Buying a Fiat 500 - specific things to look out for?
- Thread starter ahar
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I think the engine is the same. The interior has updated in various phases. I think this would be the last hurrah for them, with the move to electrification
Paying cash for it, so list price minus what we negotiated as discount. Not much off really, as the demand for new cars is so high. They matched some CarWow quotes but nothing that good.
An ex has one, the auto version is not a true auto box, its a manual box with an auto module and as such drives like you think it would.
It took a fairly hard shunt in the rear, the car that is and stood up well, new boot lid, brakes lights etc.
Servicing its had new brake calipers along with other brake parts, suspension parts and other bits and bobs which seemed crazy for its low mileage.
It took a fairly hard shunt in the rear, the car that is and stood up well, new boot lid, brakes lights etc.
Servicing its had new brake calipers along with other brake parts, suspension parts and other bits and bobs which seemed crazy for its low mileage.
They are pretty much trouble free, enjoy, we have a couple in my family, personally I went Abarth Punto, we have a few hundred thousand miles of experience of the 1.4 Tjet and Multiair, they just keep ticking along, no real issues.
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Soldato
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- 27 Aug 2003
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- West Midlands
Had the wife's new since 2012. Currently sat on around 60k miles.
The 1.2 is dog slow, but does the trick around town. Once above 3kprm on the motorway it's not that bad to be fair.
At 50k the the gearbox input shaft bearing died (was grumbling for a very long time), at which point gearbox was out, new clutch etc. at the same time. I didn't end up with much change from £1k but that included a service and MOT. Rear boot electronic release is a well known failure point, but hasn't yet broken on ours.
Despite the gearbox, I'd say it has cost us very little overall. Servicing and consumables are all cheap and easy to DIY. It's ok on fuel for purely around town.
My wife loves it, hence we've had it for 10 years...
The 1.2 is dog slow, but does the trick around town. Once above 3kprm on the motorway it's not that bad to be fair.
At 50k the the gearbox input shaft bearing died (was grumbling for a very long time), at which point gearbox was out, new clutch etc. at the same time. I didn't end up with much change from £1k but that included a service and MOT. Rear boot electronic release is a well known failure point, but hasn't yet broken on ours.
Despite the gearbox, I'd say it has cost us very little overall. Servicing and consumables are all cheap and easy to DIY. It's ok on fuel for purely around town.
My wife loves it, hence we've had it for 10 years...
The parts do take ages to arrive from Italy. Abarth specific parts are not cheap either :/
The Abarth does have a much stronger clutch and gearbox though luckily.
The main downside of Abarth ownership was the pricing of parts and the quality of work from dealers, they were always putting the wrong oil in my car at service 
But I doubt main dealer servicing is cheap anywhere.
Fortunately I didn't have much cause to visit much.
But I doubt main dealer servicing is cheap anywhere.Fortunately I didn't have much cause to visit much.
Nice cars, we test drove several before sticking with the standard car. Couldn’t justify the extra cost and a few daft things bumped the cost up. We’d have wanted a standard car but add parking sensors, would have meant a factory order and lol price.
The standard and the Turismo car were both good fun to drive and feel quicker than they perhaps are due to their size. I wouldn’t be unhappy with one!
Yea mine came from a dealer with the wrong oil in it. The Abarth needs 10w-50 as they run hot. Motul and Petronas make a specific oil for it.The main downside of Abarth ownership was the pricing of parts and the quality of work from dealers, they were always putting the wrong oil in my car at service
Fortunately I didn't have much cause to visit much.
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Bugger, that's one to look out for then, thanks.
mine was the reverse, needed 5/40 of a specific ACEA rating C3?, memory fails me as it is multiair which is single cam using electonic control of oil fed actuators to make in effect a variable second cam and they put the 10/50 in
not so much of a heat issue in a Punto loads of room in engine bay.Didn't help that the computer system had the wrong info for my car, it thought it was the old AGP Tjet which is probably the root of the problem, the quirk of buying the first of a new model.
On the oil front they dealers also tried to charge for the Abarth oil but changed from generic drum, if they charge you for 2 tins of 2 litres, you want the left overs as the car takes bugger all and you've paid for it and you can use it at your next oil change, there's at least a litre left. Main Stealers eh!
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I will probably take a look at that when I next put it in the garage (my own that is) in fact it probably due an over haul generally, it's coming up to 100k and needs clutch etc so will probably strip it all upgrade MA springs whilst I am at it before handing it over to be my daughters first competition car when she hits 14 later in the year and we can do daddy daughter hooning 
I ordered an Abarth 3 weeks ago. The wait is 5-6 months. I'm hoping earlier, I'd be surprised if yours comes that fast.
The dealer said they already had an April build slot they could get our order into. We only had paint and one option added so maybe that helps as well. We'll see whether that's true I guess!
We don't have an urgent need for the new car so we can wait if needed
Just the 595 - anything more than that was felt to be too boy racery.
They had a lovely 695 in a custom paint job just outside that would have been great. It was deemed 'ugly' by the Boss, and struck from the list of potential cars!