Stilo - any good?

>Thinking of getting a 3 dr. Probably a 1.6 as I couldn`t afford the diesel.
>Any owners (more than 6 mths) like to advise on day to day performance etc.
>Read all the road tests on the web etc, so looking for 1st hand knowledge.

I've had my 3-door 1.6 Dynamic for over a year now and have just
passed 40,000 km with it. I had some minor problems in the beginning,
like bad radio, leaking AC-pipe and error messages on the display
which didn't mean much. They are long since sorted and the car has
worked perfectly since.

In the beginning I saw this car as a temporary stepstone until I could
afford an Alfa 158 when that arrives. But I'm not so sure any more.
This car is really good value for money and I've grown rather fond of
it. It is roomy and the interior which I first saw as dull is now just
simplicity and elegance. All the knobs and buttons are in the right
places. I have even come to think of the placing of the seat warmer
button (almost under the seat) as brilliant. Easy to reach when you
know where it is. And since this is the car I drive all the time, I
know where it is.

The only negative things with it are performance and handling. This is
where you pay for some of the other advantages. This car isn't very
quick. It does have a bit of spunk above 5000 rpm though, so you have
to decide; A nice relaxed ride without overtakings or traffic light
races, or working out with both feet and the gear stick. The advantage
though, is that the car isn't very thirsty. I drive at between 7 and 8
liters per 100 km with mixed driving, without any petrol saving
considerations.

The handling can be quite fun if you haven't got your best tyres on or
if you're driving on slippery roads. Then this car is pure
entertainment with a very neutral handling which you can provoke into
oversteer if you like. But on the downside, put on a set of nice
alloys and 215 tyres and the car is tracking like mad. You almost get
white knuckles trying to drive in a straight line on roads that are
anything but marble corridors. On the upside, you have a really nice
servo with the city function that works brilliantly. The car is
perfect in town. And also, a nice cushioned ride with comfortable
suspension.

So I would say, buy it. If your the least interested in the looks, get
a 3-door with 17" wheels. If you're interested in fun handling, get a
3-door with good but narrow tyres. And if you don't give a rat's about
the looks but think the inside is what counts, get a 5-door with the
sunroof.

On these pictures you can see my car in its summer dress and also in
the sorry winter state it's in nowadays here in Norway. Good luck with
the buy and just let me know if you have any other specific questions!
http://home.online.no/~danullen/stilo/stilo1.jpg
http://home.online.no/~danullen/stilo/stilo2.jpg
http://home.online.no/~danullen/stilo/stilo3.jpg
http://home.online.no/~danullen/stilo/stilo4.jpg

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dan@dod.no - Fiat Stilo 1.6 3P -02

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> Thinking of getting a 3 dr. Probably a 1.6 as I couldn`t afford the diesel.

Paul,

I really wanted the JTD but thought I might have to go for a cheaper petrol
version until I started shopping around.....

This week I am due to collect a 3dr JTD Dynamic from DC Cook in Rotherham at
a cost of ?9500; this is pre-registered and well below the Fiat asking
price. Dixon were doing brand new for ?9995 with 6 months tax or you could
pay the Fiat price at Dixon of ?13200 and get 12 months tax. I went to
Stoneacre in Doncaster and enquired about the JTD and they said it was
?13200; as soon as I said forget it Dixon do it for ?9995 they said straight
away we can do it for that then - hate to think how many people have knocked
them down by a grand and thought they had got a good deal!

There are some good prices about at the moment but the cars are not shipping
from the factory very quickly so order now if you want to collect an 04 on
04 day.

Cheers,

Andy

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Mike - 27 Dec 2003 10:14 GMT

> > Thinking of getting a 3 dr. Probably a 1.6 as I couldn`t afford the
> diesel.
[quoted text clipped - 20 lines]
>
> Andy

I think the Stilo is a good car but overpriced, I enq about a JTD(115) 5
door active in jan this year and Reg Vardy in Leicester were asking ?12500
ish with 6 wk del. They were also offering a poor trade in for my Rover
420SDi. I found a garage in sheffield selling Metali 5 door JTD(115) active
(5 instock) for ?8500. They all had delivery mileage only, mine had 18
miles on the clock. The only downside is lack of choice, I would have paid
another ?500 or so for the Dynamic option had there been one available, but
thats always the downside with buying pre-registered, but with savings of
over ?4000 I'll switch on my own headlights an wipers!! Alloys are a must,
I spent ?250 on some 16" 2nd hand fiat alloys which much improved the look
of the car.

