General Avoid the GP like the plague!

[JimbbobW1977]

The slowest for me has to be the Peugeot 207 1.48v I can't even imagine what that engine was like in the 307.

Incidentally that worst car I have driven has to be a 308 1.6hdi.

Such an ugly dull car and terrible to drive poor steering handling and ride the worst driving position of any car, even the Peugeot expert van is far better to drive.

 

[T14086]

It amazes me :doh: that people buy a car then start complaining about it. Surely if homework was done beforehand no one would be disappointed.
I don't understand how someone can buy a car without thoroughly testing it. Ahhhh

Absolutely 100% correct! Daily I see customers coming in, sit inside a car (mention things like 'oh plenty of pockets to put stuff in' order the car then as you say complain because of road noise, slow throttle response, poor MPG. If I was spending £9-12k on a car I will be driving the courtesy test car over the weekend, if the garage said no can't do that then I would walk away.

Dont like whats on offer dont buy it *simples*

At the end of the day if you dont like what Fiat offer then dont buy it I mean it really cannot get any more simple than that and no one is holding a shotgun to anyones head to buy a GP or a FIAT!

I have a 1.2 8v Fiat if your comment is referring to me?? in fact I own 3 Fiats at present all used daily. My comment was in response to the numerous posts in other threads (as mentioned) about the lack of a decent powerful engine in the early GP range which I agree with, people were not asking so much for a 'hot hatch' just something that wasn't dangerous in many situations due to lack of power.

 

[T14086]

Out of interest does anyone here take part in the JD power surveys?

 

[SJB1985]

Absolutely 100% correct! Daily I see customers coming in, sit inside a car (mention things like 'oh plenty of pockets to put stuff in' order the car then as you say complain because of road noise, slow throttle response, poor MPG. If I was spending £9-12k on a car I will be driving the courtesy test car over the weekend, if the garage said no can't do that then I would walk away.



I have a 1.2 8v Fiat if your comment is referring to me?? in fact I own 3 Fiats at present all used daily. My comment was in response to the numerous posts in other threads (as mentioned) about the lack of a decent powerful engine in the early GP range which I agree with, people were not asking so much for a 'hot hatch' just something that wasn't dangerous in many situations due to lack of power.

No I wasn't 'referring to you'.

I was just pointing out that if people took the time to read what up on and research a car before buying wouldn't this avoid the problems you refer to?.

Out of interest could you give me an example when driving your Grande Punto (given this is in the GP section and survey is on Grande Punto's) when due to the lack of power you have been in a dangerous situation? I would have thought that if you were put in a dangerous situation then possibly you may have failed to read the road ahead or possible pulled out at an unsuitable time? therefore relying on the power of the vehicle to get you out of this 'dangerous situation, instead of just moving off etc when it is more suitable to do so, not saying this is the case its just a theory and therefore cannot really blame the car.

 

[T14086]

One instance,4 up going up a steep hill (approx 50mph), over taking a lorry pulled out into outside lane (bypass and well in advance, I have been driving 32 years) and literally nothing then cars coming up behind me. In my honest opinion the 1.2 engine is simply not up to the job in the GP and I have owned cars with 750cc engines upwards. It reminds me of the days of driving restricted motorbikes.

I have a mk2 punto (1.2) which is much 'nippier' and I love coming to roundabouts in 2nd gear and accelerating away up through the gears. I often used to take the punto to work instead of a fully kitted out mondeo purely for the fun factor but in the GP, for me the 1.2 is underpowered.

 

[JimbbobW1977]

Happened to me in a 1.4 8v courtesy car on an a dual carriageway. Moved to the right to go round the car and nothing coming when I moved a car came belting up. No power to move quickly round the car I was passing and was sat their like a fool being tail gated and flashed at! Was used to the power of my 1.9.

I remember Jeremy Clarkson saying a car needs 100bhp or over to be safe on a motorway

 

[SJB1985]

I understand what you are saying @T14086 :worship:.

I have been driving my GP for coming up three years and I find that it does everything I ask of it, country roads, dual carriageways and motorways. Granted I have done quite a bit to it, this was by choice I must add not because I had to. I love my GP if I didn't I wouldn't have spent the money on it which I quite clearly have. At the end of the day each to their own, I am happy with my car and that's all I am and should be concerned about.

@JimbbobW1977 Jeremy Clarkson the self proclaimed orangutan (what an insult to an orangutan) he is so much of an idiot you have to laugh at him I take pretty much everything that Clarkson says with a pinch of salt TBH. It amazes me that that man is employed to give car reviews not only on TV but also in newspapers (if that's what you want to call them).

 

[RowingLad87]

Happened to me in a 1.4 8v courtesy car on an a dual carriageway. Moved to the right to go round the car and nothing coming when I moved a car came belting up. No power to move quickly round the car I was passing and was sat their like a fool being tail gated and flashed at! Was used to the power of my 1.9.

