Technical buying a cinq

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okay so you have seen the light and decided on centodum.
the cinq was introduced on a K plate in 1993.

prices new were around

• sporting £7,525
• sx £6,980
• s £6,782
• soleil £7,246

on release standard equipment included

• Remote boot release
• Radio / cassette
• 5 Speed gearbox Internally
• adjustable wing mirrors
• Heated rear window
• Folding rear seat
• Rear wash / wipe
• Opening rear quarter-lights
• Intermittent windscreen wipers
• Front head rests
• Digital Clock

in 1995 after a short run this became the 'S' model
equipment changed to

• Code immobiliser
• Tinted glass
• Height adjustable seat belts
• Two-tone dashboard
• Digital Clock
• Radio / cassette
• Remote boot release
• Internally adjustable wing mirrors
• 5 Speed gearbox
• Folding rear seat
• Heated rear window
• Opening rear quarter-lights
• Rear wash / wipe
• Front head rests
• Intermittent windscreen wipers

the 899cc fitted is great for full economy and around time.it may struggle a little on the motorway or fully laden

• Engine 899cc
• BHP 39
• Maximum Torque 48lbs per ft
• Top Speed 87mph
• Acceleration from 0-62mph 18.0secs
• Combined fuel economy 46.3 mpg

next in the range is the 'SX'(avalable from release)
over the 'S' it has the following equipment

• Side rubbing strips
• Electric front windows
• Glass sunroof
• Colour coded bumpers
• Central locking

it has the same engine as the 'S' performance is as above

next is the soleil intrduced as a special edition in 1996
spec is the same as the 'SX' bar it has a full length electric canvas roof,different wheel trims and interior fabrics

next is the sporting which whilst it was introduced in 1995 on an M plate.it was slightly updated in 1996.
easiest way to spot the early ones is a crease along the rear hatch above the boot lock and the non red tinted rear lights.

equipment levels over the 'SX' are

• Front anti-roll bar
• 20mm lowered suspension
• 13" 4 spoke Alloy wheels
• Red seat belts
• 'Filled-in' head rests
• Rev counter
• Colour coded wing mirrors
• Leather covered steering wheel and gear-knob
• Darker front dashboard
• Sports seats
• Electric headlamp adjustment(optional on earlier models)
• Close ratio gearbox

the sporting is equipped with the 1108cc engine so performance is up on the other models.

• Engine size - 1108cc
• BHP - 54
• Maximum Torque - 63lbs per ft
• Top Speed - 93mph
• Acceleration from 0-62mph - 13.8secs
• Combined fuel economy - 45.6mpg

also available were Abarth parts.
these included:

• tailgate spoiler
• sideskirts
• front apron
• rear apron
• 13" 5 spoke speedline abarth alloys
• exhaust trim
• headlamp protectors
• mats
• steering wheel
• chrome gear gaitor surround
• pedals and more

see below for a sporting with abarth bodykit fitted



the cinq production ended in 1998 so the last cinqs were on an S plate though most are R's.

the sportings were available in

broom yellow(by far the most popular UK colour new)


red



black



grey mettalic



imola blue

• according to the fiat brochure:

paint colours available:

standard

• 112 starter red
• 249 white
• 258 broom yellow
• 451 capri blue
• 457 festival turquoise
• 601 black

metallic

• 185 kermes red
• 380 fluo green
• 461 ischia blue
• 481 imola blue
• 647 steel grey

interior options:

• cinq 's' blue interior and all colours bar starter red,broom yellow,fluo green & steel grey

• cinq 'sx' green/blue diamond interior and all colours bar starter red,broom yellow,fluo green and imola blue

• cinq sporting, sporting grey interior with starter red,black,broom yellow,imola blue and steel grey as colour options only

here you can check what a car failed/had advisories on its last MOT
handy to see what should/could have been done and a haggling point

okay some things to look out for:

• paint fading/mismatch: some colours fade owrse than others.
• red is probably the worst and polish is only a temporary fix asd it will show again.
• mismatched panel colours are often an indication of accident repair.

