16v NA - Daily driver?

not got one yet but thinking of buying one soon maybe..been reading on here recently and was getting put off by how high maintenance coupes seem to be,but reading this thread made me think a n/a 16v coupe might be ok for a daily driver.so do they make a reasonably safe bet in standard form for doing about 30 miles a day on the trip to work and running around as an everyday car? apoligies if this is in the wrong place.

Mine's a daily driver since new 14 years ago. Broken one cambelt in that time, which unfortunately killed the engine a year later. I'm about to replace the suspension - at 145k miles it's getting tired but that's to bring it back to as-new, not because it's about to fall over.

Read Shaun's thread about his troubles with a cheap coupe. Then remember that the NA has much less to go wrong with it. Like any old car, you need to be careful in your selection and aware that it may not have had the best of care by previous owners.

I'm moving this to its own thread to avoid cluttering up the 'who's got one' thread.

Neil

The 16v n/a is a cracker but also consider the 20v n/a, a slightly newer model and will also deliver decent mileage

As barnacle says, read the other thread. Remember, these were fairly expensive cars when new and are now getting on a bit. Buy a forum owned one, try not to buy one for a few hundred quid (as these will likely be cheap for a reason) and be prepared for some expense.

A well maintained n/a coupe will probably be as reliable as any other 10 year old car

There are lots of things to look for but there is a good buyers's guide on here. As Barnacle says, the key issue can be cambelts. People will often tell you that a cambelt has been done but it is imperative that the balance belt has also been done.

I'm restoring one and have a breaker too and I have been impressed with the condition of the items that I have been taking off. When we towed my breaker back, there were no rattles and squeaks and it had been standing for over a year.

Parts prices are very good with rear discs typically £10 each and an oil and filter service around £40. Look after it and it will look after you. Watch this space as I may have one for sale very soon.

thanks for moving this to the proper place and for the info so far.could have bought a 16v about 3 mths ago for £1000 and also another one for parts for about £350 but then needed to replace the wifes car so im thinking of going to check if they are still for sale.was a bit put off by all the expensive to run sounding turbos but it seems the 16v should be no different than any more normal fiats if kept standard.

The 16v and 20v na coupes are wonderful cars, fast enough, have a great engine note and are fairly cheap to run in my exp, parts are reasonable if you shop around too. Coupled with this fantastic forum and help/advice its hard to go wrong just buy a good one, look after it and it should be very reliable indeed.

might be interested in a metallic blue 1995 coupe,on autotrader ,wonder does anyone know it reg n***ppm ?