General IDEA Specs...............please.

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General IDEA Specs...............please.

farnboroflyer

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I am thinking of buying an IDEA, and as this model is no longer sold here in the UK, I cannot down load the specs. for these models from the FIAT website.

Can someone maybe, send me a pdf file for the model specs. 2004-2007?

Thanks
Ian
 
Let us know what you want on/from the car, then some of us with just enough knowledge to be dangerous may be able to help.

There are basically 3 spec levels, Active, Dynamic and Eleganza. Dynamic being the best compromise for availability and features. The actives didnt have air-con or the 40/20/40 sliding seat as far as I know.

And there are 2 engines, the 1.4 16V petrol (100bhp) and the 1.3 multijet diesel (70bhp). I am a big fan of the diesel but have a petrol Idea!, more due to availability/spec/price at the time.

Also there was a facelift in 2006 which was quite a big improvement for the trim and also meant the 90bhp 1.3multijet was available as an option. The 1.4s gained the 6speed manual (not the active).

If you type 'Fiat Idea 2006 Specification' into google you can get alot of information from the Italiaspeed website which is taken from the Fiat UK press release. This features my car for the photos, probably the only 55reg facelift car as it was registered by the Fiat press office on 20th February 2006, 8 days before the 06plates.

The dealers all seemed to get stock of blue 06/56 reg Dynamics fitted with the alloy wheel option for their demos. These are the most plentyful of the facelifted cars around. You will also find some low mileage ex-mobility cars about although these will be drying up soon.
 
I have a Panda 1.2 Eleganza, which I like alot!...........But I could do with a little more carrying space etc.

I figure a 1.4 petrol Dynamic may well fit the bill, 2006, and a mileage of around 25Kmax.30k .
There are a number of questions I would like to ask, and also there are a few issues that may well be NO issues at all.

I rented one in Tuscany in 2006(I think?). It was, in fact the Lancia version known as a MUSA.
My memory of the drive seems a little vague now, but I do remember that I thought it a little sluggish, but as it was a diesel, and I'm not used to driving an oil burner, It may well have been that I just did not give it enough right hand boot???
The 1.4 petrol seems to be the one, but what did the 6 speed add to the mix?
Looks from the consumption/Co2 specs.It seems that the extra gear has done nothing. Relaxed cruising?..........higher ratio, lower noise level?

Gear change, brakes, Have not read anything about these two.

Anyway, Thanks for the info so far.

Ian
 
I think the 6th gear drops the engine revs by about 250rpm at 70-80ish. It seems to do very little for the car in terms of refinement and economy and means more gear changing. The 1.4 16V feels fairly sluggish compared to our Panda Multijet until you get past 4500rpm and then it really starts to pick up. If you get stuck behind a truck at 56mph with the 6sp you need to drop to 3rd to really make the car shift.

The rest of the driving experience can really be classed as 'built for comfort' and makes the panda seem quite agile and sporty.
Practicality, there is a huge amount of extra space over the Panda especially considering it isnt that much bigger in outright dimensions. The sliding seat is great for us so we can stand the pushchair sideways in the boot and still just about get someone on the back seat.
 
Gearchange and brakes are all fine, even good. Drums on the back too so less problems with seizing and cheaper servicing. All the running gear is mk2 Punto so no big problems just a bit out of date for NVH.

Make sure you have a good look at whatever you buy/buy with warranty if thats what you do as the Idea is meant to be the most reliable car in the world. Not bad but seem to have a few more issues than the pandas.


We were looking at Nissan Notes, Honda Jazz and C3 Picassos (in price order) at the same time, infact the lack of suitable cars and no Isofix kind of meant Ideas were off the menu. We picked up the Idea for a fraction of the cost of any of them so it will always be a good buy for us and continues a long line of little Fiats in our ownership. The Note was the best for us in DCI form as it really would have been a bigger version of our Panda. I really liked the Jazz and the Citroen I feel is what a new generation of Idea should be and is a very clever car.
 
It must be a very small world for the RHD facelift Eleganzas. Just after I bought mine my brother let me know about that one (he was looking for a similar car too but really wanted an ISOfix baby seat, no facelifts we have seen have ISOfix mounts) and if I hadnt had bought I would have been knocking on your father in laws door. I like the stand out colour and wanted a towbar.

Since thinking about a bigger baby carrier, I went to see a very low mileage Silver 06 Eleganza last summer at Wilsons in Surrey which had every panel replaced badly and there have been another 2 or 3 silver ones come up on autotrader etc... . Obviously that isnt all of them but 6 for sale in 2 years isnt many at all.

I have seen alot of 06 and some 56 pre-facelift Eleganzas around so the previous dealer stock pile probably didnt help, especially as they would have been cheaper. They may also have seemed expensive at the time but now a list price £12k for a car of that size and spec doesnt seem so bad.


I am amazed how I seem to fill my head with useless information about obscure cars (its not just Ideas).
 
Well, things have moved on a bit, and today I went and took a look at an IDEA
that was a private sale for.....................£3150.
The model was an 05 plate, Eleganza 1.4 petrol(5 speed). Black and just under 32k on the odometer.

It was very clean and tidy, the only slight downside was the budget brand tyres.
I have made an offer of £3050 which was accepted and will be picking it up Friday or Saturday.
Oh, and the car was taxed till August 2011, and MOT'd till October 2011, and has just had a "supplying dealer service". Won't know what that means until I view the service book!!!.

Not a bad deal, I think.

Ian:)
 
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Doesnt sound too bad, s/h car prices are generally a bit silly at the moment.

Always nice to buy private as you can gauge how the car has been treated far more easily.
If they had main dealer servicing the costs are astronomical so budget tyres are the 1 place to save a bit, especially if it is running around locally.

Between Jan10 and Sep10 dealer receipts for £900 came with my car. That includes £265 for discs and pads and about £450 to fit a backbox so badly it knocked every bump you hit in the road.
 
Yes, parts cost can be high on most cars these days.
My 04 Panda had new discs and pads, also one drop link,but even drops links for Fiat are almost at give away prices. I paid about £6 for one(just in case the other side went)
I have to say your £450 for a back box is a bit eye watering!!!!I'd want the whole system, and SOME...................for that price.

I recall seeing the name on the number plate, and the supplying dealer was West London Motors, so the local branch is in nearby READING, so it would seem that it has been serviced by a FIAT dealer for it's life so far.Couldn't ask for more!

I pick up Friday morning.

Ian
 
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