juan

I'm on my second coupe now having had evo jap rocket b4 that.

Both Fiats (and evo) never had a problem (though someone wrote the first Fiat off).

Anyone who says the 20vts are cr@p / poor interior / unreliable / slow etc. has either not had long enough in one / not driven one at all (most likely) / causing mischief / just talking cr@p they've heard from other cr@p spouters (again highly probable - theres a lot of it about) (hell I've even been known to do it myself )

running about 260bhp presently - no problem at all getting the power down.

handling is NOT on a par with jap 4x4 once you're onto non-smooth surfaces but is BETTER than jap 4x4 on A roads and motorways.

It can't get off the line as quick as jap 4x4 but will equal / beat most once you're up and running, especially once you start modding them.

6 speed will cruise at 100mph at 3,5K revs (theoretically ) which is nice.

The Fiat feels a lot heavier and less responsive than (my) evo which felt like a cart, though that too had been played with



If you like both then picking between something like a scoob and a 20vt should really depend on what kind of roads you do the majority of your driving on in my opinion. I do mostly main roads now so have the 20vt

The Fiat took a lot longer to get the most out of though. In the evo you just point and floor it and you're away - You have to know how to get the most oput of the Fiat and its a very different drive

Both mine have been 2000 cars so can't comment on the older ones - try coupe site for more info and look through old posts etc.


one other thing:

Fiat dealers are bl00dy awful and incompetent. If u get one take it to a specialist - there are plenty about now. the fiat forum can point you to your local one if need be

[Edited by juan - 7/6/2003 8:32:02 PM]

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

As above, whats the problem with the Fiat 20v Turbo?

Servicing ridiculously high?

Slow?

Poor handling?

Rust bucket?

Unreliable?

I want to know, I've seen a few recently for sale and they seem quite cheap, around £5-6000 for 1997-1999's

def

-Fwd,poor build
+200bhp+,interior

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

Front wheel drive is the bummer really.

Build quality and interior worse than a scoob?

IanR

When they need a 60,000 mile service you have to change the cam belt, do do this Fiat quote to take the engine out, costs approx £1,200 for the job plus anything else at the time!!

Beware mileage and full service history. Brakes discs also need constant changing.

Great car in straight line!

fatherpierre

You can get the cam belt done for about £500 now.

That £1k+ for it is simply a myth.

They're great cars in a straight line and have a brilliant 3rd gear.

Handling and traction not so hot, though. Build quality isn't o bad, for a Fiat.

GTI

See that little badge on the front with these four letters F I A T thats why, because they can't hold there value. Has alot to do with fiats reputation! Looking quite dated now, might be why? Also 6 year old fiats can be a serious disaster!

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

The coupe Looks dated ?

Compared to what, love it or hate it but couldnt say it looks dated !

GTI

Just a personal opinion it just looks dated from the side, back infact every angle to me, its just an opinion, although may be because I've only seen them in yellow recently.

R1916v

few known major problems that have tarnished the model.

ie cambelt changes and cracking manifolds.

IwantAscoob

def, what you on about interior ?, you been in a full leathered one, they are lovely inside, and they go like goose **** throught a tin horn.

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

Mmmmm what looks better a MY 94 Impreza or a Coupe ? Is it suprising that they look "aged", they're designs that are nearly 10 years old FFS ! If they still looked modern now, nobody would have bought them 10 years ago as they'd have looked too outlandish.

D

julesm

Same old uneducated comments!!

Cheap for the following reasons;

Fiats previous reliability reputation.

Cambelt myth - 400 quid to do nowdays, but yes originally Fiat quoted 1200!!

Love it or hate it design!

I own a 98R, and never had a problem with it, it's done 84k had it's cambelt done a year ago for 400 quid. It still runs off it's original turbo and is in excellent condition. It is also running the following mods, Novitec chip, PRV, SS Exhaust, Filter/Airbox mod, cooler plugs and lowerted and stiffer Eibach suspension. The car is rapid, not just in a straight line but also around corners and on twisty roads! The handling may not be in the Scooby league but it wasn't built as a rally inspired car!

Cheap, fast, tuneable car, try one first before you comment on what you have been told or have heard on the "grapevine".

