The point being that these catwalk lovelies of the car world are only as good as they seem. That’s what the market says.

Fashion Victims. There is no other expression for them. They might look fresh and bright for the first few months of their showroom life, but a few years down the line they can look just a little bit jaded. In fact, it’s sometimes hard to see the point of coupes.
Usually, they have fewer doors than most cars and no room in the back like in hatchback car. And they don’t deliver 65 miles to the gallon and a pillow-soft ride.

But in a way, those limitations are the point. Coupes are about style and performance to the exclusion of virtually every other automotive virtue. A coupe that has plenty of room in the back for shopping and kids, and looks all the better for a chunky tow-bar and roof-rack, is not a coupe at all. It’s a perversion of nature.
You drive a coupe because you want to say that those things don’t matter to you. And that you are fashionable.

For a while in the Eighties, the coupe did go out of fashion. Only the Japanese and VW’s Scirocco kept the niche alive. But Toyota’s Celica and Supra, Nissan’s 200SX and Honda’s Prelude started to prove customers really did crave an exciting coupe alternative that wasn’t as costly as a Porsche.
The great coupe revival started in the Nineties and shows no signs of abating. The Astra coupe and the all-new Toyota Celica confirm that worlds largest automakers are confident about the coupe’s future. But the list of slightly-used fashion victims is long – and for those after a bargain, tempting.
The highest profile coupe to lose its lustre has been the Fiat. When launched back in 1995 it caused sharp intakes of breath all round. The styling was daring and the performance, particularly from the turbo version, shattering. Demand was sky-high and used values rock-solid. Five years later the Fiat still turns heads, but it can no longer claim the “wow” factor – cutting edge from ‘95 doesn’t cut it in the new millennium.

There are lots of them about at low prices. The cynical and sensitive car trade have marked down this pounds 20,000-plus model and in less than a year it can shed up to 40 per cent of its original value.
It’s quite easy to find ‘95 N examples for less than pounds 7,000, especially if you don’t mind the ordinary 16-valve model’s performance. It is still brisk and has all the pose value of the turbo, and it will probably prove more durable and be cheaper to run longer-term.
Those who crave turbo power must be prepared to spend just less than pounds 9,000. At the Great Trade Centre in West London there are usually at least 10 in the price range, from pounds 6,999 for a P- registered 2.0 litre, to pounds 10,999 for an R registered Turbo with 24,000 miles on the clock. Alas, Fiats do not have the best reputation for build quality. Paintwork can look poor and components such as air conditioning need to be checked too. The driving style of previous owners also mean the brakes and suspension can need work.

Another outrageous Italian, the more expensive Alfa has not flooded the market in the same way. But used prices are still under pressure. Again at the Used Car Supermarket I saw one high-mileage P-registered example in black for pounds 8,799.
Japanese coupes have dropped sharply in price mainly because there are so many imports available. Finding a specialist importer isn’t difficult, although membership of the independent dealers’ association BIMTA does mean they do abide by a code of conduct. At Park Lane in Hampshire a fabulous-looking Mitsubishi FTO V6 automatic – never officially available in the UK – was advertised at pounds 14,995.

Charlesworths in Notting ham stock FTO models from pounds 10,495. The current Honda Prelude is dull looking but easy to drive and own, and start at pounds 10,995. Those after supercar performance need look no further than the swoopy Toyota Supra, from pounds 11,995, or Nissan Skyline (more than pounds 50,000 new), which Charlesworths had from pounds 12,995.
The sheer number of grey coupes has made original UK-registered cars, which are usually one owner and well-cared for, even cheaper. The distinction between official and grey imports has become irrelevant to buyers who want value. I spoke to one owner who had managed to generate no interest in his special edition convertible car Toyota Celica GT4, and would be happy to settle for pounds 8,000 when price guides say that car should sell for around pounds 11,000. Even coupes with a strong image such as the BMW 3-series can struggle because there are just so many available. Look beyond dealer ads to the pages of private classifieds for 318i versions and see prices below pounds 8,000.

