Hello everybody,

I'm a newbie here, because if all goes well, I pick up my first ever Fiat Coupe tomorrow. Yay!

My previous car was an Alfa Romeo 166 3l V6 Lusso, and I loved it to bits, but when I lost my job I couldn't afford the 2000+ euros tax. I always wanted a Coupe, a yellow one, and hoping for a plus. And it seems after waiting for more than 2 years my dream finally comes true.

To make sure I can enjoy her as long as possible, I'm asking for your opinions, what should I get done on the car. The previous owner put in some modifications, some I will remove, some I will keep, but I'd like to change the car back as close to the original as possible (first thing I will do is to remove the bluemotion logo (!) from the coin holder)

This is what the car currently has:

chipped by superchips u.s.a (I will put in the old ECU)
sport air intake system by k&n racing (I will keep it)
manual boost controller (will turn it to lowest and leave there)
magnaflow stainless performance exhaust system (it was a "dustbin", I asked the seller to put the original back)
limited seats with turbo logo (I have a set of leather seats from another car)
new parrot black edition (I will keep it)
car security system with remote (I will keep it)

I will get 4 new Falken tyres, and even though the belts were changed 10k miles ago, I don't know how old they are, so I get them changed asap, together with the waterpump.
I will also ask my trusted mechanic to replace the coolant hoses and check the brakepipes (the car passed the NCT -your MOT - this week, so in theory they are OK)

So, other than the belts and hoses what would you fix/change to ensure the longetivity of the car? I heard something about an auxillary belt pulley with a lip, so in case of belt failure it won't damage the timing belt. Should I do it? The car doesn't have the strut brace, and the luggage net is also missing, so I'll have to get those at some stage as well.

Any other suggestions?

thanks
Levente

P. S. what is CDO you ask? well, it's OCD, but the letters in the correct order...

Hello and welcome to the forum Levente!

I was just looking at the same ad in donedeal last night.

2 FIAT COUPE 20VT LIMITED EDITION

It seems that all the Fiat Coupé`s in Ireland are in co. Wicklow as this is where I bought mine as well.

The body on the yellow one that you have your eyes on looks awful clean! But for some reason is missing the LE/Plus body kit? And to me this crowd "CHIPPED BY SUPERCHIPS U.S.A" sound a bit... Seemly there is a company in the UK that is called "Superchips" But when you go on their website this is the results you get 30hp . I would definitely like to see some dyno sheets or some proof... I`m not sure if you can get the Coupé up to 275hp from 220hp with just a chip but some of the forum TITANS will correct me there I`m sure!

The Sprinty Blue Coupé in the ad has been for sale for a long, long time... And the last time I`ve seen it it was for sale on its own and was chipped to 260bhp and now its "2.0 20V TURBO 220 CP.STOCK"? Hmmm..

Be wary anyway and before you go and buy anything have a goooood read and this as it helped me a lot when I was buying my Coop.

Good luck with the viewing!

Thanks Markiz. That is the car, correct. I had a mechanic to have a look at them, I was hoping he will keep the blue one for himself as a payment for the belt+wp replacement, but after looking at it he wasn't interested. It's not actually the car on the picture, that's just "for illustration" purposes. The car in question is in a shed, and has wine red right wing and bonnet, and the head gasket is blown (thick mayo in the oil).

I'm actually really interested if it's a real plus or not, i. e. it doesn't have the strut brace, but does have the yellow needles in the speedo. And it was bought originally by a Fiat/Alfa garage owner in Kilternan, where I serviced my Alfa before they were closed.

As I said I replace the chip with the original one, I think 200+ bhp is more than enough.

I read that post you linked right after I read the variations of the Coupes on the main page, and tbh I'm scared, first, because I won't have the red key/codecard, and second, what my mechanic will say when he takes the car apart, but I really really want one. So I bought this yellow one, you linked in the ad. Even if it's not a real Plus - btw can anybody tell me if I send over the VIN?

Are you sure the Broomy is an LE?

I didn't think they were made in yellow.....

And there is no strut brace apart from the lack of red and black trim inside.

Looks like it's a Plus?

Do you know why it's so cheap? No oil pressure perhaps?