Stu_M

The article on Fiat dealers may have something to do with it

http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue021.html

DAC

FIAT - Fix It Again Tomorrow

LOL -
never had coupe - but other fiats - never again

julesm

DAC,

Like I said, people can only draw on past experiences or what they have heard. Prior to owning the Coupe I had mainly driven Audi's, so have never experienced reliability or poor build quality problems. So when it came to buying a Fiat Coupe I was very apprehensive. However aftyer test driving a few my views changed and to the cars credit it has never let me down....even in it's now modded form.

I agree the Fiat Dealerships are ****e, so unless it's a dealer only part that is required then most owners steer clear of them, there are plenty of non dealership service garages who can do the servicing better and at half the cost.

20VT is still a great car IMHO and at the end of the day that's what it boils down to...personal opinion...

worley

I've been testing driving some 20V Turbos, as a friend wants one (once I convince him to avoid Corrados ).

I found them stylish with a superb interior, great engine and responsive handling. 1st time I'd driven a proper Fiat, but found it a pleasant suprise.

Also nice in red.

Dunk

iTrader: (1)

I had a 16v turbo that when I got rid of 2.5 yrs ago had done 109k, a few squeaks & rattles but mechanically fine. Saw it for sale recently for £3.5k !!!!!
Good car, but quite uninvolving.

D

jameswrx

iTrader: (4)

julesm, thanks for the input. I was wondering if it was due to the past reputation.

When I mentioned one at work I got similar negative comments like, it's a Fiat, they rust, expensive to run, blah, blah.

I personally would reserve judgement until I'd driven one, but it looks like the people who have genuine experience of them think they are good.

Seem like a bargain to me

andyg3

I sold my 95 wrx for a 1998 fiat coupe 20v turbo in sprint blue, its got tan leather interior and a new engine and hybrid turbo novitec chip, green cotton induction kit and is slightly lowered all round... this car in my eyes looks amazing even though its nearly a ten year old design and i'd say this is a hell of alot quicker to a 100 than my subaru was. Not so quick off the line because of the front wheel drive (even though it does come with standard traction control) but once in its stride i dont think anything this side of a P1 could keep up with it, it'll easily pull up to its 155 top whack without any hassle. plus its slightly cheaper to run/maintain than the scoob.

In fact mine is now up for sale if anyone is interested?

R1916v

how much?

andyg3

I would except 5500 for it and i can assure you it runs like a new car... i drove quite a few before this one. Going to get a set of plugs and an oil filter change done before i sell it though.

AllanB

I've always found Fiats great to drive and very cheap to fix if they do go wrong. Faults tend to be few and are rarely mechnical. Fiat engines are very strong ,electrics used to be the biggest issue with Fiats like most French cars.

Fiat doesn't not have a great reputation which is due to ignorance about the brand and the fact that many of the dealers are **** and as the cars are cheap they get bought by owners who negelect them.

A well cared for Fiat should give years of great vlaue smiles for miles.


AllanB

julesm

Andy,

Do you post on the Fiat Coupe Forum?

You should try advertising your Coupe in the For Sale section on the Forum, there are quite a few people on their looking for a 20VT so you may get a really quick sale. www.fccuk.org. For 5.5k and with the hybrid + Novitec it should sell with no problems.

jamiepm

Firstly hi all,
This my first thread on this site,although I own a Fiat Coupe 20VT I like to see how other car enthusiasts enjoy their preferred 'weapon of choice'.We all here horror stories about various cars and I was undecided whether to buy a coupe instead of a Scooby.The insurance swung it for me as there was nearly £500 difference.As far as issues/servicing costs the main fault with FCT is manifold cracks which has been identified/admitted by Fiat but aside from that they are no different to other performance cars.The cambelt saga really is overhyped,I'm not a mechanic but by 'borrowing' the cam locking tools from my local Fiat garage I changed the cambelt in 4-5 hours with engine in situ and it was a piece of pee to do.Aside from that the car is great, it doesn't go round bends like a Scooby but straight line I've never had any issues keeping up with any variant of the Scooby.At the end of the day we all love/hate our cars for different reasons

GTI

Are fiats really that bad, are they really that unreliable aren't they on the change with the new things like the ugly bus (sorry multpla)?
No wonder there skint!

fatherpierre

My brother had a 20VT for about 4 years and it never missed a beat.

Fast, reliable and miles cheaper to run than my MR2T.

Not as quick or well balanced though