Faults:
- plastic container for gas vapour (it is under the gas cover) cracked - I have no idea how that happened, maybe because the car was not driven for more than 6 months - new used container
- damage on the rear bumber because the end of exhaust pipe rusteaten - new end of exhaust pipe
- plastic on the electric engine for water for cleaning window cracked where the tube is - repaired
- an injector fail-or - new injector (made by Bosch not Italian product)
- 2nd injector fail-or - 2nd new injector
- wire for lifting the front seat tear apart - new wire
- 2nd wire in the same seat (every Recaro has two wires one for each side) - new wire
- lost rear reflecting glass - new one
- lost rear reflecting glass for the 2nd time - again new one
- clime compressor stars to leak - new gaskets on compressor
- a ventil for operating gas in clima system went to heaven - new one.
General Comments:
The car is absolutely astonishing I also own an 2.0 16V with 139 HP version and even that one was good.
The coupe gives you something that very few cars could give you, I have a special feeling every time I drove it.
The interior is something special, it is not ordinary and it looks great even after five years of owning coupe. Recaro seats are comfortable, the ride is very bumpy, but ... it is a sports car. There is a lot of space, so for a family with one child and not too much luggage it is OK for holidays.
Fuel consumption is approximately 12 liters per 100 km, for that amount of power I think it is not much, I even get it under 7 liters, but that was on the highway and under the rpm when the turbo kicks.
Yes I have quite a lot of expenses, for me every time was something wrong, it is like having a child it reminds you every minute that you have it so you have to deal with it, it is the same with coupe. But all the trouble and the money I spend on it it is worth it, because every time I have a ride (a fast or a slow one) it brings smile to my face, and when I sell it I will sell something that I will remember for the rest of my life.
The coupe was the 2nd car I owned which have a soul, the 1st one was the old mini - every mini and coupe owner knows what I am talking about.
Buy one you won't regret it, you still can get a good one for small money, it is a fastest thing for that amount of money. If you can't afford the turbo version than buy the 1.8 but if you can afford turbo version buy 20V Turbo plus or Limited edition they have better interior and exterior and will be quite hard to find in near future.
20VT are more civilised, as for the 16VT version are more brutal, but are older and have poor interior and exterior.
22nd Sep 2007, 18:05
Great review.