Fiat Croma

I understand it to be pleasing to drive, reasonably economical and a dismal investment. (Hell, I liked it too, but bought something else)

It's a Fiat. That alone would be enough to scare me off.

It's a large Fiat. Which means it will depreciate faster than yesterday's newspaper.

Fiat- Fix It Again Tomorrow. The phrase used by the staff of the local Fiat garage. 'Nuff said.

Which is good news for someone buying a 2005 example....

I've looked at them and the top spec. Eleganza with leather and all the toys would come in at somewhere around the £6k-£8k mark.

Old stereotypes are hard to shake off.

Well I took the leap. Bought it today. Immaculate Croma 2.4 multijet (200BHP one), 12'000 miles, top spec, leather, dual climate control, 2 years old this week, sat nav, glass roof, the full works.....£5 short of £11'000 I'm chuffed to bits with it. And you're right about depreciation on them. 2 years ago it cost the original owner £22'995, I've saved £12'000 in 2 years. Bargain!.

I know, I heard 'an old boy' in the pub the other night moaning about Skoda reliability and longevity. I nearly spat my pint out when he told me how much better his VW was. Pure class.

I felt the same. If you actually spent time with one and was more open minded, I think you may be surprised.

I couldn't agree more. Hence I'm getting a bargain.

They obviously weren't a good franchise. Nuff said.

Hmmmm, I've seen them cheaper, but that's sod-all mileage and probably something I'd consider if my company would let me run a car to 4 years old.

I assume this is from a main dealer with decent warranty?

heh.

Main dealer, yes. 12 months warranty, 12 months tax, 12 months AA. Servicing it Monday and a full tank of fuel. Also vouchers for £100 off next 2 services and free MOT's for life. Not too bad I thought. The car is also totally as new - needs to be - have to keep it for at least the next 6 years.

Regards

Sounds good. I'm sure you'll enjoy it - that 2.4 JTD is a cracking engine, and you've got a fair bit of after-sales stuff thrown in as well.

In this case, it's not an old stereotype - it is directly based on the Punto courtesy cars they have. The garage in question is a multi-dealership, and previously they had used one of their Japanese marques as a courtesy car - all they ever needed was washing and routine servicing. The Puntos needed something repairing almost every time they went out.

Of course, no-one ever thrashes a courtesy car to within an inch of it's life or generally abuses them in a way they wouldn't if it were their own car, do they?

I know the Jap stuff may not have broken under such circumstances, but courtesy cars aren't the best to base such opinions on - in the same way that hire cars aren't.

For the very reasons you have given, courtesy or hire cars are very good guide to how a car stands up to everyday use. It's the sort of use a car might get over a couple of years all condensed into a shorter period.

Whenever I've considered a new model in the past, I've usually hired one for at least a long weekend.

Chris

Rubbish.

Do you often jump into your own car and bounce it off the rev limiter from cold? Or dump the cluch from 4k rpm?

In your usual not-so-humble opinion, of course :-)

I'm 61, so I don't often do any sort of jumping.

The fact that you stated that "the Jap stuff may not have broken" surely implies that it is reasonably robust? This is the point I was making; if a hire car stands up to the sort of abuse it gets, it's a fair guide as to it's likely longevity with more considered usage.

Chris

So how many people do that with courtesy cars? The majority of people who drive them I suspect are nervous or uncomfortable because it's a strange vehicle to them. Not everyone can leap into another car and feel at home enough to thrash it. I've had feel courtesy or hire cars, but I think I thrash my own more than I did them.

Indeed, I'm reminded of the old adage - 'the fastest cars in the world are hire cars!' ;-)

Agree with you for once SteveH. Saab, Vauxhall and I think Alfa use FIAT diesel engines, they cant be all that bad. The new Croma looks a bit dull, but is a very accommodating car, I wouldn't mind one.

They do indeed. Alfa used their own design cylinder heads for better performance in some cases.

The 2.4 straight 5 is a cracker - it's been universally praised since it first appeared. A bit tall and wide for some installations so not as common as the 1.9 fours (with which it shouldn't be compared), sounds lovely and gruff (a bit V8 ish) when extended but is also refined and quiet when not. If fact, if you're the type that likes to hear the sound of an engine when driving, I'd argue this is the best there is in it's class. IMHO, it's makes a much more impressive and authoritative sound than Alfa's rather subdued 4 cylinder petrols do these days. Very torquey, wide useable power band, reasonably economical and bullet proof too.

STOP!!! You're getting me all excited now....

Regards Mat

Ah yes..the call of the throbbing beast!