Abarth 595 Competizione

[CooperS]

ecsrobin said:

So a quick update, (I still need to post my road trip!) I called Meridien Milano where I purchased the car from to book in for the 2nd service to find out they’re no longer an Abarth dealership as of this week! Nice of them to inform me I thought although I wasn’t surprised I hadn’t received anything.

So Snows group are now the dealers in Hampshire which is handy as its 5 minutes from work, a very helpful service centre chap on the phone who said they have the mechanic from Meridien joining them.

I was getting a badge swapped under warranty from Meridien but after speaking to the Snows chap he’s ordered me in the badge and will sort it out for me. So far just from a phone call I’m more impressed than the previous dealership, hopefully that’s reflected in the work.

Least they answered the phone to you. I called several times the Southampton dealership and in the end could only get hold of the parts guy.....

Ended up in Slough with my wife buying a 595 comp. Would loved to go to Meridian as it's only down the road from me but they just didn't have anything in stock.

[TheAngryDog]

BMWBen said:

Well, this thread has been very helpful.... I've crumbled and am selling my f10 M5 so I can get this:


Bloody brilliant. I've driven a few (and seen a few dogs) but this one was at the right price, the right spec and I couldn't resist!

Now I've got to try and hold my nerve for long enough to get a good price on my M5 and not sacrifice a few K just so I can pick it up sooner!

What prompted the change? M5 and a 595 are totally different cars! I do have to say thought that every time I see one of these going past I do quite like them.

[BMWBen]

TheAngryDog said:

BMWBen said:

Well, this thread has been very helpful.... I've crumbled and am selling my f10 M5 so I can get this:


Bloody brilliant. I've driven a few (and seen a few dogs) but this one was at the right price, the right spec and I couldn't resist!

Now I've got to try and hold my nerve for long enough to get a good price on my M5 and not sacrifice a few K just so I can pick it up sooner!

What prompted the change? M5 and a 595 are totally different cars! I do have to say thought that every time I see one of these going past I do quite like them.

Haha yes, seems like quite a change... in my case my car is just for fun, as I work from home and I have a van that I use for leisure activities (and which usually gets all the long trips).

The M5 was bought to for the experience, same as the 595 is being really. It's quite entertaining having north of 500bhp at your disposal, and G-force never really gets old but you drive everywhere at 3/10 apart from very short bursts. I'm now yearning for something a bit more hoonable. Also longer term the depreciation on the M5 is a bit to much for my finances to handle. They're not rare/exotic enough to so they go to 0 in the end and it takes a richer man than I to stomach it.

[lewisf182]

BMWBen said:

TheAngryDog said:

BMWBen said:

Well, this thread has been very helpful.... I've crumbled and am selling my f10 M5 so I can get this:


Bloody brilliant. I've driven a few (and seen a few dogs) but this one was at the right price, the right spec and I couldn't resist!

Now I've got to try and hold my nerve for long enough to get a good price on my M5 and not sacrifice a few K just so I can pick it up sooner!

What prompted the change? M5 and a 595 are totally different cars! I do have to say thought that every time I see one of these going past I do quite like them.

Haha yes, seems like quite a change... in my case my car is just for fun, as I work from home and I have a van that I use for leisure activities (and which usually gets all the long trips).

The M5 was bought to for the experience, same as the 595 is being really. It's quite entertaining having north of 500bhp at your disposal, and G-force never really gets old but you drive everywhere at 3/10 apart from very short bursts. I'm now yearning for something a bit more hoonable. Also longer term the depreciation on the M5 is a bit to much for my finances to handle. They're not rare/exotic enough to so they go to 0 in the end and it takes a richer man than I to stomach it.

Love this thread, especially to see some of you moving from such beasts and still loving the 595. I really want to try one soon but worry i’ll miss the out and out pace of a more powerful car, but i find even with my 996 which isn’t that fast anymore i can barely give it any decent stretch of it’s legs as anythint above 2nd gear is too fast when reving it out really...

[Scobblelotcher]

Fantastic thread Ecsrobin, these little cars are very special.

P.S I’m in the same area and the house in the pic is somewhere I previously spent a lot of time. I will give you a wave if I see you around!

[Armitage.Shanks]

Great thread and like most I would have dismissed these cars as 'just a Fiat' which they're not.

That said dealers need to up their game as my experience of dealing with Alfa Romeo side has been very poor.

