Talk me out of it, Stilo Abarth 2.4

[Aston Martin]

Ugh, I found a car misspelt and in the wrong section on ebay.

 

Buy it now was £800, I bid £300 (because I wanted to lowball) Its listed on a forum for £500. I messaged him and he said give me £400.

 

 

But, do I need it?

 

It's a 2002 full service history (lost book over the last two days and maybe found) Fiat 2.4 Stilo Abarth 5 door, satnav, cruise control etc. Which is a hideous unreliable car.

 

It has a couple of dings, but really minor. MOT for 11 months. But I cant afford to run it at the minute or even afford to buy it as I'm skint. I could borrow but, I'd just be putting it in storage.

[Lacquer Peel]

Are they that unreliable?  I like the idea of a 5 pot Fiat.

[Aston Martin]

Are they that unreliable? I like the idea of a 5 pot Fiat.

 

The Stilo was always plagued by the word unreliable. Because its an early 2.4 it has the selespeed autobox. Which isn't bad, but just slow?

[Lacquer Peel]

I know a couple who ran his and hers Stilo JTDs, never seemed to have a problem with them.

Selespeed? I'm out.

[dieselassist]

...similiarly, I had ( n still have occasionally !!) a 'mate' who had a troublesome alfa romeo 147, who managed to do just about everything to it to enable him to flog it - fitting a new bumper the night before a potential buyer arrived...

 

..he sold the 147 and bought a petrol stilo that evening locally with the cash from the 147 - I thought he was even more 'crazy in the coconut', than usual, but it seemed like a tight enough car n nice enough to drive with  6 speed, I think, n all sorts of fangled magismo's for a car its age...

 

...he held onto it for awhile n swopped it for a recentish diesel mondeo - he lives dangerously...

[MarvinsMom]

italian, and a fiat, and its second hand...... WCPGW.

 

GET IT BOUGHT!

[Aston Martin]

italian, and a fiat, and its second hand...... WCPGW.

 

GET IT BOUGHT!

I have one Italian outside and another in a garage/storage 4 miles away.

[500tops]

Less asking, more buying...

[brownnova]

 

But, do I need it?

.

Probably not, bit since when did that ever stop anyone on here? Get it bought!

[The Moog]

If you ask you already know the answer

 

Almost needs an AS flowchart that ends with WCPGW

[wuvvum]

The Selespeed is both slow and unreliable.  I'd avoid.  Shame really - with a manual 'box I'd imagine these are quite a nice thing.  I had the 2-litre version of the engine in a Marea and it was GR9.

[motormatt]

One of the lads where I used to work had one of these. 2.4 has 5 cylinders right? If buy it just for the sound.

[PiperCub]

The Sellafield box is one to avoid, I think even Fiat hate them!

 

I was reading an article on Stilo's in Car Maniacs of a couple of months back (I nearly got one last year) but can't recall much said about the 2.4 other than it was rare, quite thirsty and I believe a bit pricey for road tax. So maybe not one for someone a bit short of cash.

[sloth]

its all win till you mentioned a selespeed. then it goes utterly tits up

[tooSavvy]

The Savvy 'auto' - Renault QS5 actually - is very like Selespeed....

 

With such a heritage, well, WCPGW indeed

 

 

TS

[cort16]

I think it's only 170bhp or so something so not that fast. Only the really late and more basic spec ones seem to get manual boxes .

I'd have a 3 dr one the 5 dr looks a right pudding.

[purplebargeken]

Work colleague has a diesel estate. Looks good and seems very reliable.

 

Not much help I know but it was Stilo related.

 

Buy a VVC MGF instead. 

[Vladimir Putin]

Is £400 fast car.

 

Buy, post photo of train and petrol station

Drive smiling

Break down

Fix

Drive more

Something else break

Weigh in

Repeat

 

Is how to do cheap motoring, no?

[twosmoke300]

^^^ want that on a t shirt

[J-T]

I had a 3dr JTD for a while and there was just one thing after another with it, they seem to be one of those cars that you either get a good one or a ruinous one, mine was the latter!

 

Airbag light wouldn't not go out, despite changing the Airbag ECU and almost every sensor and checking every connection. Had to get the engine ECU repaired as it lost throttle input so throttle pedal did nothing. Sooooo many squeaks and rattles inside. Rear axle bushes failed which isn't a nice job. EGR valve failed. Alternator bearings failed. New discs and pads all round.... I think I paid a grand for it and spent about that again on it in a year.

 

Selespeed gearbox is crap and unreliable but can be converted to manual if you can be arsed.

