i read somehwhere that the stilo is galvanised so shouldnt rust , or is that just me getting confused

the only rusty parts on my car are just the little bolts/screws that hold the skirts on at the front (they have been painted with touch up greay paint from work though)

braden said:

I had mine for 5 years, looked after it well. I know some people love them, i didn't.
I'd say the following things to a prospective owner.
Good
The interior wore well
It's comfortable
styling is good
It's an intersting car

Bad
The gearbox is shocking, slow and jerky.
The car is not all that fast.
The handling is dull at best.
The Nav+ is poor compared to similar systems
It rusted
Electrical very poor all round
Fiat Customer service is the worst i have experienced anywhere
People laugh at how bad it is
at 123,000 miles, mine was at the end of its life
You will loose money at a phenominal rate
I would never consider another one

Click to expand...

Very refreshing to see an honest opinion about the stilo abarth ..I couldn't agree more ..I have found most abarth owner not able to face up to the fact that the car is a crap one which will continue to milk them dry until their pips pop ..the car isn't fit to hold the abarth badge and will never live up to the abarths of yesteryear.. just a shame it sullies the name of all the other models in the range ..

coyotes_uk said:

Did you have a Selespeed braden?

Click to expand...

I did have a selespeed.

The rust was around the boot lock, fiat refused to do it under warranty, they said the lock was at fault and that wasn't under warranty.

I bought the abarth in 2002. Ok so far, 2 broken front coil springs, disengaged passenger door handle, Air bag failure, Climate control? Ha Ha. Thats it in 5 yrs. Do we love it - Definately. Bespoke stainless exhaust from Blue Flame, car makes 180bhp. Jtd See Ya.

braden said:

I did have a selespeed.

Click to expand...

While some owners on here have not had problems with their Selespeeds it does seem like the Selespeed is more problematic than the manual IMO.

If you come back to the fold look for a manual Abarth

fast banana said:

Bespoke stainless exhaust from Blue Flame, car makes 180bhp. Jtd See Ya.

Click to expand...

Try that with a re-mapped JTD.

bozzy said:

Try that with a re-mapped JTD.

Click to expand...

I wonder if this thread will ever finish

I'm glad someone else sticks up for the 2.4 rather than the tractor-sound , I wonder if PNL has ever heard the sound of the five-cylinder at full power(granted, it can also be experienced in the older Bravo HGT and even the Marea wagon)... Perhaps it should have been called the Stilo HGT rather than 'Abarth', and then we'd all be happy. I know what PNL means, compared with the achievement of the ABARTH 1000TC etc. of the sixties. I don't think any part of the Stilo Abarth actually has 'Abarth' written on it, apart from the badges.

So heritage-wise, not great. But as a car to drive, still nice

-Alex

PNL said:

Very refreshing to see an honest opinion about the stilo abarth ..I couldn't agree more ..I have found most abarth owner not able to face up to the fact that the car is a crap one which will continue to milk them dry until their pips pop ..the car isn't fit to hold the abarth badge and will never live up to the abarths of yesteryear.. just a shame it sullies the name of all the other models in the range ..

Click to expand...

sorry to say that but most of bad things he said you can apply to stilo in general so jtd as well, so i don't know where that excitement came from

I think even with the Abarth and any Stilo, so long as you find one that has been looked after your on to a winner!

Abarth is a good car and certainly for what you pay now, i have a 5 door 52 plate, and have also had a 3 door(kids now), there are some little faults however most cars have these, especially sensors etc as there are so many of them.Earlier cars should have had all recalls done on them, i.e tracking rod, rear suspension arm, passenger airbag seat sensor, brake switchetc, both stilo abarths i have had had new radiators as bottom rail is a known fault. There are cars available from supermarkets and crap dealers that will not have had recalls etc done, and not looked after. I bought mine from Grays in Warwick, have had 8 or more cars off them, they have never had a stilo with a selespeed problem, but they have been fiat dealers since 1970 and all their mechanics went for full training prior to abarth launch as they do with any vehicle.You should remember that a lot of people when switching ignition off do not wait for the dash light to go out, this switches the selespeed pump off, failure to do this can cause pump to wear. I have also had a 1.9jtd and 1.6 dynamic all good cars. Abarth was not designed as a hot hatch but as a good gt car, i have just been to yorkshire in mine with 2 kids, wife and 30kg labrador in mine, boot loaded to the hilt, car was fantastic. I paid £4995 for my 5 door with 42k on the clock, black leather all toys and full service and recall history from new! cannot complain at that price, plus they put a full 3 year aa gold warranty on it. Had to have radiator and fan control replaced all done under warranty.

forget what everyone else says make the decision your self, I run a Stilo Schumacher 2.4 and there isnt very much that keeps up with it on the motorway or on country roads speed wise it goes well even if some think 175bhp is not powerful enough, averages 30mpg at motorway speeds so it is thirsty but unleaded is cheaper that smelly derv which is more costly.
I have owned many Fiats and this one is the most refined relaxing and easy to drive.