Description
FOR SALE
1997 Fiat Coupé 20V Turbo, Scots Guard Green, black leather seats, 139600 miles, MOT until Feb 2027.
General Overview
I’ve had this car for the last 5 years and loved every minute. I’ve put around 20k reliable miles on it and it is standard other than a boost gauge, Sony head unit, adjustable shocks, and a stainless steel exhaust. Selling due to expanding family and the need for a boring dad wagon. I try to be as honest as I can when selling vehicles, so please see below for the full description. I would be happy to answer any questions or take you for a test drive. I am located in the TN14 postcode, with a train station 5 minute walk away.
Mechanically, the car is in excellent condition – certainly not what the mileage would suggest. It is regularly serviced and maintained by myself – in addition to yearly services (Mobil 10W60, Bosch filter, spark plugs etc), some of the major expenditure during my ownership includes:
Full wheel alignment (£84)
Power steering belt, alternator belt, idler pulley and tensioner pulley
New oil cooler and pipes (£430)
Replacement injectors (£100)
New alternator (£115)
There are also numerous smaller items like valve cover gasket, headlight cover restoration, new heater matrix, brake work etc. The file I have is not extensive but I have a wad of invoices going back to 2002. The car had the turbo reconditioned just prior to my ownership in 2022 (£740), with the clutch and timing belt redone sometime after May 2018 (£250 parts invoice). There is an invoice in 2014 for £1800 for dent repair and a full respray.
The good points
All 3 keys, including the red key for the immobiliser
MOT until February 2027
Strong oil pressure (pins at 3 bar when driving at running temperature)
Toyo Proxes tyres with good tread depth all round. The 4 spoke alloys are in excellent condition with no corrosion or kerbing.
Never overheated, oil levels fastidiously checked
Well maintained, runs well and engine pulls cleanly and strongly (acceleration in 2nd gear gets very addictive)
LED front headlight conversion
Structurally, in very good condition. Limited rust underneath, sills are clean, corrosion has never been mentioned on the MOT or by my tester etc
The less good points
Small chip in lower part of windscreen, but MOT compliant
I recently replaced the alternator, which quickly developed a squeaky bearing. I can include the old alternator which has a good bearing but a voltage pack/ diode issue (you could swap from the new alternator)
It does drip a bit of oil, however oil usage is still much less than the stated handbook amount (1 litre per 1000km!)
A few abrasion “spots” on the leather passenger and rear seats (I think these could be dyed black to hide)
A small amount of rust starting to appear on the N/ S/ R wheel arch – all other arches are in perfect condition. This would benefit from some early treatment
The paintwork is not perfect: there are numerous stone chips. There is some light lacquer bubbling on the roof and wing mirrors. There is a small door ding in the NSR quarter panel. There is a small parking scratch on the passenger side. There is some paint webbing on the rear bumper. I think a few hundred pounds with a good bodywork specialist would really bring out the best in the car. The paint itself isn’t faded, and looks fantastic in the sun after a polish
The internal bonnet pull doesn’t work. I haven’t been able to secure a replacement so I’ve used an allen key to manually open the bonnet for the last two years
I’ll genuinely be sad to let the car go, but it’s time to pass the torch and let the next enthusiast enjoy and cherish it.
N. B. there is currently a modest, premium sound system (Genesis 6x9 subwoofers, Vibe Blackbox 4 amp, MB Quart component speakers) in the car. I will be leaving these in, but can be easily removed and put back to standard if desired. I have the original Fiat speakers.
