General Doubts about buying Fiat coupé 20VT

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General Doubts about buying Fiat coupé 20VT

el mendas

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Hi everybody! Can everybody give some advice about if it is good to buy a coupe 20VT of the year 2000 with 80000 km or it is risky because this car doesn,t get old well? Thank you very much.
 
how much you looking at the car for?

These cars are very expensive to run, the parts arent cheap, there is nothing cheap about owning one of these, just make sure you have very deep pockets.

we have a coupe section, check that out, we have had loads of people ask this question before. You should be able to find ou what you need to know down there.

Also there is www.fccuk.org they are a coupe dedicated forum.

If you have any specific questions you cant find the answer to then please feel free to post.
 
el mendas said:
Hi everybody! Can everybody give some advice about if it is good to buy a coupe 20VT of the year 2000 with 80000 km or it is risky because this car doesn,t get old well? Thank you very much.
that car has done approx 50000 miles.the cambelt and all other belts and the water pump + tensioners need or should have been recently changed.the car should have a full service history with bills to prove work.oil is important on this engine.pull the dipstick out.is it clean and looks thinnish? if not,run a mile.check for panel damage[very common,especially the bonnet].if aircon fitted,does it work.all electrics work.tyres even tread? test drive for 20 miles to get it nice and hot.gearbox and clutch ok? drives straight? instruments work? engine pull hard and turbo boost up? brake discs good[cars are hard on them].if the car passes these basic rules and looks great,ask for the brakes to be totally changed and the belts done if buying from a garage.if buying privately.be very,very careful.the belt change alone is costly.take that into account.unless it passes or you get a big discount off,leave well alone.you could easyily spend £1500 on it very quickly.they are not cheap to maintain,so buy the best you can find,and have a professional inspection.well worth the money.:)
 
As long as you can budget and carry out regular maintenance, ideally BEFORE anything needs replacing, I think the Coupe is pretty reliable.

My first one gave me a bad run in a 6 month period when it got through 3 manifolds, clutch, engine (melted piston), turbo as well as service, tyres etc!!!

However, after that, I had almost 18 months where nothing went wrong, despite covering over 30k miles in that time, being steadily tuned to over 300BHP and a season of sprinting and about 8 trackdays!

This car is still going strong in the hands of another enthusiast.

The second one I now own has needed work - the usual stuff, radiator, clonking wishbones etc. but then I got it for a good price, so it doesn't matter. This one has also been sprinted for two seasons where it was Irish national sprint champion last year, and helped me get a class win this year in the SELOC sprint series.

What i'm trying to say is they can be tough cars, even when abused, but you have to have a bit of luck, and have a contingency fund when it breaks or needs work.

I will most likely be selling mine in the next couple of months to help fund a new business, but i will buy another in a year or twos time. :)
 
They can be expensive but there are lots of owners who have had very little problems. Mileage can be an indication of possible problems, but if the car has been well maintained, serviced and looked after then it should be fine. Check it out, look for the basics, oil, electrics, air con, brakes. If the cambelt hasn't been done then that is a priority and will cost around £400-£500 at a specialist garage or around £1200 at FIAT. Don't ever trust a coupe to a FIAT garage, they just rip you off and rag the car (well that's my experience).

btw, Hi Fishy nice to see another friendly face around :).
 
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