It's a late 6 speed 20vt

According to the seller its an LE... This is the title of the ad "2 FIAT COUPE 20VT LIMITED EDITION"

It's NOT an LE!
As you said, they never made a broom version. It would have been like a polo harliquin inside

Doesn't it say Limited edition cloth seats with "turbo"

Just saying

Haha

Yes it does. But it also says : "LIMITED EDITION 275 CP." And the ad title says "2 FIAT COUPE 20VT LIMITED EDITION"

This car is limited in every way!

well, it's definitely not an LE, and now it seems it's not a plus either. I think I'm still going to go for it.

It still is a very nice looking coop, buddy! The body of it looks immaculate and you have the much desired honeycomb grille, push-button start, the plus alloys and the sunroof!

Just make sure its mechanicly sound and make sure that you don`t pay price for a Limited Edition or Plus model as it is clearly not one!

What does "re spray for nct" mean? Bad paintwork can't be a fail surely!!

that is the other car, it has wine red right wing and bonnet. but that's the least of the problems, the oil tank was full of mayo.

So, after so many posts slaying my future car just because the way the current owner advertised it, let's go back to the original question:

Please help me to futureproof my car. What should I do?

Future proof:

Buy a decent silicone coolant hose set, replace every hose.

Replace thermostat (its probably stuck open if never been changed).

Change cambelt, water pump, auxiliaries, tensioners.

Use decent oil (10/40 full syn as a general guide) and change every 4k miles.

Keep one eye on oil pressure and water temp at all times (very important

Strip it and rust proof everything!!

Job done

It's probably a good idea to look through the forum and it's sections. You'll soon get the idea of what we tend to do to Coupe's to help them along.

What you will find is trends, like change cam belt, change oil, change hoses, change turbo. As one4seven outlines.

They are not really unreliable cars. They are very solid actually. But …. if you buy one with very little or no service history, you really should not expect anything other than issues.

Most people sell cars in this price bracket as something has gone wrong and they cannot afford to rectify it … meaning, usually, you, the new owner, discovers this a short time after purchase.

There is a buying guide on the forum - try the search function.

Lastly, good luck. As for that interior, they are sort after, I would tell the guy to leave it in the car, do not swap for leather!!

Please accept apologies on behalf of the serial forum slaggers who have nothing better to do than sit in their ivory towers and tell you what or whether your LE Plus or whatever is wherever.

Whenever.

Markiz, one4seven and patch234, thanks for your help. As I said belts, waterpump and hoses will be done. About the stripping, I was thinking about it, probably will do it in the next 2-3 year or so, as the current paintjob looks perfect. I will check for the termostat.

About the price, that's not cheap in Ireland, here nobody buys interesting cars, it's all diseasels and hyundais here.

Edinburgh, thank you for showing off those fantastic smileys.

Simon only does smileys to annoy old fogies like me.

klapanciusz, glad to hear you got a new coupe. Im located in North Dublin if your ever passing by,

By the way, did the other coupe come with the deal?

The plan was that I give the other car to my mechanic, as a payment for the stuff he's doing on mine, but once he had a look at it (probably blown head gasket) he said no. So, I'm only getting the yellow one, plus the leather seats and the original tailpipe from the blue one.

I took in all the advice I got from you, and I decided to go for it, and make it a real Plus. It already has most of the stuff (wheels, dash, etc) so I think if I get the Plus Recaro seats, mats, strut brace and maybe the steering wheel, I'll be a happy bunny. (I have a very understanding wife).

I was considering buying daihti's and westie's cars before, but I think buying this one and "doing it up" is the best compromise.

I think the stick to adjust the clock in my dash is missing the thick round piece, it's too thin and I can't spin it to set the time properly. Could someone take a close up for the stick, so I see how it should look like?

tia

The analogue clock sticks are a "press" not "twist" if I recall correctly...

If you saw the state of my car, you might disagree!

I hate to be pedantic, but you will never be able to turn it into a Plus. You may make it indistinguishable from a Plus, but it will not have been registered as a Plus from new.

If I were you, I would still do it for my own pleasure, but no officionado would ever accept it as a real Plus.

To make it indistinguishable from a Plus you would need to replace steering wheel, gear knob and gaiter, handbrake lever and gaiter, door cards as well as all seats. You would also need a crinkle finish red cam cover to go with the red strut brace and you also need red brake calipers all around. Not forgetting the LE body kit (skirts and lips colour coded).

