Fiat Tipo - General

Advantages: Reliable diesel unit
Disadvantages: Ugly, Uncomfortable

...Our second car is a Fiat Tipo 1.7D, five door on a 1994 M plate. I am the third owner, having bought it at thirty thousand miles two and a half years ago. Since then I have put another twenty thousand miles on the clock. Launched in 1988 as a successor to the Strada, the Tipo range comes in three or five door versions. It has a range of engines from 1.4 litre to 2.0 litre, including Diesels, and is a competitor in the Ford Escort class. Facelift models were introduced in the early nineties before it was replaced by the Brava and Bravo. The car has an unusually long wheelbase and a high roof line. While this does not do anything for it’s looks, it does provide a great deal of cabin space and ample boot size. Interior furnishings are sparse, even the seats are basic, but the mechanics are very straightforward for the home...

shaun 12.01.2001 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Tipo 1.8

Fiat Tipo 1.6 DGT

Advantages: Cheap to run and insure, practical.
Disadvantages: Uses tyres quickly, not much street cred.

...In response to my first review of this car (and my first Ciao review, which was admittedly a little rushed) I have submitted this updated review in reaction to some of the comments received. I hope this review is of more use. Fiat Tipo 1.6 DGT I bought this 1991 model year car after looking for something that would be cheap to run and wouldn't be too much of a headache on long motorway journeys. It had two previous lady owners and 97,000 miles on the clock when I bought it. I have now completed 119,000 relatively trouble free miles in the car. Exterior The Tipo was designed to be a spacious, practical family car and as such it succeeds in meeting these criteria. The five door hatchback design was also intended to resist rust well in response to criticism of the earlier Strada and Uno models. As a result all body panels were...

Badge 24.06.2002 (25.06.2002) · Read review
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Review of Fiat Tipo 1.6

Fiat Tipo 1.4

Advantages: Cheap to buy, very big for a 'small' car, sturdy! Four doors. Power steering
Disadvantages: Ugly looking outside and in. Problems with electrics.

...In December I wrote off my beloved Polo and needed a new car and quick. So I went to a car auction and bought a 'M' reg Tipo. When I got in, I couldn't believe how big it was! It really is huge inside, a comfortable ride for 5. However, this also means it is large on the outside, I have found it very difficult to park (could just be me!). It is a good car if you don't care about looks, as it will get you from A to B no probs, mine always starts even on the coldest mornings. The power steering is new to me and I like! So the major downfall is the looks, but also some little problems. When I first had the car the engine wasn't getting hot enough so I had to buy a new thermostat. At the moment the stall light is always on, but quite dim, I have had the battery tested etc, but there appears to be no problem, yet the light remains...

vickster_ciao 18.02.2005 (03.04.2005) · Read review
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Review of Fiat Tipo 1.4

Friendly Fiat dealers for all your needs

Advantages: friendly, cheap (for a car dealers), do as they say
Disadvantages: depends on the car, sometimes they are visited quite often

...Well, I had better begin by claiming an interest here, hadn't I? I was first introduced to St Leonards Motors of Hastings by my brother, who at the time was working in their sales department. In total, my family has bought several cars from them, including: 1 Fiat Bravo 1 Fiat Punto 1 Fiat Uno 2 Fiat Tipos 1 Fiat Croma So you can see that we have bought over the entire range, both new and used. I can seriously say that, with my hand on my heart, they are a very friendly, not in the least bit pushy or overbearing, and accommodating dealership. As you drive up Harley Shute Road from the A259 and turn left at the roundabout at the top, you zip down a little hill (hills, oh how I miss hills now that I live in Lincolnshire- you see fell walkers queuing to go over a speed hump round here!) and turn right into Churchwood Drive. You...

Nolly 17.09.2002 · Read review
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Review of Fiat

The Fiat Punto - An ideal First car!

Advantages: Cheap to run and Fun to Drive, Excellent Value for Money
Disadvantages: Safety, Style

...I began driving this time last year and my first car was and still is a Fiat Punto 1.2 S, T-reg 1999, 3 doors. For a student such as myself, I would say that it is an ideal first car to have and I have thoroughly enjoyed driving it. It is not lightning quick and insurance is cheap! Obviously because of the age of my car, it is not going to set the world on fire, but I have been very pleased with it so far. I paid £750 for it from an auction and two years previously it had been bought for £4,200! Luckily for me, it has so far been very reliable and I hope that it will last me until next year when I will sell it before I go to University. Ride Quality Obviously, the car's ride quality is not awesome compared to most modern cars around today. But if you can't afford to spend loads on a set of wheels, the Punto offers a very good...

