Coupe has been lying in the garage all winter(Nov-march), fitted a new battery,checked oil and water, fitted new set of Goodyear Optigrip 205/55/16 and drove to Copenhagen and back this weekend(500 miles), she never missed a beat

you better hope your touching wood cause you have just jinxed yourself

Well, you say that... but I've never worried about getting in the coupe and driving a few thousand miles around Europe. I might change the oil before I go, and make sure my Green Flag is up to date, but that's about it.

Though I am a little concerned about the clutch piston; it's on a hundred and fifty thousand and I think it's starting to weep.

Seriously, I've had to have a breakdown truck out no more than five times in fifteen years for my coupes - broken belt at five years, bottom end dead a year later, starter stuck (we bumped it), and a dead alternator that ate the battery. That's it for the 16. The 20 ate the clutch piston a fortnight after I bought it, and one of a set of refurbished injectors died. Only the first required the truck.

Well at the weekend i am coming into the uk,first to Herts=550miles.Next morning to Joes(cc),somewhere in the west of Carrot country.Then at the end of the week from Joes down to Fleas,after that back to Herts,then back to France.I imagine about 2,000 miles.No problems for the coupe.
I may well be going back faster than i came.

What are you having done.....big upgrades followed by a fleamap and lots more gee gees ?

No No and No.Just a full service with a full suspension check,with replacement where needed.Aux belts checked.And everthing else possible checked.
Then to bristol for a stadard map.
All ready for spa in June.
Oh also picking up Track rubber at Joes.

I had a "standard" fleamap and still made 261bhp after so there you go

I've had my 16v na 6 weeks now and after a sulky start (thanks Neil for helping to sort it) I've now covered 6000 hugely enjoyable miles.

6000 in 6 weeks, that's a lot of miles

If it was unreliable and so much hard work......why do we still keep coming back to them......This is my second and I know a lot of peeps here have had lots more ?

Hi Leon, don't belive in jinxes, just keep the up the good basic maintenance of the coupe and she looks after you back just like a good woman