Hi all,

New member, so dont shoot me down.

I have decided it is time to buy a new car (or nearly new), and the Stilo is on my top 5 list, as well as Megane, Seat Leon, A3 and 147. All have good points and bad points.

Can anyone convince me that the Stilo is the car to go for; it is cheap (and very cheap second hand), econoical to run and the 3 door looks good, but the interior looks a bit cheap (I understand that you can get interior kits any pics please?), and trying to find a second hand 3 door with climate control is a real pain (not Abarth - cant afford running costs insurance). Do anyone know if you can retro fit Climate control to Manual aircon?

I do a lot of motorway miles, but also some cross country driving, up and down hills (nice A and B roads). Is it good to drive?

A down side is that everyone has complained about poor build quality, and poor dealerships.

I am not a boy racer, I just need a comfortable, nice high spec car to get to and from work.

Any help in convincing me would be great.

Thanks,

JohnRG

In my opinion its a car worth going for if you get a pre-registered bargain or a 1 year old car, i don't think the car is worth paying list price for myself!

Be forewarned though, the Stilo isn't 100% reliable, you may find an the Seat and Audi are better built, but they you pay 30% more for the privaledge!

Live life a little, get a Fiat, pick a Stilo, watch it fail, book it into a arsehole dealership, having no repairs carried out, get an ulcer, suffer depression, get a baseball bat, get f**kin even!!!

When you say it's not 100% reliable, are you refering to mechanical faults or minor issues with the car.

I've heard no reports of Stilos being unreliable. You've had some issues, fair enough, but there are many Stilo owners here that are very happy with their cars.

www.forzafiat.com

"There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness".

Go ahead, buy the Stilo, it's by far the nicest car of the bunch you've mentioned and there were initially teething problems with the earlier models as with all new cars, but they have been ironed out now, Stiloboys expectations are a little high, perhaps he should have bought a brand new Merc or BMW, but I'm sure he'd still complain.

One point I agree on is buy pre-registered or from Jamjar, saves you a couple of grand!

FIAT Stilo Sport. Pretty Much Bog Standard Really. Rear Roof Spoiler,
Sill Protectors, Aluminium Foot Pedals, Eibach 30mm Drop Springs.

I'd definitely give it a try, I love mine, and personally I don't think the interior is cheap looking, I'd say its fiats best yet and certainly better than many of it competitors, such as the Focus.

One other point is insurance cost ( a big priority for me) the Stilo is in a very low group.

Also consider buying from Jamjar, I save over 3.5k on mine

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

Great thanks for the advice, another question, ignoring the Abarth, which is the best model, Dynamic, Active etc.

By the way, I would not have said the Stilo has a cheap looking dash, but I have been driving a 147 for a couple of days, and that looks swish (even if they are part of the same group), Cheap may be a little harsh but it does look dark...That is why I am looking at the Dash Personalisation kit.

Any comments.

JohnRG

The dash is quality, especially when compared to the plasticy Focus, yuk!

If I was going to buy my Stilo again, I'd buy a 1.8 Dynamic or a 1.9 JTD, they are the best models, apart from the Abarth of course.

FIAT Stilo Sport. Pretty Much Bog Standard Really. Rear Roof Spoiler,
Sill Protectors, Aluminium Foot Pedals, Eibach 30mm Drop Springs.

The JTD has to be the pick of the bunch if you can justify the extra initial cost.

www.forzafiat.com

"There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness".

Yes, but it'd need a Sports Pack on to make it look nice!

FIAT Stilo Sport. Pretty Much Bog Standard Really. Rear Roof Spoiler,
Sill Protectors, Aluminium Foot Pedals, Eibach 30mm Drop Springs.

Very true, and if you can find a 1 year old JTD you'll bag a bargain.

www.forzafiat.com

"There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness".

The moral of this story, is yes, get yourself a Stilo, you won't go far wrong! [8D]

FIAT Stilo Sport. Pretty Much Bog Standard Really. Rear Roof Spoiler,
Sill Protectors, Aluminium Foot Pedals, Eibach 30mm Drop Springs.

oh, and watch Stiloboy. He's deranged.

www.forzafiat.com

"There is a very fine line between hobby and mental illness".

No he just expects to much from his Stilo, perhaps he would be happier if it was made by Boeing!

FIAT Stilo Sport. Pretty Much Bog Standard Really. Rear Roof Spoiler,
Sill Protectors, Aluminium Foot Pedals, Eibach 30mm Drop Springs.

Had mine from new, exluding the problems I have had I love the car.
No worse than others I have had in some respects.
Love the interior, get the JTD if you can.
First diesel I have had and I think it is great for the MPG.

Interior puts the Focus in the shade
Friend has a Ghia and I would only rate LX at most.


Fiat Stillo MW. 1.9JTD
Met. Blue. all Electric. Skywindow..SatNav+
17" 7 spoke alloys.
Rear Parking sensor and Puddle Lights.


......Ham............

Got a 1 year old one here for £7000 back in august. 1.6 Dynamic spec. very nice car to drive, spec is very good as well, Only issue really was it coming with the tape player.

Scorg

Stilo Dynamic 1.6
Sky Blue

answer to your question about aircon ... yes it can be installed aftetr buying the car ... i havent seen interior personalisation kit but seen a lot of pics from stilos and lots of stuff done from thir owners ... browse here and you fill find that a member here installed PS2 in the car ...

if you ask me you will go for the stilo,

FIAT STILO 1.6 3dR Tiziano Red
Sub=Pioneer TS WX20LPA
AUTOMOBILE SK

I would say that the Stilo is one of the better mid sized cars out there it just suffers from lack of exposure.... Colin McRae + Focus = many sales.

