Which coupe to choose?

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Which coupe to choose? #1334406 13/04/2012 21:23 13/04/2012 21:23
W willttqs Unregistered
willttqs Unregistered W	I am looking at a coupe turbo tomorrow a 1998 one. Do they suffer from rust usually and if so where should I look? Ideally i would like a six speeder, but they all seem to have rusty wheel arches etc, are they worth the extra pain? thanks Will

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334410 13/04/2012 21:35 13/04/2012 21:35
Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,904 Poland deannn_20VT My life on the forum
deannn_20VT My life on the forum Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,904 Poland	Buyer's guide www.jacksonracing.pl

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334411 13/04/2012 21:57 13/04/2012 21:57
W willttqs Unregistered
willttqs Unregistered W	Thanks for your reply, but unless i am being thick, there is not that mention of the rust issues that occurs to some or all of the newer cars?

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334414 13/04/2012 22:07 13/04/2012 22:07
Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 826 Kent C cyborg7 Club member 1400
cyborg7 Club member 1400 Enjoying the ride C Joined: Dec 2008 Posts: 826 Kent	They were galvanised so rust shouldn't generally be a problem in theory unless there's been some accident damage. That said the age of them means the usual places are always susceptable as on most cars - wheel arches etc. included. Sometimes hard to spot given that the cars are so low it's hard to get a good view unless on a ramp, but a look at under the engine bay area should give you a good idea. Look around the side badges where the seals go and leak into the bodywork. Any signs of bubbling isn't good in this area as means corroding from inside out. But generally there are still sound cars out there. https://lancia1965.wordpress.com

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334416 13/04/2012 22:40 13/04/2012 22:40
Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,336 Selby Mansilla My job on the forum
Mansilla My job on the forum Joined: Sep 2008 Posts: 1,336 Selby	Its worth taking a look at the arms in front of the front wheels, the one on the drivers side, which sits behind the oil cooler is more accessible. They are usually rusty, but if they are really bad its a strong clue. A good look around the pininfarina badges is also a good idea, as cyborg says. You might lift the spare wheel and look round the boot seams and the back of the wheel well, too. 6 speed is nice, but I wouldn't reject a car for not having it. 1. Think of something witty and urbane 2. Imagine it written here

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334423 13/04/2012 23:06 13/04/2012 23:06
Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,904 Poland deannn_20VT My life on the forum
deannn_20VT My life on the forum Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,904 Poland	Originally Posted By: willttqs Thanks for your reply, but unless i am being thick, there is not that mention of the rust issues that occurs to some or all of the newer cars? What's wrong with your attitude? The buyer's guide says the following: "Rust: Generally the Coupe is very good in this department as the body was galvanised. However there are some areas to check:- Rear lights Under bonnet scuttle panel Sills (rare but stone chip protection may have worn away so leaving this area vulnerable) Exhaust tailpipe. This rust and the chrome surround falls off." Good luck with the hunt. www.jacksonracing.pl

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334426 13/04/2012 23:36 13/04/2012 23:36
W willttqs Unregistered
willttqs Unregistered W	It does not differentiate between the newer cars and the older 20v ones. It just seems that the two 2000 ones i have looked at, have had poor rear arches and was wondering if this is more common on the new ones, and not the old ones. I am sorry, if you thought i was being rude, and certainly did not mean to be rude towards you.

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334440 14/04/2012 01:35 14/04/2012 01:35
Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 6,144 Southampton, Hants Roadking Club member 1809
Roadking Club member 1809 Forum is my life Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 6,144 Southampton, Hants	There is some belief that rust manifests itself more in the later cars. I know my old 98 Sprinty had less rust than my current 2000 Electric Blue Plus.. however the Plus has done an extra 30000 miles.. Just confirm any car you are looking at is clean. If it has a 6 speed box, that is a definate bonus (call it a plus..) You haven't been rude. A general buyers guide cannot cover all queries, you seem to have identified a specific concern. Last edited by Roadking; 14/04/2012 01:42. "RK's way seems the most sensible to me". ali_hire 16 Dec 2010

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334459 14/04/2012 08:30 14/04/2012 08:30
C ChopperRead Unregistered
ChopperRead Unregistered C	the side skirts on later cars can cause rust, be sure to look behind/under the skirts if possible. as for deannn_20vt, he is the one with the poor attitude. might be something to do with him driving a mini through the week lol. Last edited by ChopperRead; 14/04/2012 08:32.

