Hey guys just home from bruin my first coupe 20v turbo. Drives great body work is in decent condition for a 98.

Reading the forum topics and the problems people have is getting me nervous, mine had full service and new turbo and radiators and can belt done in 2010.

Any advise on what to look for under the bonnet that could be a concern.
Are these cars reliable?

Hi Tom,

Welcome to the forum, some people have put together some great documentation, its a buyers guide. I know you have already bought but the points are still worth checking:

http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1264181#Post1264181

The cars are reliable if well looked after, don't get paranoid (like me!)
And if your still worred and want to know what you have bought go get your self down to one of the reasonably priced specialists on here to give it a check up.

They are very reliable if they are looked after properly, if your at all dubious take it to a specialist for a heath check. For every horror story you'll read on here there are 100 other happy coupe owners driving around without a care in the world.

No, not even 10 years ago would I have describe the coupe as "reliable".

There are many areas where the coupe is well ahead of the competition, but let's be honest, reliability never was or will be one of them.

But I'd bet no one on here bought a coupe for it's reliability.

When I first joined the forum after reading all the guides etc I thought well one of these is never going to make a sensible daily driver! So mine have been 2nd cars. Neither has given me any real trouble (the current one has given me no trouble at all) but then I hardly use it. Didn't buy it for reliability anyway

Hi Tom, welcome to THE Forum.
I am one of the owners who is having a few problems(I think).
I would say the car is quite complex, but if properly maintained should give few problems.
Trouble starts if you are a `quick fix` owner, as in you are focused solely on your enjoyment of the car for the time you own it, as opposed to the long term well being of the car.
I could go on, but i`ll save my thoughts for a more appropriate moment-follow my threads for the full rant.
Enjoy your new baby and I wish you the best of luck.
Kind regards.
Jon

For a 16 year old car mine is reliable....new alternator, turbo intake hose, new downpipe, clutch, belts, water hoses, recirc valve, discs and pads, drop links, rear arms and shocks and that's it on the mechanical side since 2004 now on 96k. Granted I do up to 4k miles per year but newer cars have had more than that. If looked after and not thrashed or abused its not bad for a performance car.

Spent a few quid on paint and wheel refurbs though.

Car looks good and never ceases to make me grin. It has the look back factor in spades. Should have been a 2.5 from new and rear or 4wd that would be the icing

Those cars that give trouble either mechanical or cosmetic have not been looked after or modified badly...oil changes and a specialist are indispensable mine has been fettled by Rog since I got her.

I do always think she's worth nowt why spend but there aren't really any cars I fancy save for an Atom, Noble or a Fezza.

Hi and welcome to the forum TT

Given the age of these fast becoming legendary beasts of style and power for pot you're going to experience a blip or so!

My suggestion for what it's worth is to git yo' head underneath that bonnet while you can still open it and check out the condition of the bonnet-pull cable where it loops around the bracket. If that is frayed and breaks at the same time as something else under there you will be cursing and back on here in no time flat

The only mishap I've had with 3 coupes has been the CHOD. If you are still on the original one, I would change it regardless of how it looks on the outside (they deteriorate from the inside and can let go with no warning)
Also, make sure running temps are sound, the thermostats don't seem to last very long.
As suggested above; take it to a specialist for a once over, check your oil on every fuel up and you'll be fine!

Hi and welcome.
Owned mine around 14 months and as others have said, it is a case of keeping it well maintained. Wear and tear items aside, keep and eye on the oil consumption.
I found it useful to create a "To do list".
It is definitely one of those cars which in future years you will look back with satisfaction that you owned one.

Welcome tom,I've owned my coupe for two years now with little incident and have to say puts more smiles on my face than frowns!there's a wealth of knowledge on here at your disposal to educate yourself with! enjoy your coupe

Hi Tom I'm a relative newbie had mine 10 months now she cost £500 and has only needed service items so far apart from brake pipes but at 15 years old that could be considered a service item.
Definitely recommend a specialist to check it over and do the stuff you can manage yourself and let the experts do the stuff you can't, I have used both Motormech in Birmingham (Nigel) and Midland car servicing in Leicester (JBT) and definitely recommend either one they are both great places, there are others around that also have brilliant feedback on here no idea where you are in the country so you would best choose depending on location
They are fantastic cars and I'm in it for the long term, totally hooked
Enjoy Rich

Get an N/A if you want reliability. Both of mine have been 100%.

ish.

Touches wood, crosses fingers, legs, arms. Crosses self. Wears bulbs of garlic and gets out the crucifix. .. oh, no that's vampires isn't it?

I've got holy water in my screen wash reservoir too.

