I'm likely to be purchasing a new car in the next couple of months, really dont know which car to go for between an Evo Sporting 1.6 MJet or an Ibiza FR 2.0 CR.

I've currently got a Grande Punto Sporting 1.9 MJet and really like it. The Evo is better specd and much cheaper than the FR. Seat is probably looked upon as a 'better' brand. The FR has more power will hold its value better and i prefer the look of it but prefer the Evos interior.

Which should I go for

I’d go for the Evo, but then again I did!.. and I love it! (Sporting model)

You’ll probably get a bias opinion asking that question in here though.
What I will say is if your local Fiat dealer is one of the few good ones then that always helps should you have any problems with the car, not that I’ve suffered any with mine (touch wood), however if your local dealership is a bad one (and we’ve been hearing about a few lately) you may want to think carefully!

Join seatcupra.net & see what issues they come up with... I did... it's not as you may think... plenty issues, but generally the Seat dealerships seem to deal with their Customers better... as they should, you would be paying a premium for that sort of service.

People buy with either their head or their heart... Head says Seat, Heart says Fiat... which are you? We've had 3 Fiats, all have been cheap, economical & reliable... one Punto, one Stilo & 1 Grande Punto.

Youngest daughter had a Seat Ibiza... I was warned but bought it anyway, a 1.4 petrol version... What a mistake THAT was...

I've had mixed service from Fiat dealerships, the one I bought my current car from have been a bit hit and miss. Luckily I've got another dealership which is a similar distance away and they have always been very good with warranty issues and services etc. so I take my car there.

I know exactly what you mean Ffoxy, head is saying Seat, heart says Fiat. I was swaying towards the Ibiza to be honest thats why I posted on here to try and get convinced to go for an Evo! Had a look at some Evo sportings on the members motors sections and they are really growing on me.

airey said:

I've had mixed service from Fiat dealerships, the one I bought my current car from have been a bit hit and miss. Luckily I've got another dealership which is a similar distance away and they have always been very good with warranty issues and services etc. so I take my car there.

I know exactly what you mean Ffoxy, head is saying Seat, heart says Fiat. I was swaying towards the Ibiza to be honest thats why I posted on here to try and get convinced to go for an Evo! Had a look at some Evo sportings on the members motors sections and they are really growing on me.

Click to expand...

I'll proberbly get shot/abused for saying this on the FIATforum...

I'd go for the SEAT. I'm an ex-Seat owner and they are fabulous cars. the newer ones are VW engineering with Spanish flair. they Ibiza has a Polo chassis and running gear, but put together and tweaked by SEAT in Spain.

The drive of the Seat has so much more feel and excitement too it.

It really is a case of Head or Heart. but in my opinion both are saying Seat... don't get me wrong. i love FIAT, wouldn't be here otherwise. But heart loves the styling and engineering of the Seat and Head is saying Seat for reliability and costumer service

I probably would go for the Fiat as i've had no problems with the three i've owned & their customer service has been fine, even though i could certainly point out areas of improvement for Fiat UK.

The Fiat is also cheaper. It'll be worth less than the Ibiza after 3 years, but i guess a look on AutoTrader at the Grande Punto vs previous Ibiza might show you whether youre talking big money or not. The future values might not be as different as you think.

Seat's are by no means as universally solid as people think either. The VW involvement doesn't seem to have paid dividends to the extent it has with the other brands, particularly where Seat interiors are concerned. :yuck:

However, you do get a feeling in the back of your mind that if something does go wrong, Seat UK and its dealers are less likely to give you one mahoosive migraine like Fiat UK & it's dealers might.

I guess the only think i can suggest now is have a drive in both & see if one stands out as being either far better or far worse than the other. If this happens then everything else should go out the window & you'll know which one it has to be. If you can find a demo 1.6 Multijet that is, there's not one for sale on AutoTrader

Liam