Duncan,

Hope you don't mind me starting this, but it's only right.

Can't believe you're prepared to part with it

And for anyone looking, this is one of the very best out there, imho.

Moon Grey Plus Ad

As i said to Duncan when i saw him...
you my friend is mad

2nd that

wow Duncan, i just hope that you don't regret this as there are few cars to match the coop for smiles - and given the condition yours is in it'll be virtually impossible to replace. sorry to hear your selling, i really am as this is one of the few coops i wanted to see in the flesh, so to speak.

top of the range car in top condition and superbly looked after, someone is going to get a real pearl wih this

ok....



So how can you say this if you haven't seen it. I could take some really good pictures making my car look immaculate, but that doesn't mean it is?

This is no reflection on Duncan's car, as I haven't seen it, and from people who have seen it, it does sound mint, but I'm puzzled as to why people who haven't seen it feel need to comment?

Ross

I think one can make a pretty good assumption as to the state of the car from the advert alone... you can see alot of money has been spent and its all been done properly. That aside... I have seen the car on more than one ocasion...

... Its a superb example and if i had the money/space for another coupe I would add this one to my collection

Duncan ... your MAD!

"top of the range" relates to the market positioning of the Plus in fiat's own publications

i've seen tons of pics, and read tons of comments from others about Duncans car and the pristine condition he keeps it in - and if it was anything to do with you i might expand further but it aint

Ross does have a valid point in that photos can be deceiving. I remember the red plus that came up for sale on ebay that looked a bargain and later turned out to be a dog. This is why I asked if a specialist (Rog) minded discussing the car for an unbiased opinion.

When it comes to the condition of things, bare in mind I do collect Records/vintage Star Wars figures, I am very picky when it comes to the condition of my stuff, and as such, I wouldn't class my car as mint, ie. perfect.

Everyone has their own opinion of mint. A mint car in my eyes will have literally every single mechanical thing replaced and cosmetically perfect (so no stonechips), ie. The equivalent of driving a new car off the forecourt. My car has a few stonechips on the front bumper/bonnet and a small scratch on the rear bumper, a little bit of bubbling on an alloy, little marks on the centre console etc. (I will update the sales thread with more details soon).

And that's the rub, a car that is driven will pick up imperfections through general usage. I've seen quite a few coupes at meets, adverts and on here etc .. and I think, as a package, my car is probably up there in the top few percent of decent examples that i've seen (EDz, Pondman etc).

Personally I don't think a perfect Fiat Coupe exists, there's always something that needs fixing, de-rattling or could do with sorting out etc

and i don't recall saying it was either mint or perfect - but from what i've seen and read about it then it's clearly (as i DID say) in top condition. in fairness even seeing one that appears great, ie mine, can have hidden issues that reveal themselves later

i'd also contend that no car at any time is ever perfect - even the most expensive, exclusive cars can be fraught with issues

I completely agree Steve with your points.

Ross used the term mint in his post, as do a lot of people when advertising/talking about cars. I just wanted to clarify my opinion of the word mint when it comes to cars and I do not put mine in that category.

no probs Duncan, just wish i had the money

Its a shame that not many people know about the Fiat Coupe.

This car looks delicious, a credit to you for mantaining a coupe that well. I drove my first Coupe about 2 years ago and I always wonder what they were like to drive as they came off the production line and by the looks of it your car seems to be the nearest thing to it!

Mmmmmmm so tempting...

Here was me thinking you'd posted your 'guesses' as to the condition of the car on a public forum, where anyone can view it. My bad for not realising you meant to pm him.

Anyways, I didn't particularly mean you as a person mate, just general comments that are made fairly regularly about cars which people have never seen. It's like commenting for commenting's sake.

Ross

I've seen this car and driven it (before Duncan bought it I considered buying it and selling mine).

It was a very nice example, and drove well. It was also the first truely standard coupe I had been in and I was impressed by the relative lack of noise - even compared to my coupe which only has a cone filter and atmos DV.

I understand Duncan has spent lots on it since and therefore I'd expect it to still be in excellent condition. If I were in the market for a top class coupe I would want to take a look at this one.

From the point of view of balance and as I'm sure people will ask why I did not go through with the purchase, in the end I kept my own car because:
(i) for some reason I was not keen on the leather re-triming and thought the driver's seat base looked like it might be starting to go a bit baggy - but I know Rog and most other people who have seen it think the whole effect is amazing so you can take or leave my view on that;
(ii) the people who did the respray had not replaced the interior rubbers on the door seals properly and they looked a bit naff being all wavy on the inside of the car when they should be flush with the interior panels;
(iii) the real killer for me at the time was that the oil pressure was a bit low for my liking. However, I now see there was nothing to concern myself over - it just needed a more weighty oil, as my own car does, to enable it to maintain a really good pressure on hot idle (I'm pretty sure that when I saw it it was on the manufacturer recommended 10w40).