Those after a more affordable coupe should consider the overlooked and discontinued Audi. It has a high waistline just like the latest TT, but high-speed stability was never a problem and neither was build quality. Early Nineties examples are now pounds 5,000 to pounds 6,000.
Another coupe success story has been the Peugeot 406. Here is a combination of elegant Italian styling and sharp handling at an affordable new price. So there are no real used bargains around, because this impressive package is still very much in fashion, with 1997 models selling for around pounds 15,000. But give it a little time and something sexier will come along. Then 406 coupes will be bargains. That’s the way the used coupe market works.

The bloke’s car is back

Think coupes, and you may think glamour: Ferrari, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo – makers of stylish, expensive sports cars. But in the Sixties, Ford wanted to bring that sort of experience to the masses. So, in 1964, the company launched the Mustang in America and sold 3 million in a decade. The blue-collar coupe looked sensational, ran on proven Ford mechanicals and could be dressed up with thousands of factory-fitted options. In 1968 Ford Europe took the blueprint, designed a rakish body with a long bonnet and sloping rear screen and fitted humble Cortina saloon running-gear to make the Capri.

Now, the first and finest of the European working-class coupes is being reassessed. After a decade of being derided as an automotive lager lout, the Capri is seen to be honest, reliable and characterful, unlike Ford’s current and soon-to-be-cancelled Probe coupe. Whereas the name Capri conjures up a bright, sophisticated, Continental image, to British ears Probe sounds like the punchline to a Benny Hill gag. In the States, though, where the Probe is built, the name has scientific and deep-space connotations – but that does not make it a better car, or hide the fact that underneath it is really just a lacklustre Mazda MX6. Ford has learnt its lesson, though, and a Mondeo-based coupe is due to be launched some time next year.

Back in 1968, “the car you always promised yourself” was Ford’s slogan to promote the Capri. The large range of engines included the barely adequate 1.3, the competent 1.6 and 2.0 and the brutish and quick 3 litre. More important was the way the car looked, and a range of equipment packages set each car apart as an X, XL, XLR, or E. It is said that more than 900 derivatives were offered in the UK alone between 1968 and 1987. That was the central appeal of the car: it was aspirational – you traded up gradually to a more expensive and better equipped model. BMW copied that trick right up to the high-performance M-badged cars, reminiscent of Ford’s road-legal racing RS Capris in the early Seventies. Inevitably, Capris slipped downmarket as they got older and rustier, then fell into the hands of boy racers who loved their sporty looks and pocket-money price. Furry dice soon followed, and it became a car you loved to hate. However, the current Seventies retro fever, the desire for distinctive rather than bland cars and the fact that Bodie out of the cult TV show The Professionals screeched around corners in one, has all helped to make the Capri hip again. The Capri in the Nineties is supported by ASJ Capri Specialists in Nottingham, Norfolk Capri Spares in Kings Lynn, Ex-Pressed Steel Panels at Keighley, and others. Mechanical parts and most bodywork panels are not a problem, but the interior trim is hard to find. Enthusiasts within the Capri Owner’s Club may help, and are the best source of cars to buy. So, the Capri may be trendy, practical and reliable, but which one should you buy? Not an original model, built before 1974, because it will be a pile of rust. Mark 2 Capris got more practical, thanks to an extra hatchback door, but are no less rusty. The restyled Mark 3 looks better, but buy an Eighties example which won’t have rusted so much. As for engines, the 1.3 is pathetic, the 1.6 is fine for general use, and the 2.0 litre is a good compromise between economy and performance. However, the version most in demand is the V6 2.8L, built from 1981. That is turning into a valuable classic that can fetch more than pounds 5,000. Fast for its time, it has aggressive looks and rugged simplicity – and it can be a handful, but is all the more enjoyable for that. It’s a real bloke’s sort of car. The working-class coupe is back.