sbutler1 02.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Punto 1.2 

No Rust on this Fiat

Advantages: Tardis like space, generally a good car, price
Disadvantages: No image, dated looks

...There are several Tipos knocking about today. no rust but sort of delapidated. Unloved, bought cheap, just for work, that kind of thing. Few have wheeltrims, they always fell off! Most will do a good job - always start and seat 5 with comfort. They will have been bought cheap - for less than a grand, and they will have no rust. Few people will remember how this car was so ahead of its time in 1988 when the car was introduced. Being fully galvanised meant it didn`t rust which wiped out one Fiat problem. The digital dashboard meant added to another Fiat problem - unreliable electrics. With the Tipo you buy an Escort sized car with Sierra sized interior space. You get lusty engines although the weight of the car means due to galvanization means these are limited somewhat although not too much - economy should hold up - certainly 45...

SimonDolan 02.02.2003 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Tipo 1.4

Fiat. A good deal?

Advantages: Competative prices, Service with a smile.
Disadvantages: After sales niggles.

...My old Mondeo was on her last legs. Bless her! She had been a good old bus but enough is enough. I have a fifty mile round trip everyday to work,a very modest budget,and a need for car with a reasonable amount of warranty to a allow for trouble free motoring. I couldn't afford a new family car so decided to go for a "supermini". After baulking at the price of nearly new Fiestas,Polos and even Fabias, i found myself on the forecourt of my local Fiat dealer, T.J.Vickers of Telford Shropshire. I was really in two minds about buying a Fiat. I had heard the old joke Fix It Again Tomorrow , a play on the first letter of each word, but liked the look of a six month old 1.2 ELX Punto which was on sale for £ 2,300 below its new price. A salesperson finally approached me. I relayed my concerns about Fiats reputation .He dealt with my...

moodyman9 15.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Fiat

Living and driving with Fiat Punto

Advantages: Economical and spacious
Disadvantages: Heavy steering and noisy at speed

...Why, of all the cars on the market did I choose to buy a Fiat Punto? I have to admit that I only considered this car because I had been driving one on hire for a few months. When I looked at the vehicles available, Fiat seemed to offer good value. Have I come to regret this decision? I bought an ?98 registered vehicle in early 2000, and have driven about 16,000 miles since that time. So what are the pros and cons of this vehicle? This isn't the current model, but the immediately previous one wnich is very commonly available second hand. Firstly, I should say that I am married but have no children and virtually all my mileage is from my daily 50-mile round trip to work. Most of my driving is on the motorway with a few intervals of stationary urban traffic. Pros ? Decent fuel economy, not the best in class but I return about 43...

pauljm 16.03.2001 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Punto 1.2 

FIAT = Fix It Again Tomorrow?

Advantages: Fun! Cheap!
Disadvantages: Expensive to repair / unreliable

...Punto's! I have had and used three fiat punto's in the past. I am currently using a 2001 Fiat Punto 1.2 16v Sporting. I'll start with the 1997 Fiat Punto 1.1i 55 SX 45000 miles. The car was mediocre from the inside, electric windows for the SX version with a manual sunroof. No power steering, but it's cut my trips to the gym! The problems I've had with this car have been the clutch. The clutch needed replacing costing quite a bit. There was a few cases of misfiring which needed to be sorted by buying new leads and spark plugs. The second punto was a 1996 Fiat Punto 1.1i 55 S 50000 miles. No electric windows, nothing fancy here. Drive quality was not very nice, quite a bumpy ride. The problems with this were the clutch again but the main problem was when the integrated Fiat immobiliser failed. Fiat garages are not very helpful...

Ra3K 21.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of Fiat Punto 1.2 

Expensive Fiat problem!

Advantages: Economical and not too expensive. Cheap insurance and tax
Disadvantages: Read review for power steering problem!

...I bought my Fiat Punto privately about a year ago when it was 2 years old. It was a a few months after this when I was out for a drive, that the power steering warning light came on and remained on. I took it to my local Fiat dealer for a diagnostic check and it revealed that the power steering pump needed replacing, the cost for this work was to be the best part of £1000.00. Unfortunately, the car did not have a FSH when I bought it and so when I approached Fiat to request that they pay for the repair they refused. My argument was that irrespective of whether the vehicle had a full service history, the car was virtually brand new, and such a failure occured because of a manufacturing fault. I did have to rectify the problem at my own expense which has tainted my view of Fiat. However, the car itself is a very tempting option...

barley5 22.04.2006 (24.04.2006) · Read review
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Review of Fiat Punto 1.2