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I remember seeing that on the Service Price Menu board at the main dealers when I used to take my Lancia in for servicing ; 7 hrs labour ?
fiat coupe or not fiat coupe?
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2,757 Posts
tech fail i'm sure...
would like the info though Nigel, so if you can see your way to re-posting..?
thanks very much sir..!
Joe
i had a red 20V, beautiful car and much missed. It was bad enough having 2 booster seats in the back but i drew the line at having a baby seat in when little `un arrived.
kids cried when i sold it, and i wasn`t far off.
the sound , the interior , the body lines ,the engine etc etc etc
kids cried when i sold it, and i wasn`t far off.
the sound , the interior , the body lines ,the engine etc etc etc
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2,757 Posts
good stuff adarlo, I have not yet bonded with my derv GT ..its better in every way than the JTS engined GT it replaced but I don't love it yet...i'm hoping the quaife, new clutch and eibach arb's will fix this but I suspect its the free revving petrol engine i'm missing
that you had such an affinity with the coupe is good to hear as that is exactly what i'm looking for in a second car.
having trawled the forums and asked about it appears these cars are well loved by thier owners and offer that something special i'm after for not a huge amount of money.
i'm really looking forward to getting one now!.
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226 Posts
I've had 3 of these in various states of tune, the last one being an LE. (just swaped it for a 147 GTA) The engines are strong and can take being driven hard if looked after. The problems I found is that the majority of owners are focused on how much power they can get out of them at the expense of every thing else. Negleted brakes suspension and general maintenance.
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I have had two of them, a 16V turbo and a 20V Turbo.
Both of which were great cars, but they do need a fair bit of TLC to keep them in good order.
The cambelt on the 20VT is going to cost around £500-600 once you have all of the other bits done.
I would rate them above the Alfa GTV, as they are more reliable (no dodgy Diffs or dodgy rear suspension) are faster, better on fuel and have more room inside.
The 20V sufferer from cracked manifolds, split "Rear coolant hose of death" and if the aux belt snaps it can tangle with the cambelt so make sure all of that is taken care off.
The 20VT like the V6 GTV is quite heavy up front, and I don't think the handling is all that great as standard compared to more modern stuff. So you may want to invest in a set of coilovers, or a set of Eibach springs with bilstein dampers to sharpen it up.
I suffered one breakdown on my 20VT when the throttle cable snapped, so make sure it is nice and smooth in operation. If it isn't get it changed before it leaves you stranded.
Both of which were great cars, but they do need a fair bit of TLC to keep them in good order.
The cambelt on the 20VT is going to cost around £500-600 once you have all of the other bits done.
I would rate them above the Alfa GTV, as they are more reliable (no dodgy Diffs or dodgy rear suspension) are faster, better on fuel and have more room inside.
The 20V sufferer from cracked manifolds, split "Rear coolant hose of death" and if the aux belt snaps it can tangle with the cambelt so make sure all of that is taken care off.
The 20VT like the V6 GTV is quite heavy up front, and I don't think the handling is all that great as standard compared to more modern stuff. So you may want to invest in a set of coilovers, or a set of Eibach springs with bilstein dampers to sharpen it up.
I suffered one breakdown on my 20VT when the throttle cable snapped, so make sure it is nice and smooth in operation. If it isn't get it changed before it leaves you stranded.
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226 Posts
Diffs do explode but mainly on 350BHP + cars. The gear box is basically the same as the GTV, but has a Visco LSD.
I also had a throttle cable snap, these are no longer available and a replacement needs to be cobbled up from a universal cable. can be quite fiddley
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2,757 Posts
Very very nice!
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25 Posts
:thumbs:Fixed that link for you - had to many http's.
Forgot to update this.....
I'm now on my fourth Coupe, although it has been relegated to a weekend fun car, as £25 in fuel was getting a bit silly..... I've also bought and sold quite a few more through my part-time work at Motormech
Lets get some home truths out in the open:
Cheap Coupes are money pits - anything less than a grand is likely to cost the same to put right
They are better built than other Fiats of the same era - they were actually built by Pinifarina
Cambelt can be done with the engine in-situ for around £400
Early ones seem less prone to rust than later models. Always check the edges of the boot floor, wheelarches, front cross-members, three-quarter panels, sills
Modded cars generally fetch less money than standard
Modded cars can be epic - mine does 0-100 in 9 seconds and 0-150 in 18 - compare that with some modern exotica
Engines are bullet-proof when maintained properly - most failures are through lack of maintenance or oil. My engine has done around 300,000 (in two different shells)
Suspension is a weak point - they are a bit soft as standard and most cars will still be on original shocks, which will be quite tired by now
they don't torques steer unless something is wrong (tyres or wishbones, usually)
they are half-practical - proper four-seater and a usable boot - WAY better than a GTV
mpg is generally reasonable @ 28-30. Modded cars can be even better (my record is 43mpg over a distance of 375 miles - worst was 7mpg at Bruntingthorpe)
They don't like being decatted (blows the turbo seals) - however an uprated turbo allows a decat and it will sound epic
Gearboxes are good for 350+ bhp
Engines are good for 350bhp with standard internals - need to go forged after that
Electrics are generally good - most failures appear to be around the componentry (which is often Bosch....)
