(G) Might buy a stilo very soon want peoples opinon!

Hi,

As this is my first post you may think I may have just jumped on here and not bothered to do any research but I have been actively browing these forums for info and found some quite good (and some bad!). Anyway to my point I have been looking for a new car I liked the Focus but theyre too expensive and then just saw a stilo next to one in autotrader and immediately fell in love! At first when I was thinking of getting one I thought they may be too expensive but how I was wrong!

Anyways I thought i'd start a post to get a few stilo owners opinions of a few certain things and then it can all be in one place also if any other soon to be owners are searching too.

Right so what engine should I go for? I really like the look of the diesel engine it seems the very best compromise especially as the Abarth I would not get insured for.

If I was to tune my diesel what kinda costs would I be looking at and what gains will I see? Best remap and what BHP after? Best lowering springs and how much? Abarth styling accesories the way to go or aftermarket third party ones and how much? What size alloys? Any other mods I can you can think of? Also one mod I am interested in doing is a screen in the dash or maybe installing a 360...has anyone attempted anything like this in a Stilo before? What about the skyroof is it worth it and how much headroom does it take out as I am quite tall!

And last but not least are they really that unreliable and should I bother paying the premium for an '04 one because it'll cut into my budget more for other things and shouldn't a lot of these faults be sorted by now?

Thanks in advance, anything else you have to tell me greatly appreciated!

Sorry its a long post!

Granty!

focus seems a smaller car to me. i was in my uncles the other day and it seems thiner inside than my punto

errr. dont


dont trust me, i own a Grande Punto

whats your budget?

Upto around £5000 initially but if I spent less than I got more money for stereo and alloys etc.

I sort of tick all the boxes in your post. 04 JTD with remap, Abarth body kit, 17" alloys, sunroof and all standard (apart from remap)

Remap gets around 150/250

Had a very small problem with an overboost valve but that's it. Keep some cash back for speakers, change them over asap. Lower on eibachs, enjoy.

Very astute comment

The keys things to observe are the same for any car really. Be suspicious of cars with many owners, look for good service history and signs of abuse etc.

Apart from that Bozzy's said it all.

How much did you pay for yours or should I say how much do you think it is worth?

It's only got 30k on the clock so I would look (September) at around the 5k mark. And it's mint.

You absolutely musnt buy one they are absolute rubbish, the electrics on them are crap, constant warning lights on the dash board, the main underbonnet connector is unreliable, they dont handle very well, the build quality isnt as good as Fiat would like you think, the dealer back up is poor and resale values are worse.

I'd fully recommend one, their reputation for being bad has made them a real bargain in the used car market. This site contains fixes for all the most common problems and even late model cars come with a decent amount of kit compared to their rivals product. The diesel engines are a thoroughly modern design being economical and powerful, and the 5 cylinder petrol makes a good tow/cruising engine that sounds great. You wont find better value for money anywhere in this segement and the reputation is worse than it has been made out to be.

So now you know.......you really ought to buy one now or avoid it and stick with the Focus idea.

But no license? Therefore, without having independant knowledge of a Stilo how can you offer any advise.

i was joking


ok?

Temporary sense of humour failure methinks!

I think this is a case of where I may know I shouldn't but because I like it so much and no one else has one and I really want one I will. I think as soon as the loan comes through i'll bite the bullet. As long as the faults are electrical and cheap to fix DIY then its alright im not too bothered!

What about this one? I know its slightly higher mileage but it does have sky window and 12 months warrenty which is a must really isn't it?!

http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/www...00725289627210

Looks ok but theres better ones out there.
Try and get one with the abarth sideskirts and spoiler already fitted. I didn't know about these when I bought mine and I really wish I had them - the aftermarket ones (although quite smart) just aren't the same. Also try (if you like them) to get one with 17inch 5 spoke or the multispoke alloys - they look great (really like my 5 spokes) alot of people on here like the claw alloys but im not too sure (sorry guys with claws).

If you get one with 17inch alloys make sure you go and get the car 4 wheel aligned as they suffer from inside/outside tyre wear. (costs £30-40 to set right).

I think you will probably be able to find one with less miles than this one here so have a look around.

Also if you can go for a phase 2 stilo from about 04 (i think) onwards. The way to tell is too see if the car has the fiat centenery badge in the middle of the boot - similar to the one on the front. They sorted a few of the gremlins out (suspension/electrics) so will save you a bit of time.

Good luck and let us know what you go for. Ebay has loads of stilos listed at the mo!!!