Faults:

Lots, no major breakdowns but plenty of annoying problems;

Oil leaks, suspension rattle (even after repairs), interior trim falling to pieces, engine noise, gearbox whine, clutch, heater matrix leaks, the list goes on. I tried to look after the car as best I could, but it still felt like it would fall apart at any moment!

General Comments:

The Marea is basically a booted version of the Bravo/Brava from Fiat from the same time period. Very stylish looking car I thought. And that boot just made it more practical, more space for things.

Inside was also pretty smart. The seats were comfy and the controls were soft to touch; the car was easy to drive. Shame the poor quality shone through - I bought mine used, but at only seven years old it looked more like it had fifteen years of wear inside.

The 1.6 had OK power but not that economical; I was expecting high 30's or close to 40 miles per gallon as I had cars with bigger engines that managed this before no problem. But it rarely got above 34 miles per gallon, poor for a 1.6 petrol.

My Marea got scrapped at eleven years old and just over 100K on it, about average for similar cars, so I guess it could last, but only if you are willing to put up with its quirks. It was cheap enough to fix, but I would have preferred better quality rather than frequent trips to the garage. Used to be a common sight on roads (especially in estate versions called "Weekend") but you don't see too many these days. Compared to similar cars, they were real cheap to buy new or used so I guess you only get what you pay for...

Faults:

New battery.

General Comments:

The Fiat Marea is best car I have ever owned. I might buy a Multipla when it breaks down, but I don't think it will; it just keeps going. It's an incredible car.

Faults:

Air mass sensor was gone when I bought, but I bought it privately and it was a bargain. The air mass sensor was a Bosch part and cost £160 and £62 for fiat to tell me what the problem was. I fitted it myself.

I replaced the anti roll bar drop links, these were very cheap to replace and easy enough to fit.

I get a thunk on taking up gear, and a thunk from the front off side suspension on some speed bumps. It needs to become a lot worse before I can identify exactly what the problem is, fiat told me it was just the anti roll bar drop links which I replaced and half fixed the problem.

General Comments:

I am very pleased with the car.

It was very cheap at £4100. The common rail engine is very good, however I feel it is a little under powered, and I am tempted to get it tuned to 150bhp. I have driven the 110 JTD and it is has a lot more torque although it is a little noisier.

It cruises very well on the motorway doing 84mph at 3000 rpm.

It returns about 48mpg on average.

It does generate a little wind and road noise at speed though.