USED Fiat Idea Hatchback (04 - 07)

My car

I sold this car within a year and was hit by massive depresiation The dealership was rubbish and ride very poor. I would not buy this car when you can have something like a modus or a meriva

My car

I test drove this car after enquiring about a 1.4 Eleganza. I found the dash to be of poor quality plastic and pedals were off set to the left, with the clutch rest too close to the seat.

The view forward was very good and there was a good amount of space inside. However, I test drove a Vauxhall Meriva immediately afterwards and the difference in ride quality was a lot better in the Meriva, along with the quality of the cabin.

The price premium of the Meriva over the Idea is defintely worth it and I would gladly pay the difference.

My car

The Idea was comfortable enough to drive over long distances and the reversing sensors made it a doddle to use in the city.

The controls were simple to find and operate. However the vehicle was let down by a number of design flaws. The centrally mounted speedo was not angled towards the driver, making it often difficult to judge speed correctly, the front side triangular windows are not really big enough to see through and the pillars are quite thick, producing a significant blind spot, enough to obscure pedestrians and bikes etc.

The boot, although relatively roomy, is hampered by the deep sill height and the seats do not 'lock' upright when folded flat, allowing their weight to cause them to fall back.

The biggest disappointment was the amount of value it had failed to retain over twelve months. When looking to trade in for a new vehicle we could only get offers of less than 40% of it's original cost!

Overall it was a reasonable car, but my advice to someone looking to buy one new would be go look at a diesal Citroen Picasso with current dealer offers these represent much better value for money.

My car

I purchased this car new in July 04 after previously owning an 02 Stilo.

It is a completely different type of car but very easy to drive and very comfortable.

It has more than enough interior space-we have a 6 yr old and a 2 yr old.

I would reccommend it to anyone.