swedey

i was thinking of getting a fiat coupe 20v turbo sorry.....just that its cheaper to insure etc.any one had one?, looked on the net at there site and they seem to think this is the best coupe going.but i would like an unbiased view?? must admit i dont like the idea of a fiat badge on the front....told a mate and he pissed himself asked if the heat had got to me......

rik1471

Quoted from some Fiat site:


Advantages: Great looking car, 220bhp goes like wotsit off a stick
Disadvantages: has a fiat badge on it, insurance group 19

If you like driving you should try driving one of these.

Ok, you might go through the tyres every 10,000 miles, you might only get 20-28(v max) mpg. You might pay through the nose to insure the damn thing, but....

the sheer pleasure in driving one of these is collosal. The 20v turbo does 0-60 in 6 secs, with top speed of 155mph. When the turbo kicks in the hairs on the back of youe next stand up (by this point they are about 100 metres behind you).

and it is FUN TO DRIVE.... a lot of fun,and when you aren't driving fast - you look v cool.

This is one of those cars which common sense says 'I shouldn't really', but the heart says 'damn it I want one'.

Give one a test drive and you'll see what I mean.
Life is too short....

I bought a 97P reg 20V Turbo in Sprint Blue (exactly the same as the picture).

Paid a little over the odds at £8000 as bought from a main dealer with full service history and the car had only done 23000 miles and was/is absolutely immaculate with traction control / aircon/climate control, leather interior/6 cd player which are optional extras to the standard equipment (abs / immobiliser / electric windows / electric mirrors / driver and passenger airbags / immobiliser / alloy wheels etc).

Why did I choose the coupe? Most fun thing I have ever driven. Price is accessible (for the performance and the amount of car you get). There are not that many of them about. There is nowhere else you can get this level of performance but still have room in the back for doing the mundane tasks like dropping the kids off / shopping etc.

I have had no reliability issues as yet, but then haven't had it that long (the aircon whistles occasionally after a while - this can be annoying).

The handling is superb. It really is quite suprisingly easy to drive, it is not an overpowered monster to be tamed and is suited to town driving if necessary. Once you pick up the revs and the turbo kicks in then you are pushed into the back of your seat with a very silly grin on your face.

The ride is firm but not massively hard. The power steering is incredibly light and exact. Grip is also very good although the ride can be very noisy over concrete. The gearbox is incredibly smooth.

The brake and accelerator are spaced at exactly the right position so you can heel the brake while keeping the revs up and depress the clutch at the same time (so as not to lose any of that valuable speed).

Purchase Price 5,000 - 10,000 2nd hand
Reliability* Good
Safety* Good
Spaciousness* Good
Comfort* Excellent
Handling* Excellent
Customer service* Satisfactory
Security* Excellent
Looks* Excellent
Features* Excellent
Fuel consumption* Poor
Recommend to potential buyers: yes
Overall rating:* 5STAR

swedey

cheers for all that. i went and test drove a sprint blue one last week as it happens,without aircon though,liked the sound very much! went well too.just i was worried that i had made a mistake once the scoob had gone.checked the insurance £100 cheaper than my 94wrx.once again cheers swede

slimtim

hutton_d are you sure your ex had a turbo and not a standard 20v. Against a standard uk spec turbo scoob its 2 seconds faster to 100, which by my reckoning is faster by a long chalk.

Also in a straight line pick any gear but first and you will find it will take a fairly high spec scoob to live with it.

Obviously the handling isnt in the same class as scoob (but lets not start that arguement), but for pure straight line grunt, standard 20vt vs standard scoob i know which id pick.

so take your cue and chalk that.

Also cambelt is about £500 quid from any specialist other than Fiat.

dave20vt

Cambelt - i got my cambelt done recently on my 20vt, £650, and thats with the engine out.

other problem is cracked manifold, car can run with it for ages, but in the end crack gets to big, sounds like a tractor, £350 approx for new one, thats including fitting.

plus points - sounds great, 60 - 100 in the 20vt is very good in deed, 8secs.

dave

julesm

Does nobody on this Forum know how to use the search facility?

This thread has been done time and time again, with the same un-educated comments having to be put right.

Cambelt can be done engine in for 400 pounds and has been this way for the past couple of years.

Performance is as follows;

0-60 - 6.0
0-100 - 14.5
30-70 - 5.2
Max - 155mph
Weight - 1307kg
1/4mile- 14.5
BHP - 220
Torque - 228

They are the figures for a standard 20VT. Like I have said in a couple of previous posts, quite a few 20VT's now run with mild mods such as Chip, PRV, SS Exhaust, Drilled Box, Filter and DV. This will push the BHP up to a minimum of 260bhp. By doing this you can start to knock a fair bit of time of the above quotes for a standard model.

Excellent cars, good value for money, love it or hate it styling, cambelt does need doing at 72k or 5 years, so take that into consideration when buying it, e.g. if it's done 70k then use the Cambelt service as a bargaining tool, if it's already had the belt done then this is a big bonus, if it's got low mileage or is a later model (circa. 2000), then you won't have to worry about it for a couple of years! There are a few for sale on the above quoted Fiat Coupe Website/Forum, just had a quick look and there are 2 with cambelts done and a few other extras both 98R's for 5-5700 pounds......bargain!

swedey

cheers guys for the comments.the one i went and looked at was a "p" 85k,cambelt just changed,wanted £3950.alas scabby wheels,18" it is then.....dont suppose any body knows how much juice it drinks??.my 94 wrx eats about £20 to 100 miles,dont seem to matter if i boot it or not....

julesm

Swedey,

Mine averages about 26mpg, but mine has a few mods. On a decent run it will average 30+mpg. Depends how hard you drive it. Like with a Scooby it is pretty hard not to boot it. Check out the Fiat Coupe website at www.fccuk.org for more info and check the Cars For Sale section, might find something decent there.

[Edited by julesm - 7/17/2003 10:53:06 AM]

[Edited by julesm - 7/17/2003 10:53:39 AM]

Alec

Is there a BBS for these?

Cheers

Alec

LG John

Chestnut........this................old

julesm

LOL

www.fccuk.org

[Edited by julesm - 7/17/2003 3:39:39 PM]