Hi im am new to this forum and have had fun reading all the posts regarding The Stilo Abarth.
However I am now in the situation where I really love the car but cant decide wether or not it will be a good move to take the plunge and buy one!
I have not yet had a test drive of either the selespeed or the manual but have had a drive in the 1.9 jtd which was a nice drive and seemed fast compared to my 1.2 punto but sounded like a tank!
Jst a few questions that I could do with clearing up!
When i browse the forum alot of the complaints that I keep reading our from like 4 yrs ago when they 1st came out. Am i right in thinking that if i was to buy a abarth now most of these problems should have been sorted by now? or am i being naive and should still expect these problems?
I am still undecided about wether to get the manual or selespeed? I like the thought of the selespeed but I am abit concerned about how quick the gearbox will change gears? is it slower than a manual between gears?
I have read a few bad reviews of the selepseed gearbox is this jsut simply because the reviwers didnt get chance to learn to use it properly?
I really love the style and features this car has and they are so cheep to buy now you get an awful lot of car for ur money! Think i just need to here from some satisfied customers rather than keep hearing these horror stories!

Any repsonce will be much appreciated
Chrs

Get a manual barth if you can, much less problamatic

I have the JTD, and must say that it is still quite a refinded diesel engine, even by todays standards . and its easily remapped to say 150bhp, so could potentially keep up with an abarth

sitting at 70-80mph on the motorway it is just a muted hum in the background, its cheaper to insure as well, and can easily achieve 50mpg (check out my sig).

i plan on getting mine remapped in a few months, and cannot recommend this car enough

get one, and you will not be sorry

I like the Abarth cos of the sat nav and all the toys you get with it as well.
Is the selespeed really that bad?
I keep trying to find a manual abarth but its like trying to find a needle in a haystack!

its your choice

least you are considering a stilo

i think they did a manual barth, but it didnt have the same toys as the model with the selespeed

if you can find a well looked after selespeed model, i cant see any reason not to get one

either way, welcome to the forum, and hope you get a good choice

Well my Dad is Italian so getting anything that isn't Italian is not an option! The reason i like the stilo is because you dont see many of them around, (not sure i have ever seen a abarth) and people wont expect them to be packing that much power lol.
Im drawn towards the selespeed because after 3 years of driving i like the idea of having a new system to play with thats different to what everyone else i no has.
Do u reckon most the problems should be sorted by now such as dodgey warning lights on the dash etc?
These forums are a gr8 place i didnt no they existed lol! I look forward to posting my 1st pic of my abarth.............
Thanks for your help !

Hi there,

I don't recall many Selespeed problems posted on the forum - I think in most cases it was the brake light switch (a minor fault!)

The Selespeed in the Alfa Romeo 156 gives problems, but often mechanical in nature (broken gear selectors etc.) The one in the Stilo operates in a more relaxed fashion (it doesn't slam down into first gear while moving, for instance, unless you tell it to) so it's likely that the Stilo Selespeed will be long-lived.

I think on the whole that it was a good feature of my Stilo and I suggest you go ahead with it. I had to drive mine quite gently to get good economy (8L/100km) and I suspect an average of 9L/100km is a realistic achievement, perhaps even 12L/100km if you drive only around town (roughly 34, 32, and 24 mpg respectively). You will have to take the fuel usage into consideration since it will be a major cost of running it.

What I didn't like so much about my Stilo was the ride and handling, but the main thing about it was the amazing loss of value. In a year's time, don't expect the car to be worth more than 70% of whatever you pay now...

-Alex

hi, i have owned a "prestigio" for 6 months (which is a revised 5 door abarth -has minor internal and external tweaks).

from what i understand when i was looking, early cars have all the toys, which were slowly removed around 04 when tailgate designs were changed. the selespeed cars from this time onwards have slightly more as standard than manual counterparts, though do lose cruise control (can be retro fittted).

In summary, my thoughts on MY car (which has not had a penny spent on it since i've owned it); maybe i've been lucky?

Good bits
lots of toys, refined car at speed, manual / automatic option depending on mood (selespeed), unusual car (only ever seen 1 other - that was on here - gazwrexham!), comfortable and spacious. 5 door is obviously versatile, expanding boot, reclining seats etc.

Bad bits
fuel economy, depreciation, jerky/lurch gearchange, can go wrong - depending on your research, i think engine is slightly "lazy" but this is not helped by auto box.

