hi all (first post)

ive been lurking for a week or so while i try and decide whether to buy a coupe or not

ive driven a couple and i like them, big time.

the money is there and im ready to go as soon as i find a good one.

Id like some advice on what to look for as im viewing one tonight:

1998, met green, tan leather. (20vt turbo)
87k
clutch,oil cooler, belts done at 72k

Incomplete history apparently, the guy has had it for 2.5years (since 72k) and has history for that period(72-87) but prior to that it has only a few reciepts and no log book, which is a shame.
another bad point, there is no red key, just the blue and the silver.

On the upside its a reasonable looking £2995ono with 6mnths tax+mot.

In the past i have used parkers carchecks, but they dont do one for the coupe, so im not sure what to check for?

any advice, info or help would be greatly appreciated.
I shall of course be reading the forums all afternoon and doing no work
This car is literally 5mins walk from where i live so multiple viewings are not a problem.

thanks in advance.
Dan

Same question asked yesterday

Start reading there first, then go from there.

Maybe say where you are, someone may be willing to tag along and have a look with you, if you like

Good luck.

ok will do

specifically though, does it seem a reasonable price? and how concerned should i be about the lack of early history and lack of red key?

No red key doesn't matter, although you could try and negotiate a few hundered off for getting a new one remade.

Lack of servcie history is always an issue, as you don't know what happened to the car back then, but the fact that it has the last 2 years is better.

Price seems OK, if the car is OK

I've never needed the red key on my car....that includes having the engine out!

Dont be so worried about the asking price of the car - a few grand extra on cost to get a really good one will save you money in the long run. If you need to replace stuff it's not cheap.

Read the buying guides and go from there.

tbh, ive found them(coupes) quite expensive compared to parkers guide prices. A similar spec car from a local garage around here will be about £4500-5000, even a lot of private ads are pretty pricey, so this one at £2995 stands out as quite reasonable.

Like I said - an extra grand on the asking price for a coupe that need no work doing is peanuts.

A cambelt and new turbo if needed is over a grand.....

Take your time and look a loads of cars between 3 - 5K before making a decision IMO.

Yup, dont but the first one you see, have a look at at least 3 or 4 cars before making your choice because there's so much difference in condition and a lot of complete dogs out there.

I looked at about 15-20 cars before buying mine - excessive I know and it took about 4 months but in the end I got what I wanted, the perfect coupe 99V, 28k miles, full Fiat history, meticulously cared for, and all for just over 5 grand - a bargain.

Also when you know you've found a good one make sure you act fast as it won't stay on sale very long.

Good luck!

This was the 3rd one ive looked at, and i bought it
£2800
its had new pads and discs and 4 new tyres and new clutch in the last 5k, at 72k it had the belts replaced.
I carried out the buyers checklist i got from this forum, which was really useful, big thanks to all responsible for compiling the info

It drove nicely, no rattles clunks shudders, the only check it failed on was the alloys are a bit curbed in places.

Hopefully i made the right decision. Picking it up tonight.

thanks for your help

Nice one. No rattles!!?!?!? Really????

Regarding the alloys - I would not worry too much, it's so easy to put tiny scrapes on them, even for a careful owner, and does not mean the car's been neglected.

hehe, well for rattles i meant from the engine bay.

LOL - you can actually tell where they're coming from?