Faults:

Over a 16-year period ... lots :-)

Front suspension arms, bushes, dampers. Severely corroded subframe, corrosion on the suspension mounting points, leaking roof/sunroof, cooling fan motor burnt out three times, due to an electrical fault in the ECU(?) - needed a modification to bypass the ECU, just to make it work! Blown head gasket, oil leak caused by corroded sump. Much of the corrosion was caused by the UK's road salting/gritting over the winter. Cracked exhaust heat shield.

The exhaust system was apparently difficult to fix, or my local garages are crap? Probably the latter ... ;-)

General Comments:

I will never forget this car. It NEVER broke down! It was the most reliable, dependable car I have ever owned, but Fiat Bravas were not designed to last 144,000 miles - the majority of them were scrapped many years ago!

The steering was amazingly light, and the economy was good. The boot (trunk) space was great. The ride quality on Britain's shameful roads was reasonable - there's only so much a 1,000Kg car can absorb when the roads are littered with defects!

In the end, the car developed a misfire that would have cost hundreds of pounds to fix - I decided to scrap my Brava earlier this year :(

Faults:

Front brake discs scored (due to previous owner not replacing pads)

New clutch (this is my fault not the cars oops!)

New battery (worn out over time)

That's it!

General Comments:

This car is seriously quick for a 1.6 being a 16v - timed 0-60mph on less than 10 seconds!

Very comfortable once you get used to the driving position.

Generous amount of extras including Electric Sunroof, windows, mirrors, PAS and ABS.

Handling is OK - bit wobbly at times but this was sorted by lowering the car 40mm. it handled perfectly!

Economical for a 1.6 but still only 35mpg average.

Cruised at 90mph easy.

This car is very well made for the money and great to drive with a spacious interior and boot. Miles ahead of the Peugeot 306.

Faults:

The shock absorbers (dampers) were replaced after 24,000 miles, and it wasn't cheap.

Brake light failure after two years.

General Comments:

I've been driving the car since it was new, and I'm generally pleased with it.

The clutch is nearly worn out, which is a little surprising.

The tires and brakes are still original!

Adjustable steering column height is nice. The seats are comfortable.

The car stereo has complex functions, but I have used less than 10% of them!

Car burnt oil for the first few months, and I topped the level up when necessary. In April 2002 I took the car to a dealer (name with-held for legal reasons!). They accused me of letting the oil level drop below the MIN mark on the dipstick, but I checked the level five days earlier, and the level was in between the MIN and MAX. The service department man was rude, and I found them unprofessional.

I have visited other 'F' dealers, but they haven't impressed me.

Faults:

There was something wrong with the radio which drained the battery every night. Fixed for £68 (not by FIAT)

General Comments:

I love my Fiat Brava!

I don't know where the FIAT reputation came from for unreliability. If you travel around the south of Italy you will see that average age of the FIAT cars there is about 12 years. Many are 25 years old and still going strong. My father has a Audi which is always going wrong (at stupendous cost), and my mother has a FIAT which goes great!

I was going to buy the VW golf mark III, but was scared off by tales of unreliability and expensive repairs. I also rented a Golf 1.4 for a long journey to Wales and back and they are noisy at speed and handle poorly. I bough mine very cheap (half price after 18 months and 2,500 miles on the clock - it was an ex-rental.

The engine is quiet and powerful for a 1.2. At the legal limit on the motorway it's whisper quiet. Drives about 400 miles for a full tank of petrol which costs about £40. So about the same as some diesel cars, but with cheaper servicing. The steering is the best I have ever experienced in a car. Combinded with the excellent cornering, it makes for a fun drive.

I have avoided the FIAT dealerships for servicing because of all the bad press on pages like these and use independent garages instead which are fine. Parts are cheaper than other brands (I know this as I broke down in my Uno once and a garage fixed it for £35 including parts and labour. It was so cheap I gave them a £10 tip!)

The only bad points - you can't get the 1.2 without the sunroof, which makes things a bit cramped if you are more than 6'2". The seats are too 'sporty' (automotive jargon for uncomfortable) and have too much side support, which makes them a pain after an hour or so. Why does it not have remote locking? Much more useful than a stupid sunroof.