I am going to see a coupe in the Newport area today at around 4.30pm.

I know it is short notice, but wondered if there was any more experienced owners in the area that would like to help me out.

I have printed off the buyers guide, and I have seen 3 before, so I have some idea of what to ask/look for, but in my mind, nothing beats experience!

Thanks

Barry

which one is it ?

This one:

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/228635.htm

And here are the bad bits I have to consider before making a decision.

* Multiple dings in both doors and rear quarters. (I would guess 20 in total, the worst is visible in the photo near hinge)
*I 12 inch scratch down to primer on the passengers side rear quarter (seller said he would "get it blown in" if I wanted it sorted.
*The bonnet has a dent in the front above the drivers side head light (visible in the photo) and another near the windscreen.
*Cam Belt is due in 1 year or 10k.
*Wheels in need of refurbishment or replacement.
*Tyres don't have long to go.
*Currently the fuel cap will not stay closed!? Although this will also "be sorted"

I guess these things are reflected in the asking price.

I may go back to do a deal on Saturday (perhaps someone will be available then to see if there isn't anything major I have overlooked.)

Anyone have any thoughts?

I would say that nearer 1800 - 2000 would be acceptable but only if its got history. The other bits can be sorted if you know a friendly sprayer (about £300 i reckon).

The door panels are not a problem for a good dentman. The other bits are minor, remember this is a car that 10 years old so you would expect some curbing and the filler cap can be sorted for £30.

Dont worry about the cosmetics anyway, worry about the bits the mechanical bits.

Just my pennies worth

"Dont worry about the cosmetics anyway, worry about the bits the mechanical bits."

thats what I said when he looked at mine.... makes my car seem in good nick after reading whats wrong with that one!

Have you seen this Tyler? http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=415801#Post415801

or this? http://www.fiatcoupeclub.org/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=432665#Post432665

Ahh it's back on the market, but it's gone up by £300!?

Ruspers is very nice, but £1300 dearer than the one I saw today.

the second is over my budget.

I don't mind a car having a little work needed if the price is right.

@Damien - Yours is a lovely car, it's just I have got stuck on the Turbo! Good luck with your sale, I am surprised it hasn't gone yet.

I'd personally push the budget a few hundred to get a car needing no work instead of one that seems to need a few niggles sorted but then turns out to need much more TLC ... but that's me

so what was the car like??

But look at what has been done to Ruspers car compared to the turkey you have just seen. Cheaper to buy Ruspers in the long run.

Says above

I agree with Skint...peace of mind is worth a lot...who wants to spend time, hassle and money getting a less good car sorted to save a hundred quid?

You fool. If I knew where you lived I would come round and give you a good shake.

Ruspers is tip top if you want a turbo. You are unlikely to find anything better. Bodywork is easy to sort, mechanicals are much more expensive.

And the one you saw today was a turd. A cheap turd but still a turd, and you will find plenty of other turds for that sort of money which you can buy and polish but at the end of the day they will still be a turd (albeit a polished one).

Now, the reason the ruspers is more expensive (and this is the tricky bit so listen very c-a-r-e-f-u-l-l-y) is that his car is in better condition and has more bits on it, the wheels and front leather seats alone would cost about £1000 new. Its got a bodykit, uprated suspension and its a turbo. And the stunning part is that is has a very reasonable mileage and its got a full service history and if you had the time you could trace back the ownership on here.

But if you insist on buying a turd then go ahead, carl, motormech, powerfiat and anyone else you wish to take it to and spend your hard earned cash will only be too happy to help you polish it.

Rant over

lol at sugerbear But so true as history and condition are everything for a coop...I guess there's a reason why cars hang around on AT, Pistonheads, here etc

Bad bits listed above:

Here are some of the good.

*Drove well.
*No smoke.
*Good oil pressure.
*Nice tan leather.
*Clean.
*Lots of history.

Even Rusper agrees his car isn't perfect, the bad bits are listed in his ad.

No 3.5k coop is going to be perfect and the faults he lists could be sorted for a couple of hundred quid and none are exactly major mechanical faults Indeed, I doubt there is a *perfect* coupe as they are all at least 6 years old now If you want a perfect car, you'll need to buy new and then you'll never want to take it anywhere in case a stone hits it or someone knocks it in a carpark etc

I understand that you want get a perfect car at this age or price.

It seems to me that some people on this forum are quick to knock cars they haven't seen, and build up those that are owned by other forum members, even though they too have faults.

I would say that car would be great value for £2000, although if the owner has never been on here there are obvious disadvantages to that. Did you ask them if they ever used the forum? even if just to read the odd how to guide, or find their nearest specialist... etc

The seller didn't know about the forum. He is a trader, and as such has very little interest or knowledge on this particular car.

