16th Jul 2001, 19:38
My dad once had a Fiat Regata 85s and it ran like a beauty. It had many extras that other cars lacked. However, he had to sell it due to a company car. I then bought a Fiat Uno 45 Formula last year and it is a nice little car. Fails to stop working and I do have it maintained on a regular basis unlike (I think) most fiat owner's. Nice car-keeps on going :)
22nd Jul 2002, 06:43
...and I thought I was a voice in the wilderness when it came to UNO and RUST. Since experiencing rust problems - car less than 2 years old and less that 11.000KM and rotten with rust, I started eyeing other UNOs on the road and yup... plenty of rust - most noticeable on the lower edge of all doors. It seems, like another review I read recently, that FIAT do not try and improve as the enter the future. A sad day for FIAT in my personal experience. Absolutely disgusted with the South African franchise and their unsympathetic attitude to warranty issues.
Durban South Africa.
1st Jan 2003, 05:54
Had a Fiat Regatta 85C, ran like a dream, rusted like a tin can sitting in the sea!.
Swore Id never buy another Fiat, now a Panda Selecta as a second car, bought second hand M reg and is a great little car. Have had the exhaust go just behind the cat at the flexi (seams to be a popular fault!) but £30 for a new piece from Partco seems fair.
Apart from that this car is a fantastic little runabout and I wouldn't hesitate to buy another.
Before this I had a BMW 520i as a runabout which needed one thing after another done to it (at huge expense!), so Fiat Panda for cheap, reliable, fun transport!
24th Mar 2001, 13:05
Sorry but I think IT IS. My father had a Fiat Uno Diesel Super bought brand-new which lasted for 8 months only (rusted-through and a catalogue of sins to make Cinthya Payne blush). My mummy had a 126 Personal 4 which was good for ten years. She replaced it with a 126 Bis (made in Poland) which sent her into hysterics. A friend of mine has just replaced his tragic Uno Selecta 1.1. EVERYTHING in his car went wrong including the gearbox. The dealer unashamedly admitted to be unable to fix it. He had to fork out over 1,500,000 lire for a REBUILT gearbox, and he was jobless and penniless at the time!! Fiat doesn't seem to improve over the years: the Barchetta is a dreadful heap of trouble, especially early kit. See Top Gear and mags alike. Fiats are like pre-1994 Austin Rovers: utter pile of crap!! In every survey (notably JD Powers') they always come before Lada. Lada comes last in the list.
Yours faithfully.
G. Sechi - Sardinia, Italy.