12 years with our Tipo (Fiat Tipo)

Member Name: Goggz

Product:	Fiat Tipo
Date:	21/02/02 (432 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: mechanically reliable, very roomy, reasonably economical

Disadvantages: electrics, definitely NOT a "drivers" car, stupid faults

As the title says, it's now 12 years and 120,000 miles since we bought our 1.4 DGT brand new. Got it because I had a Uno before, which was totally reliable for the 3 yrs I thrashed it.

The Tipo is a roomy (4 + luggage on 3wk 2500 mile drive), economical (got 58mpg @ 60-70mph cruise & light acceleration) and MECHANICALLY reliable car (radiator, alternator brushes, carburretor fuel cutout solenoid, head to cam gasket leaked x2)

The only rust we now have on it is under the rear hatch lock assembly and one door under the lower window seal.

ELECTRICALLY, it's not so good (IMHO this is THE bugbear with Fiats). The central locking gave up the ghost about 5 yr ago so I removed the solenoid and we use individual door locking. The electric windows are crap, because there are no motor cutouts when they close, which rips the stupid rubber mounting nuts off the door frame assembly over time - a fiddly job to replace. The heater fan died and the fresh air system is rubbish - you always have to have the fan on low otherwise no air gets in and the fresh air vents wouldn't keep a mouse alive.The nice bulb failure warning lights are good, but the door open warning lights are always coming on so the dash looks like Blackpool illuminations all the time.

There are other dumb design things, like the bonnet opening crank breaking regularly (I have got an emergency wire release hidden away now), the sunroof crank cover breaking and the side mirrors siezing up slowly.

It drives like a bus, understeers if you let it, but is quite a reasonable handler overall. My wife now has really strong arms (who needs a gym?) so go for a power steering one if possible, other wise parking and town driving can be tiring. Motorways are a doddle, even fully loaded. The seats are not very supportive laterally so cornering is not so easy and the seat squab is too flat, so you slide forward over time and have to keep pulling yourself back up the seat (I
9;m 5'9" tall).

Summary: