Hi Guessing this thread will be popular, you look like the type og people to like actively converting new people to coupes I am obviously a newcomer to this forum as well.

First off, I live in southern Norway, and I am currently driving a Fiat Punto '94 with which I am thorougly satisfied! I have driven it 25k miles without doing anything but changing the brakes, oil- and airfilter and adding some oil as it got used up(uses about 1 liter per 1k miles).

But now I want a new car, and I looked up Fiat because I was so happy, and I stumbled across a yellow coupe at a local Fiat/Alfa/Suzuki dealer:) It looked amazing, so I arranged a testdrive yesterday on my day off...and WOW! This thing was so fun! Going back to my old Punto was a disgrace afterwards

Anyways, here is the add for the coupe, in Norwegian ofcourse, but I'm guessing you are intelligent enough to see the numbers. Also, remember that the clock is in km, not miles.

http://www.finn.no/finn/car/used/object?finnkode=26135965

Oh, and here is a quick calculation for you, just to show you how much the Norwegian government loves cars! 10 NOK=1GBP...price of the car? 9k...I know, nice, right?

Any ways, like I said, I think it was awesome, and it really got me interested. Seeing how active and comprehensive this forum is also helps, as I know I could get extensive help if I needed it.

Now I am just wondering, how is this car in the long run? I saw a thread here with people discussing what tools they have with them in the trunk. Is that really necessary? Is it that fragile? Also, what pitfalls do I have to look for in the '99 16V? Anything costly that usually comes up? Also, putting a turbo in this baby seems awesome, is that possible to do in the 1,8L 16V?

And if course, do you have any "lovestories" with this car? I.e. any good experiences etc?

Thanks Convince me to buy this car!

Instinct

It looks nice and clean mate but It's hard for anyone in the UK to recomend spending £9000 on a 12 year old coupe . Also very few will have ever seen nevermind know anything about the 1.8l coupe engine or its reliability. This might be why you havn't had any answers.

Oh? So the 1,8 isn't very popular amongst you?

Yeah, I know you wouldn't pay 9k for it, but that's just Norwegian taxes for you All cars are stupidly expensive...

Maybe see if Kayjey can offer any advice...

We dont have the 1.8 in UK Coupes so most of us dont know much about that engine. Sounds like you've already been convinced by the test drive though so there's no turning back now, it's too late, you've been sucked in. Welcome to the most under rated car of all time.

By the way, I went to see Top Gear Live today in Oslo, 300km from where I live, and on the way there and back I talked so much about it with my friend that I decided I want it Gotta check it more in the details to be sure it is as mint as it says, go over the economics and then...

life is short - make it sweeter with that coupé

Get the 20vt version the 1.8 would be gutless!

The guy I bought my first coupe from had a 1.8 coupe before his 20vt. The reason he got rid was because the power didn't match the looks. That was a rhd black one. Think he only had it for 6mnths so couldn't comment on reliability etc.

Ross

Agreed

The Coupe looks very nice, looks as if it's low mileage (if that's what you're after), has two sets of wheels and tyres (am assuming the other set are winter tyres) and has a warranty too by the looks of it.

I can't see that a 1.8 will give any more or less trouble than a 2.0 could or does.

1.8 isn't common here, but it probably is in Norway and other countries abroad, so if you can't find help here, you'll find it elsewhere.

Have a good look over it and check it out properly and if you can afford it, get it bought

Well THIS should convince anyone

Car looks good Instinct. And it's a good price considering country, model and judging from the pictures condition. The 1.8 model has a couple of known problems that also plague the Barchetta and Punto HGT but nothing to worry about - camshaft variator is known to fail but not expensive and obvious if it idles sounding like a diesel. In terms of going round corners combined with engine response the 1.8 is the best choice and will also be the only model no actual Fiat dealers will have problems with. The 5 cylinder versions needs the better breed of technicians which are rarely found at official garages.

