I recently joined the Coupe fold, buying my uncle's 16V NA for £1100. 56k miles, mint, fsh, new tyres, new battery, SS exhaust. Even got the original press articles and the Fiat publicity 'film reel' in a can. My uncle is a real enthusiast for the cars, but needed an auto. Bummer.

Needs brakes sorting (just not been used enough IMO) - have new discs and pads to go on all round. Really pleased with it so far. Recommended based on 2 weeks motoring!

Thats a very good price really. When you think about it you can get some seriously rubbish 2.0 l. cars for that money, but hey, you can have a beautiful coupe with low miles for nothing. Yeah there might be no turbo kick but the cars are just such a pleasure to drive and have sat on your drive i'm sure for 1100 quid it wouldn't bother you at all

In my opinion, if you spend £1k on a coupe in a private sale you are unlikely to get a car that has been scrupulously maintained by its recent previous owners. It is more likely to be someone's "throwaway pocket rocket" as described by biggbn, which is now being disposed of. Ask yourself why they are doing this. The answer is that you are likely to be buying someone else’s problems. This could sting you quite badly.

It's been said many times before, but the best way to get a decent example is to find a car sold by a well known forum member. They are likely to have looked after the car properly and will understand how to manage its day-to-day care in a way so as to minimise component wear.

This should cost you (at today's credit crunch prices - you'd have been looking at an additional £1k a year ago) in the region of £2.5k-£3.5k for a 20VT and maybe £750 less for an N/A. For an LE or plus you would need £4-£4.5k.

For what its worth, my experience with my coupe has been good. I bought a high mileage example (well average for its age but high by coupe's standards - make of that what you will). It had buckets of service history from a specialist (poweritalia). The previous owner was someone in their mid-late thirties who had driven the car everyday and who had comfortably enough money to maintain it properly. I've spent a reasonable amount on it in the time I've owned it, (added it up yesterday evening and its more than I thought!) but this has been my choice.

A cosmetically and mechanically good, properly well maintained NA (without big mileage) will also cost you 2k+ IMO (especially if you want AC & cow). The difference in price is not that great as there are fewer NAs and not everyone wants / can afford to run or insure a turbo

i just dont see people paying this kind of cash..id say my car is above average inside and out..it has 125k miles and LOADS of history..it hasnt been an abused pocket rocket, iv spen £1500 or so on it, new clutch, belts, waterpump, radiator etc..etc....

it is then, miles excepted, the kind of coop you are describing..forum member, much loved, well maintained regardless of cost.....

i will be selling it in the next few months as soon as my job changes, and i doubt il get £2k for it...

thats reality...id value my car near £3k but the market doesnt....

That is what I found when trying to sell my car. Only when I dropped the price to just above banger money people became interested.

Thats why I decided its best to keep it for now.

I consider under £1500 to be banger money BTW

I don't think it's about cost/value, it's an emotion thing really. Mine cost £3.5k a few years ago, it had all the right stuff one lady (doctor) owner fsh 40ish K.
!st year ok no real problems, 2nd about £1.5k, so far this year £2.5k and I'm picking it up today from mot about another £600.
Given that it's a 95 16vt with 90k it's probably worth £500, but that's not what coupe's are about, if you want value buy a skoda.

I got one up for sale now 1000 ono.... nothing wrong with that little high on the mileage but still runs as good as any other one...

what you selling ?

Why not look in Coupés for Sale section

be gentle with me or ill buy an alfa instead lol

Bye

ok bye

Shorty has an ad in cars for sale

the only time am going to sell mine, is to a scrap yard.

One 20vt my friend, open to offers 12 months MOT, just had cam belt and clutch done, quite abit of service history... LOL 20vt PUNTO as well )if the moneys right LOL

Buy something with high mileage thats been regularly serviced and used.

