I know the earlier Tipo was as bad as many of the other FIAT models John. Mine though was a late one, the three door sport hatch that didn't have the peculiar rear window styling. That one was boasted of as having a complete rethink on reliability and rust proofing, and it did live up to that. Another factor was that it was always garage parked and my cycling and motor cycling meant it was often not used for up to three months at a time. It was just an occasional long-run car. Fortunately yesteryear's electronics meant that the battery wasn't flat after that, unlike today's cars.
The Japanese are usually the best though, and my Suzuki SX4 SZ5 is living up to that expectation after more then three years. It's so good it might be the last car I ever buy.
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