Buying advice required

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this forum and, after having read the buyers guide, I want to ask for some advice on a Fiat Coupe that I’m thinking of buying.

It’s an S Reg 1998 2.0 20V Turbo, metallic ice blue, 103k miles, black leather seats, sun roof, body kit, CD changer, service history, 2 previous owners (one lady + the dealer that took it as part exchange and had it for about a month), 11 months MOT, no tax. The seller asks for £1,795.

I went yesterday to see it. The engine seems to be in a pretty good condition. The dealer said that it had the cam belt changed at around 65k. He MOTed it a few weeks ago, changed the rear discs and all pads. He drove it for a test drive and I must admit that it was more powerful than I expected. But it was my first time in a Fiat Coupe. The clutch and gearbox seemed OK. The oil pressure, too.

Some problems that I’ve seen:

- The metal body kit part (approx 10cm x 60cm) that is in front of the radiator, above the front bumper, is quite rusty and would probably need repairing and repainting.

- A small (1cm x 1cm) rusty part on the lower part of the boot.

- The passenger seat has an approx 2cm long unsewed part.

- It only has one key, so no red key.

- Both front tyres were initially almost completely flat. The tyres are not too worn out though.

Any ideas of how much the fixing of these problems might cost? Also, could you please give me some advice on what else I should look for before buying and what to expect after buying?

I should add that I don’t need the car for commuting, it would be just for the pleasure of driving such an engine. Also, I wouldn’t want to have to spend a lot on it after I buy it.

Thanks!

Ok, well the cambelt will need doing again, and almost definitely the aux belts too, budget around £500 for this at a specialist, £1000+ plus from a Fiat dealer. Front suspension bits'n'bobs are weak points on the coupe, so if there is no receipt these will need attention too no doubt, no red key spells expense too, then there's the turbo condition. Im not trying to put you off, I love coupes!! For a little more money, say £2k - 2.5k you could get a much better, unrusted, full service history, with cambelt / suspension bits done, which would be cheaper in the long run. Happy hunting

Have a look in our own Coupés for Sale section, you may get a far better deal


Oh, and welcome to the forum

Thanks. Still looking. And still thinking about the one I mentioned.

From the sale section, unfortunately, the one that is quite close to what I want was sold yesterday: Lucfrog's 20VT Broom yellow Coupe.

Be patient and watch the for sale section. Also have a look at Solo Italia's stock. They are well liked on here as is countrycruising who normally has something for sale. With this car, the most important thing is history. Buy one from a forum member rather than the trade/private sales.

be prepared to travel, it will significantly improve your prospects of getting an excellent car at a great price. i'd also endorse the comments of trying to buy one off this forum and with sufficient history from a trusted garage - then you dont have to worry about mileage/reliability issues, they're great and robust cars if kept properly....

Thanks everyone for your advice. In the end I decided to buy Darlo_Nick's 16VT. So I'm a happy Coupe owner now. And I hope to remain happy for a long time. :-)