Hi guys

My name's David, I'm a major car enthusiast and I'm 22, live in Kent and I just sold a Fiat Tipo Sedicivalvole on Pistonheads....some of u may have seen it but anyway I'm not onto looking for a Coupe and have seen 2 I like and wondered if these are good buys?

This is the first:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...:MEWA:IT&ih=007

As you can see being 1 owner and FSH it's pretty good but the mileage worries me and is it a little too cheap plus it's with a dealer? I have this on hold to look at if needs be and potentially buy.

This is the second:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?V...:MEWA:IT&ih=014

This one is not so standard and is running 14psi but does seem a very good car. Is 14psi a bit much? Boost controllers do worry me as well as you don't know where the car has been set in the past plus it's been running a superchip, which again worries me.

What do you guys think? They are in my budget and obviously 1 is slightly better than the other but I don't know lots about these cars apart from what I've read in the buying guides etc.

Ideally buy from a forum member and get it checked over by a specialist, Powerfiat or Momotech.

Or consider buying a car from CarlT - he has a very good reputation on here.

You could be a private one, but make sure the history is good and it has the usual good signs etc, read the buyers guide. Ideally you want a specialist or at least a mechanic to give it a once over before buying anyything.

Do you REALLY want a red 16vt?? People say things about red 16vt's.

At a £1500 budget you carnt be too choosy to be honest. Engines for these fetch £1000, unfortunately £1500 in coupe world tends to buy a shed.

What no congrats on sounding non chavvy shabba, my you are slipping

I was told that £1500-£2000 for a 16VT is fair and it should be fairly good for that?

The 2 mentioned surely can't be that bad?

Buy a standard one that has been looked after by an enthusiast. (read: forum member)


16VTs offer good VFM, but are older and generally considered not as good as the 20VT models.

What is your budget? A good 20VT will set you back in the region of 2.5k - 4.5k depending on year and mileage. Plus models attract a higher premium.

Don't forget to budget in the region of £1000 a year for servicing and maintenance, and of course, at 22, a hefty insurance premium.

I'd recommend to avoid modded cars. If you want a faster machine after some time, mod it yourself. At least then you know you are starting with a good base engine.

Externally, look for misalignment of body panels, especially round the front, as quite a few of these cars have been crashed. Rust could be an indicator of a replacement panel.

Internally, you want leather, and the cars are of sufficient age that this means little difference to asking price.

Oh, and red ones are cursed (Serious, ask our resident Coop Chop Shop Owner), so buy a yellow one. (They made Ferarris in that colour too, if that is what you are worried about)

Well £1500 to spend i wouldn't be worried at 96k on an 11 year old 1 owner £1500 car. Stands more chance of being genuine.

I'd look at the first one not the second if i was feeling ill and wanted a red 16vt (its a personal thing)

Agree with the above. I cant access the links coz I'm at work but I wouldn't really buy a car from Flea Bay, and anything thats any good on there is usually overpriced ! I would save up a bit more and spend £2500-£3000 a get a nice one privately (autotrader / pistonheads) or from the forum. Saying that you can do a lot of homework and there'll always be something to maintain for a car of 7 or 8 years old.

Seriously these arent cheap cars to run, only do it if you can afford to spend £1-2k a year on misc running costs/maintaince.

I'm very tempted to go see the first one as said because of the fact it's standard and has had 1 owner I must admit

My last car before the Tipo was an Impreza WRX running around 300bhp which I modified myself (not big nasty bodykits/wheels etc). Blitz Nurspec Exhaust system, decat, panel filter and boost increase to 1 bar and it flew.

BUT that was mega thirsty so only owned it for 6 months and I assume a standard Coupe 16vt will be better than that.

16vt is the most un-economical of the range i think. Some doing no more than 20mpg.

Unless they run PERFECT and everything is PERFECT they are a sodding headache.

Wow for an enthusiasts club you make them sound rubbish....

My friend Oli had 1 for a good 2 years and left it standard and it ran as sweet as nut, just regular oil changes etc.

