Had to replace the new front shocks because the previous owner fitted it incorrectly.
Had to replace the power steering pump (previous owner had after market power steering fitted). Still noisy and leaking slightly.
The after market air-con the previous owner had fitted stopped working.
As you can see, all the problems on the car were caused by negligence or after market add-ons. The car itself has been amazingly reliable for a 20 year old. I drive it everyday (over 10000km in a year) without having to worry if it's going to break down (unlike my previous car). It's also incredibly cheap to maintain. I spent only R280 (25 pounds, $40) on a full service and I get about 8 l/100km (29 US mpg, 35 UK mpg).
Unfortunately in May 2005 a Zimbabwean truck driver decided to use 2 lanes to go around the corner, while I was in one of them! The car has now been repaired and looks great, but nowadays my heart stops every time a car comes too close to me.
Mechanically, the Coupe is basically a VW Passat so parts are everywhere as half of the cars in South Africa have VW 1800 engines (Passat, Golf, Jetta, Fox, Audi 400). Body parts on the other hand are non-existent as the handful of Coupes in South Africa have been privately imported (mine came from the UK). Importing parts are also quite expensive. A taillight and small piece of aluminium trim cost me R1500 (134 pounds) to import.
Styling wise the Coupe looks stunning in red. When I saw it in the Autotrader there was no turning back as I have a soft spot for rare cars. It sucks not having a 5-cylinder, but maintenance and running costs would have been higher. Performance is adequate at best and it really looks a lot faster than it is. I can't wait to get it tuned up a bit. Handling is good, but the ride is terrible on bad services, thanks to the sports rear shocks fitted by the previous owner. My Alfa Sprint was a much more exhilarating drive.
Where it really excels is on the highway where you can cruise comfortably at 120km/h all day long. The Michelin tires are extremely quiet and although it's a coupe the rear passengers have more space than in my dad's BMW E46 sedan.
I love it to bits and still can't believe how lucky I am to drive it everyday.
You can find pictures of my car on www.dupart.co.za/ourcars.
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