There are way too many negative posts here nowadays, so time for something positive What was your first coupe drive like?

It was back in 2002, probably april or may. I had just finished my education a few months earlier and started my first decent job. I had saved up some money and was looking for a new car. Initially I was looking for either an Alfa 146 or a Lancia Delta HPE (the newer delta which was never sold in the UK). When I was looking in the adverts on the internet one day I came across a black Fiat Coupe 16v with leather interior, it was for sale for 8000 euro's. I had never realised they were so affordable already (just within my budget). I called the seller and the car had just sold that day (after being on sale for over 2 months!). Unlucky I guess, but it did get my attention and added the coupe to my car list.

A few days/weeks later I found a chaminox green 16v with leather and aircon and around 106.000km on the clock. I think it was for sale for around 8500 euro. I called the garage and made an appointment to have a look at it (nearly a 2 hour drive to get there!). That was actually the first time I had a proper close look at a Fiat Coupe and I was simply amazed by how nice it looked up close!. I'm not a fan of the chamonix green at all now, but loved it back then (I guess the car itself did it though!). The interior impressed me even more, it looked like a very expensive sportscar.

Unfortunately this wasn't a good example and the garage looked quite dodgy as well. It was scrathed and dented all around, had an awful looking aftermaket exhaust, the door rubbers were hanging loose, the tyres were all low on air, looked like it wasn't washed in months, battery was flat and the interior was really smelly (the previous owner must have been have heavy smoker!).

I suppose you'd normally run away quickly after that! But I was so impressed that I persuaded the salesman for a testdrive. After hooking up a battery booster it started on the first go (who says 16v's are unreliable ). I only drove it for around 10 minutes, but I must have had a huge smile all the time. I never even got the chance to test the performance or the handling (wouldn't have been that good with about 1.5 bar in the tyres anyway), but just the feeling of sitting on the leather seats and looking at that dashboard and the long bonnet in front made it feel so impressive!

After that my list of cars was reduced to just one, it had to be a Fiat Coupe!

I ended up buying a steel grey 16v (although in this case a 1.8 16v) with black leather and aircon a few weeks later. I was very happy with that and spend quite a bit of money on it, but after being in a 20vt plus as a passenger at the first annual FCCUK event I was so impressed that I had to have one of those!. I kept the 16v for while longer, saved up some money and bought my current moon grey 20vt plus a year later.

I hated the Coupes looks when it first came out.
But then i went to work for Fiat and took a drive in one.
I remember it well as every car i wanted but couldnt afford when i was younger always dissapointed me when i drove it.
Pulsar,integrale,200sx, xr2 , etc etc,
but the first drive i had was in a sprint blue 20vt.
And the engine ...... i had to take 3 runs round the test route as it was soooo quick..
After that the looks grew on me .

My first drive in a Coupe was test driving the one I then bought, almost 3 years ago now off a private seller. It was sunny but had just rained so it was covered in water beads. The interior was amazing, immaculately presented and the strong smell of leather. It drove just beautifully, gliding effortlessly down the road, everything was tight and precise, and the power from the GTIR turbo was unbelievable. The steering and lowered suspension felt so good, and the Blueflame exhaust made an incredible sound. It felt utterly superior to any car I had ever driven before, and I'd driven some fairly new cars.

I recently test drove another Coupe at a dealer near me and it felt like it had just been pulled off a scrap heap, it was so bad. It made me want mine back even more.

I chap where I used to work at Epson had a ink black 20vt that he spent a lot of money on, I remember him completely destroying my 3lrt Supra on the way to work one morning. And more importantly the sound it made when it went past

He took me home in it once as we were car sharing. I think that's when I first fell in love with them. The dash stripe, the seats, the speed.

My first coupé that I actually drove was a 20v n/a Silver coupé. I remember graining ear to ear on the way home, With out a doubt it was a shed. Dinks, Dents, But I loved it non the less. Sadly it was taken away from me in a accident involving the bonnet flipping open and taking everything out. I have never been so upset to see of mine drive off in to the distance

I had an evo and my mate used to keep up with that in his stock coupe...Wasnt impressed at the time.
But can see why now.

johnnybravoturbo just out of interest why didn't you like the looks to begin with?

Well unlike my Ex Mrs the coupe for me got beautiful the older it got...
I think at the time it came out most cars were pug 405's citroen zx's mondeos,
everything was so boring and run of the mill.The coupe was way out there with styling and boldness.
Dont get me wrong i wasnt a fan of the box cars but the styling for my tastes at that time were a bit too radical.

