General So what made you pick a Stilo?

[Sid]

After years of running diesel Citroens and having two of last three written off by other drivers decided they were 'jinxed' and time for a change, got 'Which' report out and decided to byuy a Nissan Primera SRI cos they were 'reliable, economical and fun to drive' In reality it was about as much fun as a washing machine, needed a front suspension rebuild at approx 50k, went rusty and Nissan not interested and lost value horrendously.....last straw was being over taken by Citroen AX while on holiday in France.

Went skiing to Val d'isere and walked past fantastic looking dark silver Stilo every morning, had never seen one or any adverts before but had a friend who kept going on about how much kit you got as standard,
As Golfs are to dear, i don't do Vauxhalls and Focus's are too common decided to search out a Stilo Jtd, not many about secondhand as only been out about a year, finally found one fairly locally and beat dealer down by a grand, a year old, 11.000 miles for £8500, (ex Fiat fleet although only found that out when V5 came), had it nearly three years now

Excellent performance and ecomony, brilliant on motorways and main roads, lots of standard kit.....crap on twisty roads and theres a lot in Yorkshire and all dealer i've come accross are appalling, although there must be some good ones somewhere!!!!!!!
Will have to keep it til mortgage is paid off now....another two years, think it will be having shocker upgrade when funds allow

 

[wirral1987]

when i was in college i knew someone who had a 3door stilo in red - liked the car but at this time i couldnt drive let alone aford to buy one.

when i passed my test i get a citroen AX for £600 - this only lasted 3 months before i got bored of it (plus it wouldnt drive in a straight line and you had to have the radio on really loud so u couldnt hear the wind blowing in from the gap in the side of the door)

i knew i needed a new car, wanted somthing bigger but with a small engine so i didnt have to pay loads on the tax and insurance. i was looking on ebay and found a 53 reg 3 door stilo in red - really liked the car and was only on £1000 when i first seen it - i watched the bidding for the next few days, on the last day it finished at 8:30am so i got up early and watched the auction to see what it went for (my mum had told me i couldnt have it cos it was for to big compaired to the citroen i had) ther was 5mins left and was only on £3000 so i bid and in the end got it for £3250 with only 14,000 miles! was very happy! and my mum soon came round to the idea when she seen the car for herself.

so the next day we set off for the 2 hour journey to go and collect the car - i was very impressed when i got there as was my dad (he said that he wanted it!) all my friends have said how nice the car is and how much they liked it.

i didnt tell anyone i only paid £3250 for it - i said it cost £5,000 and many people said how cheap 5k is for such a good car! haha!!!

6 months later i am still really happy with the car and enjoy driving it - the other day someone in asda car park said how nice the car is you dont get that with an astra or focus do you!?!?!

 

[Sonic74205]

I havent got my stilo yet but what made me decide on that instead of my other choices of cars was its amazing size, 6 speed box, sliding and reclining rear seats and those 17" claw alloys. All of those things make the car very unique in my opinion.

My other choices of cars were
VW Bora
Alfa 147
Seat Ibiza
Fiat Panda

 

[platty599]

I used to have a rover 218 SD, It just sat in the road and was real wide, so i didnt wanna get a corsa or a Punto or something dead small so the Stilo was definfitly the best option. When i look at it i personally think it gives of some intresting presence on the road. What i love is what me and a friend of mine used to call "SJ Love" when someone else whos got a SJ Jeep drove past they would acknolowdge it. I seem to get that off other Stilo drivers. Mainly 3door drivers. I think they are wicked cars, with endless possibiltys, and having a six speed gear box is so cool too!

 

[choppertoo]

3 years ago we had a N reg Cinquecento ... it was faultless ... based upon the good experience we'd had with the cinq ... it was love at first sight when we saw the 3 door stilo ... especially in the colour we chose ... to be honest it's now almost 3 years old and still looks as fresh as the day we got it ... the only repair in that time was two new front tyres at 22,000 miles (i am a bit heavy with my right foot).
Shame it's got to go now as we've got a baby due in 4.5 weeks time!!

 

[styles]

Well at the time i was driving a Rover 216 Cab in the best colour i have seen on a in its segment,and i was gonna have to rid it cos it was gonna need anew hood and other things so it wasnt worth it.

My bro was selling a Alfa 166 3.0 V6Super- Full works,best looking big Alf ive eva seen,met Black paint with red irodisent pearl :yum: ,Full red leather,Lovely 18"Alloys,best sat nav eva.It was fabulous and fell in love with it plus it was fairly cheap and i was SSSSSOOOO tempted but it was big and a few other things that looking back at i was over concerned about-shame. Which it got sold

I did look at Inte Rs and others like um but was uneasy about buying um (mostly due to the owners).
Anyway my lady was in hospital so the times i wasnt there i looked around and my work place gets discounts so popped down to my local fiat dealer which my mum already bought her Panda from with a little push from me.
i was in a Fairly sensible,glum mood(due to my lady in hospital) and went looking for a Panda M-Jet or a Punto of the same as ive seen stilos about (nearly all 5dr which i didnt like) as i sat down with the sales guy setting up a test drive for m-jets;
i noticed a Red 3dr Stilo which i couldnt keep my eyes off as the sales guy tried many times to get my attention .
I asked about it found out it had been sitting there for about 4months looked around it looked at wot it had in it etc.They wouldnt let it out for a test drive but i had a go in a JTD which i thought it would be a decent version to try out a close version and liked it(JTD)which he tried to sell me so he could get something else-didnt work still wanted the red one which was cheap for wot it was;Sod the Money!!!.
I told my lady bout it and asked if she would look at it when she got out of Hospital.
She looked at it and loved it too so i rushed the dealer to get it ready and went to picked it up New Years Eve!
Its the best Prezzie i got myself.

