Could be because when people have problems with a car they are more inclined to write a review than the people who have trouble free motoring.
That's a good point. You do find the odd grumbler about Japanese cars as well, but (and this is the key point), significantly fewer than complain about the worst European makes.
I find it funny when owners love their cars, and the "expert" motoring journalists say they are rubbish. I'm 100% behind the owners here.
The reason that I like this site is that HJ's reviews seem authentic and unbiased to me. He doesn't give a hoot what badge is on the car, or what people say about the car - he just judges the car itself. (I don't always agree with him, mind!)
Edited by LikedDrivingOnce on 09/08/2009 at 01:54
|
|
3 yrs old and 60k miles. Not exactly been to the moon and back...
|
It's done nearly double the average mileage over that period of time, to do that trouble free isn't bad for a Fiat!
|
My mums Hyundai is an 05 plate and that has had more warranty claims!
It just tickled me really and goes to show that advice on cars is only really as good as the individual car someone might buy - this Stilo I cleaned had me thinking it looked like an ideal family car such is the space and nice interior design.
|
- this Stilo I cleanedhad me thinking it looked like an ideal family car such is the space and nice interior design.
Stu, I ran a Stilo Multiwagon for a while recently. It was exactly as you describe, an ideal family car. Mine was a 115 JTD and was staggeringly economical, and felt very powerful in the mid range. Almost too powerful. A terrific car and one whose passing from my ownership I lament. I was forced to change it as we need an auto for one reason and antoher. I'd have got another one, however there were no automatic Multiwagons made (or at least none imported to Britain). Nothing went wrong with it. I quite miss it. The supposedly bomb proof Mazda 6 2.0 petrol which replaced it needed a new water pump (at 28k miles) in the first fortnight of ownership.
A Bravo Dualogic is high in my thoughts as a replacement, especially when you see how cheap they are at 6 months/1 year old. Bargain.
|
|
|
|
|
I agree with Dartmoor Wanderer, I had two cars which the motoring reviews were not that good on, managed to get just under 100,000 on one and over 120,000 on the other.
|
I concur. Twelve months ago I sold a 2001 year MB E 320cdi with 215,000 on the clock.
The glow plugs had been changed early in its life and it had a gearbox overhaul at 150,000 and that was it.
For a car with a supposedly poor reliability record and often slated on this forum, I thougt it was pretty good.
|
The W210 E class was a good car, they never really gave much trouble at all.
by 2001 the mechanics were well sorted, but the build quantity (and rush proofing!) went down.. so the cosmetics can be a weak spot.
The early W211 though... nightmare car!
you name it - it went wrong. bar the engine, especially the 320CDI's (well sorted engine on the whole)
then they facelifted it, made loads of improvements, so as new a lot better car, except....
the V6 CDI...
what would I buy?
an early W211 BUT with full MB history, so all the weaknesses were put right.
or, more likely a BMW 5......
|
On the other hand I had an earlyish E270CDi estate which did 40k miles in a year with no faults at all, whereas our 535d had issues with DSC and turbos in its first year ;-)
Mind you, we've also had plenty of Renaults as well, and none have caused us any real problems either; a few niggles along the way, but no more so than other cars we've owned.
In fact, thinking about it, I can safely say (possibly tempting fate here...) that I haven't had what I'd call a really unreliable car in 20+ years of driving. That spans sub £1k 'bangers' to £40k+ 'prestige' models and includes cars built in France, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Japan and the UK. The worst was probably the most expensive one of the lot - a 535d Touring. Make of that what you will...though it wouldn't stop me buying another BMW!
Peter
Edited by Peter S on 09/08/2009 at 12:54
|
|
My wife's Punto which has done 50k and we've had from new in early 2004 has been as good if not better than my new Nissan QQ and various new VWs that I've owned.
|
I like FIATs and I would consider a Stilo as they offer suburb value for money. I reckon I could get a 55 reg for £2k.
My mates done about 150 miles in his brand new Panda now without so much as a warning light and amazing the EPS has not failed yet :p
Joking aside I think FIATs are just as good as any car these days. My dad had a Punto from 1996 and that was a good car but wasn't as well as the Fiesta MK4.
|
Just shows if you get a good one and do the maintenance it *shouldn't* let you down. Years ago I had a Fiat Uno 45 for a few years while a student. Never missed a beat and loved to be driven. 'Graduated' to a Rover 214 after that which was a step up in cabin build quality but a real bucket of spanners mechanically.