Rust is a problem in the UK and a few other countries with bad roads and heavy salting/gritting activities in the winter. But shouldn't be a problem in general. Rust is easy to spot apart from the inside of the rear quarters - that's behind the Pininfarina logo on the side as pressure washing can get water in and rust the sills from the inside out. Make them check it, get the rear seats and trim out so you can see the inside of the bodywork. A must!

There are a few problems known with the 1.8 as quality wasn't always 100%. If it's using half a litre of oil per 1000km or more, do not buy, although it's still within spec it's not pointing to a very healthy engine.

Easy car to maintain but make sure when the cambelt is changed they used the correct tools. I know there are 2 or even 3 different tool sets to set the timing so they have to use the one for the Coupe. Eg. Punto HGT and Barchetta are not the same.

If you ever get the tuning bug however, the 1.8 is probably the worst to start with. Novitec used to do a Turbo kit bringing power to 225 bhp but that is no longer available. The ECU is a Hitachi unit that isn't very well known in the tuning scene (may have changed), the most I've seen by using an external ECU and different cams is 180bhp and the guy lost his aircon, tcs,... Etc. That was an HGT. I'm sure if you have plenty of money someone could do something for you, as the rally HGT had 220 bhp. There also used to be a TurboNOS kit for the HGT called 'extremeone' by Novitec which brings power to 300bhp. So it IS possible.

Styling wise the LE/20vt plus Recaro seats can be fitted.

Headlight units are expensive but still available at around €900 for the pair, but remember the car is 12 years old so not all parts are still made. So top tip: don't crash it. The 1.8 shares more parts with other Fiat models so better choice than a 20v when talking about engine issues.

Good luck in buying and do stick around. If you have technical problems with the car after buying, don't just ask on here but also check out Barchetta and Punto HGT friendly forums.

with regards to the comments on power delivery i have no idea other than to say compared to his current car it will be LOADS better - i also wonder if the flea can/does produce a chip for it to improve that aspect?

It's a nasty ECU but I've just looked up if the HGT is tunable nowaddays. Looks like it is, but the mapping might be very different. Anyway, contacting them is always a start...

http://www.puntopower.com/tuning_hgt.html#tuning_ECU_HGT

if you like the coop, and were willing to buy one, you could source a very tidy 20v/turbo example from over here in the uk and have it shipped to norway?
I have no idea of the cost of going through such a process , but surely it would fall short of the 9k barrier?

9k?thats an awful lot of money

Goddamnit...just...goddamnit...here's the list:

The engine "chases"(at least that's what it's called here), so when I start it, it revs itself to 1k rpms, then it falls to 500 where it almost turns off, and then fluxes between 1k and 750 for 2-3 secs before stabilizing at about 800-900-1000.

The servo makes a whining noise when pushed to the very end of the turn of the wheels, a check with a friend of mine who is a mechanic confirms that the oil is grey and thin...blargh.

The engine-oil smells funky...

It has been painted for some reason, but I was not imformed of why. How do I know it was painted? There are several spots where they missed and painted over something next, like under the bonnet, and for the love of good...there is still residue from the tape they used to mask it over the windows!

The plastic/fiberglass plate under the engines has been bumped so many times it's cracked in several places.

The left electriv mirror doesn't work.

The brakshields(is it called that in english? The plate behind the brake-disc)is rusted so much you can break into pieces with your hands...

The rear calipers need changing...

Like I said...goddamnit!

But I'm definately smitten! I will keep the coupe under close watch, look for good deals...and lurk about in the forums Anyways, thanks for help! Sadly no coupe for me this time...

PS: Import taxes and fees(without the cost of transportation itself) for a 1,8 liter petrol enginse is 3,5k GBP...220 BHP 2,0 liter LE import taxes and fees...76k

The 1.8 also has an idle control valve. Clean it. Also clean the throttle bodies. Should sort it.




Normal.



'Funky' sounds great to be honest. Does it smell sweet, burnt or like fuel? Might be a showstopper though I admit my Punto HGT had the most oily smell under the bonnet out of every single car I've had.



