I'm starting this thread here because I seem to have limited access to the forums.
The first Coupé I got to know was a 16V ME when I was 13'ish years old. It also ended up to be the car in which I learned to drive in 2005.
I moved on from the 16V ME to a 20VT Plus some time (5y) later. I guess this was around 2010..

In 2015 my 20VT Plus got flagged by "MOT" for the silent blocs on the rear left. The local Fiat Garage never gave me a pricing for fixing this and I had a quick alternative for a daily driver. Selling the car would, in ideal circumstances at that time, have made me around 2.5k (€ or £ the difference was negligible).So I decided not to sell it and keep it in "storage".

Almost 10y later I'm considering getting her ready for 2030, when she'll be an "Old Timer". This "project" will first of all involve a general evaluation of work to be done to get her back to being a runner. I'll try to approach this from an economical standpoint so if at any point (maybe from the start) it turns out to be cheaper to abandon the car and get a runner instead ,this project will be abandoned.

All this being said, I'm quite used to manual labour, I got some good contacts for the esthetical/bodywork side of things and I've got a great sensei to point me in the right way for the mechanical side of things.

Why I'm making this thread?
Well I've got a Coupé that hasn't run in about 10y and I'd like to have all the input possible to get her running again, or get an evaluation why it would be better to give up on the car.

For closure; I haven't been on these forums for about the same time my 20VT hasn't run. I'll try to keep my posts as tidy and the pics as clean as possible but at this time I have no idea how even this thread will turn out to be.

The first thing I might suggest is to watch some of those 'not moved in thirty years; will it start and drive home?' videos that are all over youtube, and basically ignore them

You have three major areas of concern:

• Is the engine, gearbox, and drivetrain still in a usable condition? Does the engine turn over by hand? If it does turn, does it start and is it likely to meet the emissions regulations? Is the clutch actually clutching and releasing?
• Rust... particularly rust that's invisible; there are lots of places where it hides and they will all need fixing.
• Braking system. Seized calipers, particularly at the back, and unusable handbrake (in spite of the rumours, the coupe handbrake does work and is quite adequate - provided that the caliper pins are greased at least once a year and that you actually use the bloody handbrake; too many don't.)

There will be other things likely, too, probably electrical, which may need sorting.

Good luck!

Neil