(G) Newbie advice.....Stilo Buy Or Not??

Hi all, im new to this site but hopfully ill be on here alot more. I have £4000-£4500 to spend on a new car, it must be 2001 or newer.
I have narrowed it down to an alfa 166 2.5 v6, a mondeo st200 not st24, and a stilo abarth. Now, my mrs has a 2003 punto 1.2 16v active sport and i have been quite impressed by how far fiat have come on from the olden days, still not german quality but alot better. i am quite mechanicaly minded and do most things myself so dont mind getting my hands dirty, As you all will know more about the abarth than me i thought i would ask the questions and see what people recon, now the abarth is by far the most spec out of the three but im worried about the selespeed box breaking, is there any other real problems with the stilo, i think for my money i should be looking at around a 2003 with about 50,000 on the clock, to me this seems like a very good value car for the money, just give it some eibachs and some 17" claws and i would be happy. Out of the three would anyone do it differently, im all ears!!lol

Cheers in advance...

Give it few hours at least, more like day to check for replys.

I've not long got my 1.8 which I'm happy with, I'd get arbarth if could get insurerince on the thing at reasonable price (may get on in few years when done with my 1.8) ,It's still got few bits to sort out on it which saving for. Got a lot of other stuff like my holiday to Kos on 6th =p

I like stilos so far very much, just make sure check them over when looking at ones to buy. Sure others will give you stuff to look out for.

mondeo st200... nice motors....

keep your eyes on the abarth stilo's.... they're dropping even more in price...

like i said on another post.... saw one a few months back 03 plate ,25k miles, full history, connect nav, leather , skyroof, loads of stuff on it... 3995.....


i just couldnt insure it


ever thought about a jtd.... capable of 150 bhp.... so im told!!
but buckets more torque

Thanks for the advice guys, so out of the three insurance aside you would have the abarth? im hooked on all the spec it has inside and not to bothered about HOT HOT performance as long as it goes well, ive been without a car for about 4 months, i really lost interest when i realised how much money i was throwing away on buying turbo's etc, in the last 4 years ive had a Sprint blue 20v turbo coupe, mr2 turbo, tomcat turbo, a genuine e30 325i sport amougst others and the only one i can honestly say i loved was the beemer with its N/A engine, sure the others were alot quicker but when it comes to turbos i just feel they are a ticking bomb on the second hand market, thats why i was thinking a 5cyl N/A lump would be stronger. i had a few 535i's and you cant beat a bigger displacment engine for the strong feeling it gives but i was just concerned that the fiats handling and gearbox let it down? in standard guise does the abarth cope with the twisties, how is the traction control, are you able to turn it off?, cheers for listening guys lol.

Id really like to get an Abarth after my 1.6 but the 1.9 Multijet looks very tempting especially as Steely said 150bhp and all that tourque and the mpg too!

Hmmm head says Multijet, heart says Abarth!

Hi and welcome to the forum.. now as an ex 1.6 stilo owner that had his car tuned and modded I would honestly say forget the stilo abarth ..just by reading some posts on the stilo boards you will see for yourself how troublesome the car is and the selespeed gearbox can be a right pain in the arse and expensive to maintain ..the JTD is by far a better option particularly in the 150bhp option

It's a fact and even up to 170 with aftermarket exhaust. The standard 150's can go to 200.

Mine is around 150 with 247nm torque. That's quicker than the Abarth.

You have come to the wrong site if you want an unbiased view, but here are a few points i feel.
You see mondeo ST's every day they do look good and have good performance but nothing that unusual.
Alfas 156's are just as common i feel as the ST and IMO not the best looking car in the world. I would say a bit Old Man ish but then again im only 22.
Abarth what a legendary name, your unlikely to pass one on the street and i think the best looking car for the price range and when it comes to what you get for your £ you get so much for your money. I am not an owner of one but from what i have learned from this forum the only real problem is that they like to drink Oil but im sure the others would do too.
The money that your looking to spend i think that you would get a newer car and lower milage than you have predicted for and Abarth.
Hopefully soon we will be welcoming you to the forum as a Fiat owner.

Another fact about the abarth is its not worthy of having the name abarth as its name when you look back and see the cars that held the name and were worth of it ..

I take it your not a fan of the Abarth Stilo then Phil.

Or blow the budget and get a Alfa 156 GTA SW

As a current mondeo owner and club member, that kind of money will get you a very decent st200 mk2 either standard or tastefully modified.

They hold their value well and theres a good spares supply should you need it.

Engine mounts and front suspension bits in all V6 models will need to be well looked after and kept an eye on for, due to the weight at the front, ford didnt strengthen them much, if at all.

All the belts are a pain as well to change. Its isnt very accessible

A comprehensive service history is a must with one of these, avoid models that appear to have been ragged

But they are an excellent car and probably a future classic as ford havent released a 'hot' version nor plan to on the new model, providing you can live the running of it

I'd agree with that.

Seriously I've been in enough german cars to know they're put together just the same as Fiats but cost twice as much and look like they were designed in the 1980s. I was frankly shocked to find a collegues Audi A4 was a 2001 model and not 1990s. Talk about bland, ugly interious.

Anyway I digress, Stilo JTD I would say fits your bill, or an Alfa 156 2.4JTD. No idea why you haven't considered one of these rocketships.

With all things being equal I'd be looking at the 166.

Interior is brilliant and the whole quality of the thing is well above the FIAT Ford. The V6 wins over the 5 for me too. I understand that they handle better too. I have not idea if it's more likely to break down than the Abarth so won't comment there.

Personally wouldn't bother with Ford. It's not interesting enough to bother with.

I'd also suggest the JTDs. From what I've seen they seem to be the most solid engines FIAT make (in the 'performance' area anyway). AFAIK you can't get the 166 with a JTD in RHD but you could get a 156. Not quite the same thing mind.

also in the abarth, try and find a manual, its less likely to go wrong!!