Verified answer

''I know Fiats have a reputation of unreliability,''

Do they ?

Not around my neck of the woods.

I have owned FIATs for the last 25 years and have found them to be VERY reliable.

I have also owned other cars , and my worst one was a FORD.

My current FIAT , a '83 UNO , gets driven daily , even in the -20 degrees C winters that we are experiencing now .. it never stops.

The fairest thing to say is that they do have one or two definitely weak areas, particularly the electric power steering costing about £500 all in and are less durable than the German and Japanese alternatives. I certainly would not touch any car without a full service history, preferably owned by a middle aged lady with good driving experience! They do drive better than some alternatives. One obvious tip: if the rear suspension is squeaky the only cure is a new rear beam axle assembly at about £400 plus fitting; until about 2004 you cannot just replace the bushes! Have a look on 'Honest John' for more info. Personally I would rather buy a VW group product, preferably a Skoda in spite of the noisy diesels which are among the best for peace of mind. Having said that all things wear with time and diesels are very expensive to repair even fuel system wise, so unless I was sweating on the few extra mpg in terms of daily running I would stick to petrol.

Old mechanic.

I have owned a 95 Punto and a 00 Brava, both petrol. The Punto lasted me 3 days! A radiator hose split and with no temp gauge the first I knew of any problems was the lack of power as the engine started to seize and the head gasket disintegrate - the first time I've seen smoke out of an exhaust when the engine isn't running.

The Brava, however, was brilliant. Did thousands of miles and only changed a clutch cylinder. It was a bit of a shed though.

No matter what anyone tells you about service history and condition etc. I would say what you describe, with a full MOT - absolutely no more than £900. Everyone always thinks their car is worth more than it is...

Personally I would offer £700

Fiat Puntos are really no worse than many other cars. We have a 2000 petrol model and its been OK - needed the power steering re-building, which is a known fault on these. The mileage is ok, esp for a diesel. If it looks in good condition, has some sort of a service record and the power steering works then I would consider it.

Second Hand Fiats

i've got owned a Fiat Uno for 6 years. regardless of the shown fact that it rather is not any longer a diesel variety, (it rather is an 1100cc petrol engined variety), i've got chanced on it to be an particularly sturdy little automobile. like all automobile, there are undesirable one's and strong one's. purchase heavily and an Uno may well be a large little automobile. i like mine and regardless of the shown fact that i will arise with the money for to purchase a sparkling automobile i like my Uno too lots to sell her!