i didnt really like the coupe 100% before i brought mine, i was currently building a tipo 16v turbo!!

that project went horrible wrong due to a small fire and i was back on the hunt for a track car!! (thanks to my mate )

found this super sexy 20v turbo in sprint blue and fell in love with it, drove to blackpool to pick it up! its not 100% but the plan is to bring it back to its glory, i was going to track the car, i.e strip it completely and just leave a drivers seat, but as time (the drive home) went i just could not do that to such a brilliant car!!

safe to say when i need to sell the coupe later in life i have no clue what next to get...

so i will just stick with the coupe!!!

Sounds like its about 50%

Sorry Marco but......


Anyway, back on topic, I was looking for a new project and really wanted a TR7, instead I ended up with the coupé after a colleague's mechanic had diagnosed the clutch problem as a "broken clutch cable"
Bought it for pennies, complete with new 17" TSW alloys, MOT, and an expensive Sony headunit

Interesting, as i had a 16v turbo tipo and picked up a non runner of a 16v of ebay for a grand. Swapped the engines over so the tipo went back to standard and the coupe became the turbo, then the engine went pop

I had been looking through Autotrader for weeks before I noticed the coupe, had not even mentioned to the wife that the car I had at the time was really dangerous to drive and was trying it's best to kill me daily. Fortunately she opened a letter addressed to me, it was a service report from BMW advising me not to drive the car as the rear suspension was unfit for the road. Well that gave me the green light spend £5000…I was down to the garage with the coupe that afternoon. At that point I had not driven one before or any knowledge that this forum existed or the words of wisdom it contains. Brought it there and then!
Looking back I should have walked away, the car has needed a bucket load of cash throwing at it over the last year and for the same money (all in) I could have brought JohnS car… Would not change it now it’s all sorted and into normal service needs etc.

I liked the Coupe from when I first saw one and working in a garage, got to drive a few, which made me like them even more

Then I saw a Sprint Blue one and decided that was going to be my next car and colour

Had some spare cash from a re mortgage to pay off some debts, but thought fccuk it, instead and went and bought a Sprinty Coupe

I was after an Alfa GTV had a go in one but they did not have the full key set etc. I wanted Italian flair as I love Italy and also have a couple of Italian bikes. Oh and the car had to be relatively rare etc

Had always remembered seeing the Coupe around as I was not into cars then, so I went on Parker's, Autotrader and here. Bought the second one I looked at it was a Sprint Blue (was not fussed on any particular colour, at the time!)

The owner was gutted to see it go, was nearly in tears and nearly 4 years later I have had no problems with it, 79K miles now, new clutch and cam belt, oil changes, Gtec etc and that has been that. It is in excellent nick inside and out.

I still love the Coupe it has had no major amounts of money spent on it, it is reliable, fast and makes me happy everytime I hear the 5pot scream. I hope to keep it. It is my daily drive and I now average (cycling to work, but not in these sub zero temps) 6000 miles a year.

Sorry Marco but......


lol i was hoping no one saw that!!! lol

I wanted a fast & good looking car for my 40th Birthday (mid life crisis? what mid life crisis) and saw a really nice V6 Cougar locally so took it for a test drive and really impressed, it went before I had decided to buy it so started to trawl AT and the owners club website and realised that most owners were Chav's who liked to kev up their Cougars.

I also discovered that Coupé's were in my price range and decided that as I had wanted one since they came out I was going to get one. Looked at a green one with tan interior which had awful paint but I loved the combo so really wanted one of those. At the time Coupé's seemed to be rare and I ended up going to Solo Italia to see one of theirs. All they had was a Porto that had sat around for a while and someone else was supposed to be coming to look at. Went for a raz and the bloke said that he would be fitting a new turbo, cambelt and a few other engine bits that would mean engine wise it would be a good buy.

While I was debating if to have it the person who intended to come and see it before me phoned and Solo Italia bloke pretty much told him it was sold and so I sort of felt obliged to buy it although I think I would have anyway due to the engine work and they could fit a leather interior.

I was it the uk last july ,went to a mates house,walked in the front door and he said come on we are going over to Giles garage(another mate) he has a fiat coupe there,i think you should buy it.So we went and i did.
Had the discs,brakes,tyres and cambelt done plus mot.
Goes like a dream,i had never been in one before.Love it.

