Fiat Coupe! im gunna get 1!ANY owners of the 2l16vt/20vt?

[hobbadam]

ANY1 WHOS HAS A FIAT COUPE 2.0L 16VT/2OVT GOT ANY ADVICE FOR ME? GUNA BUY 1 AT THE END OF THE MONTH, IT LOOKS GR8 AND I CAN'T WAIT TO START TURNING HEADS! its been owned for 2 years by a fiat enthusiast and he's done a hell of a lot of work to it including puttin a bigger,better turb in it! full induction kit made specifically for the car(no halfords job!) and loads more extras does any1 have a story of a great day out in one?

[phil1979]

hobbadam said:

ANY1 WHOS HAS A FIAT COUPE 2.0L 16VT/2OVT GOT ANY ADVICE FOR ME? GUNA BUY 1 AT THE END OF THE MONTH, IT LOOKS GR8 AND I CAN'T WAIT TO START TURNING HEADS! its been owned for 2 years by a fiat enthusiast and he's done a hell of a lot of work to it including puttin a bigger,better turb in it! full induction kit made specifically for the car(no halfords job!) and loads more extras does any1 have a story of a great day out in one?

I had one for 2 weeks as a trial, yonks ago. Absolutley loved it! Nice burble from the engine was the most memorable thing, apart from the torque steer! Mind those hedges!

P

[_Neal_]

Yep - plenty of great days out in my Sprint Blue 20VT - Smiles per £ it takes some serious beating

Presume you've found the fccuk club forum? Is the enthusiast you're getting it from a member of the club?

Edited by _Neal_ on Tuesday 22 May 13:30

[DavidCane]

I've got a 20VT and it's a great car. You'll need to budget for preventative maintenance as the car it very susceptible to wear and tear, mainly the suspension. Mine is a December 1999 car and last year it needed new suspension all round (springs, wishbones, dampers, ARB droplinks).

However, it's a cracking car and since I renewed all those parts it's been faultless.
Be wary of cars with modded engines. If you scan through the posts on FCCUK, you spot the trend that the unmodified engines go on forever, trouble free. The modded ones become much more fragile and do break. Most 'dead coupe' posts on there are either crashes or modded engine which have met their maker.

So what I'm saying is that you should go for a mint, stock 20VT with full history and at least one cam-belt change so far, but still be prepared for an extra initial outlay for some new wishbones (only £150 fitted from Powerfiat, so not that bad really).

DC

[sa_20v]

hobbadam said:

ANY1 WHOS HAS A FIAT COUPE 2.0L 16VT/2OVT GOT ANY ADVICE FOR ME? GUNA BUY 1 AT THE END OF THE MONTH, IT LOOKS GR8 AND I CAN'T WAIT TO START TURNING HEADS! its been owned for 2 years by a fiat enthusiast and he's done a hell of a lot of work to it including puttin a bigger,better turb in it! full induction kit made specifically for the car(no halfords job!) and loads more extras does any1 have a story of a great day out in one?

Why not leave school before you buy one? I still remember the days when a Coupe owner could string a sentence together...

[_Neal_]

[_Neal_]

Good advice above - Modded cars need loads more love than standard, and they aren't exactly Toyota-esque

[hobbadam]

to SA 20VT. SOD OFF YOU OLD GIT, LEAST I STILL AV MY YOUTH HAHA! thanks for the advice bout the modded engines!!!! much appreciated!!! I shall try and keep it as proffesionally modded as pos!! meaning ill just keep it how it is and maintain the mintness!!! thnx again guys. please do add advice if anyone knows of anymore probs with this type of car.

jack

[sa_20v]

hobbadam said:

to SA 20VT. SOD OFF YOU OLD GIT, LEAST I STILL AV MY YOUTH HAHA! thanks for the advice bout the modded engines!!!! much appreciated!!! I shall try and keep it as proffesionally modded as pos!! meaning ill just keep it how it is and maintain the mintness!!! thnx again guys. please do add advice if anyone knows of anymore probs with this type of car.
jack

Great comeback! I'm 26 you daft idiot. Fancy asking 'please do add advice if anyone knows of anymore probs with this type of car' when you've already bought it! I could tell you having, or should that be 'avin', owned 3 myself but I somehow don't feel so inclined.

[scotal]

sa_20v said:

hobbadam said:

to SA 20VT. SOD OFF YOU OLD GIT, LEAST I STILL AV MY YOUTH HAHA! thanks for the advice bout the modded engines!!!! much appreciated!!! I shall try and keep it as proffesionally modded as pos!! meaning ill just keep it how it is and maintain the mintness!!! thnx again guys. please do add advice if anyone knows of anymore probs with this type of car.
jack

Great comeback! I'm 26 you daft idiot. Fancy asking 'please do add advice if anyone knows of anymore probs with this type of car' when you've already bought it! I could tell you having, or should that be 'avin', owned 3 myself but I somehow don't feel so inclined.

