significant amount of heat comes out of the exhaust when on boost so just tip toe around till you get the zorst sorted.

I had a 20VT for 3 years, great car - sure you'll enjoy.

Yeah, I'm aware of this which is why I got it booked in for as soon a possible. It should be in good hands with Motormech. Cant say I've been tip-toeing around though

[gj88]

Update;

Earlier today I decided to refurbish my fuel filler cap as it was looking a little sorry for itself. It's a key feature of the car really so it let the bodywork down a little bit.

Here's how it looked this morning



Lacquer peel


Corrosion




Firstly I applied Nitromors with a brush and left it for 20 minutes.



Then I used wire wool to cut through any remaining lacquer followed by a thorough rinse with washing up liquid. Finally I applied Autogleam Metal Polish and polished until I achieved the result I was looking for.

Here's how it looks now.



I'm not going to re-lacquer it as I'll polish it whenever I wash the car. Turned out quite well I think

Edited by gj88 on Saturday 13th March 16:12

[gj88]

Thanks for the positive comments guys. Much appreciated

[gj88]

Update;

The car is starting to go through some changes since the last update. I've since fitted the fuel filler cap to the car and what a difference its made. It really has brightened up the exterior and with a clean car it really does gleam now.

Here's how it looks after a month or so on the car




I also came across a set of dash rings from a fellow coupe owner who was quite local to me. For a bargain £10 they've added a nice bit of style to the interior and they match the Pinninfarina badge a treat.




Not too bad and I've saved £35 over retail for a brand new set from eBay. I love bargains

My favourite addition to the car so far has been putting a smile on my face for three weeks. I've finally had a custom stainless steel exhaust made and fitted and my god I love it. It starts with a deep rumble that transforms to a powerful warble with the car rolling in first gear. With a strong prod of the loud pedal it really sounds great with a crisp, yet smooth sound. I love it

Here it is now it has bedded in




Over the Easter break I removed the knackered aerial that was retro-fitted by a previous owner. The car has a integrated aerial in the rear window, however it doesn’t have great reception when the heated screen is on so one of the previous owners took it upon themselves to have what looks like a Jaguar XK aerial fitted.

It looked pretty crap and my garage door fell on it and broke it so I decided it was to be removed.

Excuse the pictures. They were taken on my phone.



The aerial motor is a pretty heavy unit so I'm glad its gone along with the mounting bracket. The aerial has left behind an unsightly hole which is soon to be blanked off with a piece of sheet steel and welded in place, filled and painted.



It should look lovely and factory fresh when I'm done with it. For now I've fitted a rubber grommet to fill the hole.



I've been busy this weekend and bought a few parts for the car. First up is a second hand (and very dirty) washer fluid reservoir. I thought mine had a crack in it but I've since discovered that they all have a tendency to leak from the four mounting points.



I might just clean up the 'new' one and sell it on if I don’t need it.

I also bought three second hand fuel filler caps on the cheap with the aim of refurbishing them and selling them on.



Being a bit short on funds at the moment, the profit made from the sale of these caps should come in handy for future additions to the car.

I've also picked up a second rocker cover.



I've since de-greased it but it may need a steam clean to be sure any primer will stick to it. I'll be painted it crackle finish that can be found on LE coupes although it wont be bright red. It'll be wine red (the colour of my car).

Finally, here’s a gratuitous picture for Pistonheaders alike

[gj88]

Gompo said:

So does the number plate end in 'GV' then? Wondering if it's a car I saw around here (Nottingham area)..

I pm'd you the last time you asked. It does end in 'GV' so it may well be the one you have seen.

[gj88]

Gompo said:

Sorry, I didnt get the PM. Possibly went to my junk folder.

Cheers.

No problem

[gj88]

soad said:

PH sticker looks ace as ever!

It deserves pride of place on any car

[gj88]

TVR Moneypit said:

OP; Is your for sale at the moment in the classifieds on here?

No it's not. Why?

[gj88]

TVR Moneypit said:

gj88 said:

TVR Moneypit said:

OP; Is your for sale at the moment in the classifieds on here?

No it's not. Why?

Looking at the pictures, I thought that this was yours?


http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1799420.htm

Thanks for the heads up. I appreciate it although that example is a 20v N/A owned by a memeber of the Fiat Coupe Club UK.

[gj88]

TVR Moneypit said:

Five months in, how are you finding life with the Fiat?

Sorry to ask, but any reliability or build quality problems? Does it use much oil? What have been the highs and the lows so far?