• corrosion.the cinqs are galvanised so rusty wings for example are usually as sign of pattern parts replacing fiat parts through accident.
• thats not to say you wont get rust.
• check inside the boot for corrosion,around the windscreen,wheel aches and chassis. We are now seeing terminal rust in some Cinqs now
  so check carefully around areas like the boot,chassis etc!

• leaks:check in the boot as rear lights seals are known to leak.if iftted check the sunroof is not leaking

• red keys:you car should have 2 blue keys and one red key(unless its a very early cinq)
• the red key should not be used but kept to code new keys.
• there are ways around this if the red key is missing but it makes a great haggleing tool.also make sure the red keys starts the car and isnt a fake put there to stop haggleing

• engine mountings mainly the lower gearbox mount can/will fail and cause a knocking sound.not a big job to fix though there can sometimes be stock shortages

• locks:check all the locks work with all the keys inc the locking petrol cap.a non locking cap is an MOT fail so check it.
• also if the car has locking wheel bolts check you have a key,it fits and none of the bolts are chewed up!

• tyres:if its a sporting still running the standard tyre size then these are expensive for 13" tyres.(165/55r13) but other options are available IF you are prepared to change all 4
• so check the condition though a slight tweak in tyre sizes can save money on tyres.

• locking wheel bolts okay if the car has alloys then check if it has locking bolts and if so whether you have a working key.its a real pain having to pay or struggle getting 4 locking bolts removed.

• electrics:make sure all the electrics work inc rear wiper,front washers,horn,windows etc

• petrol tank:its a known issue that was subject to a (now expired) recall that tanks leak at the seams.
• so check for leaks especially if the tank is low on petrol as this may be to cover the leak

• overheating: make sure the car warms up and that the cooling fan comes on and goes off.
• check it doesnt over heat in traffic/standing and dont just think because it doesnt overheat on a constant test drive that its fine.
• dont panic at the fan coming on regularly in traffic and the needle heading to the 100 C mark. also check the car doesnt run too cool as it may have a dodgy/removed thermostat hiding overheating problems! around 90 C is normal.
• make sure you get hot air out of the vent in the car(good time to check the heater works on all speeds)
• check the oil for mayo and the coolant for any oil.
• check the radiator for obvious leaks & corrosion.
• same goes for the rest of the cooling system.

• exhaust smoke make sure you start the car from cold and can watch the exhaust on start up(get the seller to start if need be) check the exhaust smoke and its isnt showing blue, black or white smoke. also pay attention to how it idles from cold.
  a rough idle or a rough idel that gets better as the car warms up could indicate head gasket issues.

• service history:its always good to get a car with service history but the cinqs are getting long in the tooth so general condition is often a good indicator of the care its recieved.

• flatspots:from cold nearly all centos have a flatspot in acceleration around 2000rpm. anything different from this such as hesitation could hint ot problems like spark plugs,ht leads,coil packs etc

• handbrakes: the cento handbrake isnt great but make sure it holds the car and isnt binding

• rear suspension: listen for any knocks and thumps from worn rear bushes

• seats & seat bases as centos get on it seems the seat bases can crack and also the adjuster handles can snap.another item to check

• washer fluid bottle: check for leaks as the pipes are known to perish and leak

• mileage: now this is a tricky one.on the one hand you get uncared for low mileage 'city' cars that never get to stretch there legs. or you get worn out sky high mileage ones.
• so a little common sense is needed here.

VIN number

• the VIN no. is located on a plate to the drivers side of the bonnet slam panel above the headlight
• also on the boot floor
• the engine no. can be found (OHC) to the timing belt side of the engine on the top of the head beside the belt end of the cam cover
• the paint code is on a plate on the lower edge of the tailgate

Updates

• near the end of the run with the seicento on the horizon some tweaks were made to the cinquecentos.
• instead of 2 vents under the winscreen there was one.
• a vent was added to the drivers side plastic wheel liner
• electricly adjustable headlamps
• a large centred airbag steering wheel was fitted though some with no airbag!
• different style stalks were fitted
• the handbrake set up was slightly changed

over 1.2 million cinqs were made so theres still plenty to choose from!