(T) Possibly buying a stilo JTD Multiwagon

Right, im looking at an estate car, no more then 5 years old for about 3k and the stilo jtd multwagon seems to fit the bill. I'm not one to listen to the common balls that fiats allways break as at the minute i drive a rover 214, which everyone slates for HGF, and yes my head gasket went but it cost me £230 to repair including doing all the belts at the same time and thats all that ive spent on it in 2 years of motoring so i see that as a good car.

so the question is, reliability wise, are there any known common problems, things to watch out for and questions about has it had certain things done already before i buy one??

is there any models that i should try to get for better spec?? i definityely want air con and would like alloys too but anything else?? any with leather seats??

Chris

You can buy my JTD MW if you like. Fully loaded with extras, 105K miles. All major servicing done. Only looking for about £2300 for it.

If you want air con, you'll wanna go for a Dynamic or Active Air Con model id think. Some of the Dynamics may have climate control too. Leather interior was optional i think, tho i have seen one Autotrader in the last few days which had leather interior.

On the diesel engine i know it's important to make sure it's had the cambelt, tensioner etc changed (dependant on age & mileage) or if it hasn't, factor this into the asking price.

Another thing to note is Stilos can enjoy frightening people by reporting failures of sensors etc on the dashboard display. Stilos are more dependant on correct battery voltage than most cars, so before really beginning to panic, check the condition/age of the battery as a potential huge bill could be sorted by a new battery.

Not sure if the springs can snap as on the hatch models, am sure someone can list a few different pointers on top of mine.

Just picked myself a JTD MW up. Top car, fully loaded Connect Nav+ Climate control, cruise control, zenon's.
There was a recall on the MW for the springs.
Drives like a dream, they just want to keep going. Loads of space. However would say look for one that has folding seats in the back and not sliding.

Why? I think my sliding seats are very good. One of the better ideas in the car.

Sliding Seats are good. but they don't give you a completly flat boot when laying them down. Apart from that there cool I have them on mine and on the wifes stilo. Just sometimes could do with a flat boot.

Yes, that is true but I didn't think the normal ones went flat either, or do they?

true am not sure either. Had been told they did, seat pads lift then back's drop into where the pads sit.

Check for bumpy ride from the rear. If you need the axel bushes changing it'll cost you around £300.

JTD engine is a great choice

Its the best engine to have woth the MW, more then enough power for the bodyshell, and great economy/running costs etc (fuel and insurance ).

I think in the right colour, the MW can look quite an attractive estate car - but not as good as the 3 dr

The non-sliding seats do fold to give a completely flat loading area.

I have a 1.6 Stilo MW. It's no JTD but it's a good car and has been reliable. In terms of comfort and space it's hard to beat for the money.

worth checking if any of the front springs have been replaced, quite a few have had the spring break problem which is why you should see if the spring recall cage has been fitted to bottom of front shocks , not an expensive fix just annoying ,did mine myself for £40 the previous owner had changed the other side a month before that, otherwise my 1.9jtd is a good choice for economy and future road tax bands, would not worry if you want cruise control as I fitted a alfa 147 stalk direct plug in for £40 witha little cutting of bottom shroud, there is a guide on the site for doing the job and loads of useful help from here.otherwise the usual stull of service history and cam belt/tensioner if needed, mine is on 86k cam belt stuff has been done and after 2 months of ownership still think of it as an all round good choice, with my confidence in its reliability growing the more I drive it