The problem is waiting for the right car to come along.

iv advertised mine for £1995 and not had a bite...i AM up in the frozen north right enough, but even though..i think when you look at the plethora of cheap coupes available from this forum alone, and the fact that these cars arent exactly flying out to new owners, i think that perhaps we, as coop fans, value our cars much higher than the casual buyer who is just looking for a cheap, fast car.....

im in the same boat as you were ie if i asell the car for as near to £2k as i can, im still loseing a small fortune....and i will not sell it for banger money..because its my dream car and, as anotehr poster sugested, the emotional wrench of letting it go at all, never mind for peanuts is a big issue!!!


in all reality il probably end up buying a cinq sporting or the like for a few hudred quid and use that fro my work commute and save the coop for high days and holidays....yet, if i do that i just KNOW that i will end up spending even more on it to make ot the car i really want..ie suspension mods, strut brace, new tyres etc.....but hell, its only money...

LOL mines ideal then

Well. I had a Coupe for £1000...

Should have changed the discs sooner, forgot to leave it in gear when I parked on a hill, and it was wrapped around my garage come the morning!

Considering it's already booked into the garage to get the cam belt done, needs the bonnet respraying, and now needs a new boot and bumper respraying, my Coupe has cost upwards of £2000!

Boo hiss. Still, it's been fun to own for the past month, and at least it's an excuse to get the paint in tip-top condition. Shame though..

I Paid just over 3 grand for my (then) 80k mile 20vt nearly a year ago, from a forum member (jeez, sounds like a lot by today's standards).
It did have the subtle stage 1 mods I was after thankfully (gtec1+prv, boost gauge in place of the clock, SS catback exhaust, Sparco Strutbrace) so I saved £500 not having to buy these and the previous owner replaced the manifold, wishbones and AC radiator so that was £800 saved as well.
I've since replaced all 4 tyres (falken 452s) and all 4 alloys (with refurbed 20vt alloys) and got the tracking and balancing sorted and the steering wheel straightened up and a windscreen chip repaired and the transmission oil replaced.
It's quite a way from being perfect but very few are (ICV probably needs cleaning, the clutch bites high and bangs a little under quick changes but is otherwise faultless, the alarm works intermittently so I leave it turned off due to the hassle it can give! and I can get excess steering vibration, although powerfiat said this is quite common on coupes and is a "trait").
As I only use it at weekends, it fits my needs perfectly at the moment and drives and goes well enough and I look after it religiously, it has not missed a beat yet.
I was originally hoping to sell mine 12-18 months after buying it for £2-2.5k but in the current climate I have decided it's best to keep it for 2 years, as I'm sure I'd get no interest at all, at that price?

payed 1k for mine, best money i ever spent. im after another one soon!

really entertaining (and useful in highling the problems)thread guys,keep it up.
I too am looking for my first coup (20v n/a) and have set the budget at £1250 for a circa '97/98 one.The way the prices are coming down my expectations are going up although obviously I aint going to get a well sorted car for that money.
But,it will be a sunday afternoon car for me so the starting on the button every morning and being ready for the chariot race of commuter traffic is not an issue.
Current Sunday afternoon car is an MGF(yes I know they are a heap of junk so no point in writing to tell me) so am looking forward to seeing how Fiat screw their cars together and where they penny pinch.
As an aside,any obvious signs when the wishbones are shot?

Jeff

it fails the MOT

Seriously - lots of nice clunking when going over bumps.

thanks Suba

I know these are dumb questions,please bear with me,here's another:what's the'VIS' engine?

Seen this referenced a couple of times but haven't a clue what it could be.

Thanks

Not 100% sure, but I think that this was the later version of the 20v NA engine which has been refined a bit. Essentailly the intake is varied to allow more top end power whilst keeping the low end torque. Not sure on the figures etc. for the two engines, but the proof would be in test driving a healthy exmaple of each anyway.

if wishbones are shot expect the car to wander on acceleration

Yes. 155 vs 147bhp. Having had both, I don't think the VIS feels much quicker, but it makes a fab sound at 4800+ revs

Variable Intake System I believe. No stretchy throttle cable on a VIS car - will be a 1999 or after.