So it's probably done recently. Done badly. Have you asked the 'why' question?



Wouldn't worry too much about that, a lot of the 1.8's have it because it's got different suspension bits (lighter engine, softer setup). You can patch it up with fibreglass and resin. Just check the sump and exhaust if it's not got any damage.




Can be just a wire that's come loose.




Check for any other parts that are rusty underneath the car. Especially rear arms, brake lines,...



That sounds rather weird. What's wrong with them? The rear calipers on the HGT are the same I think and they needed constant work / cleaning / ... on mine.

To be honest I think indeed the 9k would be too high for this one, depending on the actual finish of the paintwork and the thing you mentioned about the oil. If I were you, I'd judge the car by looking at the interior and the underside of the car and inside of the engine bay. It doesn't sound like this is the best one around, but... can always offer the 6k and fix it with what you have left.

>> I know about the import taxes in Scandinavian countries. I have a couple of badminton friends over there. One of the owned an 8 year old Citroen Xantia (or was it Xsara) with 120.000 km on the clock. Sold it on for 13.000 euro. Secondhand cars are bloody expensive over there.

I asked them if it had been painted. They simply said "no". Okeeey...

Funky as in burnt, yes.

The rear calipers seem very rusty. The front calipers have been changed recently, and I would suppose the rear ones would need changing after a while as well.

Also, for some weird reason, the front break pads aren't properly alligned with the brake disc. They are angled at about 10 degrees, meaning only a very small portion of the pads have contact with the disc...

I'm at work and I'm still updating the forum every 15 minutes and reading random posts...going to the dealer after work...man...I still want a coupe Wondering if I could get away with the dealer fixing it all for me...

Edit: No! I really shouldn't...or should I? Aaargh, guilty pleassures!

Edit 2: No...come on, I shouldn't...so much expensive stuff could go wrong, couldn't it? I mean 9k is alot of money...

£76k

Seriously?!?!

Woops, my bad, 7,6. It's a factor of 10 from GBP to NOK, so it's 76k NOK=7,6k GBP.

Seriously, you guys, what am I gonna do? I really want the car, but I'm very afraid this unit will prove to be costly...I am especially worried about the smell from the engine oil.

In a terrible joke, trust your instinct!

There must be other coupés available. It might take a while, but better than buying a money pit. The site with your link has 4 on it, although I realise some of those are a long way from you. Wait and buy one that you are confident in.

Are import taxes the same if you bought in other parts of europe?

My sides are bursting

Yes, import taxes are the same...I would love to take one off of the hands of a FCCUK member, but it's a righty I want a lefty...Why do you brits have to drive on the wrong side of the road?

I have a lefty.

Try Holland or Germany. You can find a good 1.8 there for around 4k Euro's. Add 4k Euro tax and import...

Yeah, but then I won't be able to see the car, right, before I go down to view it or have it sent here, and that looks like a bit of a hassle...

Its more hassle with a car that you've spent so much money on, always going wrong and regretting your purchase.

You could always ask people in Germany/Holland to take pictures and view the car for you.

Cheers.

Ross

Having a righty may be an advantage to you, as with a 20vt you will spend the majority of your time overtaking

buy it, it's only money!!! i bought my Plus 2 years ago and so far it's cost me in excess of £15k not including purchase price - you europeans have it nice and cheap!!!

Allright, so I eventually turned it back to the dealer with a sad face...but what a guy the dealer was, he offered to do an etensive MOT-test, fixing any an all errors, to ask about the paintjob and get a full report on what had been done, and he let me borrow it untill it was all sorted out, so I didn't have to wait...what a guy!

Sadly, after reviewing my economy, it seems I do not have the finance to go through with it...maybe, MAYBE I will have it in about 2 months, and then I just hope it is still there Thanks guys, will keep you posted on what happens with this...I am looking at other cars at the moment, but christ, they all look so ugly now...I've fallen in love <3