Fiat coupe, should I?
Discussion
Am looking to get a new car soon, and this is one that I am looking into, but I dont really know a lot about them, I would ideally like the turbo version but need to knwo what to look out for, how reliable they are and if there are any bits to make especially sure of when buying/looking to buy.
There's a very active online forum for these cars
Checkout www.fccuk.org/forum
You should be able to get everything you need from there
Checkout www.fccuk.org/forum
You should be able to get everything you need from there
Yep, they're great cars & fantastic value. The Coupe Forum is a good source of info. Basically look for service history, cambelt change, general condition - most of them will have fairly high miles now but that's no problem if they've been maintained. Front suspension wear common, also cracked exhaust manifolds on turbo but simple to fix (about £400) and don't usually cause any further problems.
cracking motor, just make sure its had the cambelt change along with water pump & tensioners. Its anything up to an £800 job as thers not much space in the engine bay. Erm thats about it really, along with all the other bits and bobs, oh and check all the pas & a/c pipes as there made of cheap crappy metal which corrodes quite quickly, rest of car are usually v solid, DO IT you wont be dissapointed
The only reason I had to get rid of mine was due to b@stard kids jumping all over the car at night, little
s if I catch them......ill never see the light of day again!
The only reason I had to get rid of mine was due to b@stard kids jumping all over the car at night, little
s if I catch them......ill never see the light of day again! Edited by ol' dirty on Monday 4th December 09:06
I got mine in May and would definitely recommend them.
Don't be conned by a car that's too cheap and expect to have to spend some money initially to replace wear and tear items. But once they're done you'll have a cracking car.
A cambelt change is essential as the belts have a life of 5 years (or 72k miles) and all Coupes are already over 5 years old!
Front wishbone bushes tend to wear after 40,000 miles. Rather than replacing the bushes you'll replace the whole wishbones. Powerfiat in Essex charge £150 to supply and fit new front wishbones and front anti-roll bar drop links, which is not bad.
Exhausts last about 3 years and the OEM dampers could do with being replaced with Bilstein B6's (search the FCCUK forum to read the glowing reports on them). You'll probably spend a few weeks tracing down any squeak and rattles from the interior, but once you've found and silenced them you'll realise what a good car you've got.
I paid £7100 for a 59,000 mile January 2000 20VT Plus, which I had serviced, new front wishbones, rear springs (old ones were rusty), new front tyres and new exhaust. The car is now near perfect, but I would not rush your purchase. See a few and read up on the FAQs that you'll find on the FCCUK forum.
DC
Don't be conned by a car that's too cheap and expect to have to spend some money initially to replace wear and tear items. But once they're done you'll have a cracking car.
A cambelt change is essential as the belts have a life of 5 years (or 72k miles) and all Coupes are already over 5 years old!
Front wishbone bushes tend to wear after 40,000 miles. Rather than replacing the bushes you'll replace the whole wishbones. Powerfiat in Essex charge £150 to supply and fit new front wishbones and front anti-roll bar drop links, which is not bad.
Exhausts last about 3 years and the OEM dampers could do with being replaced with Bilstein B6's (search the FCCUK forum to read the glowing reports on them). You'll probably spend a few weeks tracing down any squeak and rattles from the interior, but once you've found and silenced them you'll realise what a good car you've got.
I paid £7100 for a 59,000 mile January 2000 20VT Plus, which I had serviced, new front wishbones, rear springs (old ones were rusty), new front tyres and new exhaust. The car is now near perfect, but I would not rush your purchase. See a few and read up on the FAQs that you'll find on the FCCUK forum.
DC
Another fccuk member here, had my 20VT for 3 years now. Fantastic VFM fun if you can find a good one, and a nearby specialist to look after it.
This one is a minter and available now. (not mine, mine will never be sold)
www.fccuk.org/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=243890&an=0&page=0#Post243890
As for reliability of the turbo versions, by far the most engine failures are caused by running with no oil. It's a turbo. It will burn oil (up to 1litre per 600 miles). You have to check it regularly. At the mo we're seeing multiple cars every week dying through owner negligence
This one is a minter and available now. (not mine, mine will never be sold)
www.fccuk.org/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=243890&an=0&page=0#Post243890
As for reliability of the turbo versions, by far the most engine failures are caused by running with no oil. It's a turbo. It will burn oil (up to 1litre per 600 miles). You have to check it regularly. At the mo we're seeing multiple cars every week dying through owner negligence
Edited by richardxjr on Wednesday 6th December 10:20
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