In the 13 months I've owned it I'd say that on the whole, it's been a great experience. It's a great feeling being part of such a close-knit community (FCCUK) and it's always nice knowing you're driving something a little bit out of the ordinary (to me anyway). It is a never ending journey though. I'm always looking to improve the car which at times, can be frustrating. If money was flowing I think it would enhance the ownership experience and making the car truly your own but I'm having to complete the car very slowly and sometimes I'd just like to throw the towel in and buy a 20vt Plus.

The majority of the money spent on the car has been making it mechanically solid. There are a couple of little jobs to do in the near future such as an annoying steering wheel wobble at 70-80mph and an annoying squeak from the air con belt on start up but other than that, she's a very solid car (touch wood ). It passed it's MOT last month with no advisories.

I've had no reliability problems as of yet but I've had to replace wear and tear items as per the norm. As for build quality, well I'd be lying if I said the interior didn’t rattle a little bit but on the whole it's a very good package for what you pay. The bonnet is a heavy item and it sometimes gives me some panel alignment issues as it sags on the hinges over time. It's just an aesthetic thing really and I like to have the car look at its best as often as I can. I've never had any electrical issues but the headlights are very poor as standard and will need upgrading before the winter months and it can be genuinely scary driving at speed at night with such poor illumination up front.

I've never compression tested my engine but it seems a healthy unit and doesn’t use much (if any) oil and I drive it hard, often.

High points are whenever it's clean really. Its nice to look at and it always puts a smile on my face without fail if I go for a good drive. It's very pleasing to drive well and does a great job of a GT and a B road rocket combined. The pedals a positioned perfectly for heel and toeing and with the stainless exhaust, it sounds superb. In fact, that's probably the main high point, it really does sound great. The car also gives you a real shove in the back under hard acceleration which is very pleasing.

Low points are whenever another wear and tear item needs replacing really. It's a pain because there never seems to be a few months where the car is perfect and it's just more money to spend. It's not in anyway un-reliable, it's just getting old. I also regularly long for a re-spray as the paint work isn’t perfect. The annoying part is, I have lots of plans to make the car a completely mint example but I always hang back because the actual value of these cars is low on the general market. I would only go ahead with everything if I were to keep it forever. When I think about that, I long to own a Plus with that amazing recaro interior.

Overall owning this car has been a joy because it dispels all the negative points of owning an Italian performance car but in the long run, I'll always be fettling it until its perfect. That's where the downside is. I'd recommend one to anyone.

[gj88]

TVR Moneypit said:

I (or rather the wife), hopes to be joining you as a 20VT owner within the next couple of months.

The only problem is that she is only interested in one colour, and that's yours. Which should no doubt make the challange of finding a good one for our £2500 budget that little bit harder. Oh, and it must gave either tan or black leather, and air-con.

I understand that to get full use out of the FCOCUK, you need to pay a yearly sub of £15? Do you consider that £15 to be value for money?

Where do they rust? Besides accident damage what else must I really look out for on them?

Cheers.

You can use very nearly all of the FCCUK for free and it's a very useful resource. However, for £15 you get a 10% discount on parts from selected retailers which makes the club membership great value. Definitely worth paying if you intend to spend any money on the car.

These cars aren’t too bad for rust but check the rear arches, around the Pinninfarina badges on the sides of the car and the slam panel where the bonnet locks down. Check the boot floor and if you can get underneath the car, have a good look at the boot floor underside. Check the B pillars where they meet the sills. Any rust repair in this area is VERY costly to repair although I've never had any experience of this. Check the sills and any other areas that would usually rust on any car.

Have a look at this post that I wrote a while back. It covers most of the areas that you need to look for.

gj88 said:

I've owned my 20vt for 8 months now and so far it’s been good to me. Fuel consumption is average. The lowest I've seen is 16mpg and the highest is 27mpg although they can achieve mid 30's on a long drive and it costs roughly £65 to fill the tank.

Buy one with good bodywork as most of them come with dinks and dents. The rear three quarters of the car are prone to scrapes because the mirrors are close to pointless. They're tiny and you can barely see anything using them. If you can, get a sorted example. Brakes cost roughly £300 all round for a cheap set. Tyres cost anything from £220 upwards all round on standard 16" wheels. Cam belts are the downfall of the car so make sure you get a car which has had this replaced recently along with the tensioners and aux belts. A change can cost anything from £400 upwards with aux belts costing £180 upwards.

When you test drive a 20vt put your foot flat to the floor in 3rd and 4th gear. It should pull like a train but if the revs jump the clutch will be slipping. That will cost £300 minimum to replace with a standard item.

