General Coupe buying advice

[KevinAlexLB]

Hi all you Coupe experts. I am thinking of buying a Coupe and would appreciate some advice. 16v or 20V? Turbo or non Turbo? Which is best? I guess the non turbo will be cheaper to run and less problamatic? Is there anything in particular to look out our for when viewing? Service history is obviously important for cam belt change etc but are there any particular problems with the Coupe in its various guises. I haven't looked at any yet so don't have a particular car in mind. All advice gratefully recieved. Thanks.

 

[bridges]

In my personal opinion having owned one, id recommend as an all rounder, unless you are buying purely for performance, the 20v non turbo. , I have run this engine type in 2 other cars, Marea 20v and Bravo 20v HGT all running the same mechanicals as the coupe. never had any issues other than a clutch.
They are still fast and sound beautiful.

below is a link to the buyers guide on the coupe forum.

http://www.fccuk.org/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7718#Post7718

 

[GoonJTD]

1. Come and say hello on the fccuk forum
2. Get yourself up to Auto Itlaia at Stanford Hall this weekend (about 40 mins from you) and come and meet us.
3. I am not to far from you in Northants. I have a 16v and 16vt. Come over and have a look.

 

[ChrisUK]

20VT all the way!. You'll always be thinking "what if" if you get a lesser model especially if you've driven one. Theres some bargains to be had if your patient. Just got one thats immaculate (except damage by some pikey and a key!) but mechanically its sweet as a nut for £1000 on ebay with tax and MOT.

 

[sumplug]

Please be aware, that the Fiat Coupe is not cheap to run. It needs to be classed as a mini Ferrari, and serviced and repaired like one.
Trying to run one on a budget is a complete no no. There are cars out there like this, and they are 'money pigs' waiting to go wrong with a massive bill to put right!
Go for a high mileage one with proper service history[not from Fiat, but a specialist]. Coupes do not like to be left for periods, and do not like low mileage. They tend to go wrong more. There is clear evidence on the FCCUK that backs this up. A car used regular, is a reliable car.
Last, avoid modified cars. They all at some point go wrong.

Andy.

 

[Palio]

Definitely a 20V non turbo. Best compromise between performance and cost! You need to look for one looked after with service history, cambelt changes (every 5 years or 35k), plus all keys (including the burgundy master key).

Bought mine nearly 6 years ago - top money but perfect with full history. Next 40k miles have been ultra reliable & enjoyable. Cambelt again this year but it aint a Fiesta so is £600 every 5 years a big issue?

Wouldn't shy away from a high miler with perfect history, but see no reason why a car used for 6k a year would be less reliable............. Sounds like an urban myth to me!

 

[Rustbucket]

I've had both, 2 20VT's and a late n/a. To be honest the running costs for both car's aren't that much different..until they start to go wrong when the VT model (turbo & oil pressure issues) can have the same effect on yr wallet as Vikings in a Nunnery..ie big time rape.

If you can get a decent VT (and afford the insurance) then go for it. But as said here all Coupes are now old cars and probably with 90K miles up on average. Buy one entirely on condition rather than age.

A few things to check:
Timing belt..all cars should have had a least 2 changes by now. If not factor in €1500 for Fiat to change it or €500 from a decent independent garage. You really really don't want the belt breaking on you...

Oil pressure. 3bar above idle, 2 bar hot, anything below 1.5bar then run away.

Turbo: Smoky exhaust is usually turbo seals. Thrashed, decatted and lack of oil changes are bad news for the turbo. Replacements are expensive.

Diesel noise on start up / fumes in the engine bay: Cracked exhaust manifold:- Manifolds come in 3 states. Welded/replaced. Cracking and cracked. This is expensive!

Knocks, clunks and thumps from the suspension: Wishbones / trackrods etc. Easy to fix but not so easy to get the bits.

Be werry werry careful with tuned cars. Most coups seem to have been fiddled with and the quality of the job varies. My first one was re-mapped but they bollixed the fueling..so within a few thou miles I needed 3 new pistons...

More power means more stress all around and shorter service intervals and usually shorter engine life..kind of burning the candle at both ends with a blowtorch in the middle sort of job..

For tooling around the n/a is probably the sane choice but the turbo version is something else..so long as Sir can afford running an old performance car as coupes aren't jap fire & forget weapons...

 

[sumplug]

One thing to remember.
Many Coupes have been pranged in the past, so will have been repaired. Check the car for condition, and please do a FULL vehicle identity check. Many are on the DVLA CAT register. Might be worth getting a car checked over by the RAC or similar.
Btw, parts are not too bad to obtain. Steve at Alternative Autos specialises in Coupe parts.

Andy.

 

[tubeway army]

Please be aware, that the Fiat Coupe is not cheap to run. It needs to be classed as a mini Ferrari, and serviced and repaired like one.
Trying to run one on a budget is a complete no no. There are cars out there like this, and they are 'money pigs' waiting to go wrong with a massive bill to put right!
Go for a high mileage one with proper service history[not from Fiat, but a specialist]. Coupes do not like to be left for periods, and do not like low mileage. They tend to go wrong more. There is clear evidence on the FCCUK that backs this up. A car used regular, is a reliable car.
Last, avoid modified cars. They all at some point go wrong.

Andy.

What he says!
Budget a grand a year for repairs. You will be lucky to get away without using the full ammount.
The only reason you'd buy a coupé now over other similar performanced cars is you just love the shape.

 

[ChrisUK]

For a FWD car they perform very well in corners too. I love the Viscodrive system :slayer:

 

[bridges]

What he says!
Budget a grand a year for repairs. You will be lucky to get away without using the full ammount.
The only reason you'd buy a coupé now over other similar performanced cars is you just love the shape.

There is not much else in this price catagory to give the coupe a run, 4 seats 220bhp and a torque curve that will keep with todays hot hatches.
As a straight line cruiser once rolling it is blistering..

Have owned my coupe for over 2 years and not spent 1k as yet

 

[Rustbucket]

They are getting old and tired now. I loved my 3 (and managed to avoid plod entirely for speeding tickets:- got done for 64mph in a 60 zone in a 1.2 Stilo instead ) but I wouldn't consider one now. Car tech has moved on far since '95 and there are now better buys out there. Engine tech is pre-historic by modern standards and the ride isn't that great. Straight line is fine butIMHO the car is too front end heavy to corner well even when you fiddle with the front end.

I'm taking the insanity pills and considering a TVR Griffith as a fun car..to go with my 'Plain Jane' MundaneO diesel (I have a 100 mile daily round trip to work).

 

[tubeway army]

There is not much else in this price catagory to give the coupe a run, 4 seats 220bhp and a torque curve that will keep with todays hot hatches.
As a straight line cruiser once rolling it is blistering..

Have owned my coupe for over 2 years and not spent 1k as yet

I to have owned 2 coupes myself, the first one cost me a fortune, the second one was lighter on my wallet. You can pick them up for reasonable money but that is just your 'up front' cost. you can be lucky of course, and not have much to do. However there are an awful lot of tired cars out there now and the ones that have been very carefully looked after still fetch a premium.
There are better options for your money unless you specificly really want a fiat coupé.