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334498 14/04/2012 10:02 14/04/2012 10:02
R RobShed Unregistered
RobShed Unregistered R	the 16's seem to have a more robust gauge of steel as opposed to the the 20's/end-of-line models. The affected areas (spare wheel well is a classic as is pininfarina badge panel) are a good pointer, however over-riding factor is the manner in which the car has been looked after throughout its life. Your call (but always remove rose-tinted specs prior to buyng). Last edited by RobShed; 14/04/2012 10:04.

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334693 15/04/2012 00:07 15/04/2012 00:07
W willttqs Unregistered
willttqs Unregistered W	I am looking at the red one that is advertised on Ebay tomorrow, so will be paying close attention to the bodywork etc. thanks for all your inputs WIll

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334702 15/04/2012 00:24 15/04/2012 00:24
Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 6,144 Southampton, Hants Roadking Club member 1809
Roadking Club member 1809 Forum is my life Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 6,144 Southampton, Hants	Good luck, Will. Don't do what I always end up doing and buy with your heart.. however if it's a good 'un, don't let it go on the assumption something better will come along! "RK's way seems the most sensible to me". ali_hire 16 Dec 2010

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334808 15/04/2012 12:08 15/04/2012 12:08
Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,918 Stoke-on-Trent duck! T Tommy_Coop23 My life on the forum
Tommy_Coop23 My life on the forum T Joined: Aug 2008 Posts: 1,918 Stoke-on-Trent duck!	Originally Posted By: ChopperRead the side skirts on later cars can cause rust, be sure to look behind/under the skirts if possible. as for deannn_20vt, he is the one with the poor attitude. might be something to do with him driving a mini through the week lol. Mini....... I'll be back Alor Blue Seat Leon FR 180 atm

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334855 15/04/2012 18:34 15/04/2012 18:34
W willttqs Unregistered
willttqs Unregistered W	The red one had squeaky rear brakes but otherwise in pretty good condition, but only two months tax and mot. The green one had a fairly rust engine bay, but had a 12months mot and six months tax. the green one is £500 more. both will need servicing soon and probably a cambelt, although the green one has had it changed twice already. Both histories were good. what should i do?

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1334858 15/04/2012 18:51 15/04/2012 18:51
P proccy Unregistered
proccy Unregistered P	Buy them both? Just buy the one you like the most, both need work anyway so think long term

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1335321 16/04/2012 23:12 16/04/2012 23:12
Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,904 Poland deannn_20VT My life on the forum
deannn_20VT My life on the forum Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,904 Poland	Originally Posted By: ChopperRead the side skirts on later cars can cause rust, be sure to look behind/under the skirts if possible. as for deannn_20vt, he is the one with the poor attitude. might be something to do with him driving a mini through the week lol. Yeah, that definitely has something to do with my attitude. How come you know so much about me? willtqs, sorry fella I wasn't aware there's any difference between the earlier and the later models re rust. That's why I sent you back to the buyer's guide which seems to be out of date. www.jacksonracing.pl

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1336960 22/04/2012 19:13 22/04/2012 19:13
M Mityrare Unregistered
Mityrare Unregistered M	My attitude is rockin and rollin today as I drove my Coupe 20vT here in Canada and it was a phenomenal drive! and a gorgeous sunny day here today and 9 degrees Celcius! Always nice to find a rust free car but as long as it drives as a Coupe should, you will not care about a little rust here and there.... so fun to drive. Does anyone in the UK import cars from Japan?...you are sure to find a low mileage no rust car there...I got mine from Japan with only 59,000kms on her and she looks factory new in and out and underneath. Paul in Canada

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1337089 23/04/2012 01:08 23/04/2012 01:08
Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 23,300 North Wales Theresa Former Presidentessa Club member 58
Theresa Former Presidentessa Club member 58 Forum Fossil Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 23,300 North Wales	Originally Posted By: Mityrare Does anyone in the UK import cars from Japan?...you are sure to find a low mileage no rust car there... I know someone who does this. Mainly Lancia Integrales and Porsches, but I'm sure he'd find someone a decent Coupe if the money was right

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1337128 23/04/2012 11:12 23/04/2012 11:12
Joined: Feb 2010 Posts: 369 portsmouth seenoff Making a profit
seenoff Making a profit Joined: Feb 2010 Posts: 369 portsmouth	How much would it cost to convert a coupe from left to RHD I wonder?? Sprinty 20VT Mapped - Sadly missed Bravo 120 Mjet Active Sport - Enjoying

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1337180 23/04/2012 14:24 23/04/2012 14:24
W willttqs Unregistered
willttqs Unregistered W	would it matter? Japanese cars are right hand drive i think

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1337209 23/04/2012 16:19 23/04/2012 16:19
2 2ndkelly84 Unregistered
2ndkelly84 Unregistered 2	Yep theyy certainly are. If i didnt love my coupes as much as i do id probably be jdm honda'd right up!