Coupé #1: We'd been considering a few cars for a while, including a Barchetta, but plumped on the Coupé in the end, I remembered sitting in a red 16vt in the Fiat showroom in Bournemouth when I was 17 and loving it. So a quick search of AT and we toddled down to Wimbledon Carriage Company and saw a red 20v n/a with under 30k miles and less than 3 years old. We shelled out over £7k for it including the PX on our aging Punto, but I'll always remember driving the Coupé home down the M4.

Coupé #2: After having the n/a and a couple of Coupé-less years abroad, but still keeping abreast of all things FCCUK, I wanted a turbo, looked at a few over a wide price range and then spotted my current one. I knew given its history that it would most likely go quickly, so made sure I made a bee-line over to Essex, drove it and left a deposit.

Hadn't necessarily planned on sprint blue, but liked the kit and the provenance was more important than the colour.

My dream Coupe was a Moon Plus, but after looking for months I would have bought any Plus, LE or 20vt(6) that had been well looked after.

Just as I started to become disheartened, I sparked up Autotrader (for probably the 10 time that day) and there it was, a Moon Plus and only 25 miles away. When I rang the number and he answered the phone with the title Dr I knew I was on to a winner

I got someone on here to take me out in a 20Vt, to see if i wanted one, decided I liked it

found out info, decided I wanted a Sprint blue 20vt, with tan leather, aircon and sunroof,

and a month later, that's exactly what I had!

4 1/2 years ago, after toying with the idea of Going FI with my MX5 I started looking around for something with a bit more poke instead. Looked into RX7s for months and then one day i had a tear up with a Yellow 20vT... That got my interest

After reading countless reviews on Autocar and hounding everyone on here. I still remember the first thread I asked about the car on (Fishy Dave convinced me with his comparison to his MX5). Then I started looking at them. I was after a Sprint Blue 20vT with under 50,000miles (no clue at the time) with some service history, alcantara and no sunroof. Aircon was also required. I had a test drive of a Sprint Blue with brown leather interior and was very impressed with the drive.

Then I found her in Kent, S reg, 41,000 miles, immaculate paintwork, perfect wheels (even Roger commented on how nice it was!) and up for £6,500. I took the test drive and snapped her up for £6,100.

She covered her 100,000th mile at 8pm on New Years eve

I even pulled over to take a piccy. Looking at it yesterday, I noticed that, even though she'd just completed a 15 mile trek, the oil pressure was sitting on a nice 2.9bar at tickover. She's starting to look a bit tatty inside and out now, but I still love her to bits

First Coupe - got the most affordable one I could, it was in good condition but high mileage. It was silver though, which I loved. No leather unfortunately.

Second Coupe - got it as a project, ended up being a decent car, it was Scotts green but tbh the colour was irrelevant.

Current Coupe - got the one I wanted, Electric Blue plus, though it was a close call between this and a Vinci Grey LE. Had a good Vinci come up first I'd probably be driving one of those right now, but as it happens I'm very happy with the one I've got

I just seem to keep coming back to the damn things.

I was looking for a 20vt as I just couldn't ignore the amount of power and torque for the money, simple as that - and it just wasn't a subaru 3 box saloon type thing, which was the other big plus.

First one I bought for £7000 was a '98 20vt in steel grey with black sills, leather, aircon and sunroof from a FIAT stealer in croydon - it was only 3 years old with 16k on the clock and a very good example as you'd expect, the seats actually looked totally unused! It lasted 2.5 years and 30000 more miles until the hastily fitted and unregulated novitec chip killed the piston rings (ahh, those were the days - can't believe people still chip a standard car and just leave it be). Sold that car to 'Remo' on here after it had been rebuilt, I believe he then fitted a full blended bodykit to it. I still consider that car an absolute bargain as I sold it on for only just over a grand less than I paid for it. The insurance was hefty as a 21 year old though!

A couple of years later I came back and got a bargain of a 20vt with a knackered engine, righted its wrongs with rogs help and had a fully functioning car on the road for about £1200 all in! Again, steel grey 20vt with the sills colour coded this time. It had 90k on the clock but still felt remarkably tight, got destroyed by a huge piece of debris sitting on the inside lane in pitch blackness on the M3 one night - better headlights would definitely have saved the car.

