Faults:
Sun roof worked on the test drive- didn't work when we collected the car.
No radio for first week- dealer never did mention what they did to fix it temporarily as it went again three days later.
Power steering constantly on light mode and would not turn off- faulty switch.
Brakes very spongy after a few months use, told rear callipers sticking.
Does the alarm even work? what do you have to do to trigger it. my husband was trying for a bit of fun and couldn't trigger it by opening doors or anything stopped just short of smashing a window.
The dealers hopeless. they don't know how to fix their own cars.
General Comments:
I hate this car.
I can't believe me and my husband traded a perfectly good X-reg Focus for this piece of junk. it makes me feel sick seeing it on our driveway every morning and night. It is the worst eight and a half thousand pounds we have ever spent and to we are lumbered with it until we can settle the finance next year.
We bought it on a whim in September 2003, the test drive went alright, but we should have smelt a rat; a car with 4000 on the clock; less than a year old, looking for it's second owner after the first one 'gave up driving'. talk about stupid, who would lay out over ten grand for a car if your about to give up driving. me and my husband still kick ourselves for falling for the dealers hard sell. but as they say you live and learn.
A Fiat. Never Again.
The car is slow compared to my 1.6 Focus before it, it has no go in it at all.
Boot space is shocking, my sisters Fiesta has more luggage space than mine! the weekly shopping usually ends up spilling over on to the back seat as well. (admittedly we should have checked this when we looked at the car, but when you see the size of the car you just take it for granted it will have a big boot don't you?)
I think ours is a 'Monday' car that we have managed to lumber ourselves with, in less than a year it's lost almost half it's value on what we paid for it so we can't trade it in for anything newer. Fiat dealers are all smiles till they get your money then they run, aftersales is a non sequitor to them, at least Ford give you a half-decent car in the first place so that you'll come back and buy another (the Focus is the best I've ever had and I'm green with envy whenever I see one now).
If I sound very angry about this car it is because I am. if a builder built a house as bad as a Fiat he'd be forced to pull it down and start again.
I can't believe cars as bad as this are still built in the 21st century.
26th Jan 2005, 10:55
The Stilo 16v Dynamic, in our opinion is complete rubbish. It's been in the garage numerous times with the air-bag failure light on one minute, off the next! It steers to the left all the time and the most annoying thing (especially living in chilly Germany) the doors freeze in cold temperatures and you can't get into the car. I have to climb through the hatchback door. Our neighbour has exactly the same problems and has to climb through the back of his. Can't wait to get rid of it.