General Are Stilos really that bad?

[stilo16v]

Ill try and give you my thoughts on the stilo. Im not biased towards them, i came across the stilo by accident as i want looking to buy one.

So ours is a 1.6 (which will very soon be fore sale!! Buy me!! ) Average MPG is about 40MPG, although on long motorway runs i have got 45MPG a few times. Which isnt bad, especially when you think how much more diesel is to buy at the pumps!

Its quite nippy, although you need to work the revs to gain fast acceleration. Its very spacious (i love the fact the rear seats slide individually and recline, making it versitile.) Its got nice features like a rear heater vent, two glove boxes, one with cooling, storage under the drivers seat, windows which go up and down by holding the lock/unlock buttons on the key, a trip computer on all models with MPG readout etc and the citybutton, makes parking so easy as it lightens the steering at the push of a button.

Stilos are also very well priced, infact id say they are a lot of car for the money and a bargin. Im sure they will be cheaper than the other two you have in your list.

Although its not all good, i have heard a few horror stories on here and in the trade. One is headgaskets can fail and its an expensive fix, but it wont happen on all (puntos are well known for this, and im told they are even more prone to the old K-series rovers!!).

I find the trim quality a little suspect, things seem brittle and not put together very well. Ive had one for about 5 months, it was used as a stop gab car, between selling one car and buying another. So the stilo did 65 mile a day commute. It proved very reliable, very comfortable (i carnt quiet believe how well it rides, steedbumps are bearly noticable!) and spacious. It handles nicely too, there isnt much body roll, but the steering does lack feel.

Every car has its problems and built in design faults, so thats to be expected.

Ive heard the eariler fucus diesels are really poor, and can go wrong quite badly. Ive not heard much about the 307 though, maybe check on a pug forum?

It depends on your budget, but you can probably get a far newer, better specc'd stilo that you would from a similar priced focus.

Let us know which you choose.

 

[leo]

...
It depends on your budget, but you can probably get a far newer, better specc'd stilo that you would from a similar priced focus...

Yes secondhand Stilo's tend to be cheaper than contemporary equivalents - says it all really.

If you are thinking about buying a Stilo because they are cheap, then think again.

They have good points but in an age when the Japanese set the standard, a Stilo is not for the average man or woman.

I chose a Stilo because I wanted an Italian station wagon, stuck with that notion because there is a Fiat dealer within 2 miles of my house.

 

[coyotes_uk]

As ever when you buy a car make sure you find one that has been well looked after, if you find a cared for Stilo she will be no less reliable than any other car!
My 1.6 has enough performance for me and still returns pretty good mpg, I fill up half a tank every two weeks ish.

Main things if someone hasn't already mentioned are make sure its had the spring recall work done, and depending on age a cam belt change too!

 

[jayteedee]

just thought i'd add.... nearly a year of Stilo ownership.. problems - none.

Mot was a straight pass
and with the recent service they even commented how much a good condition the car was in

 

[G Spag]

Pretty much everything has been mentioned, but I'll say it anyway!

I was doing 100 miles a day so bought the 115 JTD, averaged 45mpg with a not so light foot. I wrote a review on here when I sold it and I miss it, but it depends what you're willing to live with.

The Stilo is rather heavy, and it does feel it at times. My aircon never worked but I think that was because I never used it! If you get one, check the front spring catcher (I think?) has been done on recall. (Some people on here can vouch to it!)

The interior feels good in places, and cheap in others (such as the door handles)

Uneven tyre wear can eat tyres, although I didn't have this problem. Airbag warning light is dodgy, but some electrical contact cleaner will sort it out, doesn't take long, just can get a bit annoying. Blown light bulbs are a right pain to change too!

Only other problems I had were various faults being flagged up on start up (e.g. ABS fault) but on restart it cleared, so dodgy reading when cold I think. Had engine failure pop up a few times on the motorway, again they just popped up and went. The car was fine but it's hardly comforting!

