maff 10 Posted October 13, 2004 Hi guys, Have owned my corrado vr6 for over 3 years now but over the last six months have been toying with idea of getting a fiat coupe. Now i really like my car, its character, speed, relaxing to drive but can anyone talk me out of going for a coupe, will it ultimatly handle as nice on the limit and feel as planted as the vr?, and there not that much quicker are they?, prob should be askin fiat guys but need some persuading to keep hold of her. cheers matt. :? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vr6storm 0 Posted October 13, 2004 the Fiat is utterly devasting!!!!!!!!!!!..................but in a straight line...........its not meant to be nearly as composed as the Corrado is when it gets twisty but i can assure you one thing a 20v Coupe turbo is more than a match for the VR in acceleration.........just a pity about the timing belt change costs :shock: :shock: :shock: best ask pablovr6 and IIRC there are a few other ex-Fiat Coupe owners on here Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MikeVR6 0 Posted October 13, 2004 Corrado - Poor Man's Porsche 20v Turbo - Poor Man's Ferrari Good wee on-line community too.... http://www.fccuk.org/ I've also been thinking along the same lines for when the VR6 goes into hibernation. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
maff 10 Posted October 13, 2004 Corrado - Poor Man's Porsche 20v Turbo - Poor Man's Ferrari Good wee on-line community too.... http://www.fccuk.org/ I've also been thinking along the same lines for when the VR6 goes into hibernation. cheers for the link, got that one though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M777CUSGTI 0 Posted October 13, 2004 Believe me mate, you cannot go wrong with the fiat coupe turbo. i used to have a 20VT, it was an absolutly brilliant car. performance, looks and handling were all fantastic. quciker than a corrado VR6 from point to point, probably not so good in the twisties. petrol consumption was reasnoble at about 25/26MPG. the cambelt change on the beast is about 400 quid from a reputable specialist garage such as powerfiat. the online communtiy is fanatastic too http://www.fccuk.org/ (very good forum) i got rid of my coupe too buy a house, and i still regret it too this day the looks and admiration you get when sitting in one is quality :D for about 6k will get you an exceptional fiat coupe turbo nowadays, but there are alot of lemons out there. be warned :| all in all a fucking great car 8) any questions on it dont hesitate to ask :wink: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
munkay 0 Posted October 13, 2004 When I was was selling my G60 the main contenders out a few considered were the Fiat Coupe 20vT and the MR2 Turbo In all fairness I would say the MR2 Turbo is the poor mans Ferrari as it is Mid engine RWD 2 seats and quicker than the Fiat :) The coupes are nice though and a total bargain as a sub 60k R reg can be had for £5k. I very almost bought a nice red one with black leather. As Roddy said, they will easily out accelerate a Corrado but the handling is not as good. I reckon if you got one to replace the Corrado you would still be happy with it but also miss the good things about the Corrado. IMO though they are on the verge of power/weight in a FWD so if you plan to up the boost then it will lose grip pretty easily. The 20v engine also sounds really nice. Have a look round the net - you will find many reviews comparing them head to against the VR6, Alfa GTV V6 and Nissan 200sx. Best thing to do is go drive a few for sale near you - only way you will find out if you like them or not. You will probably notice that they do not feel as sqaut on the road as the corrado - definitely worth a look though :) You should also quite easily find one that has not been to abused as they have not properly taken off with boy racers yet due to high insurance and I guess the Fiat stigma. Another common fault is with the exhaust manifold which can be expensive to fix. Oh - and they look good from about front, side, 3/4 and inside but crap from the rear :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M777CUSGTI 0 Posted October 13, 2004 In all fairness I would say the MR2 is the poor mans Ferrari as it is Mid engine RWD 2 seats and quicker than the Fiat :) i dont think they are mate :wink: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
munkay 0 Posted October 13, 2004 hehe - each to their own but at least they are driven by the proper wheels and have the engine in the right place :lol: I guess if you want to change to the Fiat from the corrado it boils down to whether you want a turbo'd car or not instead of the nice VR. If you are just after a change and like the VR engine then go for the Alfa GTV V6 perhaps - they are lovely cars as well although a bit more expensive to buy. The newer ones have a 3.2 litre engine and if you get a silver one they look the dog's knees Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted October 13, 2004 The 20V T sounds fantastic when opened up..... better than the VR6 imo. I love the front and rear views but can't get on with the Chris Bangle slashes from the side view. If I had one, I'd have those smoothed over straight away. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vr6storm 0 Posted October 13, 2004 hehe - each to their own but at least they are driven by the proper wheels and have the engine in the right place :lol: I guess if you want to change to the Fiat from the corrado it boils down to whether you want a turbo'd car or not instead of the nice VR. If you are just after a change and like the VR engine then go for the Alfa GTV V6 perhaps - they are lovely cars as well although a bit more expensive to buy. The newer ones have a 3.2 litre engine and if you get a silver one they look the dog's knees given the choice i'd go for the alfa GTV (V6 of course :wink: ) over the fiat coupe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
munkay 0 Posted October 13, 2004 Aye me to to be honest, although the problem was they are a good 1-2k more than the 5k for a fiat coupe. So much more soul though which I guess is more what a V6 is about :) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
