ive currently got a fiat seicento sporting, but am looking for a car with a bit more power but also more room, ive been looking at the 3 door stilo 1.6/1.8, both petrol, havent had chance to test drive either of them yet but just want to know what your guys opinion is of them, im looking to spend about £2000 which means they are in my budget,

ive also considered honda civics vtech se's, ford focus 3 door black, and mg zr 105, has anyone had any experiance of those?


all help is much appreciated

Everyone will say the following;
1) This is frequently asked; use Search
2) Get a JTD as they're the most reliable
3) So choose a diesel; better MPG, power and clutches, etc
4) (Not everyone will say this) I have a MultiWagon and I love it...

Zen

If petrol is what you're looking for, go for the 1.8 at it has the most reliable components. 1.6 and 1.2 are know to have issues with the gearbox and coil packs.

If you want absolute answers then really use search, as this has been covered SO SO SO many times and what you read in them threads will be covered in greater detail than the replies to this one as i assume people get bored of answering the same question.

vladof said:

If petrol is what you're looking for, go for the 1.8 at it has the most reliable components. 1.6 and 1.2 are know to have issues with the gearbox and coil packs.

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On the other hand the 1.8 has a variator, which the 1.6 and 1.2 don't...and can be problematic...

What exactly is this variator and what does it do?

Never had any problems with any of the 2 1.8's I own (engine point of view). So far.

so its the fiat stilo 1.6 active sport a good choice to make when looking for something reliable, fairly powerful (compared to a 1.1), or is the ford focus/honda civic a better choice?

the 1.6 is a good allround joice imo. i havn't had any mechanical issues with mine since i got it almost a year ago, its fairly nippy, a fair bit quicker than something like a 1.2 corsa c... but its no rocket ship.

there are reports of engine / gearbox issues arising with the 1.6's but i havn't come across any yet, i think its a matter of getting a good one.

A stilo is a great option if you do alot of motorway cruising as its a very comfortable car and nice and spacious, but if you enjoy the twisties then its not so good, unless you like getting seasick.

Colledge said:

the 1.6 is a good allround joice imo. i havn't had any mechanical issues with mine since i got it almost a year ago, its fairly nippy, a fair bit quicker than something like a 1.2 corsa c... but its no rocket ship.

there are reports of engine / gearbox issues arising with the 1.6's but i havn't come across any yet, i think its a matter of getting a good one.

A stilo is a great option if you do alot of motorway cruising as its a very comfortable car and nice and spacious, but if you enjoy the twisties then its not so good, unless you like getting seasick.

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i agree, havent had any engine issues with mine and it is almost a year since ive got it...regardless of what we all tell you, at the end of the day its all about maintenance..find a decent example and you wont go wrong (preferably one previous owner, no more than 2!) and id like to think that applies to ALL the engines in the Stilo.

Colledge said:

...but if you enjoy the twisties then its not so good, unless you like getting seasick.

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I think you need to use a bit more right foot :devil:

I had a zr u can get some amazing deals mine was an 04 25000 miles for 3grand! Insurance isn't so cheap so look around, but an amazin car and hardly any need 2 mod unlike my 1.6 stilo although it is fun... petrol is A LOT better in the stilo tho! Wish I had gone for a jtd though, diesel cheaper, insurance cheaper etc

Colledge said:

A stilo is a great option if you do alot of motorway cruising as its a very comfortable car and nice and spacious, but if you enjoy the twisties then its not so good, unless you like getting seasick.

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Argonought said:

I think you need to use a bit more right foot :devil:

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LOL.com

vladof said:

What exactly is this variator and what does it do?

Never had any problems with any of the 2 1.8's I own (engine point of view). So far.

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The variator is an electro-hydraulic valve that is mounted on the end of the inlet camshaft and varies the valve timing between certain rev ranges. Symptoms of failure are an engine that clatters like a diesel during warm-up.

To be fair to the 1.8 FIAT engine, it's the FIAT 2.4 and the Alfa Twin Spark engines (which also have variators) that seem to sufffer failure most.

i have a 1.8....its great....nuff said really....motorways are a breeze, nice and quick, fuel eco aint that bad either

also if you have a read, 1.6 is one to stay away from imho....do some hardcore searching

I've been told before that mine sounds like a diesel when I start it, to be fair my father's seems to sounds even more, has been doing that for over 3 years now, but apart from that, engine works excellent on both cars.

Besides from the diesel noise, what else could go wrong?

@mzhussein: I totally agree, it's a wonderful power to weight combination, not to slow, not too fast. Its sporty enough so you can floor it and jump from 20 to 60 in 5 seconds and quiet enough to cruise with a relatively good mpg actually, when you just want to enjoy the ride.

When in traffic, I don't even have to press the accelerator to get it going, just slowly take my foot off the clutch and bam car starts moving. Being a petrol engine I'd say it's something. Sure some of the diesels can do it as well, but torque is totally different.

i have a new variator (bout a year old), and mine sounds a little clattery when i start it after its been stood in cold conditions for two days, but for maybe 2 seconds, then smooth and quiet...i jsut assumed this was oil reaching the top of the engine...

vladof, do you know what you variator does? if you ever want proof, from a stand still, floor it to red line in 1st, u WILL feel it kick in...but make sure the engine is nicely warmed up first.

vladof said:

Besides from the diesel noise, what else could go wrong?

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Some say you can drive for ages with a 'shot' variator. But I've also read stories on other forums about worn variators finally seizing with dire consequences.

You can be our Stilo guinea pig!

I did my research on the forum and found this useful thread. Pretty much explains what a variator is, doesn't really say what it does, except improve the torque bla bla. I do feel that the older stilo is a little low on power, could that be it?

Wikipedia says: Variators are best replaced at the same time as the timing belt. They will only cause noise, and not fail completely.

So what's the down side? Low on power?

We're still on topic i suppose because we are establishing whether the 1.8 is the one to go for. :idea:

well my mates failed, was well over due a change, nothing happened except i left him in the dust lol just noise for about 30 seconds....i suppose if it seizes it could be bad, but cant see that happening.....

try the first gear thing, youll know straight away if its working, youll get na initial surge of power, then another round 3500 - 4000k....the second one i belive is the variator variating

Sounds like trouble. :yum:

If I floor it in 1st I'll get a lot of wheel spin and then fast acceleration up to about 35 km/h and then red line, the rev limiter should kick in, then pull off but if I'm still in gear the engine will pull the revs to more than red and boom. After the limiter, the time after, I should see the variator limit the revs or what?

Is that the theory?