Last night my Idea passed the 100,000 mark in exactly 23 months. OK, I cheated because it's kilometers rather than miles but all the same it's a fair bit in a short time.

I've had three small problems with it. The parking brake cable was misrouted at the factory and it rubbed against the rear suspension on sharp left turns. This was a known problem and fixed by the dealer about three days after I bought the car. Later, there was a noise from the steeering column that made a clunk on less than smooth roads. Another common problem for the model and quickly fixed.

My EGR valve has been on the blink three times. The first time it was really bad and the dealer cleaned or replaced it. The second time the problem cleared itself after a few days. This time it's been for several weeks but it's not too severe. That will be dealt with at the next service, very soon.

I could also say that some of the interior plastics are cheap, but otherwise I can't complain. Would I buy another Fiat? Yes. From the same garage? Yes again. An Idea on the Grande Punto platform with the 150JTDM and decent suspension and steering would be an easy first choice!

Nice to hear a happy person!