[pidsy]

Ok so mrs P is firmly against a 595 comp as an option for a new car. Is there anywhere that I can hire one for a weekend? I’d hide the other cars from her so she was forced to go out in it.

Bear in mind that she can’t drive so it’d be my car to ferry her round in. So really, I should grow a pair and buy one not caring about her thoughts (being PH) but I’m thinking that this might work.

I’m happy to pay a deposit to a dealer but hiring would probably be easier.

[ecsrobin]

pidsy said:

Ok so mrs P is firmly against a 595 comp as an option for a new car. Is there anywhere that I can hire one for a weekend? I’d hide the other cars from her so she was forced to go out in it.

Bear in mind that she can’t drive so it’d be my car to ferry her round in. So really, I should grow a pair and buy one not caring about her thoughts (being PH) but I’m thinking that this might work.

I’m happy to pay a deposit to a dealer but hiring would probably be easier.

Some of the big companies like hertz / Europcar have 595’s but not sure if they’re comps. I did find the old shape comp on a site for £75 per day https://www.hiyacar.co.uk/rent-a-car/175-421-abart...

[ecsrobin]

It’s long overdue but I thought I’d pop a quick update on here as I’ve now owned the car 2 years.

This year I did my second road trip to Europe, this time staying in the vicinity of spa and slightly unplanned I managed to get over to the Nurburgring for a lap.







2 years on and no real issues after 28,000miles. Rear brakes needed doing around 20,000miles and I’m coming to the end of another set of pilot sport 3’s but that’s to be expected.

Otherwise it’s been pretty much plain sailing. I do have a creaking passenger seat however but I’ve narrowed it down to a bolt that I just need to tighten.

The car still gets quite a bit of attention despite there being hundreds of them about in Hampshire and I certainly don’t regret my purchase.

[pidsy]

Not purchased as yet but did manage to get my hands on this



It was £80 for 4 days through Europe car.
Mrs p was far more impressed than I thought she would be and is now pretty insistent I get one.
As soon as the m3 is sold, I’ll be buying.

[T5GRF]

Great thread!
We'll be looking for a replacement for my wife's Leaf when it goes back in February.
What's the lead time for a factory order at the moment?
what kind of discount could I expect to receive on a new one?

[pidsy]

I’ve been told that if I ordered (3 weeks ago) id be looking at early jan.

[T5GRF]

Thanks, did you get a feel for th kind of discount from list that might be achievable ?

[Squadrone Rosso]

I managed just under £4K in September 17. Through the affinity scheme. Would have been more if I’d financed it.

Still paid £23.7k as went bonkers on the spec!!

[pidsy]

T5GRF said:

Thanks, did you get a feel for th kind of discount from list that might be achievable ?

Not a massive amount. Spoken to both Thames and research group.
Pretty much nothing from Thames and a couple of grand from research.

[T5GRF]

Thanks, I think if we decide to buy one we'll go for a lightly used year old car.

[ecsrobin]

T5GRF said:

Thanks, I think if we decide to buy one we'll go for a lightly used year old car.

There are some great deals for slightly used cars so definitely worth a shop around. The seats are probably the biggest decider so worth getting you both out in cars with and without the sabelts. Certainly for me everyone has commented how good the sabelts are but I know a lot of users aren’t a fan.

Other than that they’re a fun, childish city car that doesn’t feel out of place at something like a PH meet/drive.

[pidsy]

ecsrobin said:

T5GRF said:

Thanks, I think if we decide to buy one we'll go for a lightly used year old car.

There are some great deals for slightly used cars so definitely worth a shop around. The seats are probably the biggest decider so worth getting you both out in cars with and without the sabelts. Certainly for me everyone has commented how good the sabelts are but I know a lot of users aren’t a fan.

Other than that they’re a fun, childish city car that doesn’t feel out of place at something like a PH meet/drive.

There are some great deals as you said. Lots of cars with sub 5k on them for under £20k.
Extremely tempting.
Only issue being that few people spec the carbon dash.
I can get one of those for £500 so I just need to bear that in mind.

[T5GRF]

Thanks for the advice, my wife's preferred spec would be auto and a convertible. The gearbox controls on the auto look to be the same as those on my 4c, is the gearbox essentially the same double clutch unit? If not is it pleasant to use as both a full auto and as a manual?

If any one is thinking of selling early in 2019, drop me a pm!

[Roman Moroni]

I'll be in the market for some new tyres in the near future on my MY16 595.

Has anyone got any suggestions other than OEM? I do mainly urban driving with a bit of cross country to get to work.

TIA