Mine did 50k miles in a year and I loved it. I'd buy another one, but it is a car you love or hate. Hope it helps anyway!

 

[fiatnightmareni]

in a word .....yes. We have had a 1.2active for 4 years now and it has been a nightmare. Spent probably 2,000 in repairs (batteries, airbag sensors, etc) . The final straw came 3weeks ago when the power kept dropping for a split second while driving. £800 later and the engine is still chugging and losing power. Basically like a lot of Italian cars the electrics are shocking. Maybe we just got a bad one and they are a nice car in a way.....but when they go wrong they REALLY go wrong.

Please stick with toyota, that is one option we're considering now.

 

[dave]

in a word .....yes. We have had a 1.2active for 4 years now and it has been a nightmare. Spent probably 2,000 in repairs (batteries, airbag sensors, etc) . The final straw came 3weeks ago when the power kept dropping for a split second while driving. £800 later and the engine is still chugging and losing power. Basically like a lot of Italian cars the electrics are shocking. Maybe we just got a bad one and they are a nice car in a way.....but when they go wrong they REALLY go wrong.

Please stick with toyota, that is one option we're considering now.

sounds more like you are using a garage that dont know what they are doing to me :chin:

 

[udtrev]

But you are going from a strange case scenario, when leaving a Toyota for a Fiat.

He is not alone, my Toyota died

 

[a1ant]

Hello,

Just thought i'd add, had my 05 2.4 Schumacher from new, sold it a few months ago.

Total number of problems = 1 (Wiper linkage broke)
No error messages (ever)

JTD is by far the best in the range IMO.

Alan

 

[Schwenck]

Yes they are that bad; three and a half a years and mine left me stranded a disgraceful zero times...

 

[Argonought]

JTD is by far the best in the range IMO.

Too right Alan

I'm still trying to wipe the grin off my face from the run I had a few weeks past

Power delivery was absolutely awesome :devil:

Well chuffed with my clutch plates too - delivering all that torque and still locked solid :spin:

 

[vonstilo]

I've got a 1.6 16V Dynamic, 3 door 2003 with glass roof, and yes it's had the airbag mod for the front seat, and I had to have 2 new coils in December (so replaced all of them at the same time), and since then it's like driving a different car, more responsive, no need to change gear quite so often. Other then that no problems what so ever

 

[Maia]

I've got a 1.6 16V Dynamic, 3 door 2003 with glass roof, and yes it's had the airbag mod for the front seat, and I had to have 2 new coils in December (so replaced all of them at the same time), and since then it's like driving a different car, more responsive, no need to change gear quite so often. Other then that no problems what so ever

This could have been my writing - except for the glass roof...
Actually this has been quite shocking for me, as I've had the car for five months. Before that I had a MK2 Punto for two years - no faults what so ever. Would the Stilo have been my first Fiat... probably also the last, but fortunately the Punto stole my heart

Stilo (3D) is a good-looking car. I think no one can deny that. And for good looks you would forgive some possible faults, wouldn't you?

 

[nidza]

You can have issues with many mid-level cars, even with brand new ones, especially with the cars from the start of production. Stilo is no exception. I'm driving JTD bought in spring 2007, imported from Italy (production year 2004), and still running great. Done only usual maintenance including replacing clutch, which I'd noticed was little slippery shortly after buying - actually not surprising for 110.000km car (70k miles). Beside that, and three dead lightbulbs, everything works fine so far - at 130.000km now.

Must say I'm very happy owner. Very nice, silent and cheap to maintain car.

 

[yellowstilo]

I'm very satisfied with my 1.6L Stilo , it offers a lot for it's money compared to other cars.
Point of attention is the battery voltage which can throw up a lot of failure messages, i solved this by replacing the original 60Ah by a 74Ah battery.
The Sagem coils were replaced by Champions after 2 of them died but this is a known item by now and not very expensive.
After 6 years and 97.000 km's it's still going strong and i intend to keep it for some more years!