I like the Fiats in general, though I think the design of a few have left a little to be desired. New Panda and 500 look terrific though..
|
My wife did 200-300 miles a week in her Mk 1 Panda for four years in all weathers. We lived 1000 ft above sea level at the time in rural Scotland so it would fairly regularly have to cope with snow and ice. Mechanically it never had any problems.
She bought it when it had about 40k on it and sold it with about 90k on it. I'm ashamed to say on here it was only serviced a couple of times while we had it. It had been intended to be a stop gap car but seemed to hang around our house for much longer than had originally been planned. The rust got to it in the end but it carried on in the hands of a New Zealand exchange farming student who took it on an extended European summer tour with his girlfriend and subsequently sold it on again to his replacement at the farm I gather. The bodywork was disastrous by then but the little car soldiered on without a murmer for at least another couple of years. I expect it's dead now of course. We last saw it around about the summer of '99.
It was a "special edition" as I recall. Sergio somethingorother. Bright green seats and dark grey metallic paint.
My wife drove it as if it was a Lamborghini or tried to anyway....
It was actually brilliant in the snow. Light weight, low power, skinny tyres and good ground clearance must have helped I suppose.
|
My wife did 200-300 miles a week in her Mk 1 Panda for four years in all weathers.
Rented the Seat Marbella version in Rhodes, superb little car went over the mountains through washed out dirt tracks where soft 4x4's might have struggled.
Simple little motor and the better for it, i really liked it.
Edited by gordonbennet on 09/08/2009 at 17:30
|
Yes, I miss it in a way. It's not that we are in the habit of abusing cars but that wee thing just took everything in its stride. At some point I must have removed the back seat to get a Christmas tree in or something and never got around to putting it back. I found what remained of the seat a couple of years later at the back of one of the decrepit outbuildings we had at the time. Damp and creatures had taken their toll. The car remained in "van" form as there were only the two of us then. It did tip runs ( 45 mile round trip ) and once had the engine block from my Westfield in the boot for a reason I forget now. Also ashamed to admit that it was rarely cleaned in or outside either. Seemed fairly robust apart from the rusty bits. I still think a car of that simplicity would be a very useful thing. No doubt it wouldn't comply with modern regulations for all sorts of reasons.
Ridiculous as it might seem as a statement it was actually quite fun to drive. Eager, rather than fast if you know what I mean ?
|
|
Know exactly what you mean Humph. 45BHP of raw power never felt so good. That little FIRE engine was virtually unburstable. I used to do obscene speeds (er.. up to 90 on occasion) and with only 4 gears. Happy times....!
|
>>I expect it's dead now of course<<
You can put it's reg no. into the DVLA database and find out if it's still taxed (and thus likely to still be 'alive'!)
|
You can put it's reg no. into the DVLA database and find out if it's still taxed (and thus likely to still be 'alive'!)
...and/or into ASKMID to see if it's insured
|
|
I was going to say that, but unless you own the car, or are investigating the possibility of a criminal act, I don't think you're meant to ;-)
|
You can put it's reg no. into the DVLA database and find out if it's still taxed (and thus likely to still be 'alive'!)
OK thanks, hmm, sure it was "G" something.....That's going to bother me now...G370... ? G377... ? Aw you've done it now !!
;-)
|
>>It was a "special edition" as I recall. Sergio somethingorother.
Sergio Tacchini
Italian tennis player
Edited by Another John H on 09/08/2009 at 21:15
|
The laws of average suggest even Fiat can make some reliable cars..
Edited by madf on 09/08/2009 at 21:22
|
Sergio Tacchini, well done AJH, that was it !
Still can't remember the reg number and nor can my wife. Going to have to go up into the attic and look for old photos which might include the car now....That fibreglass insulation stuff gets everywhere too.
Or maybe not, it was pretty dishevelled ten years ago. Can't imagine it's still going.
There was a spate of endorsed cars a while back wasn't there ? "Roland Garros" was written on something I'm sure of it.
Strikes me there should have been a "John McEnroe" Metro..."Are you serious ?!".....
;-)
|
? "Roland Garros"was written on something I'm sure of it.
Yep on bottle green 206's with tan leather IIRC, quite nice combination really, but then Pug used that combo on the top spec 205 XTDT before to good effect.
I wonder how much dosh the 'name' involved get for the plug.
|
|
The Roland Garros spec has appeared on the 106, 205, 306 ( inc soft top version ) aswell as the 206.
|
...should have been a "John McEnroe" Metro...
I'm sure there was a tennis-themed Metro Match.
I can vaguely picture a net design on the bottom of the wings/doors.
|
I remember a metro match
they always had a scab coming through where the stickers were
nasty things
|
|
|
|
