Reliability gripe

Hello all, pleased to make your acquaintance.

I have read alot of the reliability issue threads and it does give me a huge cause for concern considering my current situation. I'll explain:

Im coming up to turning 26 (may 23rd) and i'm looking to buy my next car as my current one, even though it has given me many smiles (though it's only kicking out 100HP), it has to go because im quite frankly... bored!
My car: I currently and have for the past 5 years, owned a 54 plate Honda Civic, Milano Red, currently has little over 55K on the clock and set me back 9K which I still have £1200 left to pay. I go mainly for reliability in a car but it also has to have adequate power and, what I think is high build quality. I went with Honda because I love Japanese cars, they're renowned for being reliable and the 2006 figures even showed that there was not 1 reported breakdown with Honda's Jazz range which my parents both own 1 each and come 2007, the Honda FR-V topped the reliability stats and the CR-V took the spot one year. My car is coming up to being 8 years old this Dec (Dec 2012) and it has NEVER missed a beat, and I mean NEVER. I have issues with it like everybody does with every car but they're not ones that will force my pokey Civvy into the garage, make me spend all my driving time in a courtesy car or leave me stranded and embarrassed at the side of the road. The faults I have with it i'll list-

Milano red, since it was used in the 80's by Honda, has been notorious for fading because Honda use crap/thin paint and made it oil based so inevitably, all the metal panels on my car have turned pink (wish I was aware before buying it, hence the current research).

The passenger seat, when somebody is sitting in it, squeaks.

The cup holder ring that slides out next to the steering wheel rattles when it's in.

Rattles have developed at various places around the inside of the car inc passenger side dash and passenger door.

The drivers window shifts slightly out of place so in wet weather mainly, when you put the window up, it stops then goes back down a little but I rectified that with a little H5 lubricant down the channels

The clutch squeaks but H5 stops it for a long time until it comes back.

The throttle pedal squeaks on the easement part (the little loose movement it has when it's not pressed or at the stage of applying throttle).

The gearbox bearing makes a grinding noise when the clutch is off, common Civvy problem but it's being doing it for years and there's nothing wrong so Civvy owners class it as worn in, not worn out as others still have no gear issues at over 100K.


None of these will cause a mechanical failure leaving me outside the car flashing hazards or heavily out of pocket and im impressed with Honda's renowned VTEC engines being fault free, never failed an MOT and my mechanic said you can't go wrong with Honda.



The MiTo: My colleague at work owns a Veloce MiTo and the only issue he has is suspension, he feels there's something wrong and it's been in and out of A/R dealer and they can't find anything wrong with it so he's trading it back in to them to get another MiTo with the Multiair engine. I've checked out Mini CooperS's and I think, because BMW bought them out, the price tags are high for a car that frankly isn't worth it, owners have reported varying major issues with the Cooper including a strip up the side of the A piller flying off on the motorway and 1 owner having the gearbox replaced twice, new clutch and new flywheel. I HATE french cars, most unreliable on the road and i've always hated Vauxhall's cheaply made and unreliable cars so there are LITTLE options for me to consider for my next car and i'm HOPING the MiTo can be a contender in my line up. I test drove my colleagues one last night and it's real good fun and gives a whole host of mod-cons and toys, not to the mention the FANTASTIC MPG you get for HP and Torque.
I have been looking at the 120HP Veloce and the 135HP version in the newer range as they offer a nippy 8.8 and 8.0 acceleration yet have near 50MPG combined cycle and only costs £400 p/a to insure which will make paying for finance on my £650 p/m wage easier to deal with and I currently spend £110 p/m in fuel on my 4 days a week 18 mile round trip for work so economy is also important, My Civic returns 40MPG.

I was originally looking at cars that feed my need for them to be 'modified' and kick out high HP, usually at the expense of fuel and insurance costs but looking more towards growing up and being an adult i've now wittled it down to 3 cars:
Alfa Romeo MiTo - 120/135 HP variants
Honda CR-Z - 1.5 Hybrid, 113HP
Skoda Fabia vRS (new shape) - 1.4 TSi, 180HP.


Ultimately, if I don't want to be in and out of the garage all the time and be depressed that I have 3 years finance on what could amount to just a heap of metal. Should I consider the MiTo or just stick to what I know?






Sorry about the long message and rant but this is an extremely important decision and could mean the difference between happy and depressed and in-pocket or skint.

