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I agree, its one of the few cars that looks better in estate form IMHO!
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As has been reported Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi information minister has surfaced in Baghdad. There was a Fiat Stilo parked outside. "it may be built by western infidels, but its the finest car I have ever had" he is reported as saying
Sorry - its Friday
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And what has he had before?
How many Iraqi cars can you quote?
Who, in their right mind would buy a Fiat?
I don't believe all the accounting nonsense that Co's come up with to say whether they're profitable or not.
The fact is that Fiat has had 3 major refinancing operations in 22 months as they are bleeding to death.
People losing their jobs sends me a clear message.
Success breeds success and nobody could say that about Fiat, could they?
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I was under the impression that posters were not supposed to insult others-questioning the sanity of any one who owns a car that you dislike is insulting to me. You have your opinion, others have different ones. I have seen many Fiats on the road this afternoon, obviously a lot of insane people out there. Presumably if they're such awful cars HJ will have given the Punto a terrible write-up-oops no, quite a good one, presumably he's insane too? "How many Iraqi cars can you quote"- what on earth has that got to do with anything?
I have had many cars, some prestige, others more ordinary, and that includes quite a few Fiats and they've all served me well with no more problems than any other car. In a recent Classic and Sportscar magazine article about the best used sportscar under £10000 the Fiat Barchetta was high on the list of favourites of numerous motoring pundits questioned-no doubt they're all insane too?
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Sean, the guy was joking at best and trying irony at the worst.
I have a Fiat Punto, it has broken down once, its problem? Out of fuel...
Not a problem with it since.
Sure it rattles a bit at about 95, but hey! That'll do me for a car that is still the best looking supermini around!
Am I insane? Oh know, I can't answer that! Catch 22?
Kev
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Im a bit anti FIAT for two reasons:
I had one (Punto Sporting) for 7 months and it lost 50% of new list price. And it leaked, but that was sorted and it never let me down and had bags of room.
Partner had one (WV51UKU for the poor sucker who bought it from Great Trade Centre) which had the following work done since Sept 2001.
Starter motor x 6 / Flex plate x 4 / ignition switch x 4 / engine x 1 / gear selector (auto) x 3 / body computer x 2. His still leaks and rattles like a rattling thing when started from cold.
That car was a rogue car, simple as that. I bought mine after he had his because I know many Punto owners who are dead chuffed with their cars, no problems at all.
However, FIAT UK are useless at customer care, all calls are handled by an agency in Bristol who try to fob you off, then they get faxed to the dealer for their comments, then it may go to FIAT in Slough to be looked (or laughed) at! With my partners car we were told by the FIAT zone manager that his car had cost more to repair than to build new. Now if that was Ford or Vauxhall they would almost certainly have swapped the car, not FIAT. We had to get the finance company to take it off our hands!
So we\'ve had plenty of experience with Stilo\'s as loan cars, all were basic jobs but very pleasant. The fabric is nylony because its made of nylon like most Fiats seat are! The plastics seemed to be of high quality, the level of kit for the price was quite amazing! I think that most (if not all) Fiats make sense as ex-hire or demo cars with 40% off new price, and also the base models seem to be the best value. I was also told by the service manager that (on no account) should I even entertain the purchase of a Stilo Abarth, they are VERY problematic!
Should you buy a Stilo? Im not getting involved!
Tony
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I would be intrested to know what makes a Barchetta high on the list of favorite sportscars under £10,000(they really are thrown together sheds,imho)
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I can't remember who else chose it but Tiff Needell did.
Can't say I think it's that attractive . I assume from your comment that you have owned one?
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I agree with all you said above Lordwoody. My family have several Fiats varying in age, a few have had a few minor problems but on the whole, they are all very good (some have non fiats which have had problems aswell, including BMW and VW). People who have no experiance of them just slag them because they've read something bad about them!
I agree that their customer services need to improve however
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Perhaps we could make it the subject of a poll?
Have you ever owned a fiat and do you think they're great or utter pants? Answers: yes & great, yes & pants, no & great, no & pants. Should settle the argument once and for all!
teabelly
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Well pants are for wearing, cars are for driving.