M777CUSGTI 0 Posted October 14, 2004 i think the bottom line is, you cant go wrong with the fiat coupe. the key is with these as with any performance car is not to cut corners when servicing and maintaining the car. if you make sure you buy 1 that has been properly looked after, then you'll be on to a winner. its astounding how many people that try to race you because they dont know what the hell they are..... whats even better is the look on there face after they have just been smoked :shock: :lol: :lol: :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scott 0 Posted October 14, 2004 I also considered the Fiat before buying my FTO - its stonking in a straight line as mentioned but its no where near the Corrado in terms of cornering ability - it understeers like a pig. Some uprated suspension is supposed to help out quite a bit but there is no denying at present you can pick up a late plated one with low miles for £5k tops.... Fiat build quality is ridiculous... paintwork is poor - I have heard of paint being scratched by flies!!! :roll: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pablo_vr6 0 Posted October 14, 2004 jesus where does one start? 1. get leather. absolutely 100% get leather. 2. LEs and Pluses are like storms - not real differences bar some cosmetics 3. dont trust fiat dealers - they are w@nkers. end of 4. check for any fraying around the aux belt (visibile with bonnet open). if its frayed walk away 5. get your finger in around the manifold heat shield. if its covered in soot walk away. (new manifold req £300+vat) 6. check oil pressure - should be up around 3bar (might drop a little on idle) so if you buy one: 1. get a greddy boost controller - profec B or similar - TRANSFORMS the car into a monster. 2. get the black sidestrips colour coded asap. 3. get it lowered - eibachs are superb 4. watch for the aux belt fraying - it jumps across the wheel and hits the timing belt = ££££££££ 5. watch oil pressure When these cars are good they are DAMN good but when they go they go in style! cambelt change CAN be easily done with engine in. a lot of places wont do it tho (chickens) so find a good specialist. if you can get a good lowmiler ot one just having had the belts done then it will blow your socks off (will kill a corrado even in std form). handling is fine. here is a pic of my old one: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ice White Socks 0 Posted October 14, 2004 I think the Fiats are gorgeous. I think the later ones came with a bit more bodykit on it- I had one behind me the other day in a colour that was the purple side of Ice Gray Violet- looked sensational. There is no other car that more fits the description of poor mans Ferrari- thats what all the mags said when it came out (something like 80% of the performance of a Ferrari for 30% of the cost :) ) I had a play with one once, straight drag from 10mph to 90mph- he was four up and I was on my own- didn't take a yard out of him :( Soon as we got to the twistys he just vanished- Doubt he was pushing it though Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doctorfrag 0 Posted October 14, 2004 They are both great cars, the Corrado hsa been described as the greatest handling FWD car ever has'nt it? I've done a fair bit of tuning to mine, but there's a guy near here in Stevenage who used to run a chargecooled turbocharged Corrado running 290 bhp, all stripped out! :shock: 8) , we've had some run ins along the road, and then we were well matched, along the straights and round the corners, well, if he hasn't uprated it to 380bhp now :shock: :shock: Nice to hear some fair comments :reindeer: (don't know why I used this, but I luv your selection of smilies!) Joe ps here's mine Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted October 14, 2004 Erm, Pablo, just curious..... if you loved the Fiat so much, why did you buy a Corrado? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pablo_vr6 0 Posted October 14, 2004 it cost me nearly 3k in engine work :( I was just waiting for it to blow again so couldnt enjoy it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted October 14, 2004 Ah..... not good. Was it boosted? They're about 220 brake as standard aren't they? Wasn't that enough for you? LOL! :-P Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
munkay 0 Posted October 14, 2004 The problem is, which I am sure most here will agree as with the G60, is that having a quick standard car with the ability to add substantial more power for not to much outlay and without losing to much reliability - the temptation is to great :) I am just trying to convince myself why I don't need a bigger intercooler :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pablo_vr6 0 Posted October 14, 2004 its so easy - a chip that fuels to 1.4bar is only £100 :D Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doctorfrag 0 Posted October 14, 2004 Yep, in all a chip, and uprated intercooler and you're looking at 260 bhp and 260 lb/ft,..too tempting ;) Joe Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pablo_vr6 0 Posted October 14, 2004 until some fiat parts guy tells you you dont have to replace a tensioner and it goes 2 weeks later wrecking the head :( but Im not bitter :mad: :mad: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
samm_cvr6 0 Posted October 14, 2004 I almost bought one of these but in the end went for the Corrado. Strainght line speed is stonking, 1/4 mile in 14 dead I believe! What put me off the Fiat was the build quality is poor and the handling, refinement and noise of the VR6 is far better. I also nearly bought a late Nissan 200 Touring which also has a very tuneable turbo lump and RWD! The MR2 Turbo is very tempting but there seems to be a hell of a lot on the roads (although they are mainly UK ones) and the boy racers seem to be tanishing it's image. Depends what you prefer? If it's straight line speed get a Fiat If the feel, build quality and handling are you'r thing, then don't. :wink: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites