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General Might get a Bravo/Brava - Help?

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General Might get a Bravo/Brava - Help?

Didge3

Didge3

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Looking at getting a Bravo/Brava mainly for motorway journeys, I've always liked the look of them and wanted something comfortable enough for motorways etc.
I've been looking at the 1.2's and the 1.6's mainly as I can afford to insure those.
What would you lot (although I would imagine you're all slightly bias) say they are like to drive, decent for motorways? A comfy cruiser? Anything I should specifically look for when buying one, common failure points etc?
What are the trim levels like, I'm looking at a 'HLX' but the advert doesn't list much on what goodies it comes with.

How are they reliability wise? It needs to start everyday with little interference other than yearly servicing really.

A lot of questions sorry, break down of what I want to know
- Comfy, good for motorways?
-What trim do they have (gadgets, what are the seats like)
-Reliability

Thanks :)
 
Well I've got a late (2001) Brava 1.2 16v and when everything's running fine it's a superb little runaround AND motorway car. The engines can become neglected with age and need the cooling system sorting (cleaning out, new thermostat, correct antifreeze) otherwise head gaskets can go but they are fixable. If you can find a nicely maintained one (even from a dealer for a few hundred quid with bills etc) then you can't go far wrong, but any engine management warnings need to be diagnosed by a specialist.

They can start to rust a bit along the floorpan sills with age when the underseal leaks, not critical if you catch it in time and fix it properly. Front subframes can corrode and the rear ones have mounting bushes that can perish and are not really replaceable.

Spec-wise the Brava 1.6 HLX was luxurious / sporty inside - mine is a 1.2 Formula which had velour seats, 15" 7-spoke alloys, front foglights and a rear boot spoiler which all go to making it look loads better than an ordinary Brava with blak 14" steel wheels and missing plastic wheeltrims.

A decent 1.2 is very economical and sporty, and will bang along the motorway all day at 80 (where legal...)

1.6 are OK but thirstier, and have occasional fuel injector problems.

Many prefer the 3-door Bravo but I always found them a bit van-like, I like the sleeker Brava look and compared to dumpy modern cars they look pretty good even today.
 
I think you managed to answer all of my questions in one go, thanks. I too prefer the Brava but they seem harder to find than Bravo's. Pleased to hear that the 1.2 is adequate as it's a bit cheaper to insure. I think I'll have to test drive one soon and decide. I've just read a bit about making sure it has red & blue key(s) so will check that before buying.
Thanks again, I will have a look into them more, although the rear subframe mounts perishing has scared me off a bit....

EDIT: Forgot to mention millage, what is acceptable? A lot of them have well into the 70's+ although I've seen a few in the 50's.
 
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Mileage... don't worry too much, if it's running ok when you look at it then it should be fine if you keep on top of maintenance.

Mike is actually over 140,000 liles! got it with a failed engine with 106,000 on the clock (mainly motorway) but not properly looked after. Swapped a 31,000 mile engine froma crashed Bravo and it runs really sweet with 70,000 on the engine. I change oil and filter regularly (small oil capacity so it works quite hard).

I've replaced most consumables over the years... shocks, wishbones, droplinks, clutch, front & rear brakes, brake lines, heater matrix, speakers (essential!) but it drives very well and rides nicely despite its age.

I've put more money and effort into it than it's really worth but it's a straightforward, attractive, enjoyable car with good performance and economy. If you can find a nice one then definitely worth considering.
 
Thanks again, I would normally do oil changes every other year, although could do it once a year? Is that common enough, it just needs to start everyday, will be doing around 150miles a week of motorway driving, just needs to be able to plod along at 70 in 5th, not much town driving so not too much wear on things like gearbox.

Been offered a green 1.4 Bravo for £150, don't know its condition yet, will be ideal so long as its not rusting away.
 
I would stay away from 1.4 if you are planning to go with long oil changes. And you could say the 1.2 is more powerful than the 1.4.

Ive seen some with over 200k miles and they have no problems.
Currently over 100miles on 1.6 and over 120 on 20v weekend. All original, not sure about the clutch on the 20v.


Cant say much for the 1.2, but the 1.6 brava has long fifth so doesnt rev too much at the motorways, never had fuel injector probs as they were more likely on the older engine than the newer one I have (different injectors so not related at all).
 
I wouldnt bother with the 1.4 unless it had a supreme service history, Mainly based on better options being more available. It was known for camshafts being destroyed through oil starvation and not being very fuel efficient since its fuel intection system only used throttle position, RPM, temperature and Lambda sensors to work out fueling, it didnt have MAF or MAP sensors. 1.2's and 1.6 are better engines plus theres lots of parts available both used and new since Fiat put those engines in many newer models. The 1.2 replaced the 1.4 both had the same bhp but from memory the 1.2 gives a little less torque.

I had a 1.4 and it was great upto 65mph on the motorway but anything above you would need to drop a gear and plan ahead when overtaking. Though it too would sit at 80mph all day. Now i have the 1.8.

I have never felt uncomfortable in the Bravo seat's I am 5'11. Road noise is moderate. Inside it feels spacious because its quite wide.

HLX comes with Heated mirrors and seats, body coloured mirrors, Front Fog Lights, electric windows, rear spoiler body coloured bumpers, 15" alloys.

SX has electric windows and body coloured bumpers. while the S has none of that.

Known Faults
1.2 Can have an idle problem coming from a faulty idle stepper motor,
1.4 Can Destroy camshafts because of oil starvation.
1.6 Can have a Fault where the injectors fail and need replacing.
1.8 and 2.0 Ive not read any repeating issues on the forum.
Accross all models Sunroof can be leaky. A few people have had faults with headlight stalk switch. Clutch slave cylinders go but personally i think they should be replaced every 5 years or so anyway, it's a cheap part that gets a lot of work.

