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Fiat Coupe Advice?

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Fiat Coupe Advice?

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Mawv

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May 18, 2008
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Thoughts on this? Im considering buying a Fiat Coupe however dont know much about them. Previously owned a Fiat Punto GT3 Turbo tho, so have some idea of what to expect in terms of maitanance. This one almost has a FSH, has had a full service inc cambelt, waterpump and brembo service. Clutch has been replaced too. The owner says theres a tiny bit of blue smoke upon start up-he reckons its to do with the exhaust as he assures me it holds boost well and temperture runs spot on. Any advice would be appreciated.

The lowest he will take is £2500.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1214374.htm
 
dont suppose you know if the head gasket was changed or not do you :)
as ours had the same symptons only to blow a couple weeks later
temp and boost was fine then pop was gone :(
 
i wouldn't touch it tbh.

first off, its a tad overpriced, even taking into consideration the near fsh. that really is top end price. secondly, its highly unlikley its the exhaust. it's oil getting into areas it shouldn't. hg as abyss says is a possibility, as is turbo seals and it could also be the manifold starting to go, a well known issue on 20vt's.

it could well be a problem just developing and ready to pop.
 
abyss113 said:
dont suppose you know if the head gasket was changed or not do you :)
as ours had the same symptons only to blow a couple weeks later
temp and boost was fine then pop was gone :(
Click to expand...

The owner has also said its only a small amount of blue smoke, once heated up it goes away.
Also he says the HG has never been replaced either. On the Punto Sport website, a member has said it could be the valve seals? And in terms of price, the online "book" valuation is approx £2300-£2600 dependant on condition.
 
on these, blue smoke is generally turbo seals or the manifold. i'd lean towards the manifold tbh. they go with age it seems. i've seen lower mileage manifolds needing replaced than that tbh.

at that mileage, its highly unlikley to be valve seals.

as for price, remember, thats top end, its not top end with blue smoke, no matter how little there is when cold ;)

for that price, i wouldnt take the risk.
 
yeah, it does look a nice example, just a shame about its problem :(

The red coop looks nice :) high mileage, but looks well kept (obviously hes nothing like his charachter in still game, whos the tightest arsed tit in all of scotland ;) ). tbh, im going to say price again...maybe slightly higher than should be due to its owner, but it should have no relevance in price imo. maybe worth a look and talk to the garage thought to see what they say?

the alfa would be my choice if you can afford to run it. good mileage, reasonabley good price, fantastic, glorious engine!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I dont know alot about the lexus, but for its age etc, it looks tidy, but pricey for what it is. good cars though!
 
Cheers for the advice. Definatly the cars im interested in, would also consider another Honda, like a civic vti, accord type r etc. Do you know what mpg the Alfa is likely to fetch, i generally do alot of miles.
 
officially the v6 should get 24mpg, but apparently, nobody gets that, so probably about an average of 15 round town, and 28 on the faster stuff!!

scary fuel costs for a high mileage driver

also, group 19 insurance is something to look out for!!

if you could find a 2.o version, that would maybe be better for a higher mileage use?
 
Mrcento said:
officially the v6 should get 24mpg, but apparently, nobody gets that, so probably about an average of 15 round town, and 28 on the faster stuff!!

scary fuel costs for a high mileage driver

also, group 19 insurance is something to look out for!!

if you could find a 2.o version, that would maybe be better for a higher mileage use?
Click to expand...

Eeeek, insurance group 19? Im sure insurers would love that at the age of 20. My Accord Type R was £1071 FC through Elephant.co.uk and thats a group 16/17.
 
On a few online quotations.

The 20vt Fiat Coupe £1265 FC through Admiral.
The 20v Non Turbo Fiat Coupe £1300.10 FC through Admiral
The Lexus IS200 £1094 FC through Admiral
The Alfa Romeo 3.0 v6 GTV £1468.10 FC through Admiral
 
Wouldn't mind some of those cars myself. Quite like the Italians mentioned, though having driven an (admittedly a little ropey) GTV, I'm not so sure about that one. Definitely try and get a later one with the updated interior though, the early one's are awful.

The 2.0 Twinspark is pretty sprightly though. When I had one as a courtesy car, my mate agreed with me that it was about as quick as his Mrs' MX5 1.8, which is decently fast and in fact we also agreed it sounded quite like it too. Handling was alright, though can't give an accurate gauge due to probable suspension issues on the courtesy cars...think the bushes were shot to feck on the back for example.

I'd be inclined to try a Coupe as I've always liked the looks. Just worry about how tough they are and insurance grp 20 on the 20V Turbo isn't cheap. Though, admittedly, I am looking at S2000s for my next wheels :eek: Those insurance quotes do therefore seem a little random between the 2 Coupes really. The lower powered ones are apparently group 17 :confused:

The IS200 I also like. Great alternative to a 3 series and not anywhere near as common. Probably more reliable than the Germans and though probably as expensive to service, the dealers will probably treat you better. Of course, specialists are always usually cheaper ;)
 
The following seller should be reported. I had a vewing to see the Lexus IS200 tomorrow, the owner told me it was hpi clear, he owned it for a year and a half and he was the third owner. Did a £10 hpi check tonight, it has 5 owners, last change of keeper was 2004, oh and its a Category D write-off, what ******s out there, i was set to travel an 80 mile round trip to view this car.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk...cleRegLetter=T
 
Mawv said:
The following seller should be reported. I had a vewing to see the Lexus IS200 tomorrow, the owner told me it was hpi clear, he owned it for a year and a half and he was the third owner. Did a £10 hpi check tonight, it has 5 owners, last change of keeper was 2004, oh and its a Category D write-off, what ******s out there, i was set to travel an 80 mile round trip to view this car.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk...cleRegLetter=T
Click to expand...

Links broken bud..surely Autotrader can step in when the seller starts telling porkies in their listings?
 
Mawv said:
The following seller should be reported. I had a vewing to see the Lexus IS200 tomorrow, the owner told me it was hpi clear, he owned it for a year and a half and he was the third owner. Did a £10 hpi check tonight, it has 5 owners, last change of keeper was 2004, oh and its a Category D write-off, what ******s out there, i was set to travel an 80 mile round trip to view this car.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk...cleRegLetter=T
Click to expand...

just as well you hpi checked it (y)

He's obviously hoping the buyer doesnt check so he'll make more than he should for it. report him to autotrader, and attatch a copy of the hpi check to your e-mail. he will get his advert removed with immediate effect and offered no refund.

shame, as no doubt some other potential buyer will trust him and what he says, and pay over the odds for it :(

they probably wont know until it comes time to sell on, and someone else accuses them of lying because they pass on what they believe is true, who knows, maybe thats what happened with the current seller?

a look at the logbook would clear up that score though!
 
Mawv said:
I wouldnt say so, as he claims he's owned it for a year and a half, yet last registered keeper change was in 2004, thats 5 years ago!!

Heres the autotrader ad.

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-u...icleYearOfManufacture=1999&vehicleRegLetter=T
Click to expand...

in that case theres something seriously odd going on. its a 99 model, last change 2004, so thats 4 owner changes in 5 years between 99 and 2004! :eek: thats a hell of alot for a new car!

It's worth bearing in mind, that if a car is pre registered (as a pre reg or even a dealer demo) then that can count as 2 owners before its been in private ownership, and if say a car was part ex'd after a year and sold on, thats 2 owners (the garage and new owner) perhaps the car has had 3 private owners and 2 garage/dealer owners?, nae idea how the guy who owns it would know that for sure though, so i agree he's up to something, especially not declaring the cat d:thumb_down:
 
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