You know sometimes I think Mr 20V goes a little ott, but in this case I tend to agree with him. This is PH, not barryboysaregreat.com.
I have a 20VT, excellent car, for what it is, a Fiat Tipo Chassis with a Bangle body on the top (Ok thats a little simplistic but its the basic set up.)
Please dont ever think of its as a mini-ferrari, that would mark you out as a knob-gobbler of epic proportions.
You will of course have to put up with Anti Fiat "jokes" and also the anti FWD crowd telling you its not a real car, its a scrabble beast.

Keep a regular eye on oil levels, else you'll be getting the engine rebuilt.
Roller bearing turbos, FMIC's Alloy rads etc are all very well, and there are a few running 330 bhp+, but you are in for a world of financial pain if the engine lets go at that level.
You're based in Essex? I assume you know one of the top guys for the Coupe is in the same county?
Do have a good look round on Fccuk, they know their stuff, and will point out the pros and cons of the coupe.

[hobbadam]

20 v has made a good point, im only 20, still green im afraid. As I stated in the first message I have not yet bought the car, i will be at the end of this month so advice is welcome still. so mr 20 v why dont you enlighten us all? after all you have owned a number of these cars and must have some experiance? or are you just a heckler?

Edited by hobbadam on Thursday 24th May 15:16

[Chris71]

Have you got an insurance quote yet?

Seem to remember they were actually quite insurable for their performance (nearly bought a 20VT last year, found a gorgeous example and with a few tweaks they are very quick in a straight line)

[hobbadam]

yep its 940 for a year fully comp and thats with direct line! i think the 16v turb is fast enough for me thanks mate,going more for looks than performance, thats just the bonus.

[sa_20v]

hobbadam said:

20 v has made a good point, im only 20, still green im afraid. As I stated in the first message I have not yet bought the car, i will be at the end of this month so advice is welcome still. so mr 20 v why dont you enlighten us all? after all you have owned a number of these cars and must have some experiance? or are you just a heckler?

Edited by hobbadam on Thursday 24th May 15:16

Yup owned three, still have one 20v NA parked up in the underground carpark. Best advice is to avoid Fiat, use a specialist like PowerFiat in Basildon and use the buying guide from fccuk.org. The FCCUK (Fiat Coupe Club UK) forum is also a great place for expert advice on tuning/group buys etc etc.

For turbo models, check for smoke on startup and insist on seeing the car with cold engine and let run for a couple of minutes. Listen for knocking from the front, usually sign of wishbones on their way out (not expensive to replace). Brake squeal on the 20VT is normal and can be fixed with shims (also available through the Fiat Coupe Club link above). Exhaust manifolds do have a habit of cracking on the 20VT models, whereas the newer VIS 20v NA models 'may' be prone to head gasket failure. If buying a 20VT, it could be worth performing a compression test, as cylinder one has a habit of letting go. My 20VT LE made gurgling noises on startup, it's more of an annoyance than a problem, and if my memory serves me correctly, has something to do with the heater matrix. Coupes were sold with three keys, one blue, one silver/blue and one red - you NEED the red one for ECU etc. Check that the alarm works, sounds stupid but you'd be surprised how many 'Meta' model alarms don't work. In addition, you'd do well to check for aftermarket braided hoses - usually a plus point, but these have a history of breaking due to poor design on the Coupe. Worth knowing whether or not these are on your car.

Finally, enjoy it.

[scotal]

hobbadam said:

yep its 940 for a year fully comp and thats with direct line! i think the 16v turb is fast enough for me thanks mate,going more for looks than performance, thats just the bonus.

Roger at Powerfiat doesnt do 16valvers anymore I think. Too many polished turds out there that need serious TLC.
If you are going for looks over performance you should aim for a 20v N/a I reckon.

[Alfaholic1750]

Hi Just joined pistonheads notice your question I have a 1999 20V Turbo Plus with 90,000 on clock. I bought it with 48,000 two years ago. Car has been really reliable I strongly recommend Roger at Powerfiat he is great very genuine and knows the cars inside out. I only ever use him for servicing. Watch out for Oil cooler pipes, wishbones, cambelt change. You must religiously check the oil every 1000 miles. A very happy coupe owner! Saying that I may sell it in the next 12 months just for a change!

[hobbadam]

Just like to to mr 20 v, fantastic advice. thankyou for that info,Ishall be joinin the coupe owners club.