Standard leather seats look good, but are unsupportive
check for damage to the floorpan and sills, where kwik-fit muppets have tried to jack the car using the floorpan stiffeners or the sills instead of the jacking points
Having put 30,000 on my first Coupe, 200,000 (yes - 200k) on my second and 50,000 (so far) on my third, I'm fairly well versed on the pros and cons of these cars - anybody in Staffs / Birmingham who wants a closer look is welcome to come and see mine
I'm now on my fourth Coupe, although it has been relegated to a weekend fun car, as £25 in fuel was getting a bit silly..... I've also bought and sold quite a few more through my part-time work at Motormech
Lets get some home truths out in the open:
Cheap Coupes are money pits - anything less than a grand is likely to cost the same to put right
They are better built than other Fiats of the same era - they were actually built by Pinifarina
Cambelt can be done with the engine in-situ for around £400
Early ones seem less prone to rust than later models. Always check the edges of the boot floor, wheelarches, front cross-members, three-quarter panels, sills
Modded cars generally fetch less money than standard
Modded cars can be epic - mine does 0-100 in 9 seconds and 0-150 in 18 - compare that with some modern exotica
Engines are bullet-proof when maintained properly - most failures are through lack of maintenance or oil. My engine has done around 300,000 (in two different shells)
Suspension is a weak point - they are a bit soft as standard and most cars will still be on original shocks, which will be quite tired by now
they don't torques steer unless something is wrong (tyres or wishbones, usually)
they are half-practical - proper four-seater and a usable boot - WAY better than a GTV
mpg is generally reasonable @ 28-30. Modded cars can be even better (my record is 43mpg over a distance of 375 miles - worst was 7mpg at Bruntingthorpe)
They don't like being decatted (blows the turbo seals) - however an uprated turbo allows a decat and it will sound epic
Gearboxes are good for 350+ bhp
Engines are good for 350bhp with standard internals - need to go forged after that
Electrics are generally good - most failures appear to be around the componentry (which is often Bosch....)
Standard leather seats look good, but are unsupportive
check for damage to the floorpan and sills, where kwik-fit muppets have tried to jack the car using the floorpan stiffeners or the sills instead of the jacking points
Having put 30,000 on my first Coupe, 200,000 (yes - 200k) on my second and 50,000 (so far) on my third, I'm fairly well versed on the pros and cons of these cars - anybody in Staffs / Birmingham who wants a closer look is welcome to come and see mine
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2,757 Posts
sold to the man with the GT blackline!..
I had actually budgeted on buying cheap and spending the same again...that way I KNOW..for sure that its all as it should be.
nigel wouldn't mind a drive of yours mate if possible, mid staffs is a way from guildford but I could swing by on my way back from edinburgh when I go see my mum.
slated for easter and I doubt I will have found one by then.
all sounds good though and I really don't have too much to worry me with these cars by the look of it.
I had actually budgeted on buying cheap and spending the same again...that way I KNOW..for sure that its all as it should be.
nigel wouldn't mind a drive of yours mate if possible, mid staffs is a way from guildford but I could swing by on my way back from edinburgh when I go see my mum.
slated for easter and I doubt I will have found one by then.
all sounds good though and I really don't have too much to worry me with these cars by the look of it.
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2,757 Posts
not sure scotty, hence it will be my second car...just on fuel alone it would be ridiculous for me as I cover around 500-600 miles a week..even in the diesel GT its costing me around £65 a week..
that is a vast improvment on the JTS though it was sometimes double that before the petrol prices came down.
I think they are good as a 10k a year car, i'm thinking school holiday use and the occcasional blat into europe and up to scotland to see my mum..it will take the pressure of the GT and allow me to have some free revving petrol fun.
that is a vast improvment on the JTS though it was sometimes double that before the petrol prices came down.
I think they are good as a 10k a year car, i'm thinking school holiday use and the occcasional blat into europe and up to scotland to see my mum..it will take the pressure of the GT and allow me to have some free revving petrol fun.
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5,227 Posts
Yeah I do the same mileage joey. Hence converting to lpg. So now costs me closer to 8p per mile.
But I do miss something a bit more exotic in favour of economy.
Prefer petrols all round to diesels. But understand the cost.
It would be amazing to have both though.
Least if its a second car you can really tinker with it. You seem to get a lit more tor the money with a coupe rather than gtv. But they are slightly different customers.
But I do miss something a bit more exotic in favour of economy.
Prefer petrols all round to diesels. But understand the cost.
It would be amazing to have both though.
Least if its a second car you can really tinker with it. You seem to get a lit more tor the money with a coupe rather than gtv. But they are slightly different customers.
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