Thank you all for your time in reading this and I really hope I don't ruffle any feathers, im not slating Alfa or the cars, im just concerned, I wouldn't even consider a MiTo if I despised Alfa like I do French manufacturers.

[vorsprung]

Hi Cody

Have a gander over this thread:

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-...nvince-me.html (Thinking of buying a MiTo...convince me....)

that should address a lot of your queries and give you a general feel.

Speaking for myself (120tb, 2.5 years, 41k miles), i've had no issues that have forced me to the garage. The only minor issues i've had that might have got worse have been corrected quickly and under warranty (not 100% sealed gearbox, slightly loose engine cover)

I doubt you would get near 50mpg with the 120, best ive ever done was a long 300 mile journey and got 47mpg - but driving around 65mph the whole way, no traffic. 135 would be the smarter money (if it's in the wallet first) i think in the long run - better performance (nearly 1 sec faster), and if you're careful can return better MPG too.

don't be too concerned by this long list of people talking about issues on here - you only ask for help and advice when things go wrong - never when things are running fine.

[robtt]

Our Mito two years old and still no problems at all ! Know two other owners and the same story.

Originally Posted by vorsprung

Hi Cody

Have a gander over this thread:

http://www.alfaowner.com/Forum/alfa-...nvince-me.html (Thinking of buying a MiTo...convince me....)

that should address a lot of your queries and give you a general feel.

Speaking for myself (120tb, 2.5 years, 41k miles), i've had no issues that have forced me to the garage. The only minor issues i've had that might have got worse have been corrected quickly and under warranty (not 100% sealed gearbox, slightly loose engine cover)

I doubt you would get near 50mpg with the 120, best ive ever done was a long 300 mile journey and got 47mpg - but driving around 65mph the whole way, no traffic. 135 would be the smarter money (if it's in the wallet first) i think in the long run - better performance (nearly 1 sec faster), and if you're careful can return better MPG too.

don't be too concerned by this long list of people talking about issues on here - you only ask for help and advice when things go wrong - never when things are running fine.

Thank you for your reply and feedback .
The only standard worries I have with it is the ride quality, experiencing my colleagues one last night, the shocks are unforgiving on harsh roads (which britain has an abundance of) and may take me back to the time I changed my Civic's standard 15's for 17's and, for what it's worth, broke my back :P.
The servicing and repair costs being reported as high is also an issue and even if I save a bit on fuel, insurance and tax, that may bite me in the proverbial when it comes to yearly maintenance, my Civic always cost me £37.50 on MOT due to no faults and around £150 a time when it has it's service with my trusted mechanics and the common things changed like, oil, filters, sparks etc.
The paint is and isn't an issue, after having the crap paint on my Civic caused me grief (all you have to do is ping it and you've got yourself some unsightly marks), that caused me some major obsession with the state of the body work and I don't like the idea of having the same feeling every time I look or wash the next car I own (my colleagues MiTo has paint chips in and he's somewhat ****** off with it and is trying to make Alfa rectify it).
Tire wear seems to be a big issue and with 17's on I will be looking the £150 a corner mark, maybe more and in the time i've owned the Civic i've had the tires replaced once

Looking over the thread, yes people are having problems and it can and can't be looked at as worrying. My surname had been riddled with bad luck all our lives and the family has a little saying "if something bad is going to happen, it will happen to a Nason". Nothing goes right and of all the issues reported with Honda's, I seem to have picked the one that has nearly all of these rolled into one car and I know that if different problems are reported on MiTo's, by common denomination and experience, i'll get the one that has most or maybe even all of the reported issues, just the way I have to live and anticipate day to day eventualities because it will happen to me every time.
I had my heart set on a Mazda MX-5 (mk3, new shape) until my mum decided to moan and say it weren't practical and if it flips..... you're dead!

This decision has caused me alot of annoyance and stress and i've been looking for months now and as I won't be looking to buy until October time, I foresee the stress continuing. I was told by another colleague that as my search seemed to be aimed more towards style than performance, go for a special edition (pre-modified things with black wheels, skirt kit, spoiler, tints etc) Vauxhall Corsa with a 1.2 or 1.4 litre engine but I hate the image of Corsa's with so many scum-buckets out there with modified ones being opinionated and slating Honda (of course you know about reliable cars). I have grounds to slate French cars because it's no secret, they're unreliable.

