General which engine to choose?

[blotch]

Hi,

I could be interested in getting a used GP. I really would like some advice on which engine and model year to look for, with reliability as the main consideration.

I want a manual gearbox and don't care much about acceleration or top speed or cornering gusto. I'm forming a strong impression that modern diesels are too complex to be as reliable as the old fashioned sort and advice on this re Fiat engines would be very useful.

Hope someone can help, please.

 

[raphjd]

Based on what you said. here's some pointers;

The 1.2 is too sluggish.

The 1.4 8v gets better mileage in town, while the 1.4 16v is better on the motorway.

Series 2s (I think it's all red badges) had some of the faults fixed and improvements made.

The Dynamic has A/C and leans toward the "luxury" side, while the GP doesn't have A/C standard, but leans toward the "sporting" side. I wouldn't bother with an Active, as it's too bare bones.

 

[blotch]

Thank you Raphjd. That's the information I needed.

 

[Andy Monty]

from owning a 1.2 8v active and now a 1.4 8v Punto evo

the 1.2 is ok for around town however it needs written notice to do any overtaking but will quiet happily run on the motorway at 70mph

the 1.4 has more guts and is a bit more fuel efficient i did a 60 ish mile round trip on a combination of A and B roads and it was hovering around the 50mpg mark till i got with in 10 miles of home and came upon my favourite stretch of back road :devil:

Both do however seem to average the same consumption roughly however on my regular drive to work (bendy twisty single track back roads) where they both average/d 39-40mpg

I wouldn't say the active is sparse on spec its got all you need (electric windows mirrors etc) If your looking at second hand check water hasn;t been cascading over the air con pump / alternator

if the car you are looking at is 4-5 years old get them to do the cambelt if its over that check its been done

https://www.fiatforum.com/grande-punto/89495-recalls-known-fault-issues.html

 

[jameshobiecat]

Judging from the posts on here I'd say the 1.3 diesel seems to be the most reliable. That said, it could just be that 1.3diesel owners tend to be less enthusiastic and therefore less likely to join the forum. If its petrol your after the 1.2 and 1.4 8v don't seem to suffer the same gearbox problems as the 1.4 16v with its 6 speed box.

Least reliable is the 1.9 diesel.

All of above is just based on forum posts so is not scientifically valid.

 

[Loocas]

Youre forgetting the Tjet, good on fuel, quick, cheapish to insure and overall boss

 

[jameshobiecat]

Youre forgetting the Tjet, good on fuel, quick, cheapish to insure and overall boss

I didn't forget it, I have one. But the op said they were looking for a less sporty model. Plus they seem to suffer from occasional diff failure. That said they do seem to be the most reliable of the sporty models (thanks to the 5 speed gearbox).

Good on fuel????????? Mine's not!

 

[BodyRoxz GPS]

I have a 1.9 mjet sporting and all I have to say is its quick when needed, confined when needed with the 6th gear, HOWEVER after about an hour on the motorway the more sporting chassis setup becomes annoying! Plus my experience is not very good reliability :/

 

[Magic Johnson]

T jet all the way.

1.4 8v is as reliable as you like but gutless as hell.

 

[blotch]

Okay, it's a test drive or two on the motors mentioned.

Thanks to all who posted. Very informative.

 

[raphjd]

1.4 8v is as reliable as you like but gutless as hell.

It's far from being a boy racer, but it's not gutless.

 

[Lal B3N]

If you want simple reliability and a good all round car avoid the tjet and the mjet.

 

[JackFi]

1.3 mjet is really decent tbh, plenty of torque and reliable. Why would you say avoid T-jet ben?

 

[Loocas]

I didn't forget it, I have one. But the op said they were looking for a less sporty model. Plus they seem to suffer from occasional diff failure. That said they do seem to be the most reliable of the sporty models (thanks to the 5 speed gearbox).

Good on fuel????????? Mine's not!

Mine never goes below 40mpg on the average reading, then again it has had the remap and all tht

 

[Magic Johnson]

It's far from being a boy racer, but it's not gutless.

LOL. compared to what?

 

[raphjd]

LOL. compared to what?

We have the same engine and I find my car does quite well for itself in most situations.

Sure, there are times I wish it had more power, but it's good overall.

 

[Magic Johnson]

Its terrible, lord knows what the 1.2 is like.