Used car - 5 years old, 60k

PinkLady25

hi everyone

Just after a bit of general advice/consensus really...

Looking at buying a 2011 plate Fiat 500 (twin air, 0.9 lounge model) that has done 60,049 miles. One lady owner from new, full service history with Fiat main dealer (5 stamps).

Also has extras such as sunroof, air con, alloys, split rear seats.

Will come with 3 months warranty and full 12 month MOT. Zero on tax so not an issue there.

Price is at £4,899.

Mileage seems a little high but would that worry you? As husband thinks a newer car with less miles is a better bet. But I've been reading that a 5 year old car that has been maintained well with 60k miles is a better option than a 3 year old one with less than 20k as probably only been pootling about to the shops which causes more wear and tear on the engine.

Going to view it this evening so if it looks good from the above, anything I should be looking for/asking? Also, just looking at whether it has a timing belt - looks as though it has a timing chain rather than a belt? So does that need replacing in the same vein as a timing belt?!

Any advice/opinions on this would be appreciated!

EdGasket

So long as it has had regular oil and filter changes then the chain should not need attention so long as it is not obviously making a racket.

Higher mileage in general equates to lower value so make sure the price is reasonable allowing for the mileage. If the high mileage has been racked up on long journeys then it is not as bad as lots of short journeys. Similarly a low mileage car may have just made a few long journeys or many short trips. You can't tell but on average my preference is for a younger car rather than an older one, and a low mileage car to a high mileage car.

Suspension, steering, and brakes will be more worn on a high-mileage car. The engine wear will depend on journey/driving style and maintenance.

bigjl

You can't just make a blanket statement about a vehicles condition.

A 60k mile Fiat 500 that has done regular long commuting runs and is hardly driven round a large City will be a decent prospect, a Fiat 500 with the same miles that has been used by a Home Carer going from client to client with lots of stop start and never getting a good long run would be a bit baggy to say the least.

View each car as an individual prospect. And don't forget that the TwinAir engine is know for going bang when the oil is not checked regularly.

It is entirely possible that the Fiat 500 you are looking at is a peach.

If it has done lots of long journeys on well surfaced dual carriageways and motorways it is likely there will be next to no wear and tear on the run in gear.

If there is lots of wear on the drivers seat it would indicate to me that somebody was getting in and out a lot.

The price certainly doesn't seem bad, the 500 is a popular car, and due to the free RFL many people specifically want a TwinAir.

When I bought the Picanto the only Fiat 500's to chose from at the time were either too expensive and one had no traceable service history. (It looked well cared for but I am not he brave.

Nobbie1967

I'd always go with a younger car with higher mileage, rather than a older car with low mileage as it's likely that the higher mileage car has done more long journeys which cause less wear than short trips and stop/start driving. Good point about cars driven by carers though, they are likely to be a pretty bad choice.

5 years/60k sounds fine with a FSH.

Marvel1

No expert, but free tax suggests a diesel car and I would expect high mileage and rightly so, especially with DPF.

s_b

i would advise against a 5 year old 60,000 mile twinair
as has been mentioned these go pop because people dont regularly check the dipsticks on these
i like the cars but i would prefer to run a standard 1.2 or even better the multijet diesel,never let free road tax determine a car purchase

bigjl

cjdavies wrote: »

No expert, but free tax suggests a diesel car and I would expect high mileage and rightly so, especially with DPF.

You are certainly no expert.

The Fiat 500 TwinAir has a petrol engine. And was one of the first small turbocharged engines, it might actually have been the first of these downsized engines. And was marketed in London as being Congestion Charge exempt, which it was a for a few years having emissions of under 100g/km

bigjl

s_b wrote: »

i would advise against a 5 year old 60,000 mile twinair
as has been mentioned these go pop because people dont regularly check the dipsticks on these
i like the cars but i would prefer to run a standard 1.2 or even better the multijet diesel,never let free road tax determine a car purchase

Free RFL was one of the reasons for getting my Picanto, it doesn't have a turbocharged engine though, just a 3 cylinder 1.0, I believe it also has a camchain rather than a cambelt.

The TwinAir is a peppy little engine if looked after, as TopGear rightly said it is not very good on fuel if driven hard, as you say the old 1.2 is a good compromise and is well proven.

arcon5

Mileague looks about average to me for 5yr old

PinkLady25

Thanks everyone taking the time to read and reply.

Popped to have a look at it, and although looked immaculate, I couldn't quite put my finger on why but it just didn't feel right. Probably was a combination of being a small trader so worried about if anything wrong with it and the car itself as didn't like the way it drove as used to a normal 1.2 engine. Guy said he'd got it from a dealer which didn't really make sense as why wouldn't the dealer sell it on in that case, surely he can't be making profit from it unless it was sold to him for quite a bit less which begs the question as to what may be wrong with it?!

Still interested in the 500s but also open to alternatives, have had another look at the 1.2s on offer just now and found a 2013 plate one with 54k mileage for £5300. However, this is an ex-lease car - again, would that put you off?! It does have 12 month warranty and service history.

Thanks all!

konark

One lady owner

They're all that, no man would drive one except Stig and he couldn't even get it up a hill!