Last January upon arrival at LHR after 27 hours of travel at the mercy of an airline which shall remain nameless but has its base in a country whose military exploits are defamed by that famous hacked Google pic, I was issued with a car by a person at Hertz whose demeanour would have been improved by lessons in proper spoken English, a bucket of Clearasil and some orthodontic work on a disabling overbite.
Obviously after all this I was not in the best of form to appreciate whatever it was I was driving, but I do know I hated it from the moment I got in it. I hate small cars anyway but this one seemed more hate-able than usual. As my journey to Norfolk progressed I got more and more annoyed by the buzzy engine, the smell of plastic, and the graunchy gearshift. I kept thinking, as a lifelong Ford fan, my God these guys over here have lost the plot, this Fiesta's the worst Ford I've ever driven. It runs out of breath every time you try and overtake something, it feels dangerously light, has an impenetrable set of LED's in the middle of the dash, and is unforgettably nasty.
If this is the best Ford can do next time I'll ask for a Vauxhall or something.
So I reach Norfolk, park in the lot outside my sis-in-law's farmhouse, get greeted, fed, beered, and retire to a warm bath to replace my bodily parts where God intended them to be and have a sleep.
When I awake, sis-in-law, calls upstairs and says "I hope it's OK, I took your car keys and moved your Punto so I could get the Volvo in"...........
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I don't think we need a guide dog to see what most people think and haven't people voted with their feet already?
Look at Sky NewsActive today, in the financial section, where Agnelli, the Fiat owner, admits that his cars have not kept up with developments (of other manufacturers) in recent years.
Why do you think he's closing factories and sacking 12,000 people?
Because his cars are not selling.
Why not?
Look at the word "carp" in one of the first posts above.
See if you can work it out.
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Are you Sean the brilliant all round analyst of the worlds motor industry and irony-free zone?
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No, Sean the guy who doesn't want somebody who's asked for help being stuck with the motoring equivalent of Betamax, Philips Digital cassette etc etc. Try and read through the replies above.
Everyone can tell you after you've bought something just what a waste of money it is.
This guy's done it properly and asked beforehand about a potential money-pit.
Credit to him. No credit to us if we don't point out our knowledge, reading and experience.
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New cars are always a waste of money in some respects. If you don't pay for it in the cost of servicing and maintenance the depreciation will get you. The AA have a pence per mile calculator of running costs on new vehicles which includes cost of fuel, depreciation, road tax, insurance etc.
A 1.6 golf petrol 5 door base model is 53p a mile for 10k a year, kept for 3 years. A stilo 1.6 petrol base model is 50p a mile for the same criteria, 45p a mile for a 1.6 corolla base model. I don't know how the spec differs between the 3 makes on their base models though.
teabelly
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Right, time to come clean - I owned a Punto. In fact, I owned two. About 10 months after passing my test I knew nothing whatsoever about cars, and the 309 we had bought a couple of years previously for £900 was dying a death so it was time to look around. Insurance costs were phenomenal for me as a NQD, so a three year PCP insurance deal on a Punto seemed like the best option. I only drove it occasionally, as I was still working from home at the time and my wife used it during the week for her short commute. But a few months later, I was offered a job I wanted to take, so needed another motor for commuting. Again, the 3 years' free insurance beckoned, so we ended up with two.
They were zippy enough, and refined in comparison with the then 13-year old Pug, and they didn't really have any mechanical or electrical problems. But wasn't until I got into the routine of driving 600 miles a week that I started to wonder if the insurance deal was worth it.
There was absolutely no back support in the seats, and the offset accelerator meant I was constantly twisting my right ankle inwards. I still get a twinge in that ankle today, two years after I last drove either of them. The driving position was appalling - either my knees were up around the steering wheel, or the wheel was too out of reach - I'm a normally proportioned 5'10", not an orang-utan! This made the discomfort in my back even worse. I came to dread the prospect of going any distance over 20 miles, and regretted being tied into the finance/insurance deal. Once I reached the halfway point in the payment scheme, I terminated the deal on first one and then the other. In the end, I was glad to see them go.
andymc
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