Advice - Fiat Coupe

Hi everyone.

I'm new to the forum and looking at buying a Fiat Coupe as a sporty replacement for my current car. Seen one on eBay that takes my fancy.

Just wondering if there's any key things to look out for when buying at Coupe?

Also random question, I'm 6ft3'' Do people think I would struggle getting into the car?

Sat in one along time ago, just cant remember.

Many thanks,

ST

Welcome to the Forum - rest assured you are in the best place if you are interested in buying one of these

6 Rules:

1. Check out the excellent buyers guide on our Forum:

http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=7718#Post7718

2. Go for condition & history over mileage

3. Get a well informed Forum member near you / the car to accompany you to the viewing, better still if the seller accomodates, have it inspected at one of our excellent Coupe specialist garages around the country.

4. buy one off here! most for sale on here, owned by Forum members will have been correctly & very well maintained at one of the above said specialists.

5. don't buy a cheap one! there are 4/5 major jobs on the Coupe, which will more than likely need doing - the total cost of these jobs will be higher than what you paid for the car!.

And finally get an insurance quote before you choose your model!

Also something else to note, the unfortunate time has come due to age the Coupe is now starting to suffer from corrosion - so it's very wise to have the body inspected properly, particuarly the inner & outer sills.

If it helps im 6ft2. not bought a coupe yet but test drove a few and you should have no problem getting in and getting comfy on one

Hi ST - welcome to the forum

Generally, the Coupe is great for tall drivers - my brother in law is 6' 6" and can drive it quite easily. However, it rather depends on where your "tall-ness" is - is it in your legs or your body?

Some drivers with a long body can sometimes find headroom a little tight, especially on a car with a sunroof

However, the seat slides back a long way, so if your height is due to long legs, you should be fine (wouldn't want to sit behind you though)

I'm 6'2 and have to adopt a 'relaxed' driving position but it's perfectly comfortable, I've also got taller seats than standard and a sunroof, so it is 'do-able'.

JLow75 has some sound advice as does the buyers guide but point 5, regarding a cheap Coupe is not always valid.

There are cars at top money with idiots selling them (particularly AutoTrader and PistonHeads) whilst on here are cheaper cars with enthusiast owners.

Point 2 is the key point, judge on condition, history and what work it has had done recently, and more importantly what it will need doing in the next few months. I wouldn't let price be a guide too much of a worry.

Great advice above; condition and history are crucial. Mileage is not - if you see a Coupe with ridiculously low mileage it will probably need everything doing! The engines and gearboxes are pretty bulletproof with standard or lightly modded cars (once you start adding extra horses beware ).

Good luck,

Tim

I'm 6'4" and no problems with non-sunroof models. I can get in a sunroof model, but its tight.

Hi ST. Nothing I can add as good advice given about the Coop itself. One wee tip I was told by an old mechanic many years ago. Look at the make & condition of the tyres.If they are of the "el cheapo" brigade, he's possibly skimped on the rest of the car.

One last thing, I've purchased a fair few s/h cars in my time. Trust in that "gut" feeling. Stay lucky.

Thanks guys for all the advice, much appreciated.

It seems the non sunroof version is the one for me to go for then!

Is there a standard price I should look at paying? leaning towards 2.0L 20v Turbo. My budget is around £1500.

Again, thanks for the advice.

ST

There's three ways to approach the buying of a cheap 20VT

1) Read the superb buyer's guides on this forum until you're pretty confident that you know what to look for

2) Persuade (or bribe) a local experienced Coupe owner to accompany you on a viewing

3) Cross your fingers and hope that the shiny bodywork also means the mechanicals are OK

£1500 can get you a fairly decent 20VT, but it's also in the price bracket that could VERY easily need another £1000 spending on it almost straight away, and another £1000 to get it to a high standard.

In all seriousness, you might wish to consider adding £1000 to your budget and buying a well-known (and well-maintained) car off a forum regular. You'll be able to look back at all of the current owner's posts to see what problems have been experienced and what solutions were applied. There are some cars on here that are now on their third or fourth owner - these are the ones to look out for.

Is there a recommended model with better reliability then others?

Really fancy a coupe in sprint blue.

I'm getting the car as a project to work on and probably only use during the spring & summer.

Again, thanks for the advice.

ST

Not really - but the turbos are going to cost more than the N/A cars to keep!

Non Turbo's have less to go wrong, so in the UK you're limited to 20v if you want Sprint Blue. If you can find one.

£1,500 is pretty much top dollar for a good 20V n/a example, any around this price should not need much work on it. Walk away from anything at this price with no history or that appears to have lots of faults.

Good examples maybe needing a cambelt change in the short term future (i.e 6months-12months) going for £850-£900 recently.

However there have been tidy looking 20V's going for as little as £600, even with a belt change (£450ish) you've got a Coupe for £1k.

Brilliant information. I've now printed off all the buyer guides too.

Thanks again for everyone's input. Much appreciated.

From what people are saying the non turbo could be the one to go for then.

ST

but a turbo's more fun

Nismo!! Exactly what I was thinking!!

ST

Also seen this Coupe on ebay - I know its quite expensive.

Fiat Coupe on eBay

I love the interior on this model. Just wondering if the silver dash surround (radio, buttons & clock) is standard or custom job?

If standard, what model would have it? To be honest this is the first I have seen with this silver centre dash.

ST

its an LE (limited edition) which will have a plaque inside giving it's number in the LE list. nice looking example, but top dollar for sure imo

Has anyone on the forum seen this?

Fiat Coupe - eBay

Very tempting but no interior pictures. Have requested them.

