Fiat Stilo 1.2L

blankblank

Hey, i know theres one or two older threads on this car but was just wanted to ask what people thought rather than dragging up an older one.

Im thinkin of buying a 2004 1.2l 3 door stilo, its 3700euro with around 100,000 Km. Are these cars reliable??? Ive read loads of mixed reviews some saying there a complete waste and others saying there was a massive overhaul of the stilo manufacture after 2002 and that there now quite reliable. Is there any truth in this??

GTE

Yeah,
Two friends had them. One lower powered, thought it was a 1.4 but maybe 1.2. The other was a 1.6 or 8.

One fell to bits and the other never gave problems. Its as simple as that with those two cars.

cantdecide

My mum had an 02 1.2 and it was very reliabe aswell as being an excellent car generally. Get it checked properly though.

kmb

I had a 2003 1.2 5 door and had no problems,just had to replace wishbone for nct.
My stilo had 56k on it when i traded it in around christmas.
Just as usual make sure the timing belt has been changed and also waterpump as it is recommended to change around 50k.

Alfagtamini

very reliable car. have had a 1.2 5 door in the family since 2003 brought brand new. all thats been done to it is routine servicing ( timing belt, oil etc) and 2 front shocks. now has 120k miles on it.


paul

Max Power1

We have a 1.6 stilo in the family, about 50k miles atm and although its still early stages mileage wise, no major issues to date touch wood.
Ive driven it a few times and I was (pleasantly) shocked at the cruising feel in 6th gear @120kph plus. Felt like a much bigger car than it is.

Max_Damage

I worked in a Fiat garage before, and these things are buckets of shíte.

Get a proper Japanese car.

blankblank

Hmmm, how exactly do you check if the timing belt has been changed??? I wouldnt have a clue

Bodhan

The Stilo is a car that works or breaks, it's just not a good car. There's plenty of good cars out there in your price range. I'll get shouted at for these two examples but here goes

http://www.carzone.ie/search/Volkswagen/Bora/1.4/201022198210783/advert?channel=CARS
http://www.carzone.ie/search/Skoda/Fabia/Classic-/201018197841405/advert?channel=CARS

The Combie fabia is a great little car, tonnes of room too.

kmb

Davie89 wrote: »

Hmmm, how exactly do you check if the timing belt has been changed??? I wouldnt have a clue

Hi ,
If the car has a full service history it will be on that or often it is written in the enginge bay in white paint marker.

If it needs a belt it could also need waterpump and then you are looking a maybe 200-300 euro.(I think mine last year was total of €240)

blankblank

I decided to go with it ( waits for the abuse),,,, its being fully serviced etc before i pick it up next week, its a first time car and the insurance was just too attractive to pass up, 1200e (male, 20 years old, still no full license). Hopefully im not after just buying a money pit :P Time will tell.

cantdecide

Well wear young Davie.

You bought a 'good' car. I hope it proves to be reliable too.

r3nu4l

Dammit!!! Only saw this thread now.

I used to drive a 1.2L stilo.

Good points.
roomy
comfortable
nice to drive on long distances

Bad points.
Vastly underpowered engine for this car, only 80 bhp
Overtaking requires plenty of room, a St Christopher medal and extreme bravery!
My car (02 reg, bought used, FIAT fsh) went well for a while but I found that each subsequent service I had more to shell out on, drop links went, boot clips and the CV joint went twice. I also had an oil leak in the gear box.

I eventually got rid of it because I needed something with a bit more poke and something that wouldn't nd up costing me more than it was worth.

Overal, if you get a good one you'll love it, providing you don't want to overtake anything I really liked the car and looking back, I'd still buy one but go for a more powerful engine. It all depends on your needs I suppose and the price is right. BEst of luck with it

blankblank

Thanks :) Im hoping the size etc wont be too much of an issue as ive been driving my dads volvo s40 for the past 11 months, so i should be used to it size wise, took it for a good test run today and it seemed okay being honest,,,but one test drive wont tell much i guess

macroman

The 1.2 engine is lifted straight from a phase 2 Bravo, fine for the Bravo, but the Stilo is a lot heavier and has a six speed box so it is quite gutless on a motorway, but it can hold its own. Don't be afraid to go through the revs on a Fiat, the engine will go upto 4500-5000 RPM comfortably mainly due to the long geared box.

As with any Fiat post-2000 it has the rolling code immobiliser system, no need for a red key, but ensure you get two blue keys, at least one should be a blue flick key.

I recommend the timing belt in the 1.2 engine be done every 36000, these dont have the non-interference FIRE engine so its highly recommended that it gets done at 36000 to avoid a costly rebuild. At the same time all tensioners, pulleys and waterpump should be replaced.

Common problems include drop link arms and cv boots. Drop links can be done by anyone with some basic mechanical knowledge and a socket set. CV boots can be more difficult, parts around €20 and 20 minutes to fit both sides. Any crunching in the gearbox walk away.

They're a great car, the 1.6 is the best of the range IMO. Engines are sturdy, and parts and spares widely available if they go wrong. As I said they have the same engine as the 00-01 Bravo, with some external parts changed, but the block is the same. I've one with 40k and another with 250k and both burn a little oil, well within what I'd consider normal. Keep an eye on oil & coolant levels, service it every 12k and T/B every 36k (3 years) and it'll serve you well.

kmb

Congrats on your purchase.

Just one thing to beware,do not powerwash the engine as there is a connector near the battery for the electrical connections which if water penetrates can cause problems and needs to be unclipped and dried out..

Also some stilos can have cruise control fitted by using either a stilo or alfa stalk if there is a spare connector fitted under the steering wheel column.

http://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/

Above is a good site for help and information and there are guides also and help readily available.

My 1.2 never burned a drop of oil and no cv problems just wishbones due to normal wear and tear at 52k.


http://www.fiatforum.com/stilo/82058-stilo-hidden-features.html

Take a look at link above and have fun finding all the different compartments.

My 1.2 also did 42mpg.

blankblank

Would anyone know whats the difference between the active model and the dynamic model??? Cant seem to find this on the car itself and the insurance crowd need to know!!!

macroman

Just trim spec.

Active has blue cloth, no steering wheel controls etc.

Dynamic usually has leather steering wheel w/controls, black cloth, optional sunroof and alloys. Usually comes with the larger engines.

shamwari

macroman wrote: »

They're a great car, the 1.6 is the best of the range IMO.

They are an ok car, but the 1.9JTD is far better than the 1.6 petrol - assuming you can afford the road tax

kmb

Do you have a link to the car you are buying?

Aircon was normally on the dynamic as well.