Audi great cars if you want to pay a higher premium in all areas... Insurance, Servicing etc etc for the privilage of the badge, one thing to remember Audi also had a problem car in its first version... and that car was suprisingly the TT, the handling was awful.. the NEW A3 is a great car.

Seat... not driven any of these.. come to think of it I havn't seen many of the roads either.

Megane... has a rear end like a lap dancer on cream cakes!

147........ all I can say is class car.... but again higher premiums for ownership.

that leaves the Stilo... great looking car, cheapish to run and insure and turns heads more than the competition.... YES I have had most of the common faults.... but I just love the handling, equipment levels, low insurance etc etc , thats why I'm a few weeks off my second one.

All I can say is drive a few of the cars above and see what you are happy with, yep the JTD is a good one to get if you travel alot, the Dynamic has a great equipment level ( far better than the Focus ) and the Abarth enough said.

John,

Your requirements and driving sounds alot like mine.

I picked up my Stilo last saturday and paid £6700 for a mint 1.6 Dynamic - a whole lot of car for the money. For VFM they can't be beaten and they are certainly a lot less common than the others. Saying that my work car park now has 4 - all bought in the last month or so - would you know it! I've done a 1000 miles since and no probs yet and great fun to drive.

I do approx 500 miles a week mainly motorway and the wallet should have said diesel but having driven one and the petrol, I found the petrol much smoother and more enjoyable to drive. I loved the kick from the Turbo but I found the throttle very off and on and especially lumpy at slow speed.

I've also driven a Focus and new Astra and the focus seemed very overrated to me and the Astra - don't ask - yuk!

From your list, the heart has to say 147 but if your looking for a cracking Italian secret, Stilo it has to be. OK so it may not be as well built as a german equivalent but the 'trouble' with forums like this is that you get a small cluster of enthusiastic owners and problems that could affect any type of car can often get blown out of all proportion and create an unnecessary negative impression.

(That's just a personal observation, can affect any type of forum and was directed at no one before anyone gets their knickers in a twist!).

1.6 is apparantly the best for ride, drive and economy - just make sure it's a 3 door (much better looking and handling) and be patient. It took ages hunting through Autotrader and the like and then I had to travel 250 miles to find the right one.

Happy hunting.



1.6 3dr Dynamic.

John

I have both a Seat Leon and a 5 door Stilo. The pros and cons are as follows in my view:

Silo Pros
- Very cheap to buy and reasonable running costs.
- Lots of spec for your money.
- 3 door very good looking, 5 door (which I have) not as much so, but very practical and comfortable to drive long distances in.
- Probably the best Fiat yet.
- Not due for an overhaul for a few years - so good longevity out of the model.
- Mechanically reliable but some niggles -see below (you'd be unlucky to get a major mechanical fault that would stop you driving it).

Cons
- Depreciation is a killer - consider buying pre-registered or nearly new. You'll get best value out of it if you keep it a few years. - do you want to though? It's your decision.
- Built quality is not the best.
- Niggley faults and some design flaws to the car. This is very annoying and convincing the dealer they exist can be more difficult than it sounds
- Dealer network is very poor (there are a few gems but hard to find).
- Not the best for image (is that important to you? - not to me).

Seat Leon
Pros
- Basically a VW/Audi so you get all the reliability that goes with it, I've had no real issues with my Leon Cupra. See www.seatcupra.net/forums for more detail - an excellent forum that I'm on all the time (as well as this great one as well incidently).
- Engines eat up the miles no problem - diesels are a gem too.
- Good residuals - not a million miles off the mark 4 golf believe it or not.
- Spec is good (not as good as Fiat but much metter than Ford, Vauxhall etc).
- A bit unusual, not too many on the road (this may or may not appeal to you).

Cons
- Replcaement due late 2005.
- More expensive to buy but on a par to run I would say.
- Dealer network is very poor as well (may even be as bad as the Fiat one [:0]!!)


So then to the question - what do I think you should do[?][?][?]

Well like everything in life it all comes down to momey

If you're on a budget and need a good A to B car. I would go for the Stilo as it is serious value for money motoring and it genuinely is a good car.

If you've got a few more quid to spend and want to spend it I would buy a Leon. Your buying a more relaible car with top drawer internals IMO and your investment will be rewrarded by better residuals. But they are definately much more pricey.

I don't regret buying my Leon or my Stilo to be honest. Both do what they say on the tin and do it well.

As for the other cars I can't comment.

Any comments from anyone welcome. It's just my honest view.

Hope this helps. [8D]

cmc



1.6 Dynmamic 5 door.

Originally posted by JR Graville
I have decided it is time to buy a new car (or nearly new), and the Stilo is on my top 5 list, as well as Megane, Seat Leon, A3 and 147. All have good points and bad points.

Can anyone convince me that the Stilo is the car to go for; it is

Click to expand...

Give it a try. Go for a test drive and let the Stilo convince you. Not us. Then you'll understand the rest of my post.


- It's easy to drive too fast. You don't feel the speed. It's very smooth and safe.
- Very good under heavy braking when you finally notice you're already flying through traffic.
- Lot's of extras.

Michael