No clutch to burn out, but the gearbox is only rated to 324 lb ft and they're more expensive to replace than clutches...look up 'Aisin AM6' for the specs. Then there's the chocolate driveshafts and poor ride on the 18" wheels. The grass really is greener, honest.

If you're going to do it right, spend some more money and get a 159 sportwagen with the 2.4 and a manual box and remap that. Or better still, a chipped BMW E39 530D tourer. The Croma is a 1700KG Vectra with a high centre of gravity ('Pig on stilts' springs to mind) and fitting Eibachs will make the ride even worse. Complete the sentence - "You can't polish a ....".

As you may have guessed, disillusionment with the Croma has set in after the weekend. Cracking a rib while trying to refit the aux belt tensioner doesn't help my feelings towards the car

The reason you don't see many for sale is that there aren't many in the country - I reckon less than twenty / thirty? Perhaps someone in the know could answer that one.

About 900ish in the UK... Hell there are 2 of them just in Hartlepool!

Hellcat said:

About 900ish in the UK... Hell there are 2 of them just in Hartlepool!

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2.4's?

Oh! I don't have that much detail

I'd rate the 1.9 150bhp (mine) as having more than adequate power. I would have thought the 120bhp one might get a bit frustrating at times though.

Mine's a Prestigio. Perhaps I'm getting old, but I'm getting a bit tired of the bony 18" wheels nowadays. They're not just on the 2.4. I get the bony ride without the acceleration to make up for it!

What should you look / check for when viewing and test driving?
• service history
• condition – bodywork, interior, engine bay, kerbed wheels?
• mileage
• close all windows, turn off radio / CD and fan, drive on a rough road, listen for suspicious noise and feel for a supple ride
• no black smoke from the exhaust when accelerating strongly from low speed
• pickup is smooth at light throttle
• all inside and outside door handles work OK
• check that the hatch / tailgate / boot lock and release works OK using both the (micro)switch / handle on the hatch and the key fob
• no messages on the dash LCD
• no dashboard warning lights
• all windows work
• glove box lid opens and closes OK
• all recalls and software updates have been done
• there are 2 key fobs with the car

Just had a look on Glasses Guide and it shows the following:

Fiat Croma Eleganza
1.9TD Diesel 5-door Hatchback
6 Speed Manual Front Wheel Drive
Year: 2006 55
Mileage: 44,000




Part-exchange Price:
Excellent condition:
£3280
Average condition:
£2960
Below average condition:
£2590


I put in 2006 '55' plate but if it's a 2005 model then the prices are about £150 less in each condition. That's typically what the dealer could've bought the car for, so anything above it is probably profit for them. Like many people have said, as good as the Croma is most people wouldn't know what it was if it ran them over, so put in a cheeky offer of £3500. It's unlikely half of Bury are about to rock up and better your offer!

Also if it was me i'd prefer taking it cheap & getting the cambelt sorted myself, rather than asking them to include it in the price (and probably end up having to pay slightly more for the car), as there's always a risk that a garage would try & do the minimum work possible & skimp on areas (ie waterpump, pulleys) that can't afford to be ignored on Fiat diesels.

cheers all

have you bought one yet? the more i look the more i want one with a glass roof :bang:

dave said:

have you bought one yet? the more i look the more i want one with a glass roof :bang:

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I've got one, and it's fine as long as you don't open it. The daylight's quite nice though, and it hasn't leaked yet. It sometimes makes some alarming creaking/cracking noises if I drive up a kerb, so the body flexes. The electric internal blind at the front works fine, the back one is just manual.

Mine had a new mechanism (supposedly) under warranty, but came back just the same. I gave up in the end, and th warranty is well dead now. It opens OK, but doesn't want to close. A bit of a manual shove is needed to assist the motor.

I assume he bought it, as we're arranging for me to post him my space saver wheel.

:yeahthat:

More trouble than they're worth, you can't even use it that much as there's too much turbulence. If the mechanism fails you have to rip half the interior apart. Ditto on the creaks etc, and I just leave mine shut all the time now with the blind across - too hot in summer and too cold in winter.

God I feel old.

I do actually like the sunlight. My blinds are open all the time, except...

• when it's sub-zero, when the car does warm up noticeably quicker with the blinds across. It'd be even quicker with a sheet of metal and headlining there though I suppose.
• when it's really really hot and sunny, as the air con can't fight against the heat coming through it.

I'd prefer to have it than not, but I wouldn't go to the ends of the earth to find a car with one.

I have tried driving with the glass open on a sunny day after it'd been parked in the sun. It was really horrible - windy and very noisy. Why anyone would want a convertible is beyond me.

ah i didnt realise they opened i thought it was just a fixed glass roof like on the 500, or does the 500 one open too?