Tell me about Fiat 500's

Richard53

Selling the TR7? Things must be serious

I would echo what has been said above: get the car that you want, not the car you think you ought to have. Life's too short, etc etc. As long as you don't buy something totally inappropriate (and you seem to have done the research, here and elsewhere), go with your heart.

If a car (or a bike as well, in my case) makes you feel good, you can put up with lack of practicality and economy, unreliability, discomfort - as you well know, owning a classic Triumph. It's illogical, but then if buying a car was all about logic we would all be driving the same bland Euromobiles.

I'd have the same reservations about owning a Fiat, but I have to admit they look funky. Let's hope you don't need the wheelchair space for a very long time.

pulliptears

Richard, it kills me to sell the TR7 but it became very apparent last summer that driving it was becoming impossible for me.
I have a scoliosis which is slowly causing me to lose height and stoop, I also have ehlers Danlos hypermobility. After driving the 7 I couldn't move for hours, getting in and out was becoming challenging because it's so low and the lack of power steering was causing massive pain in my wrists.

I shall shed tears when it goes but I have to face facts that £120 for 6 months tax on something i can't drive for longer than half an hour is massively wasteful.

The 500s are cheap enough that I can hopefully go to maximum trim level and enjoy a little comfort now.
I don't specifically need an auto and to be honest whilst yes it would ease issues with my left knee I'd still have the problem in my right anyway, and to be honest I'm not a fan of autos in general so I think I've talked myself out of that lol

I think my mind is made up, short of me hating it on a test drive and I drove a Morris minor for years so anything is an improvement

Tilt

I'm on my 14th Fiat and have only really had issues with 3 of them.

Door corrosion (both o/s) on a Supermirafiori. Car had been registered about 6 months prior to the introduction of the 6 year anti-corrosion warranty (1980ish) BUT Fiat still paid to have the necessary repairs carried out.

Seized turbo on a new Uno Turbo which was rectified under warranty although had to wait for a new turbo to arrive from Italy. Car was off the road for 10 days BUT I was given a courtesy car without any fuss.

Occasional engine miss-fire (although significant) on a Regatta 85 Super which took a while to resolve.

Currently have a Punto HGT (from new) which is now 14 years old (longest I have ever owned a car). 73k on the clock with only a cam belt change as a major expense. Very few issues when taking for MOTs (last one only a wiper blade required). Still original clutch AND head gasket. Coolant looks exactly as it should.

Have driven a basic 500 and although found it to be quite nippy and fun to drive, it's too small for me. If I had one, it would probably be the Abarth version I would go for or the twin air.

Most people who diss Fiat have probably never even sat in one, let alone owned one. They do last longer than 40k and Fiat are very good in their customer service ALTHOUGH a good dealer is a vast help. Regular routine oil checks are basically all you need to do with any Italian engine as well. Keep the levels correct and they are as good (if not better) as any thing else out there. My next car will certainly be a Fiat (or another Alfa) but alas probably not a 500 purely because not practical for me.

jase1

Fiats are not a problem these days.

There was a time when they were very flimsily built -- the mechanical bits were OK but they fell apart in short order -- but this was a very long time ago now and quite a lot of manufacturers were the same at the time.

I'd expect the 500/Panda to be fine. Fiat still aren't quite up with the best but there really isn't anything to be worried about (and let's face it, they're cheap, so you don't expect perfection), and the 500/Panda is certainly one of their better platforms. They dpn't rust, the engines are reliable and even the electrics in modern Fiats are nowhere near as bad as Renault.

BTW that Myvi isn't as bad as you might think. Yeah they're built in Malaysia but they're essentially the same car as the Daihatsu Sirion, a very solid little car (if a little quirky). No I wouldn't have one either, but the engineering in Daihatsus is excellent.

pulliptears

jase1 wrote: »

Fiats are not a problem these days.

There was a time when they were very flimsily built -- the mechanical bits were OK but they fell apart in short order -- but this was a very long time ago now and quite a lot of manufacturers were the same at the time.