- do i like my selespeed - defintely, would not drive a manual again if possible!
- would i buy another abarth - with fuel over £1 threshold now, definitely not.

- do i regret not having a jtd - only from economy viewpoints - abarths / prestigios have far more kit as standard and personally i adore the selespeed gearbox for city (auto) and / or motorway (paddle) driving. the engine note is sooooooo seductive - turn that key.........

Well you have had an all round appraisal of the abarth from the others but I will be quite plain in my description of the car

Engine is underpowered for a 2.4 [compared to other manufacturers] it is not the most reliable unit either

Sillyspeed gearbox is a total disaster so buy a car with one at your own peril

The less toys you have in a car the less there is to go wrong ..considering Italian electrics :bang:

Go for the JTD and a manual box ..its got much more going for it with increased fuel consumption /cheaper insurance and road tax for a start ..engines are easier to tune as well ..Oh and dont rule out the 5dr either its one hell of a car :slayer:

PNL said:

Well you have had an all round appraisal of the abarth from the others but I will be quite plain in my description of the car

Engine is underpowered for a 2.4 [compared to other manufacturers] it is not the most reliable unit either

Sillyspeed gearbox is a total disaster so buy a car with one at your own peril

The less toys you have in a car the less there is to go wrong ..considering Italian electrics :bang:

Go for the JTD and a manual box ..its got much more going for it with increased fuel consumption /cheaper insurance and road tax for a start ..engines are easier to tune as well ..Oh and dont rule out the 5dr either its one hell of a car :slayer:

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Agree with all of this, if you go with a JTD and remap then you will lose the Abarth convincingly whilst retaining a better resale value and better economy. I listened to them when I had the choice and I left the Abarth on the forecourt. As said, so underpowered.

Cheers for ur help guys still cant decide tho lol. Im looking for a hot hatch that looks sporty and the abarth fits this. also with a budget of around 5,000 theres not many other hot hatches too choose from. Im going to wait till after christmas to purchase anything so still have a few weeks to think about it! I really want the abarth just a bit worried about it lol

Pbody123 said:

Im looking for a hot hatch that looks sporty and the abarth fits this. also with a budget of around 5,000 theres not many other hot hatches too choose from.

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In that case get yourself a JTD with Sky-roof like Josh & Bozzy have. Josh likes his so much he posts about it constantly

There's no way you'll regret it but make sure you get a nice example with service history (be prepared to pay for it too)

When you get used to the power then just remap it as Bozzy has :devil:

Argonought said:

In that case get yourself a JTD with Sky-roof like Josh & Bozzy have. Josh likes his so much he posts about it constantly

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:yeahthat:

love my car

im getting the remap in 2 months, the abarth does make a good noise, but the diesel wins for economy, and with a remap can be nearly as fast as an abarth, if not a bit quicker

the skyroof is a decent feature if you can find it

How much is a Multijet Stilo these days? 150bhp standard and potential 200bhp with a remap. Might need some suspension tweeks to move it from family hatch to sports hatch.


Not a hot-hatch but certainly warm.

Argonought said:

In that case get yourself a JTD with Sky-roof like Josh & Bozzy have.

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Josh's is not like mine Argo, his is the wrong colour.

Hellcat said:

How much is a Multijet Stilo these days? 150bhp standard and potential 200bhp with a remap. Might need some suspension tweeks to move it from family hatch to sports hatch.


Not a hot-hatch but certainly warm.

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I would say a Mjtd with 200BHP and god knows what torque figures would be a hot hatch.

same power as a clio 198 or whatever - do they run that power

and the clio is now a bit on the lardy side

be the most powerful diesel in its class as well (when remapped, not standard )

Well i,ve got a Abarth selespeed and i love it full auto when cruising and paddle when hint of road rage occurs...lol nice toys on the selespeed sat nav (telephone system brilliant) 20V enigine note good to. PNL got chip on shoulder about the abarth cos his a weird looking 5 door and he cannot drive it without a pipe + driving gloves.

To be fair to Phil he has now got a car in the right colour.And that's no pipe, it's a digeridoo

bozzy said:

To be fair to Phil he has now got a car in the right colour.And that's no pipe, it's a digeridoo

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Plus I no longer own a stilo ..moved on ..I never had the longing for an abarth ..I used to belong to a site where they thought they were all some thing rather special ..abarth owners looked down thier noses of the cars and owners with smaller engines spend more time being repaired than on the road