fiat 500 owners ?

[bettsy]

does anyone own a modern version of the fiat 500.

i am looking to buy one for the wife and was hoping for some advice.

any pros or cons would be helpful.

[lordrobs]

Hmmm... no offence but a Skoda forum might not be the best place to start :p

Why not sign up on Fiat Forum. Free and takes a couple of minutes plus you'll get all the info you need.

In the interest of trying to be helpful though... Ford Ka is the same car for less money, 1.2 is the better engine unless you take the thing out of town a lot in which case the 1.4 might be the better bet.

[bettsy]

youre probably right, i was just being lazy is suppose.

do you know any e-addresses for fiat forums.

she cant have a ka because she has to have an auto which is unavailable on the car

[sharkrider]

does anyone own a modern version of the fiat 500.

i am looking to buy one for the wife and was hoping for some advice.

any pros or cons would be helpful.

I have owned a couple of 500's both new and kept for a few months, 1.2's with the aircon pack, and have run a grande punto for 110,000 miles!

the 500's are pretty much bullet proof to be honest, if you are going for the cheaper 1.2, the engine is nigh on indestructable, just look for a service history, there can be a problem with the gearbox on the 1.2 on higher milers, just listen for odd noises, whining, bearing noises ect, if its quiet then there's no issue..... ermmm, thats it to be honest! decent power, and decent fuel economy. try and get the aircon pack, its nicer, and comes with the leather steering wheel. check the owner history, and make sure you dont get one that was owned by BSM! the bouncy ride is normal by the way new versions (since the multi-air came out) have revised suspension that is more comfortable.. make sure all electrics work, and there are no warning lights on.

the 1.4 is quicker, but sacrifices fuel economy, and isnt that much faster...

the multi-air engine is the one to go for if you can afford it! the lower power one is tax free and will give 70 mpg... the higher power one is even better! cheaper tax and better fuel economy than the 1.2, but shed loads more power than the 1.4!! cracking, cutting edge engine... sounds really cool too, a bit like the old 500 as its a twin expensive though, and only available on the later cars.

there is also the 1.3 deisel, 70 + mpg and £35 tax.... a nice usable ammount of torque too, arguably better than the 1.2 petrol, but then you will pay a big premium to get the diesel... financially its not really worth it unless you do 40000 miles + a year. the 1.2 wont drop below 50mpg even if you wring its neck all the time!

good cars, and dont be put off by fiats old reputation, the electrics are now made by Bosch, just the same as many german makes the engines ahave always been good, and always were, they sell their 1.9 diesel to both vauxhall and saab, and the 1.3 deisel to ford and vauxhall and suzuki! they invented commonrail, and since everyone copied it, they have patented the muti-air system

happy hunting.

[sharkrider]

I was on the fiat forums with the punto, not as nice a place as here, but full of info non the less...

[silver1011]

Try the current edition of What Car? magazine.

A full 8 page test of the new VW Up, Toyota Aygo, Kia Picanto and Fiat 500.

[mdon]

Fiatforum.com is the best I found, I also run a grande punto 1.2 and it's true, the engine is bullet proof but very, VERY slow I would go for bigger if I was you. All in all good little cars although a little on the small side.

[richie]

In a word, no

Mrs Stig and I test drove the Arbarth version. Never again. The engine felt asthmatic, it needed to be pushed and driven hard in order to get any performance from it. The rear head room gave me a head acke and the ride made me feel sick.

Shame realy, we realy wanted to like it

[adamc260]

My nan has one... 1.2, does for what she needs! Looks cute and pokey enough for her lol =/ Can't say much else

[yorkie]

Hi

We've had our 1.2 Sport for over 3 years now but its only done 10K miles in that time. There have been no major problems apart from a split breather pipe which is a very common fault but a cheap fix. The only criticism I have is the rear suspension gets caught out by mid corner bumps and ridges and can bounce disconcertingly but you get used to it. The 1.2 engine is bombproof as mentioned before, but it needs to be worked especially up long inclines. We've never matched other peoples mpg figures (we average 38mpg) but i put it down to the hilly nature Yorkshire roads and it doesn't mind being driven hard. Road Tax is only £30, it keeps up with motorway traffic, seats two adults and two children in their child seats, its been reliable, fun to drive and it looks great.

I must admit to being a bit of a Fiat nut, but we've also owned an Octavia for the last 6years. If a car is no good we sell it and I'd say the 500 appears to be a reliable as the Skoda has been so far.

[adamc260]

Fiat have always had fairly decent mechanical/engine reliability... It's their shoddy build quality that normally gives up first!

My friend has a 1994 Fiat Punto that's done like 100k+ miles and it's still going strong. Obviously little things go wrong but they are cheap fixes and even to this day it's still going fine. My dad had a 2002 Fiat Punto before and in the 4 years he owned it not a single thing went wrong on it.

Fiat dealerships aren't the best mind... Although saying that, not many car brands have decent dealerships now unless you wander into Toyota/Lexus.

[stumpyfsr]

My other half's got the 1.2 500 she done 25k in it in the past 18 months and it's never missed a beat. It's driven by her win no mechanical sympathy whatsoever and it doesn't seem to affect it!

Its not exactly powerful but it's capable of doing a 300 mile motorway journey with the two of us an a weeks worth of kit in the back and will do it happily at 80-85mph.

Even on runs like this it still does over 45mpg.

[Sonner]

I would LOVE a Fait 500 Abarth Essesse, but alas until i grow a fanny i fear i will never be able to get one. oh well :-(

[Fabia_19]

I knew someone that owned a 500 abarth, I thought that 500's were crap until I went in his! Absoloutley cracking car, fast, looked smart but not very economic lol! As a previous poster said- you need to be right up in the revs for it to go anywhere fast!

I've no experience of the 1.2's thou, sorry.

[bettsy]

thanks for all the replies.

bought her one today, a 1.2 which is plenty for her as she gets a nose bleed over 50 mph

[yorkie]

Congrats - hope she likes it.

[Brian69]

I would LOVE a Fait 500 Abarth Essesse, but alas until i grow a fanny i fear i will never be able to get one. oh well :-(

Is it not just a matter of the old bishop getting the chop and then fashioning a pair of 'bomb doors' from what's left...??

I think I could possibly put up with the jibes for the Esseesse - pricey though!

[AndyC]

If speed is not your thing, try the 1966 version I learned to drive in. IIRC 0-50 was 40 seconds. Top was 59mph. Rear view mirror useless over about 45, so much vibration. Oh and no sync on the gearbox, so double declutch every down change.

Andy