Finally - 6 months ago I was looking at GTVs to splurge a bonus on, and had actually agreed a price when Rog mentioned his Steel grey LE was mine for basically the same money. I couldn't ignore it and here I am - I think its all the coupe I could ever want to be honest, totally standard with all the big jobs done, all it needs is a couple of wheels refurbing to be perfect. Oh and the coolant hose of death replacing... sigh.

had 3 of the sods now, and only the last 16vt was the one i was realy after

1st silver 20v n/a was a chance find on PH when they were very expensive and it was the best for the mony that i could have had

the second one was a 20v n/a again, but red, i won the auction on ebay, had it for a couple of weeks but it was missing something, mainly a turbo! it was a great car and i had plans for it, but as chance would have it, something else came along, it was sold to a member on here! i beleve he is still very happy with it

i sold it for a 16vt speed red that was for sale on here, the chap had done a great job at underselling the car so when i got there i was very happy! i had a smile all the way home wile driving it and continued on for months, even with a few problems

i sold it due to silly miles i have been doing with work and money reasons.

i have been actively looking for a project yellow 20vt for some time, i found one......but fate delt me a crule card and emm lost her job, coupe ownership once again was taken out of my grasp

depending on a hole load of things, i still want a 20vt yellow (got to be yellow!) just depends on what cards we get delt in 2009!

I'd always had fast Italian cars but my daily trip to work went from 40 to 90 miles a day so the Integrale had to go.

I put up with a Punto Sporting for a couple of years but realised I needed something quick gain - but with better economy than a Grale. Looked at all the options but my mind was made up when I was overtaken by a Sprint Blue Coop on the M1 one night. I'd hated the looks of them when they came out but now realised this was a seriously good looking and sounding car. Started sniffing round on here, did plenty of digging and four months later got what I was after (a nice Broom Yellow one).

A couple of years later I spotted a fine-looking Plus coming the other way a few times when I was on my way to work. One day I followed it home and asked the owner for first refusal on it when he was looking to sell. Did a deal about six months later - had it for another couple of years before the TVR thing kicked in. It's now owned and well looked after by someone else on here.

I'd say a result on both counts

I saw a chamonix green one at the Tour de France in 1998 and fell in love with it. Started to think about buying one in 2005 and despite not knowing about the forum I bought a 16v na on ebay. I got it checked over at Motormech and Paul sorted one or two little issues when he did a service.
Gave it to my son in law when I moved to France and missed it a lot. Searched ebay France and bought a 20V turbo. Super colour and have sorted lots of things to get it up together and love the kick when the turbo kicks in. Pure magic everytime I get in it

......went into a dealer asking for a new vinci grey LE, delivery got well messed up, ended with a steel grey LE with sunshine roof


had a think, actually preferred the steel grey, but struggled with the idea of a sunroof.....eventually let the dealer sweat, and took about £1k off

then the rest was history

My journey into the Coupe happened when my old Vectra estate died a horrible death after running out of water completely and overheating while the missus was driving it. She pulled into services and filled it up again. RIP. A fellow petrolhead was looking for a more exciting motor and was talking about a Fiat Coupe. I'd always liked them but mocked him for doing too much overtime. He told me they weren't too expensive, I looked on Pistonheads, and couldn't believe what they were going for. I was determined to go for something reliable though and had arranged to go and see a Toyota Avensis that weekend. It was a 'Y' plate and in the photos did look immaculate. But being a keen fan of fast cars, the thought had been planted. My mother came down to Roth that night and asked if we were going to see the Avensis. I said no, Coupes are cheaper (...). I browsed AT on my phone and found the car I ended up buying at Solo. I rang there and then and said I was coming down the following day. I had seen another on Pistonheads, a nicely modified LE 6-speeder, but as I was borrowing the money off my ma, it was just too much. Got up at 4am to set off and when I got there it looked amazing. There were people there from the north of Scotland and from the southern coast. I still hadn't found this forum, but realised I was on to a sought after enthusiaists car. I paid the deposit and went back down to Oxford the following Saturday to pick it up. The journey home was simply one of the best drives ever. I had had a bad year up to that point and that turned it all around. I just kept looking round the interior and stopping for coffees so I could stand there looking at it. Fantastic. It's not perfect but part of the fun is sorting things out and improving it. I don't think I'll ever sell it.