My first drive was in Catman11`s green 20vt 6 yrs ago(the one mawv just sold)
It felt solid,well built,loved the sound even more than the scooby warble,and then i put my foot down!...
I also had a shot in Barny`s 16v na at the falkirk wheel meet and got it drifting
I had an impreza at the time and sold it a few months later to buy a yellow 20vt which got ragged round everywhere
I drive a lot more sedately now but still love all the other attributes of this wonderfull car.

Dave

My first drive scared the living daylights out of me.

So I bought it.

My first drive was in the year 2000, booked at the Fiat Dealer after watching a Top Gear review of it.
The car I tested was an ink black 20VT with push button start.
I remember not being that impressed with the performance but loving the sound and handling and the cabin, but then I properly put my foot down and was totally amazed by the endless surge of power.
I liked the subtlety of the black, and quietly driving it through town getting the odd admiring look was nice.

My first drive was in 2003. It was my dads 20VT plus. I was impressed by the way it went and vowed to buy one one day.

I too wasn't keen on the Coupes looks when it came out, but it grew on me.

I bet I had a first drive before anyone else here... and I liked it so much I spent a week trying the turbo and the NA before deciding...

In 1995.

When i was about 11 years old, my father bought him a new 16v (1800). From that moment my car passion, or more specific my fiat coupé passion started. Untill i was 17 years old i enjoyed it when my father took it out for a drive around town. The heads were turning, and back then the preformance was quite amazing.

At the age of 18 my father bought an alfa romeo and the coupé was for me. I drove it for 4 years and then took the step to a 20vt. I'm having this one for 1,5 years and it still keeps amazing me.

From my first ride back then untill now, i enjoyed every single moment. And i'm proud to say i never owned an other car than a fiat coupé. And as i see it now, will never own something else (except maybe a second car so the coupé doesn't make to much miles).

I had just driven god knows how many miles to Solo in my mother's 1.0 Micra, so you can imagine what fun it was driving the Coop!

I was still in School then

I saw it first on top gear in 2000 also and just fell in love with its looks. Went to my local Fiat dealership and took a '97 sprint blue 20VT for a test drive that week. I left the dealership 2 hours later with a 3 year old coupe on 24k miles after part ex my escort 1.8si. Had that car for 5 years but always promised myself a turbo plus one day. Now got a sprint blue plus as a second car but will never be as special as my first. Wonder where it is now.

My previous cars had all been old hot-hatches; Novas (yeah I said Novas, so what? ), and Renaults and I wanted something more 'modern' feeling and not so flimsy, but still fast.

The very first time I saw one about 6 years ago, I thought it looked ugly and sounded daft with it's chavy dump valve. Then three years ago I saw another one and thought "Wow, that looks amazing!" I think it was an LE!

Very first Coupe impression? Liked the interior and the build quality. It handled really well for big heavy saloon. However, I was completely underwhelmed by the power. In fact, I thought there was something wrong with it! Three test different test drives later I realised they just weren't that 'turbo-e' My previous cars included Renault 5 GT Turbos and a 200bhp turbocharged Clio 16V, so you can see why!

My first experience was as a rental. I took it to Exmoor for a long weekend (£80 ) and obliterated everything for three days.

You were disappointed by an Integrale?

G

Have you left now then mate

My first drive was a N Reg 20V about 8 years ago. Saw it outside the local fiat dealers and just had to try it Remeber doing a dragster start from the lights once I got round the corner from the garage and taking it up to about 90 (it was in a 30 but I was young and foolish back then ) Would have bought it but the bonnet was absolutely peppered in stone chippings and they would not entertain painting it so i bought a Brava instead

Next was a Portafino I came across in a local dealers but it was far too girly Then I found my sprint blue 20VT

I wanted a fiat coupe for a long time but by the time I could afford one I thought I wanted something newer and decided on a TT.
Then I got hit by a lorry...well my car did and cost me some of my cash to get it back on the road so budget reduced and the coupe idea was back.

First drive was Hannys motor...when he drove I nearly myself! Nuff said!!!