Most VT6s already have the white/silver dials, push button start, honeycomb grill, Plus wheels and strut brace. Mine both did and my current Ink black VT6 also has optional Recaros, but not with the Plus red stitching. I considered bringing my Inky VT6 up to Plus spec, but decided that personalizing it might be a better option, so I'm thinking of going with yellow brake calipers and cam cover and fitting a colour coded LE kit. Good idea, yes or no?

If you really wanted a proper yellow Plus, you could have bought mine. I still have it, despite Mrs Pigman, but one or other of my Coupés will have to go eventually. Westies yellow Plus was attractive especially at the price, but was a Malaysian import, not a genuine UK car. Wouldn't have mattered to me, but might to some.

So, your Broomy Coupé is no doubt a lovely Coupé, but not a Plus and never a Plus.

Just saying.

Pigman, I absolutely get that, I don't need the stamp, that I have a Plus, but I like how the Plus looks like. Interesting enough the cam cover is already red, and I really like your idea for the yellow brake calipers, I think I'll do that next time. BTW you forgot to add the luggage net in the boot to the list, I guess that's still available from the dealers?
I was looking at Coupes for sale in the last 2-3 years (pistonheads, ebay, donedeal.ie, carzone.ie), and I signed up to the forum about a year ago, when I really made up my mind about the colour and the trim. I don't remember a yellow Plus being up for sale, but the 35% VRT (extra import tax in Ireland) would have killed the idea of buying a car from the UK pretty soon (daihti's car already had an Irish reg). I already did that a few years ago, there were no 3l V6 Alfa 166 for sale in Ireland for years, so I brought one in from the UK, and paid about 3.5k euros as a VRT. Then the government "experts" in the car tax office wanted to register my cas as ALPHA, ffs.

So, how hard is to get these parts? Seats, strut braces and the steering wheel. (btw you won't believe it, somebody put two, non-functioning buttons, one red and one green on the airbag, too fast too furious style, so I need a new steering wheel anyway). I already have some body kit on it.

DanDan, thanks I'll try it again, I was worried I break something off.

have a nice weekend everybody
k, the one-day-non-officical-plus-owner

Sorry, forgot about the cargo net. I've had 2 VT6s and 2 Plusses and all had cargo nets, so I assumed they were standard.

Interesting question about availability of Plus bits, particularly the unique interior. Only the Plus had all the red stitched leather, as far as I know.

If you're looking at UK sourced cars for spares, the numbers don't look too good. According to "Howmanyleft" there were no Plusses registered by Q4 of 1998, which makes sense as it was a new variant of the 20VT put on sale here in 1999. By the end of 1999, 44 had been registered and the peak number of 166 was reported by Q4 of 2001, by which time the car was no longer on sale.

The graph showing registered cars had a slight peak above the 166 line before the end of 2001, so there may have been as many as 170 Plusses registered in the UK, assuming that maybe a handful were written off in the year 2001, but for the purposes of your question, 166 is the relevant number.

As of the third quarter of 2013, 99 of these were still registered on the road and 31 on SORN. Therefore, only 36 UK Plusses have disappeared since the end of 2001 and most of these will have been broken, if any salvage was possible, to provide parts for the remaining Plusses, or upgrades for other Coupés already in existence.

This is why Plus red stitched leather interiors are rarer than hen's teeth in the spares marketplace.

Personally, I would rather see any Plusses that get broken in the future, supplying parts to keep the existing 99 Plusses on the road and not used to make other Coupés look like Plusses.

So, the chance of finding all the bits to make your VT6 look like a real Plus are slim, if you rely on UK sourced cars, but Westies Plus proves that there are other markets that you can look in. Hers was originally registered in Malaysia, but I don't think you're limited to RHD markets, so you could search worldwide.

A simpler, but not necessarily cheap option, might be to get items retrimmed by a good vehicle upholsterer. The only real problem here, is that you still need Recaro style seats as a starting point.

By the way, you're VT6 is most likely more rare than a Plus. I believe that it's possible to show, by analyzing Coupé sales as the car was nearing the end of production, that there were less VT6s sold in the UK, than either Plusses or even LEs.