Technical Is this Brava too good to be true?

[Kamen]

OK, I've mainly been eyeing up Puntos for my first care but given I only want the MkII ELX model and can't find one in my price range, I've started looking farther afield and found the following Brava for sale:

2001 Y Reg, 5 Doors, Manual, Hatchback, Petrol, 69,000 miles
MOT and Tax due 02-2011, 2 Owners
Central locking
Folding rear seats
Passenger airbag
Rear headrests
Height adjustable drivers seat
Drivers airbag
Steering wheel reach adjustment
ABS
Immobiliser
Radio/Cassette
Steering wheel rake adjustment
PAS
Front electric windows
Body coloured bumpers
Insurance Group:7E
Hpi Clear
Full Service Done

Thing is, trader's only asking £490 for it. I had a brief look on Saturday - got there as they were closing - and other than needing a good clean, the bodywork looks fine. Pending a test drive and a look under the bonnet, and if there are no problems there, should I go for this or does it seem dodgy?

Also, I'm no car expert and have only recently passed my test - is there anything known to go wrong with Bravas and, more specifically, anything that's LIKELY to go wrong with this one, given the age and the specs listed above?

Thanks guys!

 

[Eklipze3k]

Seems like a bargain to me but how old is it? When they say 'full service' you need to find out what that includes. The car is likely to be around 10 years old which says to me that - if service history is not known - a 'full service' would be more than just oil, filters, plugs and leads but would need to include timing belt and brakes and really anything else which should be covered by servicing by that age. If the price includes a true full service, then yes, bargain

 

[Kamen]

Oops, my bad - left off the age! Yeah, it's a Y Reg, 2001. Added that to the OP now. Will check into the service history later. My big concerns are that:

1> the MOT runs out in February, so while it might have passed the last one I have no idea what it's gone through since - I'd like to avoid an expensive round of repairs come the start of next year! and;

2> I've heard Puntos usually need a new cambelt at ca. 60k and that the 16v models are phenomenally expensive to fix/change/repair - if Bravas are the same <are they?> and this one HASN'T had that done, am I buying a financial tombstone?

 

[m20b25]

Oops, my bad - left off the age! Yeah, it's a Y Reg, 2001. Added that to the OP now. Will check into the service history later. My big concerns are that:

1> the MOT runs out in February, so while it might have passed the last one I have no idea what it's gone through since - I'd like to avoid an expensive round of repairs come the start of next year! and;

2> I've heard Puntos usually need a new cambelt at ca. 60k and that the 16v models are phenomenally expensive to fix/change/repair - if Bravas are the same <are they?> and this one HASN'T had that done, am I buying a financial tombstone?

Is it a 1.2? If so they arnt that dear if you do them yourself. £60 for a new belt and tensioner and £40 will cover the tools from Fiat. 60k is when they have to be changed though....

 

[Kamen]

Is it a 1.2? If so they arnt that dear if you do them yourself. £60 for a new belt and tensioner and £40 will cover the tools from Fiat. 60k is when they have to be changed though....

D'oh, left that off too! :bang:

Nah, it's a 1.6 engine, "2001 FIAT Brava 100 16v SX, 1.6" says the listing. Does that change things? Make it prone to any other problems, errors, faults or high costs anywhere?

Also, anything I should look/listen out for when I take it for a test drive?

 

[Kamen]

Anyone else got any info? Probably going to go test drive this today - anything to look out for? And should I have any concerns with it being the 1.6 engine, 16v model - any really high potential costs to be aware of?

 

[Bravo16VSpoonz]

check over the history for injectors, see if they have been changed. admittedly they can get mucky and sticky, so a clean would solve that but i believe they're expensive to replace. and listen out for any unusual knocks and taps in the engine, like the kind that stand out.

 

[skaramazoo]

Apart from the odd noise coming from the engine you should make sure the shock absorbers are up to standard. You should also check for any leaks in the engine bay - lub oil leaks or even engine coolant leaks from the water pump.