Used Fiat Croma review and buying guide (2005 to 2007): which one to buy and what to check

Which used Fiat Croma should you buy?

There's only one Croma to choose from, sold between 2005 and 2007, so the car in front of you matters far more than its year. Sales were weak enough that from spring 2007 Fiat would only build one to order. Pick the one with the clearest history and paperwork for the jobs below, rather than holding out for a particular year.

There's no known fault on file for the Croma, and that isn't a clean bill of health. It sold in small numbers here, so there's simply little on record either way. The issues that do show up are a heater fan motor that can short out and catch fire, and rear tyres wearing fast until the rear suspension's reset. Buy a car where both have been looked at.

Which Croma engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

Every Croma here is a diesel, either the 1.9 or the 2.2, and neither has a known fault on record. Both engines also went into Alfa Romeos, and the 1.9 into Saabs and Vauxhalls too, yet by late 2007 Croma owners were already waiting a long time for parts, engine parts for the diesels above all. Sharing an engine didn't make the parts quicker to get.

Nothing on record names a specific engine or gearbox fault on the Croma, and there are no service intervals held for it either. That's a gap in the evidence, not proof it's trouble free. Don't assume parts will turn up quickly if something big fails, and budget time for a repair that needs an engine component ordered in.

What should you check when viewing a used Croma?

Run the heater fan on every speed and sniff for anything hot or burning, since the fan motor can short circuit and start a fire. If there's any sign of that, it's a reason to leave the car where it is. Ask whether the fan motor's ever been replaced, and get the receipt if it has.

Look hard at the rear tyres. Fiat told dealers to reset the rear suspension because it wore them out too quickly, so rear tyres that are worn unevenly or far more than the fronts point to that job never being done. Ask for paperwork showing the reset was carried out, and if there isn't any, treat fresh rear tyres and a suspension check as part of the deal.

Year-old Cromas were a bargain for taxi operators, and they were still working as taxis abroad years later. So ask the seller straight out whether this one's ever been a taxi or private hire car, and read through the history you're given with that question in mind before you agree a deal.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used Fiat Croma cost to run?