 

[Slc]

Cheaper insurance than a 1.2 , cheap to buy, cheap to run!

And its bloody fast!

 

[bozzy]

And its bloody fast!

Re-mapped???

 

[susiejay]

I too was driving a rover 214 cabriolet, had major probs, so gave myself a 5k budget to find a medium car that was fun, but big enough to get kids in. Drove around for ages, loved the peugeot 307 cc but waaaay too pricey. Looked at fiestas :yuck: too small. Then driving home, saw a bright yellow car in garage forecourt and made hubby pull over for a look. Gorgeous, fell in love straight away! Love the shape, so many gadgets, everything i needed plus so much more, parking sensors being one of them, plus leather seats . Came home checked all the usual websites about faults n problems, went back next day and got it - been a smiley lady ever since, who can be sad in a bright yellow car???

 

[Stilomeister]

Never even considered one. Was looking at a Ford Focus 1.8TDCi then saw a 3 door Stilo in the dealers. It was 1.6 Dynamic and looked great. Did some research and bought a JTD 115 Dynamic in dark metallic grey. A lot of people slag off Fiats but whenever I give anyone a lift they are always impressed. Thank god I didnt buy a Focus

 

[styles]

I too was driving a rover 214 cabriolet, had major probs, so gave myself a 5k budget to find a medium car that was fun, but big enough to get kids in. Drove around for ages, loved the peugeot 307 cc but waaaay too pricey. Looked at fiestas :yuck: too small. Then driving home, saw a bright yellow car in garage forecourt and made hubby pull over for a look. Gorgeous, fell in love straight away! Love the shape, so many gadgets, everything i needed plus so much more, parking sensors being one of them, plus leather seats . Came home checked all the usual websites about faults n problems, went back next day and got it - been a smiley lady ever since, who can be sad in a bright yellow car???

Wot colour was the Cab? Mine was Polyisien(cant remember how it goes but i can say it!)Green better than the dirty ford version.
Plus CCs have the stupid roof problem.
So Susiejay you would be the boss?.

Spread the word Stilomeister,spread the word!

 

[susiejay]

My old beast was blue, a 92 j reg! no power steering but a power hood, which cost me £700 to replace only a year before it started to die on me . Still, it was a gr8 car to drive, lots of fun, but no where near as much fun as the stilo. ah the memories lol

Yeah im the Boss!! lol

 

[Slc]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slc

And its bloody fast!


Re-mapped???

Oops only just seen this...No it isn't, but i busted the flywheel while its still stock 115bhp..I dred to think what i'd do to it with 150bhp!!

 

[Argonought]

.....but i busted the flywheel while its still stock 115bhp..I dred to think what i'd do to it with 150bhp!!

I know what you mean - can't say I've ever found myself short of power just in standard form. Not keen on up-grading my clutch in a hurry either

 

[Bren J]

When I first set eyes on my original Stilo, it was a story of love at first sight! I was still in uni at the time, and was visiting the local Peugeot garage with my girlfriend, where she was dropping off her 106 for a service. As I wandered amongst the Pugs on the forecourt, I saw it! Glistening in the summer sunshine, was the crystal green 1.2 Stilo with claw alloys. I stood in awre, and I'm sure I was probably dribbling when I saw it

I made a decision there and then, that I wasn't leaving the garage until that car was mine. I was still a student, with no money at all, but I still managed to haggle with the salesman and put a small deposit down there and then. What had I done?? My missus was getting a bit wound up as she really had to get back to work, so I made it clear that she didn't want to come between me and the new love of my life

So that was it, I owned a 1.2 Stilo which I really enjoyed for a few years. Since then, I moved onto the 2.4 Selespeed and the affair continues.

The first thing that drew me to the Stilo were the distinctive looks (style that seems to have been copied in many new cars these days). The amount of stuff you get for your money is staggering too. An equivalently priced VW for instance, would probably come without windows!

The only thing I'm concerned about now is where to go from here. As I've got the 2.4 now and feel I've driven the cream of Stilo, am I going to have to move onto a totally new make of car?

 

[Sumone]

Is there logic to buying a new car ?

I sold my three year old Rover 75 V6 a year ago as my new employment was in the city of London. Couldn't afford for the Rover to sit alone for five days while I rode Cattle class on the railways (very depressing). Now my employer has relocated to Buckinghamshire and to entice me to continue to work offered me a car allowance as I live in Sussex. The appeal of the M23, M25 and M40 was not great.

