USED Fiat Stilo Hatchback (01 - 07)

My car

The exciting look of the three-door is, in my opion, second to none. Fiat has done an excellent job of creating a car that's not only pleasing to the eye, stylish and fun to drive but, it is also easy on the pocket, in terms of running costs.

It offers great acceleration power for a diesel and has plenty of kick at top end.

I wouldn't think twice about purchasing another Fiat Stilo 1.9 JTD (three-door). Lots of fun from Fiat. The only down fall, I must admit, is the depreciation of the car.

My car

I got through two sets of tyres in 24,000 miles but fair dues, Fiat compensated me for this. We also got rid of two batteries and had the breakdown truck out three times.

In the car the worst problems were the handbreak accessibility was obstructed by the armrest and the click on the flashers could not be heard. Other than this, I liked the car. It's such a pity these small points caused so much trouble.

My car

A great looking car, that always has people staring. It is cheap to buy and has good standard equipment.

The JTD engine is the same as in the Alfa Romeo 147. It's stunning! Standard Golf TDis and Focus TDCis have nothing on this!

Fuel economy is good - averaging 40mpg around town and 50mpg on longer B-road trips.

However, if you want reliability - look elsewhere! Mine is 2.5 years old on 45k. It's pathetic and VERY expensive to repair as parts and accessories are non-existent in local parts dealers.

I've got lots of electrical problems (the dealer says will cost lots to fix, if they can figure out what is actually wrong!) the suspension is creaking. I've got dodgy bushes all round - nearly £1000 to fix!

The reason is that, like most Fiats, small cheap parts are only sold joined to big lumps of metal and mechanicals. The dealer says that the Stilo is the worst car they have sold for warranty returns. I had a Mondeo ST24 before this and all in all, it was cheaper to run (including the petrol) than this.

In summary: an excellent car if nothing goes wrong with it!

My car

Lovely car to drive and very stylish. That's what made me purchase it. The only downside is that in the first 3 to 4 weeks some things started to go wrong. The stereo wouldn't work, the air-con packed up (this in the height of summer), and minor electrical faults on the dashboad. I literally had to go back and forth to the dealership every other week. But, I must point out that they sorted all the problem out straightaway and no questions asked.

Servicing costs are very high though. But to summarise, I do enjoy this car. (I have 2 children and they love it too). The space, style, and safety elements and price of car are very good. I would recommend it to anyone.