Fiat Stilo Abarth

The 3 door, 2.4 litre 5 cylinder one. Are these any good! Bad! Indifferent!

For something so pretty and with reasonable on-paper performance, they seem almost too cheap at $8 to $10k, is there a catch! Are they just cheap because of people's prejudices about European cars! Or are they cheap because they live up to those prejudices!

Jazz I would be keen to hear your views before the haters get here!

seems to be electronic gearbox and that spells big money to fix if it brakes and they do just found one on a european website abarth with electronic gearbox fault.

You can actually get a top one for even less than 8K, my folks sold their really nice one which had just had a cambelt etc the other day for under 8K.

As an enthusiasts car they are are a lot of bang for your buck. They are tremendous fun to drive and really well appointed. But they are a little bit like the Italian cars of old in that they do tend to have their niggly idiosyncratic problems.

If you could get one of the face lifted ones which have the manual transmission they are a better bet although those tend to go for more money.

The selespeed gearbox's are not quite as bad as people make out, in general if you service them properly (which means an annual adjustment of the clutch which can be done at home with a laptop and a couple hundred dollars worth of leed and software). It is important to note however that in terms of function the Selespeed is let down by one notable flaw. only one clutch which means the changes seem to take forever. (even though they are at least as quick as you can change manually)

So, just be aware of that while the design principle is similar they are no where near the gearbox that the VW DSG is for that one simple reason. Also driving them around town is generally more hassle than driving a manual car.

Aside from the Abarth bits the Stilo underneath is an O.K car but its not the rock solid reliable machine that the Punto is. Silly things like the two stage airbag sensors tend to play up and many seem to need bushes/shocks replaced in the rear quite early on to stop suspension noise.

Handling and power is great and the engine itself is a really good reliable unit. They are not particually economical but are O.K considering the power output.

They do tend to have quite a lot of road noise in the cabin that can be annoying on long trips too.

So, with that in mind. If you don't mind doing the odd bit of sorting of niggly issues and are accepting of its drawbacks sure they can be a huge amount of fun vehicle for the money. They just arn't the fail safe Punto and I don't recommend them to the masses for that reason.

I would have one again for personal use though.

BTW, the secret to buying one is to hold out for a real minter that has just had its cambelt, waterpump etc done and has been serviced properly. Being the kind of car that they are and being NZ new (pretty much no imports) there are plenty of choice one owner fully documented examples around if you are patient.
You won't really pay any more for a really top example either.

Oh, and performance is much much better than what they look on paper. They are a real weapon. 0-100 times just don't look as flash as they should due to how the gears are spaced, the selespeed gearbox changes and the traction control trying its best to ensure you don't just sit there making tire smoke (which is what happens if you turn it off).

Take one for a drive and knock it down two or three gears for passing and you will see what I mean. You don't get a lot of action until its well on song and then its all go.

As a side note, they are also available in 5 door if you need more practicality.

One other thing, the technology in them is amazing for the time. The voice controlled computer works really well as does the integrated phone system etc. Just a pity that the sat nav and neat "Fiat Assist" stuff dosn't work in NZ.

What is "Fiat Assist"!

Its where the Fiat Mafiosa pay you a friendly visit and "assist" you to buy one.

No, seriously.

Seriously though there is a big red "SOS" button on the dash. You push that if you are in an accident (apparently if you breakdown also but I wouldn't know) and the onboard computer connects you via the cars inbuilt GSM phone to the Fiat Assist operators.
It will also make the call automatically if you manage to have a really bad crash or roll the car as far as I am aware. They now from the cars GPS exactly where you are and will dispatch appropriate help and also the live operator can talk you through first aid etc.
Not bad for a system thats over a decade old aye!
I think its available in Australia as well as all of Europe just not here as Ateco the Fiat importers have no clue.

Nice system. Here, you can have this "K"

Cheers I know I need one now.

Yes the technology in the car is pretty amazing for its time and price tag. Surprisingly too it actually works as intended. I have tried many supposed "voice activated" devices over the years including some very new and expensive stuff but unlike the rest the Fiat computer actually works properly, even straight out of the box without "learning" your voice.

BTW, richardmayes not sure if you realize but they have proper "flappy paddles" not just buttons on top of the wheel like the early Alfa selespeed. They are a bit of a novelty, great on the open road but not so great around town. You also need to master shifting with the gear selector any time you have a lot of lock on and the appropriate paddle is inaccessible. There is an "auto" mode which does work but I find dosn't pre-judge and get things right every time like the VW gearbox does. So if you are buying one be prepared to drive it manually most of the time.

Another fun thing is that the car will automatically blip the throttle for you when it changes down. This varies depending on how drastic the down change is. My mother is big on using the gears to slow down instead of the brakes (good on her) and it used to be quite a laugh as she would do quite an aggressive down shift into first when angle parking.

The result was a gloriously loud Italian bark as she pulled up which would draw a few stares.which were rewarded by my grey haired mother exiting the vehicle with her purse full of coupons and bag of library books.

Thank you dude.

Trick gearbox sounds like it is probably more fun to drive than a Jap "tiptronic" auto with up & down buttons, but more of a worry to own. I might have to try out one of these after all.

(Am thinking about my next toy, would want a 3-door hatchback with a bit of x-factor and some get up & go. I like the final generation Honda Preludes but they are just little bit too ordinary and sensible, and an old Type R Integra is a bit too extreme for what I want.
But if I am going to have a break from British classics, I would want to leave behind that special excitement that comes from not really knowing if the car is going to make it to my destination or not. Tricky italian gearboxes scare me a bit in that regard!)

I'd look a at a newer shape (DC5) Integra, they're a bit softer and more user friendly than the DC2

Provided you get a manual the normal non-Type R should give comparable performance to that Fiat and start around $10k

If you can't afford the slightly later Stilo with the manual box then why not a Punto Abarth!
A poster on her just picked one up under 5K and the Punto is actually very reliable all round. It will also offer you better economy without sacrificing much in the power department. They still have plenty of Italian magic about them too.

Also, if you were prepared to do your own servicing/maintenance the Selespeed is not end of the world. The annual adjustment is really pretty easy and if its serviced it should be fine. Also because they are just a regular manual gearbox with an external "robot" doing the shifting if they do break and you are a bit handy you can usually do the repair yourself without too much cost or difficulty. Just bear that in mind in case you spot one that you have to have, like I said I would have another one but would not want anyone to buy one without knowing the score.

Also, have you considered a manual Alfa 147!
They are a good reliable machine and available in regular manual. The only drawback with those is the 3 yearly timing belt change. BUT when you factor in the power/economy and that the timing belt is quite an easy change if you buy the tools (which might set you back $250 and can be sold for good money when you sell the car) then they are worth considering.

The good thing about the Fiats and Alfa's is if you have a problem its unlikely to stop you getting to your destination and home again. Most issues are likely to be with non-essential things. Plus the engines being the most expensive bits tend to go on forever even if worked hard.