Jasgol, what is CHOD? Sorry I haven't the weath of knowledge on these thing. Had her out now runs very smoth. Temps seem fine oil is right up at 3bar and it's temp doesn't go much higher than quarter. Engine temp if under half way. Turbo really jumps in st 2.5 revs. Has forge dump valve nice sound, and some fuel thing at the back that can be turned up or down, not gonna touch that!

Oh and do anyone know specialists in Scotland I'm from Inverness! Don't see any coupe up there! Lol

I put 60k miles over 8 years in my previous car and the only issues I had were leaking oil cooler pipes, a cracked front spring and a cracked exhaust manifold. These are all common problems and worth looking out for.

I sold my first coupe to a guy in Inverness and recently bought my 2nd one from a different guy in Inverness, so there's at least one other one up there.

The CHOD is the "coolant hose of death", the coolant pipe that runs from the rear of the thermostat to the back left of the engine. They're famous for splitting at the 90 degree bend, dumping all the coolant in seconds. Usually not fatal if it's caught in time.

Hi and welcome

There's a place off the Dundee ring road you could try, CP Motors, but I appreciate it's quite a drive.

There are other coopsters or ex-owners nearer you e.g. MeanRedSpider, Azzura and Ryan20VT who might be able to recommend closer garages.

Welcome - and remember that as with any other car of the same vintage, it's just as reliable as it's maintenance has been.

Stay on top of the oil and belt changes and the engine - absent previous neglect - will look after itself. Expect that at some stage, you're going to need tyres and exhaust; the suspension might need some work too but it's unlikely to leave you at the side of the road.

Rust is becoming a problem; it's worth checking underneath and in the wheel arches.

But it's no less reliable than a fifteen or sixteen year old Ford. Don't panic!

Hi Tom, all been said already. I'm 8 miles north of Inverness.The nearest garage who knows their stuff regarding Coops are Wallace Performance in Aberdeen. Bit of a round trip I know but worth the journey to find out what's what & how healthy your beasty is. Matty is your man, used to be a member on here.

PM me if you want to meet & exchange notes...

Wow - can unbiased opinion on a coupe on this forum....:-) Agree with this comment in full.

I can honestly say mine was awesome. I treated it like crap, hardly ever serviced it, drove it like i stole it, (Some on here can vouch for that) but in the 8 years of ownership it let me down once with CHOD on the M4 slip road 2 miles from home.

If i could afford the fuel (They are quite good on full when driven sensibly) I would have a another in a heart beat.

Oh and it was my daily driver for 6 of those 8 years.

Disclaimer:
I am not saying you should not look after the car and drive it like a twonk

Maybe I've been lucky but I disagree! Owned mine for 7 years and its has never, ever let me down which is surely what reliability is all about. Sure I've had niggly annoyances and I've had to keep on top of tlc but no more than any other car of a similar age I've had or still own. It's never failed an MOT either! All I've had is the odd suspension component wear (not fail) and a clutch fail (after about 115,000 miles iirc), on top of which I've replaced the belts in due course and serviced it regularly.

I think reliability is average, honestly! Enjoy your coupe, they're lovely cars!

Thanks for the advise and help guys.
How much would it be to replace the coolant pipe anyone know.

Welcome!

For peace of mind I would have all the coolant pipes replaced using one of JBT's silicone kits. 10 custom-made hoses in a variety of colours . I think that the full kit costs around £160. I have three Coupes and each had a set of these hoses fitted as the first job (after my first one shed all of its coolant on the M25 and cooked the turbo). A very worthwhile investment for peace of mind.....

Good luck and happy driving!

Yep that was me, I've recently sold it to my boss of all people, he always liked the car and is now driving it daily round Inverness.
It still hurts when I hear that 5 pot warble

They can be temperamental but if looked after, they are reliable, the engine itself is pretty much bullet proof.

My experiences with my former coupe was that it hit a certain age/mileage and needed a lot doing.

I had an FTO a good few years back, constant idling problems and I went through three gearboxes!!!! Most would try to say a Jap car like that is way more reliable than these, I beg to differ.

My only gripes with my previous was the alternator giving up (wear and tear really) and the thrust bearing knocking resulting in a costly clutch replacement, plate itself was like new when it came out!!

Keep on top of maintenance and keep a spare £500 sitting in your a/c is good advice. I spent 3mths looking for a car and absolutely nothing stirs my soul like these do, was a real instant 'that's the one' moment, to find Daithi's for sale

Hi tomtom i now own my 2nd coop and this one i have owned now for just over a month because no other car makes me grin like these cars do when driving them, as for reliability my 1st i had for 5 yrs with only a couple of little problems and now i sold my 05 plate honda civic type R to buy another coupe so basically swapping a reliable chain driven jap bullet proof thing for a classic, stylish icon that is a 15 yr old coupe and dont regret a thing

Good post redjon

It's just something about these motors!!