Faults:

High pressure oil lines to intercooler cracked, needed replacing at 62000 miles.

Fuel pump solenoid failed at 64000 miles, whilst doing 50mph! engine shut off and would not start again!

Can't turn of seat warmers!

General Comments:

Nice car to drive with the equipment I have got.

Digital dash is interesting.

Drivers seat can get uncomfortable during long journeys.

Engine very noisy on cold start up.

Faults:

Clutch master & slave cylinders.

Broken timing belt.

Water pump leak(s).

Alternator failure.

Rear wiper seized.

Clutch worn out.

Camshaft oil seal leakage.

Ignition failure.

Gear change problems.

Various squeaks & rattles.

Currently a strange noise from the engine.

General Comments:

Would never, ever ever buy another Fiat. This vehicle has made me the laughing stock of the neighbourhood as I am never away from the car as it requires constant maintenance.

Faults:

Starter motor intermittent soon after we bought it - traced to a bad connection, easy to fix (common on Fiats).

Miscellaneous minor electrical niggles, all fixable by me except for faulty fuel sender unit.

Mechanically faultless, although 4,500 mile service intervals are a bit of a nuisance.

General Comments:

What an under-rated car! Why didn't Fiat sell more of these in the UK? The 1.9 TD engine is a belter - bags of oomph (92bhp) and 45mpg, the turbo kicks in nice and smoothly (unlike equivalent Pug/Citroen units) and really gives excellent low down torque. Handling is good also.

The electric dash is a hoot, even including a progressive turbo gauge on this model. Heaps of space in the rear and boot, the harsh ride is the only real criticism.

Faults:

Clutch fluid pipe needed changing. Power steering pump rubbed it I think.

New exhausts.

Rear wiper motor siezed.

New rear shockers.

General Comments:

Nice car overall for one so modest. Handling good. Loads of room. Good fuel ecomomy. Noisy at speed. Uses lots of oil. Tyres are comparatively expensive & seem prone to uneven wear. Easy car to work on.

Faults:

No major problems. Bought second-hand with 38000kms on the clock (now 84000km); I changed the shock-absorbers but the handling is as boring as always. The back silencer was changed too. Drinks oil (0.7 lt/1000km - official figure 0.5/1000) but according to some motoring magazines that's normal (for the 1993 model only) and anyway the oil consumption is not becoming worse. Refused to start once due to a faulty connection (humidity) on the starter; I used some WD40 and 5 minutes later I was on the road again. No electrical faults (strange but true).

General Comments:

Torquey (but not powerful) engine - just 75 PS from 1.6 lt (engine with Mono-Motronic injection). Really dependable for an italian car, but needs to be looked after and rewards mechanical sympathy; i.e don't rev a cold engine (and shift gently too!) during the first Kms from cold, change the oil every 10000kms etc. I've driven all around Europe - I've always got back home. Nice car as a means of transport, but you just don't get excited driving it (and it's an Italian car - times change!)

Faults:

Starter motor failure, rear wiper motor failure, the central locking playing up on the boot (stays locked) and the tilt/slide sunroof rattles when tilted.

General Comments:

Apart from the above minor niggles, the car has been excellent. The build quality is good and the facelifted front end is much better than the old model. All the dealers I have gone to have been efficient and polite, all problems have been sorted swiftly and inexpensively. Very impressed.