My first Italian car! (Fiat Stilo)

Member Name: choppertoo

Product:	Fiat Stilo
Date:	22/09/06 (2280 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stylish, practical, powerful, low cost

Disadvantages: None so far

I've had a 3 door fiat stilo 1.6 dynamic since September 2004. I bought it second hand with the balance of the warranty transferred over to me (nearly 2 years).
This is my opinion - as it seems to me the only people who write reviews the majority of the time are those that have had bad experiences with a car ... if you've had a good reliable experience - what is there to write about! Well I'm going to give it a go.
I chose the Stilo because of two things it's great looks and it's incredible value for money as a second hand buy. I was hankering after a golf or an Audi A3 ... then I saw a yellow stilo - and I just had to have one. In fact I used a number of resources before deciding upon the car - foums and these review websites - they all helped me form a balanced view that some cars are good and some cars are bad and it doens't matter who the manufacturer is.
The car itself is quite honestly the best I've ever owned - it's reliable, comfortable and most importantly the dealer service has been excellent (i used caledonia fiat in blackpool) .. as the car was under warranty any issues I did have were fixed with no quibbles.
In the 2 years I've owned the car - the only fault it developed was a tiny rattle in the dash - the dealer fixed it at the last service .. and that is basically it.
What over car in it's class can you get for the same money with the same high specification - I've got A/C, a CD player electric everything, Airbags everywhere, an advance computer , follow me-home headlights - I could go on all day ... but the crazy thing is the car cost me the same as a 6 year old golf!!
As for performance - I can only say I've been seriously impressed ... it seems more powerful than it's stated 103bhp ... the italian engine sounding fantastic at higher revs ... and it still returns an average of 36mpg.
The interior materials are great - with nice fabrics and a soft touch dashboard that really shouts out quality. The controls are easy to read, reach and are well organised.
As for servicing the most I have paid at the main dealer is £138 for the second service - which is perfectly reasonable. A courtesy car was always provided and the car was always returned to me fully valeted.
Another thing I've enjoyed about owning this car is it's individuality - it's still a rare car ... and for me that's great ... as It always attracts admiring glances and a the what car is that question?
To finish all I have is praise for this car ... I've had a look at the new Punto and that seems superb also... looks like Fiat are on the right tracks with it's current range of cars - ti's just a shame that no-one else seems to see this and still blindly heads to the Ford/VW/Renault/Citroen garages....
Dare to be dfifferent ... buy a Fiat ... buy a Stilo!

Summary: My experiences of owning a Fiat Stilo - only positive so far!

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