Company package was based on a two-year old Renault Clio diesel (£6k supposedly). Me being a huge lard arse and used to bigger motors (before the Rover it was a Zafira GSi and before that a BMW 323), decided a Clio wasn't for me so started the trawl around thedealerships. Bad experience with Vauxhall knocked them out of the equation but I short listed Laguna, Avensis, C4, Civic and the like. Called into the Fiat dealership only to knock them off my list... they were the last on the list. Looked at the 2 year old 5 door Stilo (1.2 Active) because of the price. Salesman came over and I reeled off the pater I had used before, my only stipulations 4/5 door, big boot, diesel, and air con. Punto ? no. Idea ? no. Multipla ? No. Only diesel they had in the Stilo was a 3 door 1.9 jtd Sporting. 10 months old 7k miles ex-demonstrator, lowered suspension and tweaked to 150bhp.

One look and I was sold. Too sweeten the deal, they added the 12k mile service and also paid to have my personal plates put on the car. Add to that they edged the finance deal to get it within the car allowance and there... I'm a happy bunny.

My wife can't believe it nothing like my usual choice of car, too small (I'm 6 foot and 18 stone) my son can't believe it, it's not a grandads car (yes I'm over 50!). But it's the first car where I've caught people inspecting it when it's parked (let alone ask me what it is) and now the M23 et al is an enjoyable prospect.

Logic who needs logic.

BTW all I've added is a Blaupunkt Sat Nav with iPod connector in place of the factory fit cd. Rounds off a very good deal.

 

[styles]

My old beast was blue, a 92 j reg! no power steering but a power hood, which cost me £700 to replace only a year before it started to die on me . Still, it was a gr8 car to drive, lots of fun, but no where near as much fun as the stilo. ah the memories lol

Yeah im the Boss!! lol

Blue? Hmmm dont believe ive seen one of them it would look nice.
Mine 93L.PX it to my fiat dealer who noticed they sold it when new.
No power steering-bummer.mine had power steering.
Power hoods-they all brake! my bro bought cab for his misses before i got it and he looked at many all others with phoods all broken.So he looked for phoodless ones and at was a easy to do up and down plus less weight.
Mine had the Honda engine with auto which was good and trouble free.
Yea i enjoyed mine too.though i wouldnt swap for my Schumi.
Well im the boss to Really!

 

[alexGS]

Is there logic to buying a new car ?

I sold my three year old Rover 75 V6 a year ago as my new employment was in the city of London. Couldn't afford for the Rover to sit alone for five days while I rode Cattle class on the railways (very depressing). Now my employer has relocated to Buckinghamshire and to entice me to continue to work offered me a car allowance ...
... My wife can't believe it nothing like my usual choice of car, too small (I'm 6 foot and 18 stone) my son can't believe it, it's not a grandads car (yes I'm over 50!).

Interesting story! I'm very impressed...

I'm impressed that you thought outside the box, so to speak, as the obvious choice for you would have been some variant of the BMW 3-series? I read that in England, the 3 outsells the Ford Mondeo and the Vauxhall Vectra - which is just ridiculous, as those are mass-market cars and the BMW supposedly isn't (but obviously is).

The Stilo is almost like the reverse - a car which is supposed to be a mass-market car, but ends up being rare and different (particularly here in NZ, I'm lucky to see another on the roads in a month).

Driving my Stilo helps me feel young again, since it's less of an old-mans-car than my favourite Alfa Romeo 164 I used to have... and also more practical, I don't feel as guility of wasting fuel etc. even though reality is that in depreciation, the Stilo will cost me three times what the Alfa 164 cost to run. The Stilo (Abarth) is an expensive car, and I think my Uno Turbo (that I still have) would probably give it a run for its money performance-wise, though refinement and safety aren't worth thinking about in the Uno. Incidentally my Uno Turbo has large wheels (15", look bigger than the Stilo's 17s!) and a huge exhaust - so that helps me feel younger too (I'm 26, so rather jealous of all those under-20 earning big money and just generally being cool).

Wonder if we can entice you into an Uno Turbo next? Probably costs the same to buy as the year's depreciation for the Stilo!

Cheers,
-Alex

 

[Argonought]

(I'm 26, so rather jealous of all those under-20 earning big money and just generally being cool)

Jeez! You're young anyway

Oddly enough it has the same affect on me. I'd driven a couple of rather common family cars before the Stilo (for over 10 years) but now I feel about your age again.

I can’t say I’m jealous of very young Stilo drivers as I think they’re missing out on something. At that age I had enormous fun stripping cars right down to the crankshaft and then having to rebuild them so I had some wheels for the Fri/Sat night (biggest problem as I remember was getting clean afterwards). Small things; like just having a means of transport are so much more rewarding if you have to work for them - instead of having it dropped on your lap. Also it gives you something to work up to instead of owning, what a good many people would consider, a luxury motor as your first car!

You'll love this! Dropping my 20 year son off at University his parting words were "Drive a bit slower on the way back Dad!"

 

[Athos]

For me it was love at first DATE , i decide to buy my Schumi while test driving it!!