General to be or not to be?????

[christian_punto]

hi everyone & merry xmas

i am really, really wanting to purchase a coupe for my next car. i have my mind set but i have to wait a year so my insurance will be affordable. ive heard mixed reviews and it will be a step up from my current car, so i want to be 100% certain. will anyone please give me there experiences good or bad, so i can tilt the scales. im going for the 16v (cheaper to insure) and i am looking to spend up to 2 grand. (but less if possible.) any comments would be much appreiciated,

Chris

PS - Happy new year too

 

[pinin__prestatyn]

Hello Christian, these two threads should be your bible

http://www.fccuk.org/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=1004&an=0&page=0#Post1004

http://www.fccuk.org/forum/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=125&an=0&page=0#Post125

A decent 16v is definately achievable for 2K, but as it is a fairly low budget, the best thing you can do is take your time, go and see at least three coupe's, I would say five being a better figure to base an opinion on.
The 16v is probably the safest bet for lower maintenance cost, MPG, and servicing.
However you still need to be aware the coupe can be expensive to run, indeed I have had a couple of hefty bills in the past couple of months. Be sure you have the budget set to side in case of emergencies. If you set aside £400 from your buying budget if possible that would be great, you may need to use this on tyres, an oil change, or replacement parts etc you know where I'm coming from.
The key is a good maintenance record, and whilst a Fiat main dealer history is good servicing from a specialist is probably better, as the coupe is a low production car Fiat are not necessarily the most capable with problems/servicing, at least that seems to be the feedback on the coupe forum. You probably know but the Fiat coupe club uk (FCCUK) is here

www.fccuk.org/forum

this is the best site there is for Fiat coupe's in the world IMO. A great wealth of knowledge and a valuable resource for any owner.

Right read the buyer's guide, any questions or problems post on this thread and I'll get back to you, but the guide is pretty concise and covers everything.

 

[Hellcat]

I'd wait the extra year. From what I've heard from people the real Coupe experience is the 20v Turbo. Thats going to be my next car, especially since a 16v or 20v NA won't be much quicker than my Tipo.

See how the tipo lasts and if the GF can insure it next year.

 

[pinin__prestatyn]

Having come from a 16VT you do always feel like you chose second best because you couldn't afford a 20VT. And don't get me wrong the 20VT is superior in every way. But a 16v is a good start and you can always trade up once you get bored and have a bit more capital.

 

[The Trooper]

From what I've read, coupes seem to need a lot of attention and money spent on them, would a 16v NA actually cost less to maintain, and is it more reliable than the turbo models? I myself was looking at one last year until I got a daft insurance quote, but I was a bit scared as my mechanical knowledge is very poor, and I don't have a lot of spare time to be fixing cars, so maintenance costs were my main concern. How much (not including insurance/tax/petrol) do you coupe people spend on you car in an average month?

Sorry or hi-jacking your thread christian, but I'm curious

 

[h2ypr]

It depends on the car to be honest dude. Although i bought my coupe with a new engine with only 255 miles on it, i have probably spent the most on mines in the last 5 months. The main essentials i have spent on mines are

Manifold purchase and fitting - £535
Better alarm/immobilizer - £430
2 new front tyres - £170
front brakes (le discs and mintex pads) - £200ish
new radiator - £140
power steering pipes - £165

There is other things that needed replaced but i "uprated" for example

exhaust 3" - £410 turbo back (very good price)
FMIC Evo 6 - £250
gt28r (replacement turbo needed) - £350
Labour costs - £250

So there is just a small idea. But i am very picky. The turbo was only smoking due to decat and still performed "fairly" well. The exhaust was rusting but didnt need replaced "as soon" as i did. The intercooler was just a performance upgrade.

I also added a suspension (which needed replaced) and a strut brace plus full bodykit and added some ICE aswell. But a well maintained coupe (mines was cheap from a friend of a friend) wouldnt cost u as much with certain parts but other things might creep up. Personally also check how far away the specialists are from you. They will make the difference with ownership.

Ross

 

[pinin__prestatyn]

The non turbo variants are a fair bit cheaper than the turbocharged models. I Less to go wrong! running no boost, less heat in engine bay etc, engine less stressed. I haven't owned one but I would bet money an N/A is understandably the cheaper car.

 

[christian_punto]

thanks every one for your feedback i really appreiciate it! (and TROOPER no problem mate!!!)
I'm still gonna go for one i think. im not that bothered about the performance as i would get one if it was a 1.0 litre as they look the ********! The only thing niggling at me is the fact i cant do any mechanics myself so im dont wanna be shelling out for parts and labour all the time.

Keep up the feedback boys and girls!!

(is there any girls on here??? i would like to know!!)
:Offtopic:

 

[simonj]

How much (not including insurance/tax/petrol) do you coupe people spend on you car in an average month?

Sorry or hi-jacking your thread christian, but I'm curious

In the 18 months I had my Coupe (1999 20v), I spent the following:

Cambelt (changed at 4 years/40,000) 400GBP
Exhaust (original lasted 45,000 miles) 220GBP
Big service inc. wishbones and discs and pads all round c400GBP
4 tyres 200GBP inc. balancing/tracking etc.

So in all, 1220 quid over 18 months or about 68 quid a month on parts/servicing. I put well over 20,000 miles on the car and never needed to top up the oil or any other fluids. All the car would have needed for another 10,000 miles when I sold it was a service for about 120 quid, so you could have quite easily had 30,000 miles or 2 1/2 years motoring for well under 1500 quid in maintenance.

The later 20v VIS Coupe is a very strong and reliable engine which if well-looked after and given a small amount of preventative maintenance should cause little trouble.