See the first one before buying, if it meets your criteria, buy it. There may be a forum member locally to you who could have a look with you, as we tend to know what to look for (usually from bitter experience )

And DON'T mod it.

I have been the proud owner of a coop for several years...I would encourage you to look for a while and find the best one you can that has been regularly serviced (fsh essential in my opinion) with low mileage. Mainly because if you buy a nail it could literally cost you a fortune on repairs.

Also take into account the running costs of these cars before buying one. At the moment mine is costing an average of about £500 per year to maintain just taking into account little repairs here and there (radiator, wheel bearings, brakes, suspension and other usual items). Plus a couple of hundred quid a year for a service.

The general maintenance cost of a coop is about £1000 a year I suppose. Make sure you buy one knowing this!

Coops are not cheap cars to run and the maintenance thing is becoming an (expensive) issue on most of them now as they get older.

Basically...make sure you buy a good one!

I give an honest opinion on them, seeing as ive had more Coupe's than most people.

Best to be in the real world with them.

The first one looks very good in the photos but then again a shed can look good in photos........

Having said that, it's either had a full respray or been kept in a garage judging by the fact that it isn't Speed Pink now

Remember to print out the buyers guide and go over it thoroughly before viewing.

Ask about history, especially cam belt changes and check the documentation to make sure it's been done.

Oh, and welcome to the forum

Oh by the way.

My 16vt does about 26 or 27 mpg....possibly even a bit more under "normal" driving.

Its not that bad....but I have looked after it lovingly!

re: the 2nd one....If he is selling it because of a company car arriving, why is he attempting thinly vieled offers for swaps or PX on a prelude or 200SX?

I'd avoid that one!

Perfect. If you want to keep them running sweet and with little expense then regular service, oil check and the usual maintenance are the key. Dont mod them as Shabba suggests.

And they are good reliable cars in standard fettle, they just need plenty of maintenance and you have to watch out for abused examples and at your price they become more abundent.

Mr Carlt had a green one for 1k ish if it hasn't been chopped to bits for parts (thats the second time I have recommended that car and I would have bought it if my bid of £150 and a bottle of gin had been accepted).

Save up - buy a 20vt for £3k-4k for a good one + don't mod it = happy life

I was thinking that myself, the thing with coops is very much you get what you pay for, bargains are often not come by, if they are cheap they can be cheap for a reason.

On the budget you have, you are at the lower end of the market, thats not to say one of these you have shown may not be a good example.

Out of the 2, I would look at the first one and not the 2nd. The 2nd one, its just something about I have only woned this for 6 weeks I don't like, but then I don't trust anyone

If you can increase your budget as much as you can, if not, then have a look at a few, don't buy the first one you see, take the buyers guide with you, check the car thoroughly, get it independantly checked, try and get an existing owner to look over it with you.

Good luck

must admit (and its not everyones taste) but our family have had 3 20v non turbo's, all which have been ultra reliable - 1 ended up in bury football ground through the dry stone wall due to a drunk driver mind you!!). i have one now with 102k on the clock, its in good nick and i've just driven over 2000 miles to france and back without a minutes bother - dont get a 16vt - same engine as the lancia integrale and mine was off the road more than it was on!!

So many horror stories here....hmm a rethink on what car to get may well be in order now then

20v every time, and a decent one unless you want oily hands?

and a bad back

Mwhahahahahaha!!! It's only because I went for a bargain one


Cheap as chips, me

mate, you can encounter problems on any car with decent perfomance that's approaching 10 years old - in this respect the coop is no diferent to any of them. my experience is, if you take your time and pick a decent one, they are fairly easy and cheap to maintain as long as you use a specialist, ie motormech in birmingham,powerfiat in essex etc...don't be put off, but DO listen to carlt..

well said Proccy. I don't think people are intending to be negative about the mighty Coupe, there are no guarantees on any type of car you choose to buy, but if you start off with a well looked after one you will be in a better position.

Yes but it's hard to find a good 1 at my budget is what your saying so why take that big risk....I've had nothing but bad luck with every car I've owned...its bound to happen again