1999 Fiat Marea ELX 1.8 petrol from Chile

Summary:

A great family car

Faults:

Nothing had gone wrong with the car. It need only a preventive maintenance with the timing belt at 20.000 kilometres, due to a strange noise when idle.

General Comments:

This car is very underrated, but very reliable. The electrics were supreme, without a single failure.

The 1.8 engine is strong and smooth.

The ride is a bit harsh, but with good handling.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th November, 2002

1999 Fiat Marea SX 1.6 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A good value, reliable, stylish saloon with a few niggles

Faults:

Door check straps at 30,000 miles.

Boot lock at 31,000 miles.

Upholstery is more worn than it should be.

General Comments:

This is a great car to drive as far as performance and handling goes. Yes, it is a bit bumpy at low speeds, but I do prefer to 'feel' the road. The power steering is effortless and accurate and the engine is very responsive.

I think this is a very stylish car both externally and internally (especially the dashboard).

Down-sides are the upholstery which is wearing out rapidly and is difficult to clean and a few more rattles and squeaks than I'd like. Also the fuel economy is not too impressive especially when the engine is pushed.

Reliability has been very good apart from the niggling problems listed above.

The two dealerships I've encountered aren't too hot on customer service and seem a bit clueless at times!

These cars are very good value compared with equivalents (Mondeo and Vectra) and I'd say they're more fun to drive too.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 3rd March, 2002

2nd Jan 2006, 11:54

Fiat Marea SX 100 1999.

Bought second hand at one year old. Tremendous value as it is much cheaper to buy than equivalent Mondeo etc.

Terrific performance especially at higher speeds. Very reliable and has never failed to start or gone wrong at any time. Extremely comfortable with air conditioning etc.

Some of the peripheral things such as door locks, parts of the bodywork etc are perhaps not of "Rolls Royce" standard, but this is not a problem.

May well buy similar next time.

7th Jan 2006, 12:22

Update - its 2006 and the car is still going extremely well having covered 82000 miles. Apart from tyres and servicing the only other problem its had is the light behind the mileage counter going - not a major problem. We're still very happy indeed with this car. Only sad bit is its now only worth £800!!!