Beefcake4000
New member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2018
- Messages
- 15
- Points
- 3
Hello Fiat Forum,
I've been a member here for a few years when i purchase a Fiat Punto Sporting as a cheap hack, a job it performed superbly. I was always impressed by the collective knowledge so here I am again asking for advice.
Various family requirements saw the little Fiat go and a diesel estate (Jaguar X-Type) replace it, turns out we didn't need a big estate so I've sold it and now looking for something to make me smile.
I've been looking at various things for a while and seemed to gravitate towards a VW Golf, they're not without fault but on the whole you get a whole lot of well thought out car. Including the dreaded fanboi, VW's are good but they're not THAT good and VW's command premium prices even the worn out, whipped dogs go for silly money (its all relative but i'm working with a limited budget).
Trawling through eBay for inspiration, always dangerous in the small hours with a drink inside you, I found a Stilo Abarth. Initially I dismissed it on sight, Fiat aren't good at big cars, right?... But i decided to see what the auto-journalists made of it anyway and the reviews were surprising. It seems like the entire world did exactly what I did in the first few seconds and ignored it. Most reviews were about how well screwed together the Stilo is and how it was intended as a real threat to the Golf but just didn't gain traction in the market.
I like that it (Abarth version) makes it poke from cubes not turbos and the warm-hatch designation sits about right for me, I'm the wrong side of 40 and looking for a car to enjoy rather than thrash. I once followed a guy in a maxed out Golf (ironically) that had been slammed so hard i could see his eyeballs rattling, it looked so uncomfortable, still he thought he was Charlie BigSpuds so who was i to share an alternative opinion. The car does still have to perform family duties so a two seater is out and i particularly love that ever review commented on the exhaust note, thats a big plus for me. I think i'd only go for a manual as the sillyspeed set up seems like a badly executed good idea.
Are there any known issues, I gather cambelts are a bit of a pig to do and i can imagine if the engine does let go the car makes an attractive paper weight. Do these harbour electrical gremlins? What are peoples thoughts/experiences, i'd love to hear from anyone with an Abarth and get their experiences.
I'm in a golden spot at the moment of only occasionally needing a car, I have a low (15 mile) commute which I often cycle so my annual mileage is only 3-4,000 miles of running children around B-roads and country lanes.
Thanks in advance.
I've been a member here for a few years when i purchase a Fiat Punto Sporting as a cheap hack, a job it performed superbly. I was always impressed by the collective knowledge so here I am again asking for advice.
Various family requirements saw the little Fiat go and a diesel estate (Jaguar X-Type) replace it, turns out we didn't need a big estate so I've sold it and now looking for something to make me smile.
I've been looking at various things for a while and seemed to gravitate towards a VW Golf, they're not without fault but on the whole you get a whole lot of well thought out car. Including the dreaded fanboi, VW's are good but they're not THAT good and VW's command premium prices even the worn out, whipped dogs go for silly money (its all relative but i'm working with a limited budget).
Trawling through eBay for inspiration, always dangerous in the small hours with a drink inside you, I found a Stilo Abarth. Initially I dismissed it on sight, Fiat aren't good at big cars, right?... But i decided to see what the auto-journalists made of it anyway and the reviews were surprising. It seems like the entire world did exactly what I did in the first few seconds and ignored it. Most reviews were about how well screwed together the Stilo is and how it was intended as a real threat to the Golf but just didn't gain traction in the market.
I like that it (Abarth version) makes it poke from cubes not turbos and the warm-hatch designation sits about right for me, I'm the wrong side of 40 and looking for a car to enjoy rather than thrash. I once followed a guy in a maxed out Golf (ironically) that had been slammed so hard i could see his eyeballs rattling, it looked so uncomfortable, still he thought he was Charlie BigSpuds so who was i to share an alternative opinion. The car does still have to perform family duties so a two seater is out and i particularly love that ever review commented on the exhaust note, thats a big plus for me. I think i'd only go for a manual as the sillyspeed set up seems like a badly executed good idea.
Are there any known issues, I gather cambelts are a bit of a pig to do and i can imagine if the engine does let go the car makes an attractive paper weight. Do these harbour electrical gremlins? What are peoples thoughts/experiences, i'd love to hear from anyone with an Abarth and get their experiences.
I'm in a golden spot at the moment of only occasionally needing a car, I have a low (15 mile) commute which I often cycle so my annual mileage is only 3-4,000 miles of running children around B-roads and country lanes.
Thanks in advance.
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