Distinctive, great to drive, affordable and with a great club scene, the Fiat Coupé bridges the gap between used and classic, offering a lot of car for the money. The Turbo editions are especially rapid, but low values also mean these cars appeal to those who cane them at every opportunity - so you must tread very carefully before buying.
Key Dates
6/95: The Coupé is launched in normally aspirated and Turbo forms.
11/96: All cars get a 20-valve engine.
8/99: Standard car gets air-con, the Turbo gets a six-speed gearbox and the Turbo Plus debuts.
Fiat Coupe (1995-2001) Checklist
- Look carefully for signs of abuse such as kerbed wheels, badly repaired bodywork damage and misaligned suspension.
- Check that the red master key is provided; if it isn't and you lose the ignition key the car has to be reprogrammed - very expensively.
- See if the cam belt needs changing; some specialists take the engine out for this (although it's not necessary), so it's costly. It needs doing every 36,000 miles or three years.
- The parking brake pads fall apart from damp, and the debris then seizes the rear calliper pins. Can be cleaned up, but new callipers may be needed.
- Exhaust manifolds of early 20-valve cars can crack; a new manifold will fix the problem. Air-con needs to be regassed after the work has been done.
We Like
- Styling
- Performance
- Handling
- Value
We Don't Like
- Thrashed cars common