Btw, my budget is MAX 9K and obviously it will be used not new (i'd never buy new).

[pookie]

welcome, i've had my 95bhp alfa red lusso for two and a half years now and its been brilliant, getting 47mpg, cheap tax and insurance, its a great car, don't worry about the paint fading, i mentioned this to my dealer because i'd seen an alfa 147 that was only four years old that had terrible paint fade, every panel was a different shade of red, the dealer threw in free autoglym lifeshine paint protection, then i found out the mito is sprayed using water based paints that don't fade! i've only got one tiny paint chip on mine, halfway up the drivers door, and after a dab of touch up paint i can't find it anymore, as has been said on here people mainly come on here when they've got problems with their cars, get a mito and you'll be doing what i do everytime i park it up, turn round and admire it

[MariusGTV]

Hi Cody
Everything is relative. Every make and model of car has its issues at some point in time and it can depend on a number of variables from use (or lack thereof) to plain old bad (or good) luck.

Let me put it this way. If I had a Honda Civic which I had bought brand new and it had had the number of issues and problems that my MiTo has had over the last three years, I would not be buying another one. The list of issues is too long to go into detail on but it ranges from paint issues (well documented on this site) to brake, engine and steering issues.

That said, the MiTo is my fifth Alfa and third Alfa in a row so I have a lot of experience of them and I don't intend in getting rid of it now but I also don't intend in replacing it with another Alfa either.

My car doesn't do a lot of mileage and mostly it is driven in and around the town so this may have had some impact on the issues that I have had. It may have just been bad luck or it may have been issues that are sometimes found when a new model hits the streets. Who knows. All I know is that it has not done much to make me want another one. The MiTo has been far and away the most unreliable Alfa I have owned and I have owned an Alfa Sud (which was completely reliable and without a spot of rust anywhere).

The ride is harsh yes but you do get used to it. The fuel consumption is not great but as I said it is usually only in and around town. The servicing costs are a joke but then you can use an independant which is just as good (sometimes better) then a dealer and a lot cheaper. Funnily enough, tyres have never been an issue. I don't do a huge mileage granted but the tyres are wearing well and evenly despite the steering and brake issues.

Basically, you pays your money and you makes your choice. Of the three cars you list, I would go with the Alfa every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Why? Don't know to be honest. Maybe if you added something a bit more exciting to your list (other than the Alfa) I may change my mind.

Good luck whatever you chose to do.

[Pop]

Hi,

I find the MiTo a fantastic car - mine is a 135. I purchased it when it was 3 months old from a dealer, it had been used as their loan car so no doubt had some stick.

I have had one problem that was fixed quickly under warranty in a half a day. The front suspension strut bearings needed to be replaced. Other than that no issues in 24000 great miles of motoring. Realistic average return on mine is about 42 MPG doing a mixed bag of driving.

I guess when buying a car in any make that you get the odd duff one! So you just got to take your chance and buy what you like both the look and drive of.

[solviken]

Had my 135 nearly two years now and only seen a dealer once and that was for it's service!

Had a split turbo intercooler hose and small leak on the rocker cover gasket that was spotted during the service and replaced.

That's it... How dull!

[luckycloverleaf]

Hi,... Hope my 2pence may help your decision!

I purchased my mito last monday and I love it!
After weeks of test driving the various models I finally went with the top of the range mito cloverleaf 170bhp multiair with full leather etc etc.
The difference in ride is significant with the upgraded suspension you get with the cloverleaf.
I'm driving a 100 mile round trip a day and I'm averaging 40mpg in normal mode gear 6 - cruising.
Occasionally flicking it into dynamic mode to further the smile on my face!

If you can get a good price for one, and can afford the running costs then I would reccommend it.

If not, I would definately reccommend you buy one of the models with a multiair engine, it makes a BIG difference in drive and mpg. I tried both 135bhp in manual and semi-automatic with the flappy paddles. I personally prefer manual, although the paddles were fun to use, I think I'd get bored of them eventually and miss the manual gearstick.

I've not had it long enough to comment on reliability but I'm re-assured with 2 years warranty remaining. Also received great customer service from alfa dealership!

One final comment to make is that there seems to be a nice bunch of active people on here that seem very helpful and a good laugh.

For me - once I drove the car, I was sold. Can't think of any other car on the market that is finished to the same standard + gadgets for the same price. I'm glad to become part of the alfa community!