Stilo - any good?

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!

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

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

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

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

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