The irony is killing m...

you've noticed as well Jimo

Duncan, your a mental person.

ive seen this car at a few meets and WOW its one of the best ive ever seen, there is nothing wrong with this car, you could drive it with out worrying for many years with out needing a thing doing to it!!

if you do sell it, i hope you stick around on the forum!

thanks for the compliments on the car Marco (and all others that have seen it in the flesh).

Ideally i'd like to keep the car longer as i've put a lot of money into long term maintenance and tarting it up.

However, at the moment me and the GF live in a flat and I keep it off road in a secure car park but as we're going to buy a house in the city i've decided to sell the car. There is no way i'd keep it on the road, it would get trashed in no time .. and garages cost a fortune to rent .. so, i'd rather let the car go to another enthusiast.

As much as I love this car, I don't think i'll be back in a Fiat Coupe. This is my first italian car and i've certainly got the bug. I'd like to see myself in the not too distant future with a Maserati 3200 or 4200

When I was about to buy, everyone kept asking me why are you getting a Fiat?! but my experience speaks for itself, not once has it not started first time or left me stranded at the road-side. Sure, it's got a few electrical niggles but nothing major. It's been a joy to own especially with the social aspect of the forum/meets. IMO it's more than just a 'Fiat'.

I'm actually amazed there has been no criticism on the asking price. Rog pointed me out to a Mooner that sold recently for just short of 5k which wasn't the same condition of my car, so i'll hold out and see what happens.

Duncan old boy!- What a great shame that you are selling (as you discussed at Auto Italia)!!.
Your car's a gem and should go to a good home. There was a guy who seemed serious at Auto Italia and was all over my car asking questions and wanted a Coupe so that kind of prospective buyer is who you need- unfortunately he didn't give me any details.

I suppose a new house is better than a great car but it will be a lesser forum without you! When you have sold, got the new place and a Nissan Micra(!?!) come round and see us when you're visiting your folks!

All the best and very good luck. I don't need two Grey Moon Pluses so it won't be me but if a hear of anyone I'll PM you!

I'm not one to comment on threads like this, but I was amazed by the description and based on the pictures I'd say Fiat did a bad job in spraying all those red cam and rocker covers. I remember from buying my Plus new the seats looked like that - tight and matte.

Also based on description and images... my god what a well maintained car! I'm sure I wouldn't call it mint, but surely it's one of the most loved and best maintained Coupe's I've seen at that mileage. Too bad it's RHD, although it's tempting to get a mirror image of mine. I'd be curious to drive it to compare the steering feel with mine - that's what sets the best maintained ones apart. But I'm sure if you spendmoney on full retrim etc. you'll have kept on top of all the rest as well.

Hats off Duncan, a shame to sell it, it's the same reason I sold my first one and still regret it, pretty sure you'll have some moments as well, but understandable.

What a heap!

Only joking - I saw this car at Brooklands and it is as described in the add.

Very clean looking car.

So Duncan, why are you selling up?

Free bump for this one. Someone on the forum should have it...

Agreed. They do, Duncan has it

I know I "may" be biased but this is one exceptional car.

Seriously tempted to have it back but having just moved I have more pressing needs to spend 5k on than another car. Got 3 as it stands now so...

Got room for it though :-)

Cheers, Hedge

Well I did give you first refusal on it but I think you've moved on now Hedge

As an analogy ... it's a bit like getting back with an ex-girlfriend, do you really want her back knowing that some other blokes had her

Depends how good a driver he was

Tbh mate, it just depends on how good the ride and overall experience is. Sometimes it just doesn't matter how many have had a shot!!

Ross

Well I'm next to have a shot so I'll let you know how it feels!

Great to see such apparent quality come north of the border, looking forward to seeing it at Hopetoun House, if not before on its mini-tour

Just home!

This car is a credit to Duncan, I've suggested he put's the money he got for it towards his ongoing 'OCD' treatment.

Seriously he's the sort of guy you really want to buy a car from, thanks again Duncan!

I'm not so sure it would take the beating you think it might on the street mate. Most Pompy parking is top and tail, so you shouldn't get any door dings outside your new house (where ever it might be).



You'll never find a garage big enough to park that in.




IMO and I'm sure a few others a good coupé is worth the money however I've now decided that as these cars haven't got enough buyers out there that the good coupés deserve I'm going to keep mine until the time comes when I can afford to take the losses involved with selling a coupé and until then just keep her well maintained and not mod her anymore. The longer I keep it the more I can justify selling it cheap later, considering it as deprecation.

I have seen this car also (at duffy's) and if your gonna spend £5k on a coupe, this is the kind of car you can expect. Its a 11yr old car (I think) so its never gonna be a1 or mint, but its as close to the best coupe you could buy. Duffy has pointed out a few things he would like to do but personally I wouldn't change a thing on the car. Well worth the money.

Ross

Thnaks for the nice comments Ross.

When it comes to changing it. I'm not really, I'm just continuing Duncan's work on maintaining it as you'd hope a car like this would be, the front end respray will take care of the inevitable stone chipping that happens, under the bonnet needs some minor restoration/protection with an eye to the future and that's just about it.