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1337703 25/04/2012 01:24 25/04/2012 01:24
Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,580 Melbourne, Australia Scuderia My life on the forum
Scuderia My life on the forum Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,580 Melbourne, Australia	Only later model Coupes are RHD in Japan. Ive never seen a RHD 16V. Ive seen about 6-7 Coupes imported to NZ by a couple of friends. Some very good some not so good. 2 low mileage 20V motors dropped their guts soon after importing them. They all seem to be low mileage.

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: Scuderia] #1341851 10/05/2012 18:21 10/05/2012 18:21
Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 8,064 South Cambs B Barmybob Hon Club Member: 003
Barmybob Hon Club Member: 003 Je suis un Coupé B Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 8,064 South Cambs	I think the OP has raised an interesting issue. Some years ago at an east anglian meet some of us were discussing the bodywork of the fiat Coupés. It had been noticed by several of us that later cars did seem to be suffering more with corrosion han earlier cars. Back then it was noted that some later (Post 1999) cars already had bubling arches. Seems odd but Perhaps Fiat sourced the steel for the later models from another supplier? All the Green Coupés eventually seem to develop issues with their paint lacquer. Mine has started now too with a misty / milky roof Gone Audi mad!

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1341940 10/05/2012 23:15 10/05/2012 23:15
J johnnymarr Unregistered
johnnymarr Unregistered J	I'll second Barmy's point, Ive had 4 coupes 98 5speed Steel grey with no rust anywhere 78k 99 6speed Electric blue no rust anwhere 72k 99 6speed Inky with no rust anywhere 123k Ive now got a 01 Moonie Plus with solid like new rear arches but bubbling fronts??? 68k Seems to be a trend

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: cyborg7] #1341974 11/05/2012 00:46 11/05/2012 00:46
J johnnybravoturbo Unregistered
johnnybravoturbo Unregistered J	Originally Posted By: cyborg7 They were galvanised so rust shouldn't generally be a problem in theory unless there's been some accident damage. That said the age of them means the usual places are always susceptable as on most cars - wheel arches etc. included. Sometimes hard to spot given that the cars are so low it's hard to get a good view unless on a ramp, but a look at under the engine bay area should give you a good idea. Look around the side badges where the seals go and leak into the bodywork. Any signs of bubbling isn't good in this area as means corroding from inside out. But generally there are still sound cars out there. Not true, Galvanizing is only effective if the metal it was placed on initially was sound. Also its only guaranteed to for 10 years not for life.Rust has now become an issue on these cars but that said i have seen 05-06 plate cars with serious rust related MOT failures.With that in mind they are ageing well.

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1342356 12/05/2012 10:18 12/05/2012 10:18
Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 8,064 South Cambs B Barmybob Hon Club Member: 003
Barmybob Hon Club Member: 003 Je suis un Coupé B Joined: Dec 2005 Posts: 8,064 South Cambs	Also, not all areas of the car were galvanised. I remember seeing a diagrame of what areas were, perhaps in the workshop manual? Oh and to secong JBT's comment. We have loads of galvanised cable trunking at work, all now some 20 years old. In some areas where it has been in near constant moisture it has rotten completely! Odly there are sometimes occasions where we find a section has turned to dust but right next to it is a section that looks like new Last edited by Barmybob; 12/05/2012 10:25. Gone Audi mad!

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1342361 12/05/2012 10:37 12/05/2012 10:37
Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 32,122 Cumbria stan Dr. Frankenstan
stan Dr. Frankenstan Forum Demigod Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 32,122 Cumbria	The other factor is that the panel pressing tooling isn't designed for long term use and wears out, resulting in thinner and thinner panels being produced as the tooling wears out. As well as thinner steel, distortion starts to occur in some panels, for example the bonnets.

Re: Which coupe to choose? [Re: ] #1342948 14/05/2012 02:02 14/05/2012 02:02
A Alfa_Male Unregistered
Alfa_Male Unregistered A	How would the panel pressing tooling dictate the thickness of the steel?

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