ST

Looks very clean - recent work has been done by FCCS as well.

I would say go for a turbo, if you get 20v, you will only have to up-grade at a later date. I think the LE is potentially over-priced and the steel grey looks a solid bet at ca £2k. Good luck.

Thanks again for all the advice.

I've now found another Coupe that has taken my fancy,

Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo - Grey

Any thoughts on this one?

Tempted as my personalised number plate can go on this one too.

Am I also right that the steering wheel is height / reach adjustable?

ST

That looks an excellent buy !

PowerItalia are great specialists. The "Plus" leather seats are nice addition. Lots of money spent on clutch, cam belt and suspension re-fresh etc.

Wheel is adjustable for height and reach.

It go for this....

That red LE looks very nice, but I'd drop a grand off for the failed fog lamp

TBH, the silver 20VT with the skirts and the Plus seats is a much wiser choice - it's been with Rog at PowerItalia for the last 35,000 miles of its life - this alone provides HUGE peace of mind. Clearly, the current owner is not scared of spending money as its required (rather than waiting for a failure). Given the price it looks like it will go for, its a far better choice than the (admittedly gorgeous) LE

All the good Coupe buying guides say that for buying a ten+ year old Italian sports car, you should be buying on condition and history. Mileage and age are almost irrelevant now. I'd much rather buy a car with 100,000 miles and an obvious cherished life, than a car with half the mileage and half the history.

I'm sure if you asked nicely and offered a beer or two, there would be a forum member that would accompany you on a viewing. Alternatively, why not ring Rog at AutoItalia and ask him about the car? - seeing as its been there a few times, I'm sure he'll remember it (especially as its unusual in having the Plus seats). I reckon he'd be happy to give you his opinion on the car and its owner's devotion to it.

Actually - I've just had another closer look at the silver 20vt ebay ad - £2,200 is a great price - it has full Plus interior, including the steering wheel and possibly the door cards too (often missed when fitting seats) - look for red stitching on the door cards and gear knob - that will indicate how thorough the interior swap was. The interior alone is worth £500+ of the asking price.

It also has LE wheels and Le/Plus red calipers and a Sparco strut brace, AND a red cam cover.

OK - you could argue that its a standard 20VT trying too hard to be something that it isn't, but in my opinion, the additions are sensible and desirable (Plus seats are much more supportive than standard leather)

I'd be round there this afternoon to have a look - as long as its not rusty underneath, it looks like a good bet.

A little bit of investigation reveals that the reserve is £2k and that Norm would probably accept this amount from a forum member

Agree with Nigel, I'd snap that up.

A word of caution on hidden cost around the key fobs, once these go (physical degredation of fob) you can't get replacements. I changed mine to a different meta fob system, cost about £150 if I recall correctly.

Good luck.

Thats brilliant Nigel.

Thanks for all your help.

Very interested in getting this car. Its got everything I want.

ST

Thanks to everyone who has inputted into this post.

All have been so helpful.

Just to little update - I'm going to be the new owner of the second grey Coupe (with LE kit & seats) in this post now.

So excited!

Is there any forum members wanting to come view the car with myself (also probably my Dad)?

ST

The one with the plus interior? Looks a good buy. Belts will need doing sharpish mind, don't scrimp, but looks like eveything else has been well cared for and ought be in good shape.

Where in Sussex are you?

yep, that's the one. Exactly what I wanted.

Is it recommended even though the belts were done 3 years ago?

I'm from Seaford - near Eastbourne.

ST

For the cam belt on the 20v models only the intervals are now 5yrs/50k miles max. Auxiliary belts, inspect 6-12 monthly and change, without fail, every 2yrs!

Figures are different, and substantially lower for the 16v models in regard to the cam belt.

Look at the second post under Alarm and I.C.E for advice on converting to the new alarm fobs.

Good buy - enjoy

Was just popping onto the forum and saw this post. When I had my Coupe I lived just around the corner from this car and often saw it out and about. Always looked a well-looked after example - I would say you made a good purchase.

Thank for the comment Simon.

Looking forward to getting this car, exactly what I wanted.

Just need to sort out insurance and find a garage that specialises in Italian cars in Sussex.

ST

Rusper Alfa in Horsham spring to mind.

Hey everyone.

Just a little update that I'm now the proud owner of the grey Fiat Coupe 20VT and what a car!

I had the biggest grin driving the car back yesterday from Reading & the amount of attention it got was unbelievable.

So happy with her.

Just need some advice regarding the META M99TFA alarm key fobs, unfortunately the buttons have deteriorated on both fobs and it doesn't look like I have the key code card.

The fobs do work but with alot of pushing.

ST

Is that the rectangular or circular fob?

Its rectangular - the fobs work is I push a key into it.

Hence the reason for my post above

What system did you go for in the end Mark?

I went for the round fob, it has been extremely reliable and after a period of some months I have curiously found the plipper range to extend. At one time, soon after the change over I had to be on left side of car near the front wing (unit location), now I can do from any direction and a good distance (a learning factor - not sure ?). Still the new fob is streets ahead and looks perfect still after 2-3 years use. Much better design - recommend it.

I was thinking of using Abacus Car Alarms to do the re-coding of the alarm brain and replace the fobs for the circular ones. They look a better / robust design then the rectangular ones.

Agree, exactly what I did, but I used a guy local to me. (specialises in bikes and TVRs I recall)

Thanks Mark for your help - Unfortunately I dont have anyone around me to deal with that so I'll be using Abacus (also a FCCUK discount is involved).

Planning to remove the ECU this weekend to be sent off next week for a reprogramme.