I think these are great cars, when people ask about common faults it is a very small list. If you service them properly and replace consumables you should be in a very good position. They look great and are fun to drive.

Another thing to add along side Bluejohns point about rust the brake pipes might need replacing in places because of age. Oil goes of with age and under cold conditions not just use. For the price of oil and a filter I think oil should be changed every year regardless of miles, I change mine just after the cold weather clears up.
 
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Thanks for info guys, not going for 1.4, I've read lots of faults and they seem to be only on the earlier models whereas I'm looking at the 2000/2001 models. The 1.2 would be the most ideal for insurance costs (it's got more power than my 2006 1.4 GP too! although a tiny bit less torque). Oil changes every year I can do myself, along with air & oil filters so no problem there. The fact that the 1.6 has injector problems doesn't make me keep, never had to replace any of the injection system before so not a job I could do myself, expensive repair?

Currently looking at a pale green Brava 1.2 with 129k miles. High but as you've all already said they should be good with millage.
 
I think I know the pale green colour you're talking about, mine is a really nice Emerald green. Have a look and drive and see what your impressions are.

You might find something like this...

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...ode/ch622dl/page/1/quicksearch/true?logcode=p

I.E. from a dealer but good condition and history, quite a good price and a lot of car even if it is 11 years old. Note that later cars can have quite garish interiors but they have a certain charm / style. Mine is a slightly dull but luxurious grey velour with white spots. That car has the standard 14" steel wheels with non-original trims but you can get nice Fiat ones (for Mk2 punto for example) to smarten them up.

Most of the grotty, neglected ones will be scrapped by now so up to £800 should find you a good one, depending on how much preventative / corrective maintenance you want to do.
 
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Yeah both cars seem like good bets... the green one is obviously higher miles but seems well looked after apart from maybe bumper scuffs etc. It even has the correct wheeltrims and rear spoiler (but no foglights).

If you could face a silver car then the Formula looks really good too, I like them in silver! You get the nice 15" alloys, foglights and the plushier seats too...

You can find classified ads in ebay too of course.
 
Ive never heard of newer 1.6 having injector problems more than any other vehicle. The older one (different stroke and bore) had different injectos, which failed more often.

The forumla has factory alloys, mudflaps and CD player (which is quite rare). Steeringwheel reach adjustment...?

The green one has automatic AC. And original hubcaps :D

Missing engine undertray might tell about driving habits.
Also suprised the doorhandles and mirror baseplates look intact.
 
I like the exterior of the green and the interior of the silver :D Just to be awkward. I surprisingly like the hubcaps, I think they suit it.
Both are equal in insurance and running costs of course and are around the same price to buy. I prefer the silver one for it's lower millage despite that I've been told a thousand times by many people that millage that high is fine, I'm just adverse to buying something with over 100k miles...

EDIT: Any with 1.2's, how do they feel on the motorway, I would prefer a 1.6 but the lower running costs of the 1.2 are tempting. My 1.4 8v at about 75mph is quite loud and sits at about 3800 - 3900rpm which causes it to drink fuel, how does the 1.2 fair? (Literally I will be mainly using this car for motorway journeys so it needs to be quiet enough and comfy enough)
 
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I know what you mean about silver I really dont like the colour but when I viewed a silver 1.6 in the past it looked much nicer in person.

I like that silver 1.6 it looks good and it has some nice options. Shame about the bonnet damage but getting a new one painted professionaly is always an option :)
 
Didge3 said:
EDIT: Any with 1.2's, how do they feel on the motorway, I would prefer a 1.6 but the lower running costs of the 1.2 are tempting. My 1.4 8v at about 75mph is quite loud and sits at about 3800 - 3900rpm which causes it to drink fuel, how does the 1.2 fair? (Literally I will be mainly using this car for motorway journeys so it needs to be quiet enough and comfy enough)
Click to expand...

Not 1.2 but my 1.6 revs about 3000rpm at 120kmh (=75mph).
My 20v weekend seems to have similar ratios as it needs around 3800rpm at 120kmh (and even more as I have undersize tyres with lots of speedo error) :(
 
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CFREITAS said:
would reccomend the 1.6 16v for m-way driving, much better ratios in higher gears,
mine never gone wrong, have had the injectors refurbed as a prcaution

found a good one :)
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-FIAT...827&pid=100015&prg=1006&rk=3&sd=300831207731&


i had the 1.2 16v awile back and its not as good on fuel (y)
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice.

Not overly excited about the yellow one, a) I really like having 5 doors on my GP so looking more for a Brava. b) Looks a bit boy racer? That exhaust can't be standard, not my sort of thing. c) no tax or MOT, battery a bit dodge, who else knows whats wrong with it so I'd rather not... Thanks for looking though :)
 
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CFREITAS said:
that was just an example,

ideally you want a Brava ELX
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2001-Y-FIAT-BRAVA-100-ELX-5-DOOR-HATCHBACK-/261134845350?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3cccd985a6


top of the range model with a 100 16v engine

if you want something cheaper to insure, have you considered a Marea/ Marea Weekend



TO be honest i wasnt keen on the yellow but i got used to it, now i love it :)
Click to expand...
Thanks, saw that one yesterday, confused why the pictures appear to be on some grass verge and why it apparently has 0 miles.

No offence against the yellow one btw, I'm just not keen although I see why it could be a popular choice.

Didn't even know of a Marea?
 
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