General Coupe future owner needing HELP and opinions

[iamfabss]

Hey everyone,

From Madrid here.
I need some help of you over here on this matter.
I'm planning to buy a Coupé within the next week or so but I'm pretty doubtful about which engine should be the best for me.

I'm only wanting an n/a car so an early Lampredi 2.0 or the latter 1.8vfd are my only options as are the cheapest ones and don't want to spend over 3k for a decent shape unit.

I know are the weakest engines..a 170hp car would suit great but my budget allows me those 2 options only.

Don't want the 20v n/a as it's much more expensive and I had a bad experience with that same engine in a Lybra many years ago. Turbo ones, too expensive and I already have another car with more power...so I'm not seeking for high bhp numbers.

I want a car to drive and cruise, also to have some fun around the corners without spending tons of money on fuel.

So which of those two entry level engines is the best for reliability, nimble, and fun but not too thirsty?

Please I need some opinions from you!

Thanks in advance

 

[iamfabss]

Is anyone alive in the Coupe area?

 

[s130]

I used to have a Coupe 20V, non turbo. Lovely car to drive.

The 20V engines (non turbo & turbo) are expensive on maintenance when it come to cam belt and water pump changes. The Fiat official method is engine out a a full 8 to 10 hours workshop time. The 20V Turbo has other draw back like large turning circle (+1 metre) which is a pain for car parks, 3 point turns, hairpin bends, ..... This was because of the driveshafts with viscous coupling. The turbo whilst certainly not that laggy can get bogged down on tight steep hairpin mountain bends. If you can personally I wouls stay away from the 5 cyl 20v engine.

In the UK we never had the Coupe with the 1.8 / 2.0 16V option that I recall. If you download the Coupe workshop manual on this site then you can compare the engines. I suspect there is not a lot of difference between 1.8 and 2.0. Turbo or non turbo will I guess come down to mileage and price.

 

[iamfabss]

I used to have a Coupe 20V, non turbo. Lovely car to drive.

The 20V engines (non turbo & turbo) are expensive on maintenance when it come to cam belt and water pump changes. The Fiat official method is engine out a a full 8 to 10 hours workshop time. The 20V Turbo has other draw back like large turning circle (+1 metre) which is a pain for car parks, 3 point turns, hairpin bends, ..... This was because of the driveshafts with viscous coupling. The turbo whilst certainly not that laggy can get bogged down on tight steep hairpin mountain bends. If you can personally I wouls stay away from the 5 cyl 20v engine.

In the UK we never had the Coupe with the 1.8 / 2.0 16V option that I recall. If you download the Coupe workshop manual on this site then you can compare the engines. I suspect there is not a lot of difference between 1.8 and 2.0. Turbo or non turbo will I guess come down to mileage and price.

Thank you s130. I really appreciate your POV.
I had no idea the 20V was that... let's say complicated to maintain. Yeah that is another plus on the 4cyl. Especially because I do the jobs by myself (DIYer).

I've read the Barchetta's and Coupe's 1.8vfd is good and reliable but the cam actuator may fail due to dirt in the oil and people in Spain doesn't take care of Italian engines as they should so I have to be quite careful on that.

The Lampredi 2Litre instead is tough and rough. I had that on the 8V version in a Dedra HF 2.0t in the past... 320k km and still going strong at that time.


I'll look for the workshop manuals over here (didn't know they were available here).

Thanks mate!!
Cheers

 

[s130]

Look here: https://www.fiatforum.com/downloads/categories/coupe.15/

Yes the Lampredi engines are generally bullet proof. Our 130T has one Actually all the older 8V 999cc to 2000cc are are essentially Lampredi or Lampredi derived and pretty bullet proof. I guess that is one thing we like about the older Fiat engines. They love to be reved hard and driven fast

I did over 6000 miles of race track work in my Uno SX 1301cc engine. Kept it stock except for carb jetting changes and fitted an oil cooler. If you have ever driven an Uno on the track, expecially the longer ones, then you are at 80% to 100% of full power and pushing the RPM all the time. My last MOT in my Uno only had 307ppm for Hydrocarbons so well within the allowed 1200 ppm limit.

You need to check but I think the Coupe 1.8 is the 8V Barchetta engine and the 2.0 is the 16V engine from the Tipo 16V 2.0 and i think has the counter balancing shaft.

 

[iamfabss]

Look here: https://www.fiatforum.com/downloads/categories/coupe.15/

Yes the Lampredi engines are generally bullet proof. Our 130T has one Actually all the older 8V 999cc to 2000cc are are essentially Lampredi or Lampredi derived and pretty bullet proof. I guess that is one thing we like about the older Fiat engines. They love to be reved hard and driven fast

I did over 6000 miles of race track work in my Uno SX 1301cc engine. Kept it stock except for carb jetting changes and fitted an oil cooler. If you have ever driven an Uno on the track, expecially the longer ones, then you are at 80% to 100% of full power and pushing the RPM all the time. My last MOT in my Uno only had 307ppm for Hydrocarbons so well within the allowed 1200 ppm limit.

You need to check but I think the Coupe 1.8 is the 8V Barchetta engine and the 2.0 is the 16V engine from the Tipo 16V 2.0 and i think has the counter balancing shaft.

Oh thanks for the link mate! I'll download it from my PC as my phone is at it's memory limits ATM.

I had a Uno turbo with the 1301cc engine also.. man that car was fun!!! Super dangerous but it was a joy to drive. I bought flooded and abandoned then I fully restored it, tried to enjoy it later but the car was so so mint that I barely did 1000km in two years... So decided to sell it in 2021.

Then I overlapped the Uno with a Cinquecento Sporting that lasted a year a half then I sold it also in 2021 with a supercharger I installed on it.

Replaced both cars with a Grande Punto Sport tjet in 2021 and I'm okay since then...but I really really want a coupe now (without selling the GP). Found a my2000 for a good price (1.8) in blue...but I want it red... Shite. Reds and yellows are more expensive (in good condition)

 

[iamfabss]

Look here: https://www.fiatforum.com/downloads/categories/coupe.15/

Yes the Lampredi engines are generally bullet proof. Our 130T has one Actually all the older 8V 999cc to 2000cc are are essentially Lampredi or Lampredi derived and pretty bullet proof. I guess that is one thing we like about the older Fiat engines. They love to be reved hard and driven fast

I did over 6000 miles of race track work in my Uno SX 1301cc engine. Kept it stock except for carb jetting changes and fitted an oil cooler. If you have ever driven an Uno on the track, expecially the longer ones, then you are at 80% to 100% of full power and pushing the RPM all the time. My last MOT in my Uno only had 307ppm for Hydrocarbons so well within the allowed 1200 ppm limit.

You need to check but I think the Coupe 1.8 is the 8V Barchetta engine and the 2.0 is the 16V engine from the Tipo 16V 2.0 and i think has the counter balancing shaft.

Mate I have finally bought myself a 99 Coupé 1.8 16 and maaaannnn i i love It!
Very good overall conditions and a bit over 110k miles (186k km specifically).
I'm happy