1995 Fiat Uno ie Start 1.0 Fire
Summary:
Classic case of the package somehow being much more than the sum of the components
Faults:
Heater valve leaked. £15, fitted by owner.
Rear brakes can stick and the handbrake is weak.
Now showing signs of rust on doors.
General Comments:
Nippier than you might think for 999cc but acceleration noticeably slowed by passengers or hills. Will do 70/80/90mph all day once you get there. 50mpg all the time. Good brakes. Sharp handling helped by fitting half-decent matching tyres all round (less than 100 quid). Excellent head-room if you're tall. Rear suspension a bit harsh when unladen. Later ie models have Punto fuel injection and rod gear linkage.
Service by owner costs £25 parts and takes under 45mins.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 14th March, 2000
25th Jan 2002, 15:57
Fiat Uno's are fantastic cars. I owned a 1988 999cc fire with 30k on the clock a couple of years ago and it was great fun - easily able to keep up with a mk2 fiesta 1.3. Had no problems with it and then purchased a 1.1 (pre-fire) 1987 model and it was crap!! The engine was worn so had less power than my 1988 FIRE.
25th Jan 2002, 09:34
Having owned a Fiat Uno, I completely agree, except I had much more problems, that were not so cheap to fix.
Good for tall people, but bad for anyone that likes to be safe when joining a 40mph road (power very limited). The car likes high revs and shows promise, I would tell you at what revs, but they do not have rev counters!!