1999 Fiat Coupe 20VT 5 cylinder 20 valve turbo from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Made of pasta

Faults:

Since I've owned it:

Brake disks and pads, front and rear had to be replaced twice.

Timing belt, tensioners, water pump, aux belts and tensioners also needed to be replaced.

Both rear hubs had to be replaced - the wheel bearings cannot be purchased singly.

The clutch was heavy and starting to slip, so that also needed to be replaced.

The switches on the centre console disappeared inside.

The radiator cooling fan electrics had melted, causing the engine to boil up. Luckily this happened in my garage and I was able to turn off the engine immediately, and save the head gasket etc..

The power steering pump bearings are starting to go and it sounds very much like a milk float.

The turbo has started to show signs of serious wear - blowing out blue reek first thing in the morning.

The exhaust is about to fall off, and the radiator is showing its age now.

General Comments:

What a pity. I've always fancied the Fiat Coupe, and now they're a bit cheaper, I decided to take the plunge. It looked so good in the garage showroom, and went so perfectly on the test run, that I was smitten. This euphoria was only to last a few weeks, and strangely none of the faults were covered by their crappy warranty..

This car owes me thousands of pounds in repair costs, and has been a disaster. I'm still clinging on to the hope that when I get all the current problems sorted out, there can't be much else left to go wrong, and I can start enjoying it again. Maybe I should beg the garage to take it and give me my old XR4x4 back..

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th April, 2005

4th Jul 2005, 08:02

The experience you had seems to be a little on the bad side, however, if you had the right warranty in the first place (I had a FIAT platinum warranty £300 odd quid or so) and had given the dealer enough of a hard time, many of the problems you had would have been fixed.

For example I had my 20VT engine stripped, rebored, new pistons, belts etc and a new turbo, new front brake discs, and a couple of oil changes for nothing...

2nd Feb 2006, 10:06

Older performance car... needs loadza TLC. Wallet raper made good by astonishing acceleration and good handling. Good to wipe the smirk off the Beemer / hot hatch brigade. Non-Turbo version is still 150Hp and rapid, not so expensive to run/insure.

22nd Jan 2007, 05:52

I think this is such a wonderful looking car and test drives have shown it to be a great drive. I really have fancied one of these for a while, but, like many italian cars, they are a complete lottery with regard to running costs and I really can't afford to be telling a similar story to this reviewer. For now I will stick with my "as new" 1983 Beemer.. if only the Germans had built the fiat coupe..

6th Aug 2007, 12:09

I think you were unlucky with the specific car. I have owned a speed red one 20vt for around 10 years and no major problems have manifested so far. I still think that it's a great car from all aspects...

9th Oct 2007, 17:55

I went through exactly the same thoughts that "nothing else could go wrong" on my Alfa 155 V6... hmmm..boy was I wrong. Get rid of it... you'll find you won't touch italian stuff again... but have strangely fond memories of it...

9th Jul 2010, 01:53

I got lucky and bought one for a couple hundred dollars! After about two hundred more, and about three quarters of a year later, I am pleased with mine! 20v not more. I think it's fast enough to not have a turbo, but my brake disks are starting to shake a little!

1999 Fiat Coupe 2.0 VT from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Italian passion at its very best

Faults:

Alarm/immobiliser is intermittent - needs replacing.

Washer hose to windscreen wiper snapped - nothing major.

General Comments:

There's something magical about this car - it's the sum of the whole rather than individual things.

Stunning looks, one of the snazziest interiors ever, a world class chassis, astonishing grip and performance, superb detailing, are just to mention a few. MPG is surprisingly good.

A few let downs - standard seats are comfy, but offer no lateral support; ride is somewhat harsh; niggly electrical faults can be a pain. However, the sheer exhilaration of the driving experience makes up easily for the niggles.

If you scrimp on servicing, expect trouble.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th October, 2004