General Stilo or Golf?!

[cash_123]

Hi all. I'm changing car before the summer and having done a lot of thinking i'm stuck between getting a 03 stilo or a 01 golf (about two grand more). The styling of the stilo appeals to me a lot as does the extras you get for the money. The golf is ok to look at but is a stronger more reliable car with much higher residual values, it would still be worth what the stilo is now in two years time! I'm looking at the 1.2 16v 3 door (not touching a 5 door) in the stilo (the 1.6 isn't available for that year over here it would seem) or a 1.4 golf. The golf has more torque but a lower power to weight ratio(about 14percent less) and doesn't have that six speed box for the motorway. I don't know what to do! Any opinions?

 

[reinventingyourexit]

I'm from Dublin too and I had always wanted a Golf but when I saw my mates Stilo I changed my mind quickly. Picking up an 05 Stilo on Friday finally! There are quite a few stilos for sale on carzone.ie Go and test drive one because that really made my mind up. Much nicer in person than they are in photos too. I'd agree with you on the VW reliability and they are a nice looking car but you'll be paying a lot to get one with low mileage.

 

[AppleSei]

Golfs are also known to be in higher insurance brackets than many of their rivals

 

[Schwenck]

Mmm, Golf or Stilo? Head or heart?

I can't be subjective I'm afraid, Stilo everytime. An 03 will avoid the earlier troublesome cars and the engine is a gem. I hated all the Golfs of similar age I drove for the company which included two diesels and a 1.6 petrol. Dull to look at, dull to drive, common as muck, same-old same-old. About as exciting as my fridge-freezer. To top it off, "reassuringly expensive" for the badge conscious. Not that I'm biased or anything...

 

[cash_123]

I'm from Dublin too and I had always wanted a Golf but when I saw my mates Stilo I changed my mind quickly. Picking up an 05 Stilo on Friday finally! There are quite a few stilos for sale on carzone.ie Go and test drive one because that really made my mind up. Much nicer in person than they are in photos too. I'd agree with you on the VW reliability and they are a nice looking car but you'll be paying a lot to get one with low mileage.

Where you from in Dublin?

Yeh I do really like the stilo's looks, always have.The golf's looks have kind of gone stale since you see them around every corner! I've been watching carzone for a couple of weeks, great one on there at the moment for 6950 (03 reg with low mileage). Bargain imo. Basically I'm looking at 9-10 grand for an 01 golf, or 7 to 8 grand for an 03 stilo. It is only my second car and it's not like i'll be driving it forever either. It won't be till april when I actually go out and buy so I have some time to watch the market and that.

 

[colleen]

Hi
Check this website out before buying a golf, they are not as reliable as they use to be. Its best to go for the Stilo at least its cheaper than the golf when it comes to repairs. http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/dir...ew/.efd30e1/22

 

[Kurt]

Let me think........eeerrrrrm...............No contest Stilo :slayer:

 

[french bean]

Stuff the Golf, especially a mark 4. Had one as a company car, a GT TDI, in the garage at least 4 times because the turbo gate valve kept opening, really emabarrasing only being able to do 60 on the motorway and taking 10 min. to get there. The door seals also leaked and both dip beam bulbs went together.

Don't get conned by the residual argument. Yes they have higher residuals but you pay far more in the first place so the cost to change is about the same. e.g.

pay £10 for a golf and in 2 years it's worth £7k.
pay £7k for a Stilo and it will be worth 4k in two years.

The depriciation is the same. Difference is that you get a newer, nicer Stilo with less miles and less parts worn out.

Been there, done the exercise.

 

[Stilo_ste]

I think you should look in England for your cars. They all seem very expensive over there in Ireland.

My 52 Reg 1.6 Stilo was £5700 nearly 3 years ago. Having said that, I have had a fair few problems with it, none lately though.

The Golf is very dull inside, the dash is boring and there are no toys at all.

My Stilo is a lowly active and still has ABS, traction control, seats and a windscreen.

The Golf does have more street cred though, if I am honest.

If you're not sure, keep looking around, there are some real good cars nearly new about.


Just had a thought, that you're quoting in Euros. whoops

 

[Big Black Stilo]

Stilo will have niggles, but I have seen an 02 TDI golf eat its own engine, and my seat ibiza had a VW/Audi motor and it broke down more than the the stilo.


I also know a guy who used to work as a vw tech and he is forever doing foreigners and its all silly jobs that actually prevent the car from moving.

Just as its got a VW badge doesnt mean it will live forever. For example, I bet a VW/audi owner is more likely to skip a service than a fiat/alpha owner

Stilo has been much better- apart from the gear box.

 

[cash_123]

I think you should look in England for your cars. They all seem very expensive over there in Ireland.

My 52 Reg 1.6 Stilo was £5700 nearly 3 years ago. Having said that, I have had a fair few problems with it, none lately though.

The Golf is very dull inside, the dash is boring and there are no toys at all.

My Stilo is a lowly active and still has ABS, traction control, seats and a windscreen.

The Golf does have more street cred though, if I am honest.

If you're not sure, keep looking around, there are some real good cars nearly new about.


Just had a thought, that you're quoting in Euros. whoops

yep, euros matey. but they are more expensive over here, however it's not worth my while bringing a car back over here and paying the vrt on it unless it's brand new or has a high value, there is money to be saved when this is the case. I can however bring one down from the north easy enough if the price is right, so I do check all ads in the Irish autotrader.

