I know there seems to be more complaints than praises (although people only tend to post when they have something to complain about), but what made you pick the Stilo, and what other cars were you considering?

Although it sounds like a "step down the ladder", at the time I was actually considering a BMW 3-Series or Jaguar X-type until I noticed a massive picture of the 3 door Stilo Abarth at my local Fiat garage. I'd only ever seen the 5 door and thought it looked hideous, but the 3 door was strangely enticing….

I called in the garage and sat in the car and was instantly impressed with the level of standard equipment. But as soon as the salesman started talking and asking it to phone people and change radio stations I was gagging for a test drive. Needless to say, the rest is history.

Although the residuals will be lower than the others, it’s the fact I paid £7K less for more car which pleased me the most. It’s just a pity that the build quality can be a little suspicious.


Barbarian
3dr Stilo Abarth, Leather, Broom Yellow and Sky Window

I agree the reason I bought my Abarth is the same as barbarian. Only wish it was a turbo to make it go faster easier.

But a great car. And looking at a super charger kit for it when the warrenty runs out.

With all the problems I've had still a great car..The SAT NAV is a must!!



Yellow 3 door Abarth!

I got my 5 door JTD Dynamic 1 yr old, 18k miles for £7.5k......bargain or what!! - it has even got the reverse sensors, automatic wipers and automatic headlights.

Although I previously drove a Honda S2000, I am quite impressed by the torque and general nippiness of the Stilo, its much quicker than my girlfriends Alfa 147 (1.6) and much more modern than a golf.

I know its a bit cheap inside, and the 5 door is pig ugly, but its great on motorways....I don't regret it for a second (especially when I fill up with diesel after getting 600 miles on one tank!)

I know that I will have this car for a long time (probably because no one will buy it off me when I want to sell it!!)but I don't care, I feel that I have discovered something that no-one else has and I'm going to make the most of it

personally i think the 5 door abarth is georgous, well mine is anyway. It certainly turned some heads today (day 3).

I turned down a BMW 5 series for the abarth. People think i'm mad until they actually see what the car is capable of.

Mrs D
5dr abarth in met scilla red

**Lady Abarth Driver**

It doesn't even have to be an Abarth to be gorgeous - whilst the 5 door isn't as sporty as the 3 door, there are plenty of uglier cars out there.

I'd always given Fiat a wide berth having seen the way earler models were built (always got told Fiat stood for 'Fix It Again Toni'!) but was strangely drawn to the Stilo the first time I saw a picture of it in Auto Express.

Finally decided to take the plunge last week and took a visit to our local dealer (Stoneacre - see post in 'Garages' for an honest opinion) after dicovering rust spots on the roof of the wifes 3yr old Hyundai Accent - we ended up falling for the quirky looks of the 5 door and grabbed a 13 month old 1.6 Active in Crystal Green with Air Con and 14000 miles on the clock for a mere £6995 which is a bargain in anyones books (next nearest dealer wanted £8395 for a similar model).

Any regrets? - none at all and as for being different and turning heads, there are over 1500 cars in our car park and guess what...only one Stilo

Had my Dynamic MultiWagon for 2 weeks and I love it.
Driven over 1000 miles by now and am enjoying the comfy seats after driving a Focus for 3 years.
The Sunroof's never shut and I'm still finding new gadgets to play with.


Stilo MultiWagon Dynamic 1.9JTD

I recall sitting by my tent at Le Mans in June 2002, contemplating what my next car would be - I had a Mondeo V6 Ghia-X at the time.

I was looking through What Car magazine and comparing specs for cars - I'd decided that I really wanted Sat-Nav and that immediately restricted me to only a few cars in my budget.

I'd never heard of the Stilo before and on checking its specs, it looked incredibly well equipped for the money and thus when it came to change my car in September last year, I ended up buying a 3dr Stilo Abarth in Steel Grey.

I went with the intention of ordering a 5dr, but my father came with me to have a look at it and he convinced me that the 3dr is a much better looking car (and indeed it is). Thus, the 3dr it was.

Apart from the major hiccup I've had with a head gasket failure and a subsequent new engine as a result, I'm very happy with the car - it does all I want and more. It's just such a crying shame that the dealers are so absolutely sodding useless [V]



--
Neil Barker

I narrowed my choice of cars down to 4.
1... Brand new Stilo 1.2
2... Brand new Peugeot 307
3... An old merc 190E
4... An old 2.9 Jag.
I ended up getting the Stilo AND the Merc, lol
I got the Stilo because of the 3 doors sporty look, 6 gears and trip computer (never had one of those in a car before) and the Merc to rival the Volvo drivers on weekends.

