Hey guys,
I'm thinking of buying a 20vt coupe but since looking i've had so many bad comments about them, about how they are always breaking down? the cambelt is a big problem? and the electrics?
I just wanted to hear your points of view first.
And also i will be using the car for work so is it juicy on petrol?

Its mostly toss. A well maintained one will be fine. Buy on condition/service history etc not mileage.
Cambelt is an easy enough job for a specialist (about £400 covers it)

As for fuel consuption? Depends what type of driving you do. I get an average of 30mpg from my 100 mile a day commute more if I am good, less if I enjoy the drive home

Where abouts are you?

Welcome to the forum,

The cambelt on a 20VT is no problem at all. i believe it needs to be replaced every 60k or 5 years. And theres several garages that will change its for a very reasonable price (around £400 all in).

I have a 20VT now and nothings gone wrong with it and in the 18 months i had my last one the only electrical problem i had was a small connector for the fuel pump. took all of 20 mins to change over.

It can be juicy on petrol, especially doing short stints, but if you drive off boost and keep the revs down theyre not bad at all. ive had 512 miles to a tank before!!


Joe

Isnt that pretty much what I said

Have a read of the buyers guides for some extra info, they are in the buying/selling advice section.

its mostly scare mongering (ignore my sig!) get a good one and there a great car, get a bad one (as with any car) and your going to need deep pockets)
the coupe is the definition of "buy cheep buy twice" expent to pay around 2.5k for one thats going to do you with all the big jobs done, has history and is preferably a forum owner

Thanks, Well I do round town driving from home to home so petrol will be big, but thats not a big issue anyway.
I guess most cars have their ups and downs like mine has been!
These cars have really grown on me!
Oh and i'm from essex, (no nasty comments please!haha)

You also have a very good specialist in Basildon - which counts for a lot!

The main consideration is buy a good one with all the big jobs done - not a cheap one.

Okay thanks for that, i have been looking through the for sale bit.
I've seen loads on piston heads from 1-2k which i was shocked about but thats abit too cheap then?

Me too (from Essex). Your ideally located to use the services for Rog at PowerItalia. He's based in Laindon, Basildon.

PowerItalia

What kind of budget do you have?

coops in general are reliable cars, as with any car there will be the odd one that has not been looked after which may have a few problems.
Alot of us have modified them and this is suppsed to make them less reliable, but i for one have had no major issues with my coop, if you look after it, it will look after you

Welcome to the forum

I'd look at 2-3K and one that is in good condition + that has had:

recent cambelt
new (ish) wishbones
NOT the original oil cooler and pipes - they will be corroded to bits
Specialist history
An engine running good compression
No smoke from the turbo when left on hot idle

I'm Southend so thats only 15 miles. Ideal!
Was also gonna ask, the color range of these cars is abit limited isnt it?
I'm looking for a black or gunmetal, do they come standard or do people get them resprayed?
I have only seen a few.

Loads of colours - they are Italian after all!

keep a eye on the buying/selling advice section. there are two reasons for this

firstly a lot of the bad examples, lying adverts, sheds for sale at the moment are getting pointed out there. there have been a few new members saved from desaster of late by looking here first and then relising that some one before them has been to look at it and its a shead

secondly there are a lot of members on here that are willing to go and look at coupes with new members to hopefully avoid them getting a shed. no one cam make any warranty as regards the knowledge levels but we may pick up things that you would miss?

any how, welcome to the fold

@ Hyperlink

yes it is pretty much what you said, you beat me to it!

Joe

There are a couple of Grey and black variations, but some are limited to LE's

I've never understood the misconception about the coupes reliability, i think theyre solid, reliable cars and never once worry that mine will break down on me. Mine has done 133k and apart from wear and tear items, ive had no problems at all and it runs fantastically. In terms of petrol consumption, considering its a 2.0 petrol and quite a sporty car, i find it pretty reasonable. You can buy an ink black which is a very dark blue but is a lovely colour and you can buy naturally aspirated or turbocharged variations, the na being cheaper to run and insure, the turbocharged one being a road rocket Im on my 2nd one now and will soon be looking to sell mine and by a 3rd which says it all really, i use mine daily to work and back and have no problems. Hope this helps and have fun searching for one!

Mine's still on there for £1500, it's cheap because of the mileage.

