2000 Fiat Brava 80 SX review from UK and Ireland
"Nice car, but trouble is never far away"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Radio faulty from day one of owning the vehicle.
Rubber on all outer door handles has perished badly.
Bonnet flew open at 70mph in the fast lane.
Starter motor failed, requiring replacement at 76k.
Terrible squeal every time engine starts up.
Exhaust developed a hole, thankfully patched up easily.
Goes through bulbs at a rapid rate.
Unknown problem has just developed in the engine - car judders when driving, 30mph and under mostly, and sounds a bit rough too.
Battery completely drained when the radio light decided to come on for no reason, despite me removing the fuse for it.
General comments?
I have gone from really liking my Fiat Brava to absolutely detesting it, in 5 very short weeks.
When we first got it, the radio wouldn't turn off, then it decided to go to VOLUME 40 as it sat on the driveway and not switching off. My partner had to get a neighbour to disconnect the battery. Radio hasn't worked since, paranoid to turn it on.
The door handles are of poor quality, and are perished to bits. Similarly the cigarette lighter compartment is hanging open and will not shut.
The starter motor decided to die on the school run, resulting in a call-out for the AA and garage bill for replacement.
The bonnet flew up in high winds as we overtook a truck at 70mph in the A1 fast lane. A horrible experience with 3 kids in the car and no hard shoulder in sight.
Bonnet completely obliterated by above incident and replacement bought, in a totally different colour from scrapyard.
The car has now developed a judder when driving between 10-35mph, and sounds very tractor-like. Been told by Kwik Fit that this isn't the exhaust, and is in the engine.
The battery drained, when the radio light decided to come on randomly, despite me taking the fuse out so it wouldn't do this.
The car can be hard to maintain for a 'home-mechanic', with difficult access to the spark plugs (very deeply inset) and other components.
Sadly went from being a great, economical family car to a big, money-wasting heap of junk in a very short space of time.
Other than that, a nice looking car, smooth to drive, comfortable interior and very cheap to run - when everything is OK!
They say FIAT stands 'Fix It Again Tomorrow' - they'd be right!
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| Great style and fantastic quality |
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| A great little car with its fair share of faults |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| Model year | 2000 |
| Year of manufacture | 2000 |
| First year of ownership | 2006 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.2 Manual |
| Performance marks | 7 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 2 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 73000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 77500 miles |
| Previous car | Renault Laguna |
| Date of Entry | 31st March, 2007 |