Company car, two careful owners, seeks good home

Buyers of new coupes pay for the privilege of owning one of the most selfish models in a manufacturer’s range. But since new coupes depreciate with a vengeance, the flip side is that anyone who fancies a distinctive, well cared-for coupe need only have pounds 5,000 to spare.
The first few years in a coupe’s life are very pampered. Many are company purchases which means no-expense-spared servicing. The drivers’ profile is reassuring, too. Most of them are mature, the children have left home and they can afford to indulge themselves as the mortgage subsides.
Bought privately as a self-indulgence, or to make a statement in the company car park, the high retail price of a new coupe could be justified. However, once released into the used-car world, the coupe has to compete in a more discerning marketplace where practicality rather than style is important. The demand is still there, but it is much smaller, as are the asking prices.
There are plenty of distinctive used coupes to choose from. If image is important, the Porsche badge adorns the highly capable and now very affordable 944. Those who like Colts will love Sciroccos: for what is essentially the same car, you get VW reliability and chunky coupe styling at pounds 500 less. The Italian entries have wonderful engines, but woeful build quality. Alfa Romeo 1.7 Sprints and GTVs are well within budget, but need an enthusiast to take them on.
By far the biggest crop of capable coupes comes from Japan. Toyota’s tiny cabriolet car MR2 and the Honda CRX are among the best small buys. At the other end of the scale, the macho Toyota Supra and revolutionary (it has a rotary engine) Mazda RX7 make most other coupes resemble wilting wallflowers.

Many would describe the Ford Capri as little more than a rebodied Cortina. However, they still have a large, Essex-based fan club and the later high performance 2.8i models are honest, uncomplicated and cheap to run.
If you think you might like a coupe, remember these three rules: (a) do not buy coupes that have had lots of owners, or (b) with patchy service records and (c) check your insurance company loves your new coupe as much as you do. I went to put these principles to the test.
At Convent Motors in Ashford, Middlesex, I spotted a Honda Prelude. A 1988 2.0EX model, two careful owners and 40,000 full service-history miles had left it looking very good. The automatic gearbox was another indication that this Honda had been taking it easy.

An excursion to GTi Specialists at Wimbledon Broadway was worthwhile because it had a brilliantly eclectic line-up of coupes. For build quality and reliability I would have chosen a 1985 Toyota Celica at pounds 3,495, complete with air- conditioning. It had more character than a lower mileage and lower priced Nissan Silvia Turbo, pounds 2,295, which now looks very dated. The most striking vehicle was a 1980 Mercedes 230CE, 143,000 miles old but backed up with a full history and just pounds 2,595.

To see some Audi/VW coupes I went to Farnham Used Car Centre. It had a 1986 Audi Quattro with just two owners and a service history to account for 74,000 miles. I was equally tempted by a neat 1990 Scirocco at pounds 2,995.
As for the more upmarket Germans, you do not have to look too far for lower priced Porches. Porschecraft, the north London specialist, had a bargain basement selection of 924 and 944s that started at pounds 4,995. For those not too bothered about image, Norfolk Capri spares had a selection of sub- pounds 1,000 specials. I found myself strangely attracted to a Y-registered 2.8i that had just two owners and a guaranteed 75,000 mileage. There was a full MOT, too.
When it came to some of the nicer Japanese coupes, I decided it was best to go private. On the Toyota trial, a one-owner 1988 Supra was advertised at pounds 5,500, but it was rapidly reduced to a round pounds 5,000 if I would buy that day. Motorpark, near to the M11, was just as open to offers on a Nissan 200 SX. The 1990 model looks like a real coupe should: sleek and uncompromising. A better bet than a 300 ZX at TFL in Putney, south London, a clean car and friendly dealer, but not one of Nissan’s finest. Even at pounds 3,295 this D-registered, 80,000 mile car should have come with a free chest wig.
Finally, a lady in north London had an old shape Toyota MR2. Hotly tipped as a future classic, this 1989 was finished in red with black leather upholstery, and a full service history backed 50,000 miles. All for pounds 5,000. The most sensible thing that I could do was to take this charming little coupe off her hands.