I'd expect the 500/Panda to be fine. Fiat still aren't quite up with the best but there really isn't anything to be worried about (and let's face it, they're cheap, so you don't expect perfection), and the 500/Panda is certainly one of their better platforms. They dpn't rust, the engines are reliable and even the electrics in modern Fiats are nowhere near as bad as Renault.

BTW that Myvi isn't as bad as you might think. Yeah they're built in Malaysia but they're essentially the same car as the Daihatsu Sirion, a very solid little car (if a little quirky). No I wouldn't have one either, but the engineering in Daihatsus is excellent.

Thanks Jase, the Myvi made me laugh, in my day a Myvi was a strawberry lollipop

There is actually a good deal on the Myvi, you pay half they give you 0% finance on the other half but I can't bring myself to like them sadly.

eamon

Can I drop the Suzuki Splash into the mix. My neighbour has one. Higher seating position and his wife is a wheel chair user and its fits in the boot without putting the back seats down. Looks cute as well imho.

GwylimT

If you struggle getting in and out of lower cars then you will likely have the same issue with the 500, they are fairly low down and due to being smaller there isn't quite as much room to maneuver your body in and out.

Their clutches are very loose, so it shouldn't be too bad on your knees as to balance on junctions etc you wont require a lot of force at all. The steering could be better, originally the Ka and 500 were the same car, however the Ka was improved much quicker, they also have a much nicer driving position, fewer blind spots and they are much larger inside. I also know from experience that an average folding manual wheelchair does fit in the boot with the seats up but the parcel shelf removed. Another point I would say, when driving the odd 500 at the garage as someone who is six foot I have to sit with my neck bent forward as I cannot physically sit up in the car, I have colleagues who are quite a few inches shorter with the same issue. Looking out of the left front passenger window is also quite tricky when you have a passenger as the seats don't go very far back so you find yourself leaning forward quite a lot.

I know its hard, but try not to get hung up on looks, drive a few cars in your budget and see how they feel, I had my heart set on a Toyota Corolla, I spent weeks researching them, looking at the different options when I drove it it was the worst car I had ever driven.

pulliptears

Thanks again all who have taken the time to reply.

Gwylim, my issues with the 7 were more that once I am in the car the seating position is such that I tend to get 'stuck' if that makes sense? The twist in my spine tends to cause a spasm at the base of my spine and the 7 seems to hit just that spot.
I'm 5ft 5 and shrinking so the height should be ok. I think I'll probably have a look at the KA's as well but they don't have the quirkiness the 500 does. I rather like the convertible as well now I've had a nosey through Autotrader, though DH reckons that could be chilly in winter.

Eamon, the splash is kind of cute as well! Thank you

gabitzul

Like with most people, I can only recommend what I have/had.

I had a Fiat Seicento (T reg, 1.0), brilliant tiny car, never failed during the two years I had. Would buy a Fiat any time. Really like the Panda and they are tremendous value; only thing that can fail on them is the electric power steering but that is a relatively cheap fix (BBA Reman can help here).

Just to put things in perspective, at the same time I had the Seicento, I had a Civic 2006 2.2 diesel and that had already started to rust underneath the rear doors. Make your own judgement here.

I now have (OH uses day to day) a Toyota IQ 1.0. Brilliant little car as someone else has pointed on page 1; with the rear seats down it has more luggage space in the back than a Smart whilst not being any significantly bigger. Loads of toys, 5 star crash rating. Highly recommended.

pulliptears

Just to update this,I bought the 500.

After a few test drives I was more than happy with the 1.2 which surprised me given i was adamant i wanted the 1.4. I went for the manual gearbox the end, the position the gear stick is such that it doesn't hurt my wrists add much and the seat adjustment is incredibly comfortable so my back is supported as well. The clutch is a lot easier on my knee joints and the city button for parking is marvellous.

I am utterly I'm love with this car. I went for the lounge in end as the pop doesn't have the 50/50 folding seats. It's masses of fun to drive and just looks different. So pleased with it!