 

It's an interesting car for £400 though. Check what tax band it's in as I'm sure they are really expensive past a certain year.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Selespeed gearbox is crap and unreliable but can be converted to manual if you can be arsed.

 

I looked into this a few months back, when I was offered a 147 with a borked box for £peanuts. It transpired that the conversion would require a complete manual car as a donor, plus access to a Fiat/Alfa diagnostic machine.

 

Nobody sane would bother, but then again, sanity is not exactly common around here

[Luxxo Waftybarger]

Does it have the sun roof with more folds than Eric Pickles midriff? That couldn't possibly jam solid half closed could it...

[Hendry]

Does it have the sun roof with more folds than Eric Pickles midriff? That couldn't possibly jam solid half closed could it...

"skydome" as Fiat called it, when I worked at a Fiat dealers from 2007-09 we had loads of Stilos traded in during that period, from early 02s to 56 plates, the vast majority were 04 and 54 plates so only between 3 and 5 years old at the time, 99% went to auction, there must've been literally hundreds of them, and we sold maybe 20 in the full time I worked there as the rest were either fucked or needed mega money spent on prep and mot work costs. Only car I can think of which was a similar situation was Laguna 2s, so that says it all really. Shame really because they looked OK, apart from the ugly Multiwagon estate thing. Fairly well equipped, even the 1.2 base models had a 6 speed box, and drove OK too. I remember a really tidy, looked after low mileage 04 plate 1.9 JTD Multiwagon came in as a trade in in 2007 for a pre reg Bravo Dynamic, 1 owner from new who was a vicar, no warning lights, drove fine, looked immaculate, it went on the forecourt for £3988, mechanics duly took it for service, mot, prep etc and it was deemed to need over a grand of work on general maintenance, or a 2 year old 05 plate 1.6 "X-Box" special edition, same again, punted up the auction due to the prep bill.

[RoadworkUK]

Buy it, break it, bin it, and enjoy the pleasure of listening to it for a while in the meantime.

 

For four hundred snots it sounds like a proposition which won't result in total economic meltdown.

[Aston Martin]

I think it's only 170bhp or so something so not that fast. Only the really late and more basic spec ones seem to get manual boxes .

I'd have a 3 dr one the 5 dr looks a right pudding.

 

You can get them to about 190 pretty easily, but the problem is the car is heavier than the moon.

 

 

Does it have the sun roof with more folds than Eric Pickles midriff? That couldn't possibly jam solid half closed could it...

 

 

"skydome" as Fiat called it, when I worked at a Fiat dealers from 2007-09 we had loads of Stilos traded in during that period

 

'Skydome' is the one piece roof on the Panda, the Stilo had the 'skywindow/skyroof' which is a beautiful thing, this one doesnt have it though.

 

 

 

Anyway, a quick update i'm thinking no.

Tax is £290.

Cambelt is due every 3 years or 36k, this is 38k and 13 years old. If this hasnt had it recently it's a sub £400 job.

 

But, I believe it's worth closer to a grand? The price of £400 is just in my head. It has all the toys apart from leather.

[HH-R]

Even for a Fiat these things have a bad rep. The 3 door looks GR8 in Broom Yellow though - would. The new Bravo was supposed to be the Stilo platform made better but my Dad's 07 one has had all sorts of issues, and he's had it since it had 10,000 on the clock or something, these must be disastrous.

[gordonbennet]

Had to check was on the right forum someone asking reasons not to buy, the collective have unanimously voted in the positive, equilibrium is restored.

 

Smallish light car, fiesty lump, BUY.

 

Would this have the recessed number plate in the bootlid, looks the dogs bollox that,  spoiled it a tad when they facelfited it taking the recess out.

[Cavcraft]

 it has the selespeed autobox. Which isn't bad,

 

 

Correct, it's not bad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's fucking awful, so I say 'buy it' as we can all see how it pans out, without having to own one or ourselves.

[stilo_active]

I had a Stilo for many years and it was a reliable old steed, but mine was a 1.4 Active. Also having worked for Fiat I know how disastrous they can be, but also how good they can be. A well sorted one can last a lunch time, at least. Get it bought for that money, but you will have problems with the SillySpeed transmission which is GR9 news if you like riding with the AA.

[cms206]

I nearly bought a brand new Stilo JTD estate back in 2004; the shortlist was that, an Almera 2.2dCi or an Astra diesel thing.

 

MUTHA_CMS then decided she wanted to learn to drive and she therefore decided a Focus automatic was a better bet, and so started a happy relationship with the local Ford dealer until a disasterous 2010 Mondeo 1.8TDCi Zetec meant I now drive a 28-year old Volvo and a 16-year old Kia Pride.