 

[LoBsTeR]

All makes of cars have their inherrent faults. Check any forum for any car and there will be a technical/problem section full of people with bad experiences. Fiat have a long legacy of bad press due to their bad examples during the 1970s/80s. Despite their efforts and their subsequent production of great cars in recent times, the old 'bad press' ghost still comes back to haunt them.

Basically, the media likes to target Fiat for bad press because historically, Fiat used to have horrendous reliability issues and used to rot like old pears. Its gonna take at least a line of 4 fantastic examples to get rid of the old stigma. Until it does so, the press will snag the smallest fault as all eyes are on them. Nobody in the media cares if Volkswagen produces a crap car coz the good ones outweigh the bad.

Vauxhall and Ford on the other hand have consistently produced some hideous monstrosities and still managed to retain a customer base. This is probably due to the fact that they pay reviewers an arm and a leg to make their reports.

Walk up to the average man in the street over 30 years old and tell him you own a Fiat. Watch his face screw up. This is a man that remembers the older generation of cars but has conveniently forgotten that his current generation Vauxhall/Opel has back to the dealers for engine management/electrical problems more times than Michael Jackson has visited a cosmetic surgeon.

I rest my case...

 

[Dominion]

Stilo will have niggles, but I have seen an 02 TDI golf eat its own engine, and my seat ibiza had a VW/Audi motor and it broke down more than the the stilo.


I also know a guy who used to work as a vw tech and he is forever doing foreigners and its all silly jobs that actually prevent the car from moving.

Just as its got a VW badge doesnt mean it will live forever. For example, I bet a VW/audi owner is more likely to skip a service than a fiat/alpha owner

Stilo has been much better- apart from the gear box.

Yup, my mate works for Green Flag and he reckons most of his call-outs are to German marques, particularly BMW X3 and X5 to be honest, but he reckons the Golfs don't fare too well. And he says quite often the problems with VWs are quite serious.

Come on....... Join the Stilo massive :slayer: :slayer: :slayer:

 

[OzMoSiS]

iv had the same dilemma, but now im 110% in love with the stilo, even with its faults.

like everyones said, all cars have their good and bad, my mates dads merc S500 visted the merc garage more than it stayed at home!

the previous generation 1.4 VW engine was pants in the ibiza, pants in the polo, and definately PANTS in the golf, being bigger and heavier than the other two. i know the 1.2 16V is a real gem in the punto, but i havent tried it in the stilo, but im sure its good.

the stilo does the golf for charms, toys, dynamic ability, comfort, and exclusivity, fiat used the golf as a benchmark during its development.

so id definately say go for the stilo, as its been said, the residual value thing is all relative, the amount you'll lose wont differ much.

mind you even though the golf is common, some do look well smart

 

[cash_123]

iv had the same dilemma, but now im 110% in love with the stilo, even with its faults.

like everyones said, all cars have their good and bad, my mates dads merc S500 visted the merc garage more than it stayed at home!

the previous generation 1.4 VW engine was pants in the ibiza, pants in the polo, and definately PANTS in the golf, being bigger and heavier than the other two. i know the 1.2 16V is a real gem in the punto, but i havent tried it in the stilo, but im sure its good.

the stilo does the golf for charms, toys, dynamic ability, comfort, and exclusivity, fiat used the golf as a benchmark during its development.

so id definately say go for the stilo, as its been said, the residual value thing is all relative, the amount you'll lose wont differ much.

mind you even though the golf is common, some do look well smart

Yeh I've researched both of them and gotten power output and that and the top speed for the 1.2 16v is more or less the same as that of the golf due to the fact that the golf has a lower power to weight ratio. The punto sporting 1.2 16v was a great engine, pushing nearly as much bhp as the 1.6 punto sporting, and even though the stilo is that little bit bigger I'm sure it still packs a decent punch for city driving. The 6 speed box is a nice touch too. I'm 95 percent swayed to the stilo massive at the moment! :slayer:

 

[dan-the-man]

Although I haven't driven a Stilo 1.2 I have been a passenger and I must say that it suprised me how quick they are!

the problems you get on a Stilo are usually little problems and can be fixed easily with a little advice from the great people on here

 

[G Spag]

Well, if the 1.2 engine in the Stilo is anything like the one in the Bravo (Please correct me if I'm wrong) then it is a pretty impressive engine!

I've got a Stilo and my bro used to own a 1.6 Golf, sold it and now owns a Alfa Spider. The reason he got rid of it was because it was absolutely gutless, boring and couldnt justify the price of keeping it (insurance mainly). It's not a bad car, but you can get a better Leon for the money! (Plus the Leon looks better!)

You've got as much chance as getting a problematic Stilo as you do any other car. Get one with a service history so at least you know it's had SOME money spent on it!

Plus, the Stilo looks so damn good!

 

[rhyst]

I love the look of my Stilo but hate how bad the realiability and workmanship is. I will never buy another Italian car again.

 

[Schwenck]

I love the look of my Stilo but hate how bad the realiability and workmanship is. I will never buy another Italian car again.

I'm getting deja-vu here; how can you condemn the entire output of not only FIAT, but of a whole country because of your experiences with one car? If you reject a nation each time one of your cars has a few faults you'll never have more than about eight cars in your life. It makes my blood boil!

 

[1.8Stilo]

Having driven my freinds 1.4 polo and our 1.2 stilo! There is no comparison.. The polo was absolutly gutless and horrible to drive, my old 1.2 8v punto felt so much more quicker and responsive! The 1.2 16v engine is quick for what it is and suprized me how much difference the extra +8valves made! Drive both and you can make your mind up for yourself! If you want something abit more of a performer and will return the same mpg as the 1.2, why not try the JTD! Depends if you can live with change gears all the time though