I'm a parrot, what do I know?

my dad looked at

1.9JTD stilo
turbo deisel Seat Leon
turbo deisel Mitsubishi carisma

Hmmm, Mitsubishi Carisma - now theres a car that lives up to it's name..NOT!

I've had them out as hire cars before and can honestly say I've never driven a car that is so bland and neutral (hard to believe the same company make the Evo!!) - even my old Hyundai <s>Accident</s> Accent had a certain amount of character to it.

Had mine since April
Pity the Fiat Backup is so shoddy, Had A Nissan
1.8.Se Primera Estate before and before that Fiat Marea Week End Estate.
Was going to Get another Nissan Estate but wondered up to the Fiat Site and saw the Stillo 5 Door Hatchback.
Went back a month later ans saw the MW. That was it liked it instantly. Asked about a deal and that was it, as they say the rest is history.
That is to say the problems I have had, but still I think the car is the bizz, and as for the MPG on Diesel waht a bonus after my Nissan.



Fiat Stillo MW. 1.9JTD
Met. Blue. all Electric. Skywindow..SatNav+ 17" 7 spoke alloys.
Reverse parking sensor.


......Ham............

Here is my story!
When i was studing in Greece one of my neighbors was working for the local FIAT dealer and he was driving an Abarth advertisment car with the big "Forward Thinking" stickers on each side. When i laid my eyes on the car i just loved it. When i came back to Cyprus and decided to buy a new car a visited the FIAT dealer for a test drive for a 1.6. The love for the car was growing every mile. I didn't test drive any other car although i also had the Toyota Corola in mind. In cyprus there is the rumor that FIAT are very bad cars and for that reason you don't see Stilos every day. Being the only owner of a black stilo in Cyprus is deffinetly an advance. Every day i see cars sticking on my rear bumper trying to read the model of the car. Feels great.
It might be irrelevant but guys in Greece FIAT is the top sales company. Wherever you turn your head you see a FIAT. They even have a STILO boutique with staff i couldn't find anywhere else on the net.


Andreas (CY)
Fiat Stilo Black 1.6 3Door Dynamic, 16''Alloys

<blockquote id="quote"> face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by purplemonday
Hmmm, Mitsubishi Carisma - now theres a car that lives up to it's name..NOT!

I've had them out as hire cars before and can honestly say I've never driven a car that is so bland and neutral (hard to believe the same company make the Evo!!) - even my old Hyundai <s>Accident</s> Accent had a certain amount of character to it.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

i don't know about the carisma, imho i think its the nicest of the bunch at the moment, for the simple fact that it still looks like a car and not an MPV wannabe.

SEI POWER

NOS Guzzlers are just lower beings ​

What made us choose a Stilo.

Very broken Punto (Old shape) as youngest daughter hit a parked car.

Do not like new shape Punto.

Silo has lots of space and equipment for a low insurance rating.

In 2004 - and in a way still today - I found the 3-door Abarth (without the poorly fitting bodykits) to be the most appealling desing in this segment of the market (including New Focus etc.). The standards specs of the Abarth matches my requirements of satnav and carkit without having to resort to hiddeous aftermarket systems with higher theft risks. Once I took it for a testdrive (that was a selespeed) I couldn't stop smiling every time it shifted gear with a little extra gas in between gears. The sound of the 5-cyl is - though clearly engineered with exhaustpipetuning - the factor that seperates this car from others in the segment. I drive many diff. cars in my line of work, ranging in all priceclasses. I have yet to encounter a car which makes me sorry to step back into my own Abarth. btw: Still glad I resisted the selespeed and went for a manual (a six speed would be nice though). In two years time, no major disappointments and I drive fast regularly; including 230 kph in Germany every nogw and then. (only two minors, see threads for them: 'low oil level alert when cornering fast' and the cd-changer with its mind of its own)

I wanted a stilo as soon as i saw one! and after driving one, i fell in love with it! Theres just so much to the car! The fact that there was next to none about when i bought it just made me want it even more. Even now alot of people will say "oh its a punto" - NO ITS BLOODY NOT!!!

I've had my 5dr for a few years now, and still loving it. Although i do now want a JTD (keep that saving up kurt!).

I took an immediate disliking to the rear of the 3dr, although to be honest it is now starting to grow on me.

Still get stick from mates about driving a FIAT, but i love it and i know that they have deprived driving experiences in their Audis, VW and vauxhalls

I went for the striking looks & good value and owing to the fact I have a large ***** I didn't need to compensate.

bozzy said:

........and owing to the fact I have a large ***** I didn't need to compensate.

Click to expand...

in that case you should be driving a Sei.

Argonought said:

in that case you should be driving a Sei.

Click to expand...

Not that big!!!

(you know, big car/little tool)

I went for mine because PurpleMonday had one, and he's cool!