Cooling is vital on these cars. If you can, get underneath the car and check that the oil cooler and pipes are fairly new as the pipes can break causing your oil to overheat. The 20vt engine is sensitive to this and does not respond kindly. The oil pressure must not dip below 1.5 bar after a very hard drive. If it does there will need to be some investigation to determine the cause. Ideally the hot pressure should sit at around 2 bar after a heavy workout.

The handbrake is prone to freezing in this cold weather because the rubber seals under the car perish letting in water. Check in the history to see if it has had genuine Fiat cable as a replacement. Locks freeze constantly which is a real pain and the central looking can be temperamental so check these.

The Pinninfarina badges on the side of the car can let in moisture causing the car to mist up very quickly and stay like that for ages. Take note of this on the test drive.

Check sills and arches for rust although these cars aren’t too bad for this.

Boost should come in at around 3k rpm. It should pull hard and fast with maximum power at roughly 5k rpm. If it doesn’t pull hard it might have a boost leak. Not too expensive to repair but worth looking out for.

There is a coolant hose that runs along the back of the engine. It is subjected to massive changes in temperature and can split dropping all of your coolant. It’s known as the coolant hose of death. Check for low coolant levels and water marks under the bonnet. This should be replaced as a matter of pre-maintenance.

Check that the car ha an under tray. This helps to direct the flow of air under the car and also protects the belts. These are becoming rare and not many 20vt's have them. Mine does biggrin

The car should come with 3 keys. A silver, blue and red key. Make sure these are genuine. The red key is required to reset the alarm so if you don’t have it you'll need a new lock set if the worst happens. A security card can take the place of the red key so check for this if the car doesn’t come with a red key.

Do any other checks that you would on any car. Take it for a good test drive and look out for anything dubious. A mint condition standard 20vt should set you back £3000. This will need nothing doing. Don’t buy a cheap one if you can avoid it. I'd set a budget of £2500 for one if you want relatively hassle free motoring. A £1500 coupe will need £1-2k to make it perfect. An LE or a plus is the pick of the range but you pay a premium for these. Buy on condition, not mileage. There are many high mileage cars around but they should have had lots of the above jobs done to them.

They really are great cars and get plenty of attention. Insurance isn’t cheap so be sure to get lots of quotes.

Other than that, get over to FCCUK to get a buyers guide and loads of useful info. There are lots of coupes for sale too at the moment with some real beauties up for grabs. That forum is a must for any coupe owner.

I've probably forgotten a few things. If so, sorry thumbup

If you have any other questions feel free to pm me smile

There's also a great buyers guide on the Fiat coupe club website.

For your money you should get a good coupe if you can find one. If I were to sell mine it would be around your budget. Wine Red (Rosso Winner) is a hard colour to find any parts for and is difficult to colour match if you want any paint work done.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me

[gj88]

robsco said:

GJ88, a quick question from me, how is the Fiat Coupe fuel filler cap fetish of yours progressing? Are you over it yet?

[gj88]

Update;

The interior fan hasn’t worked in the time that I've owned the car. It's never really bothered me as I always drive with the window(s) open anyway but I thought I'd better get round to fixing the issue.

Turns out the cause was this burnt out resistor pack



A new one is on order

An established member of FCCUK put up a stack of parts for sale including a Sparco strut brace. The same item as found on the Plus and LE models. It was a bit of a bargain so I got in early and snapped it up.




It's got a few marks on it but that doesn’t bother me. I'll probably end up painting it at a later date when I've done my rocker cover. The brace was previously used on a 457bhp coupe

I managed to sheer a bolt when fitting it. I don’t know my own strength

A bit of a pain but the knackered bolt was drilled out this morning. With the hole re-tapped, the brace is now fitted.



With that out of the way I'm spurred on to tidying up the engine bay. I've etch primed my spare rocker cover and I'll wrinkle paint it when I can find a stockist. Once it's fitted I'll do a full engine bay detail to get it up to scratch although I wont go mental with it as it'll be filthy within the month no doubt.



Finally, I'm taking part in the Pembrokeshire Country Run for classic and special cars again in early September so I'll be doing a full, proper detail on the car with photos to follow. This year a couple of friends will be joining me. One in a Corrado 16v and the other in a fully re-sprayed MkII Golf GTI with an ABF conversion. Should be fun

[gj88]

Quick update;

I finished my rocker cover today.





Pretty chuffed with it really. Next job is to paint up my spare fuel filler caps in a variety of colours and sell the ones I dont want to keep.

[gj88]

yazza54 said:

Like the coupe, always had a soft spot for them.

Not sure what you mean about the second cam on your rover though..

The Rover's engine was a twin cam unit. The second cam gave the litle thing a decent amount of shove above 4000rpm.