PERFORMANCE and handling were for many years the most important aspects of a car for the Italians.
Handling was more important than comfort so the Fiat Bravo and its prettier five door sister the Brava can often be unsettled on rougher roads.
But they handle like sports cars and corner brilliantly, with great steering and very little roll.
All models have very good brakes and the same taut chassis, yet the styling is quite different between the three door Bravo and five door Brava.
Engines include 1.4 with 80bhp, 1.6 with 103 and a 1.8 with 113 plus two turbo diesels, with either 75 or 100bhp.
Latterly, the 1.4 engine was replaced by a 16 valve 1.2 with the same power output, but this does have to be worked pretty hard to give anywhere near decent performance.
All have a five speed gearbox as standard, plus a light clutch and decent equipment even on the lowest order models.
Interior
The Brava has good space for five, but the Bravo is that little bit smaller and despite good folding seats can be difficult to get into the back.
All have driver's airbag and may have the optional passenger one. ABS is standard on 1.8 and two-litre, but was optional on most other models.
Reliability was at one time a problem for Fiat, but things are much better now. However, don't buy without service history.
FAST FACTS
Fiat Bravo/Brava
Price: Pay around £800 for a '98 R-reg Bravo 1.4S, £2,000 for an '01 Y-reg JTD. A '99 T-reg Brava 1.6 ELX should be £1,250, while an '02 02-reg 1.2 16 valve SX should be £2,000.
Mechanical: (1.2/1.4) 80bhp, 1.2/1.4-litres, 4cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5spd manual gearbox
Max speed: 106mph
0-62mph: 12 secs
Combined mpg: 35-41
Insurance group: 5
Marks: 7/10.
Main rival: Vauxhall Astra