The point is people who are regular forum users are generally people who take a interest in their car.. which suggests they will do everything which needs to be done and when it needs to be done.

There are lots of stories on here where a 'mint low miler' has appeared.. and it turns out they are absolute dogs.

All im saying is i would rather buy a car of someone one who has cherished and cared for it during there ownership.

Barry, might I suggest that you don't knock the help you are being given quite so readily - whilst there are still some people being patient enough to assist.

The fact that a car is owned by a club member/forum user is not a guarantee that the car is better. But the fact that someone is bothered enough about the car eg. to pay membership is indicative of someone who values the car. They also will have had access to the wealth of information you are trying to tap into, enabling the car to be cared for better. Also the cars will have been seen and sometimes driven by other enthusiasts on here and we will tend to know about the history of a car as we have helped with putting right any problems.

It seems a bit daft when you are asking for help to frown upon people pointing out potential problems/plus points with a purchase that you might not otherwise be aware of. We are not selling our own cars, but trying to find you a good one.

I am not a gambling man, but if it was going to cost me a bit more to have a car that was less likely to go pop and cost me a lot more, it's a no-brainer.

If you are looking at a car in a particular area, there is a dedicated thread where people in each area have volunteered to help. I think you are more likely to get a positive response from people if you check that first.

Emjay, thanks for your comments, I honestly appreciate the help I am getting from here, and didn't mean to sound like I was knocking it at all.

I have searched for Newport in the thread you speak of but haven't found any, so I posted this thread. So far I have had no offers from anyone willing to accompany me.

You're never going to get a coop that does not have something wrong with it, they are getting old now - mounts, bushes etc. you could also buy a 2 year old ALFA and have a load of issues just after buying it. The buying price of a 20vt or 16vt is just the tip of the iceburg - anyone who thinks they can just get together 2-3K to buy one and is worried about paying £400 quid more for a belt change etc. should think about their choice of car. My car is maintained as well as possible - when it's been to Torque Italia or Powerfiat I've simply said if you see something that needs replacing then do it, but I also know it will never be 'perfect', and there are always faults to fix. (I might be a little fussey though...)

The fact is that a badly looked after coupe will be an absolute dog and cost a lot of money to put right, and now more than ever you have to be prepared to look around for the right one.

A while ago a friend of mine asked me to look at a 20vt with him as he needed to buy a temporary car - it was a '99, with 50,000 on the clock and no history. I took one look at it in fadeing light and told him to walk away - interior was leather but frayed to bits, dings, dents, taped up boost pipe, no undertray, gearbox linkage shot (I drove it) etc. He offered a grand for it - sold it a few weeks later, and it then ended up with CarlT shortly after that, who found the car was not even road worthy...

Was it Scott's Green and in North London as I think I looked at that?

Hmmm, your talk of taped up boost pipes has reminded me of something else that caught my eye under the bonnet of this coupe in Newport

I think I'll keep looking!

That would be this LOW MILEAGE minter then:
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/fiatcoupes/Shitters%20for%20hacking/DCP_0003.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j213/fiatcoupes/Shitters%20for%20hacking/DCP_0005.jpg


Car had been rolled and was still out of shape. Upper turrets were at least an inch out of place.

I gave it a good poking with the forklift, every panel was "repaired"

That was the minter I looked at. Even I spotted it was rubbish.

yep - utter waste of a grand, though he sold it on a few weeks later at a profit being honest about it's condition and history, but not knowing about half the stuff CarlT found.

Tyler I will back down a bit on this one, maybe the dark red one you saw was not a turd, but there are several items you should be aware of before you go comparing it to ruspers.

You said that the cambelt needs doing so thats £400 required asap

You said that it had a scratch down the side as well and a dent in the bonnet, you can get a bodge merchant to repair it for £100 but you will see problems and it will never be perfect (I paid £300 quid to a chips-away man and the results were poor, very poor). So you need at least £300 for a reasonable job, just blowing it in sounds like cr@p to me, and seeing as you seem to want something nice you will be disappointed.

So those two jobs alone are going to set you back £700, so thats only £600 quid difference between the one you saw and ruspers not £1300. The sum of ruspers parts are worth a damn site more than the £600 quid difference. Like I said you could buy ruspers and sell/swap the wheels/tyres for £200-400 and swap the front leather seats for maybe £200 if you wanted.

So already your car is now down to exactly the same price as the red one you saw. But you can view ruspers posts and see exactly what has gone wrong with his car and what he has done to fix it.

A good dentman will sort a car for a couple of hundred.

Also your trader is a trader for a reason, he is there to make a profit, not to help you find the best motor for your money. So he will probably have picked that car up for much less than he is advertising and you then need to think why did he pick it up so cheap. Maybe he got it in px or maybe someone else put it through an auction because it had problems.

Yes it could be a genuine bargain. Good luck anyway.