While browsing on Copart. Came across these Coupes for auction.

https://www.copart.co.uk/lot/59130192/clean-title-1997-fiat-coupe-20v-sandtoft

https://www.copart.co.uk/lot/57953362/clean-title-1998-fiat-coupe-20v-sandtoft

That'll be interesting to watch. Thanks for letting us know

Not sure I fancy the chances of that wine Red NA. £150 bid increments; 2 bids max before it's uneconomical and I'll bet the reserve is the scrap value. Can't even check the reg without spending money

Agreed, the red one is simply only worth £200, as it needs a full paint job plus whatever else that can’t be seen from the photos.

The green one looks in fair condition so could be a bargain

Green one https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/results?registration=R81FRH

Red one https://www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/results?registration=R57WGX

The green is a turbo version for a start, not 20v as listed

Mileage is low which is a plus (not that sort )


Love the description for the red....."Primary damage - All over"

Is there any logic in the club buying them, then paying an in house expert to dismantle and store.

The parts would be available then at cost, to reimburse the club.

Or

Should I stop typing crap ?

Not the first time I have thought along those lines Paul,

Sometimes you see coupes that look little loved and well abused-advertised for quite big sums.

Then you see some that- even if the engine has gone bang look worth their weight in gold just for parts at the price advertised. Lack of space has stopped me getting some in the past. But collectively maybe the forum has some resources for storage if not purchase?

Idle thoughts...?

MM

Actually the Club isn't as flush as we would hope due in some part to its running costs along with the reduction in membership. The Board is currently discussing plans for maintaining the Club's future financial health as a result of discussion held at the AGM recently. The Minutes of this have just been finalised and will be posted in the Members' section very shortly.

It's not to say your ideas wouldn't be considered but there is a broader picture.

Sounds like an episode of Star Trek, all we need is Space and Time. Oh and money. And a lot of patience. And somehow being able to scrap what's left after the subframes, hubs and wheels have all gone (if worth saving).

But I guess it poses the question as to what would be worth salvaging? (at the risk of being expelled for encouraging a dialogue about breaking parts, bearing in mind the Forum rules of not allowing adverts for parts taken from a car bought for breaking, re: rules for all sellers effective from 20 Aug 2017 "Sellers who are obviously obtaining coupes to break for parts will have their selling permissions removed")

I think what is happening now will continue for a while (a few people who have broken several Coupes in the past will keep buying them to break, and make enough margin to justify the effort, placing ads on eBay mostly, despite the 10% selling fee). But hopefully they only will buy the MoT failures with terminal rust, or crashed cars that are uneconomical to repair even with all used parts).

But "rules is rules" (for now) and such activity would appear to be actively discouraged...

Dave G,

More like Battlestar Galactica for me..."fleeing the cylon tyranny" leaving little time to make a space for something that someone else may want to break apart :-) And yes bigger picture- what do you do with the larger things if you found one beyond repair...but with perfect everything else that you could not bear seeing going to the crusher?

Edinburgh,

Appreciated. Everywhere is feeling the pinch and its not to suggest that the Club has the resources, or ability to do anything like this.

Just sure hate to see some cars clearly going to the bone yard in the sky.

Regards

MM

Indeed! I can only echo what’s already said. Money space in short quantities. Sad to see Coupes going like that.

Did anyone see what they went for ?

I tried to find out, but didn't get very far.

Club policy may be to avoid scrapping. However, with non availability of some parts, a member's good car might deteriorate, because of a policy written when parts were more available ?

Money.
If half the member's (75) paid £20, that would raise £1500.
These members could have direct access to the parts, at auction cost, storage and experts costs.

I don't knowingly need anything at the moment, but would be pleased to contribute.

How realistic are these thoughts?

I'd happily pay more a year to help keep things afloat

Cheers Jamie

Your further thoughts are clearly laid out Paul but firstly, as said above in DaveG's post, there is forum policy.
It won't please all of the people all of the time but, however narrow the majority might have been at the time (I don't know the details), the ethos has tipped, like dentistry, toward saving what's there

Yes it will mean that some slip through the net as no system is 100% perfect but before this policy was adopted there were serial cases of breaking saveable coupés.

Interesting never knew that.

Shame such a policy wasn't in place for ex-members of the likes of Carlt for instance who seemed to have a near demi-god status on here yet was responsible for cutting and chopping up so many decent examples at times simply for the Plus or LE interiors in fact he openly jested about such; when there was little left and his profits dwindled he moved on to the next marque on the 'dip curve' to exploit, fair do's if on eBay it's a business but on a enthusiasts Forum?

There are many over the year's who have made suggestions akin to PaulL's but there has never been the impetus to do it....many Owner's and Forum Members went elsewhere.

Just thinking without eBay (double edged sword) I would not have been able to source a few items over the last two years at reasonable cost, they are not available new and the Classifieds on here are dead.....

I would happily pay more for membership - same as jamiepm.
I always though the annual membership was priced low, when was the last time it was increased?

The reality is that this is still ongoing regardless of the stated rules, it has simply become covert. The Classifieds section is dead but the back channels via PM are alive and well. Secondly, I've not been on this forum long but even I have seen a sales pattern on here for low priced Coupes.

Believing that every last thrashed out rust bucket must/should be saved and expecting that a prospective owner will be found who will spend the money on a ground up resto is folie imo. They are being broken for parts and I think in the majority of cases its justified now, this rule might of been relevant 10 years ago when many tatty examples could still be saved but that time has passed. How many on here now have been saved and are still on the road thanks to out of production second hand parts on ebay or elseware?

Clanger, you're right, some will not be saved due to amount of neglect or the sheer cost of restoration.
But it's not these examples we're talking about, only the ones which are salvageable which are broken for parts as in carlt's day for example as mentioned above.

You' can't win 'em all but it's important to have the ethos.

OK. As I said, it continues regardless of the current rule.

Its not my club, I'm just a forum member and to be fair who would want to pick up the batten with all it entails and no recompense, within any club!

That's as maybe but it's not encouraged within the Club, rightly or wrongly. Limited in resources as we are though we still try to review time-honoured decisions to respond to current developments. We don't purport to get it right always but the best interests of the Club are at the forefront.

Thank you to those who have mentioned the issue of increasing the membership fee slightly - all options are on the table and we're striving to keep a sense of balance. Increases are never welcome especially these days and they would ideally be outweighed by further benefits to members than the minimal subscription affords at present.

The wine red one went for £680 and the green one for £1300

Then another pops up on my alerts : https://www.copart.co.uk/lot/68843302/clean-title-1998-fiat-coupe-20v-bristol