Should I buy a 172 ( from the fiat coupe owner)

[dutchgunner]

Hi All

I am considering selling my Fiat coupe 20 valve turbo for something abit cheaper in fuel, as Iam going to try and save for a house deposit.

I currently get 27 mpg town driving and I do have a heavy foot.

My coupe is in great condition, and gives me a massive smile when I see it and drive it, but 30 in a few months and priorities change.

Any advice on the 172 would be great mpg, things to look out for when buying and so on.
My budjet will be around £1500 -1800.

Thanks in advance for any info.

 

[Wick]

Very good buyers guide here:

http://www.cliosport.net/forum/showthread.php?276833-172-182-buyers-guide.

look out for service history (12k intervals) plus Auxilliary belt every 36K/3years and Cambelt every 72K/5 years. Most 172s will be coming up to there second cambelt service due to the age of them, so factor this into the price if it hasn't been done (£500 job, unless you have a cup with no aircon)

Mpg there are hundreds of threads.... I see just north of 32mpg with town driving in the week and motorway runs at the weekend.

Hope that's useful and welcome btw!

 

[JackJack]

Do it.

 

[dutchgunner]

At last, will have a look now, thanks alot for the advice mate:approve:

 

[dutchgunner]

All so ph1 or ph2 which is better.

 

[Wick]

When I started looking for one I was set on a ph2 shape and thought the ph1 was really dated.... however, spend a few hours in the media section and you might be thinking otherwise. I came round to them really quickly!!

Mechanically, not a HUGE difference.... Ph1 has a cable throttle as far as I am aware though and also comes with 15" OZ f1s as standard, which some would argue make it a more "responsive car" out of the box, although as a daily I doubt you'd notice much. Personally I'd rather a mint ph1 than a ropey ph2

 

[Spee]

My previous car was a 20VT LE, you'll miss the outright speed and the Coops looks/interior, but the Clio is a different animal in a lot of ways, not THAT much better on fuel if you have a heavy foot, I got better MPG than you out of my coop, I get 39 average out of the Clio. Worth a punt, drive a few first though, if you think Fiats quality is bad (and to be fair, the coop is actually very well screwed together), the Clio is a shocker for rattles and general cheap feeling bits and bobs.

Having said that, I've not had a better car to drive since my 205 GTis. Raw and fun, the handling will startle you compared to the coop, and the coop is better than most people think on the twisties!

For the money you have, stay clear of the Ph2 and get a good clean PH1, don't worry about mileage, if it sounds and feels well, it probably is. I drove a 130k example whilst I was looking, it sounded and felt tight in the engine and gearbox department, they seem tough old sheds if they've been serviced regular and not caned TOO much!

However, despite the above, I'm viewing another LE next week! I need a distance car, the LE was great for long journeys, the Clio is not, especially the 172 Cup!

Enjoy.

 

[dutchgunner]

Cheers wick, and thanks Spee for an ex coupe owners input. I do love my coupe and know I will miss the straight line speed and the looks the best looking car I have had.

But like you say the handling although good is not what it should be for such a great car.

I have had a mk1 golf gti, a 205 1.6 gti and 4 205 1.9 gti's so have always loved hot hatches and miss the checkability.

Totally agree the coupe is a great long distance car never get bored on a long drive.


Cheers
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