1999 Fiat Coupe 20VT review from UK and Ireland

Since I've owned it:

Brake disks and pads, front and rear needed replaced twice!!

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

Both rear hubs had to be replaced - the wheel bearings do not come separately.

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

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, their 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..