If you're not fussed about that, it's a great car & needs little to finish off & be a great Coupe- it's all in the advert.

I have only had really crap offers of PX's, so I withdrew it- now the wife has been on at me again to get rid, so it's back up


http://pistonheads.com/sales/921427.htm


ETA-
If you can get another member more local to me to have a look at it for you- you're more than welcome.


Cheers,

Ben

PS: mileage doesnt mean anything with these cars, do not be put off by this at all. These engines are very strong and some members have done over 200k!? If its been regularly serviced and its high mileage it might have had all the expensive jobs already done on it whereas a low mileage example might be due to have its belts done, radiator etc

They aren't unreliable cars, they just need the correct maintenance. I've had two Coupes over a combined period of 5 years and neither have ever let me down (*furiously touches wood*).

Most are now at an age/mileage that means that many parts might well be reaching the end of their lifespan, as with any car of same age/mileage. This might be clutch, turbo, suspension, exhaust, oil cooler/pipes etc. Many buyers buy a car needing stuff like this done, are lumbered with a £1,000 bill early in ownership for stuff that needed doing anyway, and immediately start moaning about 'unreliablity'.

As said here, get one with all the big jobs done recently at a specialist or reputed garage and if that means paying an extra £500 compared to one with none of the jobs done, its got to be worth it.

I use my 20vt daily for a commute to work - 40 mile round trip in mixed traffic, some heavy. I don't thrash it and get about 375-400 miles to a tank, which I believe is about 30mpg.

If you want gunmetal grey (best colour ) then you'll need to look at the Limited Edition version of the coupe. They are more expensive than standard coupés but come with a 6 speed gearbox, a bodykit, titanium silver finishings, and different alloy wheels, oh and red and black leather recaro seats which may not be to everyones taste (but I like it )

Here's a Pic of mine from outside ..... and another Pic inside

get one with all the bits done and have a safe fund. i needed mine as its hit me for 3k in 6 months.
mainly jobs that need doing and its stuff that any old sports car will need so just have a kitty for the car.
you can't run it on a shoe string. i have recipts for around 5.5k if not more including buying it and i bought it for £2200. but then any cary 11 years old will need bit done and i am very fussy so that is another factor to it.

not usually a fan of silver/grey cars but that looks the dogs danglies! very stealthy and smart

In my two years of driving the coupe has failed me twice, once (old car) when the cambelt went because I was living on borrowed time (it was just past the recommended time to change) and once when it refused to start because of a burnt out connector to the fuel pump.

They are not cheap to run though, they need to be serviced every six months which is when the jobs that need doing will get pointed out.

Overall, I would say very good reliability compared to some cars I have had. Certainly no less reliable than the renaults I have had previously.

People only tend to mention the horror stories.

I'm going to say this touching wood and with an MOT soon inbound on the 10th..........

Car has only cost me about £200 so far in problems and thats with 124k on the clock with 1.5k miles done and 9 months ownership... I've had someone look under it all and he said the car is in good shape for it's age.

I'm guessing wishbones are next along with a cat being a little loose on the clamps making a strange noise and thats it as far as I know at my guesses. Let's just hope I didn't jinx myself making this post.

i think you'll find that as a package they are a good car but there are lots to go wrong on them i.e bushes and stuff so that will cost on maintance but the genral build is quite good.

That’s true, people don’t come onto this forum and tell you how their car has not broken down today (well most don’t) .

As it has been said most cars this age will need money spent on them but considering how powerful these cars are and all other factors they actually are pretty cheap and reliable to keep. Especially with the amount of people who have tuned them

Don't forget prices currently represent the Credit Crunch, and if people are keen to sell in a dead market they'll go even lower. So cheap doesn't necessarily mean bad. As someone else said, the key is to learn what the weak points are on a coop and take your check list along. If the jobs haven't been done, budget for having to do them - the coop responds to attention but soon takes the piss if she thinks she's being ignored.

My coupe broke down on me once...

The throttle cable snapped. However any car with a throttle cable could suffer the same problem.

Other than that, in the 16,000 miles I have done it has been perfect.

^^^ Throttle cable wen't on me too, luckily on a flat and only a mile from the garage, was a slow long drive that one

Only time i can say it's really put me on the spot.