Friday 1st July 2011

SOTW: Fiat Tipo 2.0ie 16v

Italian? Check. Rare? Check. Beautiful? Er...

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The Italians are a lucky people. They are blessed with a language that, at least in comparison with our harsh Anglo Saxon tongue, can make the mundane sound impossibly exotic. Think Quattroporte (lit. four-door) and you'll see what I mean.

It's the same with today's Shed of the week: Fiat Tipo 2.0ie Sedicivalvole sounds genuinely exciting. And yet the English transliteration, 'Fiat Type 2.0ie 16-valve', doesn't even make a great deal of sense as well as sounding rubbish.

But it's not only that - the Tipo Sedicivalvole is quite a rare beastie these days, with only a handful of cars registered in the UK still on the road. So it's Italian, exotic-sounding, and rare. Shame it looks, even if we're being as polite as possible, a bit boxy.

Fortunately, the Tipo Sedici has quite a bit going for it, in as much it was considered to be quite a fun steer in its day and, with 143bhp on hand courtesy of an engine borrowed from the Lancia Thema, is quite fleet of foot even today, with 0-60mph dealt with in a respectable eight-and-a-bit seconds and a 130mph top speed.

This particularly Tip Sed looks somewhat less Sheddy than the average SOTW, with few bodywork blemishes, a long MOT and an even longer service history file. Okay, so the electrics aren't in 100 per cent working order, but the windows and sunroof still open and close electrically, so you're part of the way there - and it wouldn't be an Italian car without some sort of electrical gremlin.

So there you go. If you want a cheap, rare, fast Italian car, get yourself a TS - if you can find one. And that's not something we ever thought we'd be writing about a Fiat Tipo...

Advert is reproduced below

Fiat Tipo 2.0 i.e. 16v Sedicivalvole (1995)
114,000 miles £995

Fiat Tipo 2.0 i.e. 16v Sedicivalvole
Unfortunately due to a change in personal terms and circumstances, I'm going to have to sell my Tipo.
After wishing for a "Sedici" for the past 10 years or so, I finally lay my hands on this one fairly recently. It's quite stunning...
The car has really been looked after and cared for with no expense spared. It comes with full comprehensive service history along with receipt after receipt. Around £800 was spent on it a couple of months ago.
Inside is absolutely immaculate. Looks as good as it did when it was brand new. Also, the body work is really good. Obviously its 16 years old so it has the odd blemish but nothing major and things that are hardly noticeable.
All tyres are good and the MOT still has around 10 months left to run. Tax expires 31st October 2011 so all you need to do is insure and drive away.
These cars are so rare nowadays and to find one in this condition was a bit of a God send however as I'm now moving houses I need all the money I can get so it has to go (I simply bought the car for a weekend toy and have another 2 cars within the household!).
I'd welcome any viewings / inspection if you're genuinely interested. Current mileage is just over 114k but may go up slightly.
Finally, all the electric windows & sunroof works. The passenger mirror doesn't but the driver's does. Central looking doesn't work either however I haven't checked any fuses as none of that has bothered me...it was bought for the amazing drive and engine noise!! Fairly new JVC cd player fitted.
Any questions then please don't hesitate to e-mail or call on - 079444477448

[johnpeat]

Interesting shed - I actually fancied one of these back in the day!!

I drove a slightly lesser variant at the time and it was a decent steer - tho it fell apart pretty thoroughly

[johnpeat]

The price here clearly reflects it's rarity - if it were something as common as a Golf GTi/BMW 5 Series it would be cheaper for sure.

That said - in my experience, cars which cost less than £500 only do so because there's something wrong with them...

If it's got 4 good tyres, an exhaust which isn't blowing, no oil leaks, nothing else falling off, full ticket and some tax - nothing seems to duck under £500 these days.

Only exception I've seen in ages was an A4 2.6 and the owner readily admitted that no-one wanted a car which couldn't break 25mpg (it's since gone to someone who's doing a cheapo LPG conversion on it - total price still under £1K!!)

[johnpeat]

ITech said:

My old Boss did have 3 of these as his company car, all of which broke down or had faults that required several days work at the Dealer, very very regularly, that is a true FACT.

Also, the loan Fiat's he was given, whilst his car was being fixed (under warranty), also gave similar trouble. So this is not my opinion, or a mistake, or anything other than my certain knowledge that the several Fiat's he drove over a period of about 4.5 years, that I worked with him, were almost constantly un-reliable.

I'm not sure the irony will illuminate anything in your life, but I can say EXACTLY the same about Mercedes, BMW and Audi (and other marques) as I've worked with people (senior to me if not 'my boss') who've owned multiple of those marques which required extensive dealer work to rectify persistent faults and in at least 2 of those cases, had cars replaced either by the manuf. or leasing company due to this.

Anecdotal evidence like this is worthless - meaningless - useless, you and your boss are a sample so tiny as to tell us nothing useful whatsoever. Hell, this entire forum is barely a useful sample for that

I once owned a Honda which spent 4 weeks of it's first year with the dealer - 24 visits in total to 5 different dealers (also 2 days spent with Honda Factory Technicians) but I hear people think Hondas are reliable and solid and who am I to argue with that?

All irrelevant on a classic car anyway - you aren't buying it as a 'starts every time' daily runner...

[johnpeat]

ITech said:

So, even if you are going to be optimistic and label this a 'classic car'. I do not agree it doesn't matter, if it does not start when you want to use it.

I actually think "not starting" is a REQUIREMENT of a classic car.

You don't think a Nissan Micra will ever be considered a classic do you?

It's the faults and foibles - the rarity and the oddness of the cars which makes them classic - not just their age.

Odd thing is, this just reminds me of how 'weird' people thought the Tipo was at the time. It was 'a box' in the way the Sierra was a 'jelly mould' and people couldn't understand it.

Roll forward almost 20 years and every car looks like that

[johnpeat]

ITech said:

But, I think for someone to have owned 3 Tipo's and driven several others in a 4.5 year period and for them all to be very problematic, does seem to indicate, poor build quality of that model.

All it tells me is that the drivers/owners are the sort of people to complain about faults - and not everyone does that (you'd be amazed what some people will put up with or completely ignore).

Example: I have a loan-car outside whilst my car is being rewired. It's an X-Reg 406 HDi and it's regular user says it's one of the nicest cars he's driven as a 'wafting along barge' sort of thing - it cost him pennies and he wants it back ASAP

It is, indeed, comfy and smooth and massively roomy (I'm tall and I rattle around in it). Only snag is that it steers-right alarmingly when you let go of the steering wheel and you can't turn the radio off!!! The owner didn't notice either of these things in 3 months of ownership - I noticed them inside 2 minutes.

I'm not saying every FIAT owner is picky or a whinger but I AM saying that a lot of the stories you hear come from that sort of person and if that sort of person happens to have a local FIAT dealer (or indeed ANY car) then...

[johnpeat]

erm - did someone else already post this??

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1995-FIAT-TIPO-16V-IE-WH...

Same advert text - even same mobile number but a different reg no/front grille/no spots!?

Did I miss a memo or do they replicate?

Edited by johnpeat on Sunday 3rd July 02:13