I eventually went for a vinci grey le and even though it cost me a fortune...5 coops later and looking for the sixth says everything

Short answer is when I purchased my car in early 2008. To be very honest, as some one else on here commented, that there wasn't much of big deal at its launch, when it first came out. Back then I wasn't really a Fiat fan I remember Clarkson raving about them. Like others on here Ive been through a few bangers in my time & the odd good one. Ive been a petrol head for as far back as I can remember, but had a full social life I had been on the look out for quite some time, then saw a good one on pistonheads not far from where I stay. The rest is history as they say. The drive by the way did indeed impress me...

My first test drive was a yellow 16vt (of course) from the old Fiat garage in Ash/Aldershot was shortly after the UK launch in July 1995. AFAIK there were very few if any N reg Coupe's since it changed to M reg on 1 August 1995 and nobody in their right mind would buy on an N plate only for it to become "a year old" after just a week or two (well apart from Neil perhaps ). I had to be accompanied by a salesman who was telling me how so many people wanted to thrash the pants off it and they didn't want it trashed so soon after getting it. It felt quite special to be driving the same car that featured in those "train driver" adverts and posters

I decided on the 20vt Plus after I first looked into the 1.8 16vt (20.000 euro), then being drawn to the 20vt for its performance, then to the Plus for all the extra's and the seats (30.000 euro).

I first drove my 20vt Plus in March 2000, driving it out of the dealership. I never drove a Coupe before! Like Jurgen, I was totally impressed by the bonnet in front of me. Quite different to the Seicento I had before.

Dave, I think you got the M and N the wrong way around. I think most of the (few) M-reg 16s out there are ex-demo cars.

We must have been test driving at the same time - i.e. as soon as they announced it? It just took months to get the damn thing delivered...

Yes indeed, as I was going backwards through the alphabet I got my N's and N's mixed up (mind you, I never mix up my P's and Q's

I remember my first drive of a 20vt. Having already been out in a friend's as a passenger I couldn't wait to be in control of all that power.

So I rolled up to the first roundabout in 2nd gear, slowed down to a virtual standstill, then realised I'd got a fairly small gap I could nip into. It was a bit tight, but I thought: "What the hell, I've got 220bhp under my foot..piece of cake".

Put my foot down, and... nothing happened! I rolled slowly in front of the oncoming traffic until the turbo finally spooled up and I managed to get out of the way just in time

Lesson learned.

Having said that, the car just made you feel really special. I kept looking around at the other cars and thinking "you can keep you Merc.." I even remember parking up outside the chippy in my first 20vt (silver) in 2002, and the guy behind the counter asking me "which team I played for"

Great memories

I'd just recently moved back home after a grim split with my ex, at the time i was driving a 206 XS (XS? IT was a gutless 1.6 8v - awful ).

I'd spent the previous two months trawling the UK looking for a decent FTO for my best mate, and a couple of prior to the test drive an ex if his gave us both a lift into town on a night out; in her newly purchased 16vt.

Duly impressed, and having spotted a 20v na at a garage earlier that month (whilst looking for the FTO) we set off the follwing week to have a look.
Arriving at the garage, the Silver 20v na had a crease in the paint on the rear bumper which put me off, but there was a Sprint Blue Turbo there that had arrived that week.

We took it out for a test drive, all i can recall is saying 'f**k me this things quick!' and I put down a deposit the same day, didn't even haggle on the price!

Picked it up the following week, and I've not looked back since - still got the same car now, Still puts a big smile on my face when i drive ol' Sprinty...

My first ever drive in a coop was taking it around a private road with a 5mph limit and covered in speed bumps because I wasn't insured to test drive it on the road!

symonh2000 was selling the car & he then took me for a drive - which blew my socks off! I knew I had to have the car for the looks, the pedigree & the power (I didn't even really know about this community yet!)

When I went back a week or so later & bought it from him I had my first proper drive in the car. I was apprehensive as it was my first drive in a properly nice car, and I was a bit intimidated by the relative lack of visibility (being a short-ar doesn't help!) but the first time I gave it some pulling away from a roundabout... !!

I said to myself: 'This will never get old!' And so far (even with 2 major engine failures within 4 months of ownership! ) it hasn't!

my first drive in a coupe was in the passengers seat of spee's le,i was in 3 minds about my next car,either the coupe,alfa gtv,pug 406 coupe,so again i blame spee for my coupe,first drive in my coupe was on my way out of macclesfield,within 2 miles on the clock i had a orange focus st up my rear end,but i was driving like a granny for atleast 1 week