I remember Jeremy Clarkson saying a car needs 100bhp or over to be safe on a motorway

With respect, you can't have been driving the 8-valve like an 8-valve in that case. It'll happily run at 70mph plus with no problems, and overtaking isn't normally an issue unless you're trying to overtake from 40 in fifth carrying a full car. It doesn't have massive amounts of power (totally not necessary, imagine trying to get insured on a 100+HP car at seventeen, Fiat would lose a lot of customers if they didn't have a low-power engine option! A car doesn't need over a hundred horsepower to be "safe") but they've accounted for that by lowering the final drive ratio of the gearbox. At 60 you're travelling along in the maximum torque band of the rev-range (3000RPM+), meaning the best acceleration, meaning faster overtaking.

With a courtesy car, it's difficult to gauge the feel of a car - you don't 'know' it, and imagine the abuse the poor thing's suffered in its life.

 

[Andy Monty]

With a courtesy car, it's difficult to gauge the feel of a car - you don't 'know' it, and imagine the abuse the poor thing's suffered in its life.

But everyone knows courtesy cars are the fastest ones a car manufacturer makes :devil:

 

[RowingLad87]

But everyone knows courtesy cars are the fastest ones a car manufacturer makes :devil:

One thing Mr Clarkson has said that I'd agree with

 

[GrandeGuy]

Funny this I looked at the fiesta before a GP and they were ok just weak as pee, I mean really weak, why would I pay more for 20hp less????

 

[GrandeGuy]

And I mean 2k more for a less spec'd slower car . . .

 

[scout]

But everyone knows courtesy cars are the fastest ones a car manufacturer makes :devil:

I beg to differ kind sir. I believe the fastest version of a car is the company car version, this version will also manage loads far in excess of standard and is able to take traffic calming devices at full speed.

 

[Andy Monty]

I beg to differ kind sir. I believe the fastest version of a car is the company car version, this version will also manage loads far in excess of standard and is able to take traffic calming devices at full speed.

and in the case of my mates ex-eon 1.3 mjet eat its cam chain at 75,000 miles ish :bang:


Guess who went with him and told him it was a good buy :bang: :bang: (fortunately he has forgiven me)

(oh and its not the fastest one as it has a 70mph restrictor on it

 

[scout]

and in the case of my mates ex-eon 1.3 mjet eat its cam chain at 75,000 miles ish :bang:


Guess who went with him and told him it was a good buy :bang: :bang: (fortunately he has forgiven me)

(oh and its not the fastest one as it has a 70mph restrictor on it

Exactly my point, the vehicle your mate has is an EX company vehicle, not a company vehicle. No such thing as a limiter when I had company cars, I even took a 1.6 litre Vauxhall Vectra off roading with 4 up once (coped quite well over the rough stuff but was glad it wasn't wet ).

 

[T14086]

I have been driving my GP for coming up three years and I find that it does everything I ask of it, country roads, dual carriageways and motorways. Granted I have done quite a bit to it, this was by choice I must add not because I had to. I love my GP if I didn't I wouldn't have spent the money on it which I quite clearly have. At the end of the day each to their own, I am happy with my car and that's all I am and should be concerned about.

Absolutely, your money and your choice of car. For me the 1.9JTD was the engine of choice (despite it being used in the majority of tractors seen in the fields) especially for long distance driving with a lot of weight in the car while maintaining good fuel consumption.

One (IMO) good thing about the 1.2 engine is availability of parts especially second hand.

Funny this I looked at the fiesta before a GP and they were ok just weak as pee, I mean really weak, why would I pay more for 20hp less????

Did you drive the Fiesta................did you drive the GP before signing on the dotted line?

 

[Mjet220]

I kind of agree on the tech side if I'm going to be honest... Bland interior clocks and a disappointing radio...

But I do actually like my car. The looks, how it drives and it goes like stink so I don't regret buying mine most of the engines are bulletproof not really that much to go wrong.



The survey clearly didn't make their way onto this forum.

Agree interiors naff generations behind, i honestly have to say it was the worse car ive ever owned been in driven apart from chevi matiz auto lol

Having said that there a great looking car and i did like it when it worked (not often lol)

 

[Mjet220]

up here, you tend to see broken down (in roughly this order)

Renault's
Vw's
Audi's
BMW's
Vauxhall's
Fords
Citroens

Off the top of my head, i've only really seen a couple of Fiats broken down or on low loaders

Both mine, but i reckon my point still stands

Coz fiat dont even make it to the motorway

 

[Andy Monty]

Coz fiat dont even make it to the motorway

:devil:

 

[mrcinquecento]

I remember Jeremy Clarkson saying a car needs 100bhp or over to be safe on a motorway

which is nonsense. But it came from Clarkson, so that's expected.