(G) 02 Abarth Newbie

Hello All.
This is my First Post on the Forum, Just bought an 02 Stilo Abarth for my Daughter, Bought it from a local auction who have started selling cars which have been claimed by the DVLA, Always buy my cars from auction so know most of the pitfalls associated with buying from them. As this car was lifted for no road Tax nothing came with it service history etc, It did have a short MOT left on it. Had it delivered not knowing what to expect but am generally quite pleased, everything seems to be working as it should the Petrol flap is missing, I need the disc for the sat nav, and it came with a key that the auction had cut but am looking for a fob with buttons to open doors etc, I don't think the immobiliser is working as no lights flashing.
I intend to give it a service, is Castrol Magnatec ok, it has 70,000 on the clock but I have no idea as to what work has been carried out to it.

I look forward to using the forum as I have done some searching and there seems to be some very knowlegable members on here.

If anyone could Help me in my search for any of the above parts or point me in the right direction as to where I could get them I would be most grateful.

Regards, Gary.

Welcome Firstly, sorry to pick, its Abarth

Secondly, the petrol flap is a common fault on these, they are flimsy. Also, if you search for "Connect Nav Maps" it should give you a clue to how to get a disc for the sat nav. The keys are quite expensive, something only a Fiat dealer can do. Your looking at around £250 for the key inc coding to the immobiliser.

Enjoy the car

I wish my dad would buy me an Abarth. Oh wait a minute he has pretty much until i pay him back. I presume that you daughter isnt 17 then.

Why did I say Aberth, It's a word I have been hearing for months now, ever since my Daughter first saw one My head must be going

Now she has turned 21 she can get insurance on cars she has only ever dreamed of, but I must admit I do like her choice. I had a Fiat 124 special T back in the 70' that was a lovely car they then became Ladas

Thanks for the link, I suppose I am not suprised at the price of the Fob/Key

Gary

Wow an abarth at 21 i so wish i was a woman lol. Im 24 and can only just afford the insurance on an Abarth. Its still £900 though
You are one cool dad i have to say. Its not a car to be taken lightly you have to keep your wits about you.

Well, She passed her test at 17 we thought it was for the best if she had her own insurance from the start, it is now paying off as the quote from Churchill was £663 which is very good for this type of car, some of her mates who were put on there parents policies and are only now taking insurance in there own name are being quoted that price to drive KA' and Corsas.

I don't have any worries about her Driving, She is a very good competent Driver. She started Driving with me Off Road at the age of 15 in my Land Rover, she used to say it was better than going to places like Alton Towers.

Im sure she did. Thats not bad for insurance at all. I cant remember what age i went on my own i think it was a couple of years ago. Being a bloke it saved me a hell of a lot when i was younger. Not that we condone Fronting here
If you have the patience i would really recommend you find the suspention and OZ alloys from a written off Schumacher. The drive is night and day different. Well i say that i have never actually driven the Standard Abarth only my Schumacher but my 1.6 lurches and understeer is terrible.

No Modifications, That's when the insurance goes throught the roof, I fitted a Peco big Bore Back Box to a 206 she had to stay legal informed them and they upped the premium by £150, so I took it off

From what I can see it will be more than enough for her as is 2.4, low profiles, Leather, what more could she want.

Makes sound sense to me

Modding a car you've just purchased into something else seems particularly dumb to me as it simply shows you bought the wrong car - and that's not to mention putting the insurance through the roof which always ends up higher than if you'd bought the car with the higher IG in the 1st place

My sentiments exactly, Especially when things happen like this morning, Jacking up car to remove engine tray in prep to do an oil change, looked closely at the tyre and saw a nice bulge looking at me on the sidewall, REALLY annoyed as they are Pirelli P Zero with very little wear, attempted to remove it and then I noticed LOCK ON WHEEL BOLTS Quote from closest place to me £144 for the Tyre and i still have to try and get the Bolts off yet NOT THE NICEST OF JOBS WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE THE KEY

I guess those are the pitfalls to buying at auction

If you're a member of the AA, they carry several tools for removing locking wheel nuts without the key.

I know what i said is a modification but not a modification if you understand what i mean lol.
The GP kit on the schumacher was commissioned by fiat and implemented by the infamous prodrive http://www.prodrive.com/
And after driving a standard stilo this kit (IMO) is an essential safety modification for any young person driving such a car no matter how experienced they are. Infact if even the most experienced of drivers could feel the difference between the 2 then they would agree that if available then the Prodrive kit will be worth every penny.

I too agree that such modifications are often pointless. I was looking at overhauling the 1.6 to get more power and better handling. I was looking at paying a minimum of £800 fitted just for suspension and decided to just upgrade car despite loosing £1500 in modifications that i have already implemented on it. The result was a guaranteed quick and working car with fantastic handling capabilities, none of which i could guarantee to get from the 1.6 and £1000's of wasted money. So that could well be money saved.

Also a lot of mods dont put a great deal on the premium. Last year i paid about £90 extra for tints, brakes, exhaust, remap and induction kit. That was on a £500 policy.

Smacked a socket on them, managed to get them all off. Now I can get the wheel off I can travel further afield for a better deal on the Tyre