Since i saw the top gear episode with the red 16VT thats the colour i've wanted had 2 in red now and a green 1 red le next

Had been looking at a multipla as my gf of the time had two kids, I have my youngster and my daughter wanted room to take at least one of her friends along too.

Anyway that ended, her departing words were, I wouldn't be seen dead in a people carrier, looks like a bloody transit van.

Decided to get myself a revenge car, a car that stuck two fingers up at her lying cheating and incredibly sexy arse. Looked through Price guides, autotrader, etc etc and decided it had to be the coop, it had to look mint, it had to have leather and it had to be the 20VT. Colour wasn't that important. Condition and service history were top of my list.

Then spent the next year looking for the right one which came along a month before my 40th birthday.

Such sweet satisfaction, a week or so after picking up the coop passing my x gf with her two kids sitting in the front of her new boyfriends beat up transit van.

Lol, as you went past did you make the Coupe go vrooooooooom psssst vroooooooom pssst

Great write up!

Wanted a yellow one, bought a yellow one.

Drove it for a year and a half.

Sold it to a mate, who still loves it.

3 weeks later, bought another yellow one, for half the price I sold my old one for.....when I was looking for a Saab 95 Aero Estate!!!!

I would of liked a 20vt in sprint blue but I knew I wouldn't be able to afford the insurance, so second choice was a 16vt in Blitz blue...

Got what I wanted, mechanically sound but bodywise not very good (I planned to get that sorted early on but it hasn't happened yet).

Still toying with the idea of a 20vt but I like my current one and would like to get it up to a decent standard as a long term keeper

i endend up with my brothers coop. i always fancied a coop as i knew they where quite quick and looked nice.
last year my bro wanted a nice car and i mentioned a coop. we went to look at a ink black coop with air con and sand leather which is really rare and looked great but it wasn't to be as the guy sold it as we where on the way to look at it.
we then had a look at a low milage speed red coop with cloth and no air con but had 58,000 miles fsh and on the face of it looked great but straight away it needed wishbones and stuff.
10 months on my bro decided he couldn't afford to run it after only doing 5,000 miles and he needed a cheap car so i gave him a rover i had which was stunning conditon and looked great and £1200.
i just sold my skyline as doing 500miles a week with 15mpg and very high tyre/oil service costs.
as soon as i got the coop i relised it wasn't right and needed a loads of work
£1600 later i have got it in quite good conditon but just needs little bits now :-)

I wanted a metallic red one, saw a perfect 20v one in Birmingham, but for the fact it was an NA, which was being sold by a dealer. It was being stored round one of the sales people’s house, as they weren’t actively trying to sell it, but I spoke to them and they agreed to take it to work the following day and hold onto it until I had a look…

..got there first thing the next morning, and they’d sodding sold it! It wouldn’t even have been in the garage if I wasn't for me! Not a phone call or anything, let me drive a two hour round trip to completely waste my time, and then lied about having spoke to me the day before.. So if you bought a 20v NA dark metallic red from brum a few months back, it’s supposed to be my car!!

Anyway, drove home again, looked on here and found a chap called Liam selling a cat-D blitz blue 16vt. In, yup, Birmingham! Bit tatty bodywise, patchy paint and needed the rear sorting, but massive, huuuuge service history, rebuilt engine, suspension etc. LE wheels with no curbing or anything.

Now had a respray, changed the belts, and in retrospect I think it’s arguably the best colour Coupe. Wheels really complement it too. It may not be as unusual as some of the later special edition 20vt’s, but unless something catastrophically expensive snaps or it gets nicked/totalled, I have no intention at all of replacing it with a different Coupe.

Hi Matt, car still going strong.I only use it in the summer months, garaging in over winter.

This is my second Coupe, had a bit a a tumble with my first one. It was a Portofino 20VT, lowered, low mileage, chipped, Zorst, LE skirts etc. Since buying the Steel Grey from Matt (3 & 1/2 years ago) I've put 14k miles on the clock added smoothed body kit, Scorpion exhaust, fitted 3G drilled and grooved discs along with Red Stuff pads and K&N induction. Love the car and miss a good fast drive over the winter.