Hi again,

Just another quick post to see if anyone out there owns or has tested a Stilo and alfa 147 and a give your opinion.

I have just taken a 147 for a test drive and it seems very good, but a lot more expensive than a Stilo, and was wondering if anyone can give me the plus and minus points of both. ie why should I buy a stilo? when I can buy a 147 if I want to?

I like both, but have to consider insurance running costs etc, but if the 147 is way way way better (or cooler) than the stilo I would like everyones opinion. I do a lot of motorway and a road driving so good dynamics is important.[?]

The stilo is winning on price (my head is talking) the 147 is winning on general gizmos and looks (my heart).

Regards,

JR Graville

3-door Stilo uses the same Floor pan as the 147. I'd say equally as good looking in a more conventional way. Stilo is more spacious, looks sporty, but most models can't match their equivalent 147...

53 plate, Stilo 3-door, Sassy grey, Alloys to follow, 1.2 Active, 5-Disc CD-Changer -- 45mpg!

a friend of mine owns 147 2.0ts ... its very good car ... you must see an 147 driving behind you in the internal mirror ... like a UFO the "mouth" of the car is excellent.
i can give you some tips about the car ... the alfa obviously is more exclusive car but if you think that you wont be having the minor problems that we have with our stilos its not true ... alfas can be pain in the arse lots of times.if you are going for a petrol engine the alfa can offer quite an impressive engines ... and thats also for the diesel cars.
both cars do have more or less the same gadgets inside so it wont be worth to talk about.
its your call but remember that more people will look at you in your alfa than in your stilo.

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

I drive lots of both.... 147 wins in each version unless you are going for a 1.2 then the cheapie Stilo is the only option.

147 JTD is the best of the lot.

Alfa Romeo 156 2.4 JTD (210BHP)
Fiat Punto JTD (130BHP)
Fiat Barchetta

http://www.angeltuning.co.uk
http://www.bravo-guide.co.uk THE Fiat Bravo site

I was behind a 147 today and I'm not sure what engine it had in it but it looked like a 1.6 or 1.8 jobby in Alfa standard form and I couldn't stay with it, but I caught it up at about a 100mph and from then on upwards it was pretty even, after a ton he couldn't get away from me any more and things evened themselves out.

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

The boyracer opinion eh TC

Well yesterday I put my Stilo in the garage and got a 147 as a courtesy car, very nice!

Looks wise it depends if your buying the 5 or 3 door, the 5 door 147 is almost as nice as the 3, so beats a five door Stilo easy, but I personally prefer a 3 door stilo, this is of course though down to you

Drive wise, the 147 is definitely more sporty than the Stilo, its stiffer, and turn it much better. The one I had was the JTD 16v, and the advantage it had over my JTD was staggering, loads more poke, but also much more refined, though I guess the normal JTD in the Alfa would offer similar performance.

Appeal: well Alfa is a prestige brand, whereas Fiat is mainstream, this of course accounts for some of the price, but there are telltale details, the windscreen wipers have Alfa Romeo inscribed in them for example!

As for the interior, the Stilo has more space, and feels a bigger car, I prefer this, but my girlfriend who is only 'ickle found the 147 less intimidating. The interior is a little more swish than the Stilo really, more of what you'd expect from an Italian, whereas the Stilo although very nice inside is a little Sombre.

BUT, going on Jamjar prices, my Stilo cost £9600, the 147 I had (JTD 16v Lusso 5dr) is £15800, even the cheapest 147 JTD tourismo 3dr is £12800, that is lot of wedge more IMO.

Then there is the insurance, my Stilo is in group 5, whereas the 147 JTD tourismo is in 12(I think!), and the JTD 16v Lusso 16(again, I think!)

Also the Alfa will probably be hit harder than a Stilo on depreciation, though neither has exactly rock solid residuals.

All that said, its down to your preference really, and if you don't mind the extra financial implications.

Good luck

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

No James, not boyracer, he just thought he'd **** me off as we exited a roundabout on the parkway, so I thought, let's see what this baby can do, and above is the result!

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

i rather the 5 door alfa 147 as the rear doors are a bit of a novelty!

Met Cognac 99 Brava 100 HSX,

TC, I had a similar thing with a dick in a Bora the other day, VW driver think they're it[!]

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

Mad Colm

What do you mean by a bit of a novely?

It's a novelty that someone would consider putting 5 doors on such a beautiful car!

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

Im guessing he means the way the rear door handles work, just like on the 156. handles in the back of the door next to the window

Scorg

02 Stilo Dynamic 1.6
Sky Blue
01 Brava 80SX (come saturday)
Ink Black

Oh, right, I see, you mean the concealed door handle feature, that's the trick they use to make it look like a three door isn't it?

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

Doesn't work as well on the 147 as on the 156, the front door is too short.

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

I would really like a 147 jtd but for 3K more than a Stilo 3-door its just not worth it. Mind you my wife's 145 ts 1.8 in French Blue metallic is better to drive and turns more heads than my 51-plate Bravo jtd despite all the HGT add ons!
Hopefully the Stilo jtd on 17's will be a bit tighter on the twistiesand
I will eventually get it to Nige for remapping!

The standard Stilo springs are a little soft, if you can uprate them, I will when I change my insurance

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

For the difference in purchase/insurance/depreciation the 147 isn't really worth it compaired to the Stilo!

53 plate, Stilo 3-door, Sassy grey, Alloys to follow, 1.2 Active, 5-Disc CD-Changer -- 45mpg!

But, if cost isn't too important, its just down to your personal opinion, though personally I agree the Alfa is worth all the extra money over the stilo.

Unless you start looking at the GTA

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

The trouble is, AR pitches itself in the market as a Prestige Marque, and it's pricing reflects that. But their sales figures and residuals don't.

So by buying an AR, yes you may be buying a nicer styled car, but it is no better in build quality than your FIAT, it's certainly no BMW or Merc, so why the premium in price?

And when you come to sell your AR you are going to want to kill yourself because you lost all that money. AR is a brand that you buy with your heart not your head, because if you were using your brain and had that kind of money to spend you'd buy German and at least in three years time you'd get back some of your original outlay, unlike the AR of course.

What do you reckon guys?

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

Yeah, but don't you want to be happy for the three years you have the car

If I was going to buy one, which I did consider (until I got an insurance quote) while looking for a new car recently, I would either buy an import (specialist place near me), or shop around on the net, which like with buying FIAT can yield some very nice savings.

Stilo TURBO!!!!(diesel)

But will you be happy for those 3 years, i'd expect you to be happy for maybe a max of 50% of that. Remember your paying 30% more than the price for the Stilo, and it will break at least as often, if not more seeing as its got more power putting the rest of the mechanicals etc under more strain!

53 plate, Stilo 3-door, Sassy grey, Alloys to follow, 1.2 Active, 5-Disc CD-Changer -- 45mpg!