The 3 door is a prettier car but with rug rats aged 6 mths and 41/2 (ages
correct as of 01/03) I need 5 doors. Due to the upright seating position,
the car is very roomy. There is a couple of inches more rear leg room and
there is a lot more head room than in my Rover 400 and my brother-in-laws
volvo saloon altough the boot is shorter but deeper. The sliding rear seats
are useful for larger items but you do lose the extra rear leg room.

The economy of the JTD engine is great (I average 40 around town and when
driving on the motorway and open road 60 isn't difficult to acheive (largely
due to speed cameras keeping me legal). The performance is excellent for a
diesel of it's size and insurance is cheap (?187 fully comp with 5 yrs NCD).

I've had the car for 11 mths and have had only three problems:
The second day I owned the stilo stalled and wouldn't start, as the
hazard lights wouldn't work I figured that there was a problem with the
battery, opened up the bonnet to find a cover which req a splined bit to
open. Easily available but I didn't have one with me. The AA came out and
found that the neg terminal had not been bolted on, probably the garage had
disconnected it and forgot to re-att.
Catch on rear seat came off, fixed myself in two mins
Jack broke, replaced under warranty.

The blue seats are hard wearing and easy to clean, juice, sweets, mud, sand,
dog crap and other unidentified grime have all come and gone with nothing
more than a quick wipe with soapy water.
I seemed to have avoided many of the problems other owners have had,
possibly due to the lack of the fancier equipment that the abarth comes with
and the later build (touch wood).

Mike

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Andrew P - 27 Dec 2003 16:59 GMT

> > > Thinking of getting a 3 dr. Probably a 1.6 as I couldn`t afford the
> > diesel.
[quoted text clipped - 68 lines]
>
> Mike

Mike,

Overpriced if you pay the full asking price but with some of the bargains
around at the moment and a bit of bartering it is not difficult to get a lot
of car for a very reasonable price. Only downside at the moment is the
delivery times.

Ansy

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> Thinking of getting a 3 dr. Probably a 1.6 as I couldn`t afford the diesel.

Paul,

I really wanted the JTD but thought I might have to go for a cheaper petrol
version until I started shopping around.....

This week I am due to collect a 3dr JTD Dynamic from DC Cook in Rotherham at
a cost of ?9500; this is pre-registered and well below the Fiat asking
price. Dixon were doing brand new for ?9995 with 6 months tax or you could
pay the Fiat price at Dixon of ?13200 and get 12 months tax. I went to
Stoneacre in Doncaster and enquired about the JTD and they said it was
?13200; as soon as I said forget it Dixon do it for ?9995 they said straight
away we can do it for that then - hate to think how many people have knocked
them down by a grand and thought they had got a good deal!

There are some good prices about at the moment but the cars are not shipping
from the factory very quickly so order now if you want to collect an 04 on
04 day.

Cheers,

Andy

Reply to this Message

> Thinking of getting a 3 dr. Probably a 1.6 as I couldn`t afford the diesel.

Paul,

I really wanted the JTD but thought I might have to go for a cheaper petrol
version until I started shopping around.....

This week I am due to collect a 3dr JTD Dynamic from DC Cook in Rotherham at
a cost of ?9500; this is pre-registered and well below the Fiat asking
price. Dixon were doing brand new for ?9995 with 6 months tax or you could
pay the Fiat price at Dixon of ?13200 and get 12 months tax. I went to
Stoneacre in Doncaster and enquired about the JTD and they said it was
?13200; as soon as I said forget it Dixon do it for ?9995 they said straight
away we can do it for that then - hate to think how many people have knocked
them down by a grand and thought they had got a good deal!

There are some good prices about at the moment but the cars are not shipping
from the factory very quickly so order now if you want to collect an 04 on
04 day.

Cheers,

Andy

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