Faults:

Everything electric, except engine-related functions, went crazy once, probably due to earth fault. Cured itself by and by over a month. Most annoying. Quite funny, though.

Several smaller faults, some of the causing stand still, but surprisingly cheap to remedy.

Rear brakes needs frequent greasing.

General Comments:

Mechanically reliable. Nice engine.

Surprisingly comfortable suspension (with Pirelli tyres), not so bumpy as comparable German cars.

Roomy, higher than most other cars.

I like the digital meter.

Faults:

Had problems with the carburetor. The mechanic solved it after 3-4 times of handling it.

It consumes fuel more than it should consume.

General Comments:

This car is cheap to buy, and cheap to handle.

Pretty comfortable car with much space for the driver and the passengers.

Has many kilometers and years and still runs good.

Faults:

My head gasket blew at around 61,000 miles.

The alternator has just packed in at 74,000 miles.

The starter motor went at 70,000.

The windscreen wiper motor stopped at 68,000 miles.

The reversing lights stopped working, due to a worn pin in the gear box, at 62,000 miles.

The horn had stopped working when I bought the car at 60,000 miles.

General Comments:

I love the car. It has loads of room inside, even more than the Volvo 240's have.

The engine has more plenty of pulling power at lower speeds, but lacks any pull in the higher gears.

The interior is plain, but practical in it's layout.

The car handles well for a family car, making the ride smooth and comfortable.

The boot compartment is spacious, but limited by the layout of the frame of the car. A big box, for instance, won't fit even though the boot has the space.

Faults:

When I got the car, the CVT had a problem which is very common. Not a reason to reject the car though, because I had it fixed and it's been excellent since.

Electronic check panel seems to light up when there are no faults! At least it also lights up when there are faults.

Central locking motors need regular attention. Electric window motors required some lubrication.

Car got me a couple of speeding tickets, but I suppose that isn't Fiat's fault.

General Comments:

This car was very good value for money second hand, being a CVT model which are little understood and therefore most people steer clear of them. They have a bad reputation because most of these transmissions do start to go wrong at an early age. BUT they can be easily sorted by any automatic specialist. For someone looking for a car that isn't like everything else on the road, and a roomy and comfortable saloon at that, this is a good choice. As long as you're mechanically aware, that is.

Oh yes, the digital dash, I almost forgot because I'm so used to it. I wonder why all cars don't have one.

Faults:

Engine stall if caught in a jam for an hour or so, will start and run like nothing happened after 15 minutes.

The carburettor is so complicated, many vacuum/pressure lines to connect, even the agent's mechanics are not sure how to deal with them.

The problem was never solved, so this car is only fit for domestic use within Singapore, could not go to Malaysia because of the possible jams!

Fiat refused to sell a service manual even though their workshop could not fix the car properly.

General Comments:

Fiat should not sell their cars in Singapore, cars here are expensive and servicing is costly. If their mechanics are not experienced/well trained, and they refuse to sell service manuals for owners to help in maintaining their car, they should not be in the market at all! It is unfair to the consumer here.

Very often a Fiat owner have to wait for spare part to arrive, and the worst is, their reliability is horrible! Their cars are not built for tropical usage.

My temperature gauge failed two years back, the agent said I had to change the whole instrument panel for S$ 2000 plus!

Stay away from Fiat, all tropical country people.