Fiat Bravo (mark 2) owners?

r3nu4l

Just thought I'd ask if anyone here owns a Bravo as I'm considering buying one used as a second car, for commutes only.

I previously owned a Stilo (many years ago) and while it was the woefully underpowered 1.2L petrol, overall, it was comfortable to drive in and so, I'd consider a used Bravo because they are likely to be cheap as chips.

So if there are any Bravo owners here (who aren't ashamed to admit it ), raise your hands and tell me of your real-world experiences.

The Parkers.co.uk review is mostly positive on the car. I know there are better cars in the class but we all know too that Fiat residuals are dreadful (particularly on the Bravo), so that's attractive to me for now. I'm also looking at a couple of others including a Ford Focus. so, if possible, let's stick to the point of the thread

PukkaStukka

A current Stilo Owner here too who is considering replacing his steed with a Bravo when the time comes. My research and experience threw up the following.

1.4 Bravo is carryover engine from the stilo. It's no firecracker but is supposed to very economical. Electrics too are solid and robust as indeed they are across the entire range.

The 1.6 multijet would be my favourite but holds value well. I've had a1.9 multijet as a hire car in Italy a few years back. It was an excellent car with plenty of go, and was very refined and comfortable too.

The one thing that is weak in them are the bearings in the 6 speed gearboxes, especially on the larger diesels and the petrol t-jets, although any box could be at risk. Listen carefully for whines when driving them. Grand Punto gearboxes also are similarly afflicted so clearly fiat lost its way a little as their earlier boxed were better than this.

CiniO

The problem with Bravo is that they are not as cheap as they should be really.

I remember in 2008 I purchased 2001 Bravo (7 year old car) for €1300.
Now, when you look at 2008 Bravo (7 year old car) you are talking rather about 4-5k if I'm not mistaken. That's a huge difference comparing to 7 years ago.
And previous generation bravo, was probably even better designed car than current bravo.

BTW - I'm not ashamed to admit I still own this 01 Bravo, it's in everyday use, it travelled over 100k kilometres with me, and I spend about €3 on it on maintenance since purchase, out of which half is the cost of tyres.
Easily said that it's the best and cheapest to run car I've ever had.


New Bravo is probably good as well, but it's not too roomy compared with similar cars in that class.

kmb

Hi r3nu4l,

I have a 2008 bravo TJET 150 BHP and previously had 2003 stilo,00 brava,97 Punto,Uno etc,
I have it about 3 years and it has been faultless.
The thing about Fiats is to always use the correct oil.
The gearbox issue is the M42 Gearbox(GM Box I think)used in the six speed Bravos. Mine is perfect.
Search motors here for the Bravo and see how many results you get.

http://www.fiat.co.uk/uk/fiat-bravo/engines-technical-info

Is it petrol or Diesel which you are interested in?

http://fiatforum.com/bravo/

Regards,

r3nu4l

Thanks all. I'm more interested in diesel due to the mileage I'll be doing. Its 90% Motorway driving too so any words on how comfortable it is to drive in that scenario (new Bravo)? I'd be looking for cruise control anyway but I remember the seats in the Stilo being comfy too. What's the Bravo like?:)

George Dalton

What's the budget?

kmb

I can only speak for the Bravo sport, the seats are very solid and comfortable.
Is it the 1.6,1.9 or 2.0 diesel multijets that you are looking at?

Some of the older diesels did not have a DPF fitted.

See link below.

http://www.fiatforum.com/bravo/226361-bravo-sport-expert-required-2.html#post2404924

September1

I found 07 Bravo 1.4 to be really uncomfortable on long journey, but it the most basic spec. Overall I was really happy and no problems during few years of ownership.

r3nu4l

George Dalton wrote: »

What's the budget?

Overall, I've 10k to spend on a car...but I don't want to spend anywhere near 10k Hence looking at the Bravo I suppose

As I said earlier, if I'm not convinced by the Bravo, then I've my eye on other cars like the Focus but even up to a C5 or 407 (size wise).

That said, a little hatchback to go up and down the motorway in would be perfect. The 1.6D Eco looks interesting, purely for economy reasosn. Not exactly powerful but enough grunt for motorway overtaking.

I'll check for lumbar support if I find an interesting looking Bravo.

mossy50

just a few for you to glance at from cars ireland

2008 alfa romeo 159 1.9 diesel full leather 39000miles 9500 euro
2009 citroen c5 1.6 hdi vtr 73000 miles 8950 euro
2008 citroen c5 1.6 hdi vtr estate 55000 miles 9500 euro
2009 fiat bravo1.6 diesel 38500 miles 7950 euro
2008 kia ceed 1.6 diesel 57000 miles 9000 euros
2009 opel insignia estate 2.0 cdti 100000 miles 8100 euro
2008 vw passat 2.0 diesel 80000 miles 9500 euro

PukkaStukka

kmb wrote: »

Hi r3nu4l,

I have a 2008 bravo TJET 150 BHP and previously had 2003 stilo,00 brava,97 Punto,Uno etc,
I have it about 3 years and it has been faultless.
The thing about Fiats is to always use the correct oil.
The gearbox issue is the M42 Gearbox(GM Box I think)used in the six speed Bravos. Mine is perfect.
Search motors here for the Bravo and see how many results you get.

http://www.fiat.co.uk/uk/fiat-bravo/engines-technical-info

Is it petrol or Diesel which you are interested in?

http://fiatforum.com/bravo/

Regards,

You are right about the m32 box being problematic as it is indeed a GM one. In the Grande Punto, they give terrible trouble. However Fiat's own 6 speed boxes are also weak. This standard 1.4 Bravo is keenly priced on DoneDeal with a whine in the box.

I couldn't agree with you more about how important using the correct oil is. Absolute essential with those things and IIRC it's a slightly unusual grade too.

Also Bravos and Stilos do have lumbar support but neither have a tilt adjust on the base. If you've got short legs and a problematic lower back then this may cause you problems as the seat base is angled slightly upwards at its front edge.

H3llR4iser

Plenty of Bravos sold and running in Italy with little issue, in a climate much more unforgiving than the Irish one (similar winters than here, but then it rockets to 38 degrees in the summer). A friend down there has one (1.9JTDm 105hp) with very little trouble; The 1.9 is actually fairly quick for the type of car. The 1.6 diesel is a good balance.

Very good advice has been given in this thread; Like all Italian engines, it likes its maintenance done properly and with quality materials; Do an oil change every 10.000 km or 12 months maximum, whichever comes first regardless of user's manual advice (the one from the 159 recommends 30.000km maintenance intervals...completely unrealistic). While it is not absolutely necessary to use the recommented Petronas Selenia oil (which can be difficult to source in Ireland), be sure to use high quality stuff - Bardahl, Motul, Mobil and Castrol are popular alternatives. Just make sure they are the correct grade and stay away from Halfords/Tesco/generic discounted stuff.

As said, the M32 gearbox on these cars can be a weak link. They tend to develop a problem with the 5th and 6th gear bearings, which can lead to a rebuild and a lot of money spent (north of 1000 Euro). When looking at the cars, take them for a good test drive - not just around the block, go somewhere you can use the high gears. If there is a whine using the last two gears, the box is on the way out. The sound you'll be looking for is kind of like that of an electric motor; It usually comes as you step on the accelerator and goes down when you let up. Another clue is the gear lever movement - look at it when starting in 1st, and then when accelerating and decelerating in 5th and 6th; If the bearings are going, it will move quite noticeably.

Happy car hunting