General Stilo no more...

[Citizen Smith]

credit crunch will **** on your chips there!

i too am needing to change really but i dont like anything im looking at as im sort of being forced to change before it stops and costs me a ****load of cash, plus getting loads of little niggles now.

really wouldnt mind another stilo, the new bravos look nice but they only 5 door

Same sort of thing for me. Tax is 300 quid for next year for an Abarth, the GTi is only £210, insurance is cheaper for a GTi than an Abarth , better economy is available from the GTi, as well as being more practical as its 5 door, and residuals are going to be higher than what Abarths are.

I have some niggles with the Stilo but refuse to pay any more money to get them fixed and not see any return - the Golf is a bit common but it works and thats what I need more than anything else right now.

 

[muppet42]

Good choice with the GTi

I agree it is one of the best hot hatches on the market the now, especially since Honda fumbled the ball with the latest Type R. If I were in the market for that class of car, I'd have probably considered the Focus ST and the Megane R26, both of which are highly rated on driving and speed fronts. However, the VW will probably be more solid and practical than either and have better residuals. So as I said, good choice

 

[FiatFleetFamily]

Alfa GTA???

 

[Argonought]

There a bit hard to compare fairly TBH. The golf has fully independant suspension, whereas the Abarth has a fixed rear beam which really lets it down and lets it lean too much.

Oddly enough it was the torsion beam setup of the early Golf's which led to the classic 3 wheel cornering style they became noted for :devil:

In fact the torsion beam, by it's very nature, stops body roll but you must transfer as much weight to the rear to get the benefit. That's why the Stilo is so dire when you brake into corners since the torsion bean is barely loaded (with all that weight of the heavy engines in the front making it worse) and all you're left to rely on is the front anti-roll system

I gather the Mk5 Golf was the first to implement independent cross link rear suspension - largely in response to the Focus. If offers quite a few advantages, not least in ride quality, but a few die hards still prefer the old setup of the Mk1 2 & 3.

 

[Citizen Smith]

Alfa GTA???

Very nice car indeed, but loses money daily and isn't the easiest to maintain or fix, plus being a 3.2 road tax would be more than I'm willing to pay.

 

[Citizen Smith]

Good choice with the GTi

I agree it is one of the best hot hatches on the market the now, especially since Honda fumbled the ball with the latest Type R. If I were in the market for that class of car, I'd have probably considered the Focus ST and the Megane R26, both of which are highly rated on driving and speed fronts. However, the VW will probably be more solid and practical than either and have better residuals. So as I said, good choice

Totally agree with the Type R - if its not broke, don't fix it. The ST3 was a serious choice, but working for VW swayed my decision somewhat.

Signed my cherished transfer today to go onto the GTi, I also get complimentry 7 days insurance from VW :slayer:got insurance quote of £475 fully comp for the year - cheaper than my Abarth, but that could be the ins company.

 

[Oakley28]

Good Luck with the car, hope to see some pics up here when you can. did you not consider the TDI golf, or the GTTDI?

 

[dan-the-man]

after the mk2 golf they all looked a bit crap, but the new GTI looks sweet

 

[Citizen Smith]

Good Luck with the car, hope to see some pics up here when you can. did you not consider the TDI golf, or the GTTDI?

TBH not even for a second - I'm not a diesel fan and fuel economy is not that high on my priorities when it comes to cars :devil:. Will get some pics up when I get 'em.

 

[PNL]

Well done fiat tech and good luck with the golf you dont take long to get over the fiat stilo experience and soon realise and wonder why you didnt do it sooner..

 

[Citizen Smith]

Well done fiat tech and good luck with the golf you dont take long to get over the fiat stilo experience and soon realise and wonder why you didnt do it sooner..

Other than the fact i need something more suitable for my finances at this moment in time, the Abarth has been a very reliable daily runner from the 1st day I had her. I've had an issue here and there, but what car doesn't in 4 years.

If road tax was not going up to £300+ next year I would keep her, but it is and with the discount from VW plus warranty and the Stilo values getting lower by the day, it makes sense at this moment to cash in and be in a more stable situation.

*UPDATE* - Should be picking up the GTi around Thursday:slayer:- will post up some pics when i can.

 

[Citizen Smith]

Oh well today was the day i said bye to the Stilo. Was a bit of mixed feelings about her going, but brought back the GTi tonight and am well pleased with her - looking forward to the weekend to see what shes got :devil: