Turnip's 2010 Red Abarth 500 - With White Stripes of Course
Discussion
Hey Everyone
I am fairly new to PH but recently started to enjoy reading about other PH's cars on here, such and incite and always good to hear others experiences and day to day living with their cars. After reading Basil Hume's R32 thread on here it gave me the inspiration to do my own readers thread on my Abarth 500 I have, so here it is.
I will try to include as much information and history of the car as possible as I know many of you like this detail
I never know, it maybe another PH's car that I have bought. Hope you enjoy it.
Why an Abarth 500 you say?
I have always enjoyed the way the look and look like quite a fun and sporty car. Seem to have a great spec and the sound of them is very pleasing. I know to some people they can be a bit of a "Marmite" car as a lot of people say that a bloke shouldn't be seen in them as its they believe its a car for women. I have always disagreed with this statement and to be honest I didn't care anyway what people thought as the important thing is that I liked it.
Another reason for me picking the Abarth 500 is a change of jobs and 230 mile relocation to Scarborough, North Yorkshire meant we needed a second car so I could get to my new place of work. So I wanted something fairly small but not boring. I did test drive a Citroen DS3 Dsport to compare but although it felt quick it just didn't feel quite right and also had an odd hum coming from the engine, the alloys were trashed too so I walked away.
So I started doing my research on A500 and the budget was set.
What did I buy
At the time of looking in May 2014 there wasn't many Abarth 500 local to me but I did spot one in an independent garage (on Autotrader) in Northallerton called Central Car Sales, North Yorkshire Not too far away from me in Scarborough. Its a 2010 Abarth 500, in the colour I was preferably after, Red although I would have settled on a white one too. This A500 had the white Abarth stripes, white wing mirrors, interscope sound system and 10 spoke Abarth alloys. I instantly liked it. I looked around it and it looked very clean and tidy from the outside and the inside looked clean and tidy too.
The dealer took me for a test drive and was quite amazed how spritely it felt, felt like a go kart and sticked to the road really well. No strange noises either.
As with any second hand car there are always a few things you notice when buying a car, there was one small ding on the drivers door but very very slight, I could hardly see it at all let alone anyone else seeing it. The alloys have one small kerb mark on one wheel and the tyres were some cheap make that I didn't like. Normally alarm bells would ring with cheap tyres but they looked brand new and the dealer told me they were too, maybe the previous owner bought them just before trade in.
Service history was good and been serviced at the times it should have been etc. Also a big + for me was the fact the car had not been modified in anyway which was something I was looking for as I wanted to keep it pretty much standard when I get it apart from a few tweaks and upgrades here and there. The car had done 36800 miles so quite low millage too.
The dealer did tell me that the car belonged to the owner of the garage or something like that and that he traded it in when the garage got an Abarth 595 (sorry don't know which 595) and traded the A500 I bought in against it.
The dealer agreed to service and MOT it before I was to pick it up the following weekend.
Anyway, I paid £8999 for it and drove it away the following weekend.
May 2014 - Day 1 - Initial Impressions
Driving home from Northallerton was a very enjoyable experience, mainly A roads and some good twists in some areas so was good to get a real feel of the car.
It really likes to stick to the road really well and allows you have quite a bit of confidence when driving the car, especially as it was raining as I got closer to Scarborough. The sound as I mentioned before was awesome, nice little burble coming from the rear. Really happy with the spec. Throttle response is what put the biggest smile on my face on the way back, very quick and only tiny bit of turbo lag which is expected but compared to our other car Ibiza FR the turbo lag was almost non existent.
The only downsides I found on the way back was I noticed that the air con wasn't blowing cold air out, something I failed to check on test drive or ask about but I was hoping it would just need a recharge. Second thing was a slight knock from the left rear, something I didn't hear on the test drive but it wasn't too bad so I just put it down to the hard ride that Abarths have when bumbling around in City/Town traffic. I already knew about the hardish rides the A500 have prior to buying it so I suppose you can't say that is a downside.
All in all its a car I was really liking!!
Here are some photos from May 2014, I will get some more upto date photos on here ASAP. I will get more of writeup done soon too, as you can see I am trying to write it backwards but I hope this have given a taster of my Abarth 500 and hope you want to be back for more reading
I am fairly new to PH but recently started to enjoy reading about other PH's cars on here, such and incite and always good to hear others experiences and day to day living with their cars. After reading Basil Hume's R32 thread on here it gave me the inspiration to do my own readers thread on my Abarth 500 I have, so here it is.
I will try to include as much information and history of the car as possible as I know many of you like this detail
I never know, it maybe another PH's car that I have bought. Hope you enjoy it.Why an Abarth 500 you say?
I have always enjoyed the way the look and look like quite a fun and sporty car. Seem to have a great spec and the sound of them is very pleasing. I know to some people they can be a bit of a "Marmite" car as a lot of people say that a bloke shouldn't be seen in them as its they believe its a car for women. I have always disagreed with this statement and to be honest I didn't care anyway what people thought as the important thing is that I liked it.
Another reason for me picking the Abarth 500 is a change of jobs and 230 mile relocation to Scarborough, North Yorkshire meant we needed a second car so I could get to my new place of work. So I wanted something fairly small but not boring. I did test drive a Citroen DS3 Dsport to compare but although it felt quick it just didn't feel quite right and also had an odd hum coming from the engine, the alloys were trashed too so I walked away.
So I started doing my research on A500 and the budget was set.
What did I buy
At the time of looking in May 2014 there wasn't many Abarth 500 local to me but I did spot one in an independent garage (on Autotrader) in Northallerton called Central Car Sales, North Yorkshire Not too far away from me in Scarborough. Its a 2010 Abarth 500, in the colour I was preferably after, Red although I would have settled on a white one too. This A500 had the white Abarth stripes, white wing mirrors, interscope sound system and 10 spoke Abarth alloys. I instantly liked it. I looked around it and it looked very clean and tidy from the outside and the inside looked clean and tidy too.
The dealer took me for a test drive and was quite amazed how spritely it felt, felt like a go kart and sticked to the road really well. No strange noises either.
As with any second hand car there are always a few things you notice when buying a car, there was one small ding on the drivers door but very very slight, I could hardly see it at all let alone anyone else seeing it. The alloys have one small kerb mark on one wheel and the tyres were some cheap make that I didn't like. Normally alarm bells would ring with cheap tyres but they looked brand new and the dealer told me they were too, maybe the previous owner bought them just before trade in.
Service history was good and been serviced at the times it should have been etc. Also a big + for me was the fact the car had not been modified in anyway which was something I was looking for as I wanted to keep it pretty much standard when I get it apart from a few tweaks and upgrades here and there. The car had done 36800 miles so quite low millage too.
The dealer did tell me that the car belonged to the owner of the garage or something like that and that he traded it in when the garage got an Abarth 595 (sorry don't know which 595) and traded the A500 I bought in against it.
The dealer agreed to service and MOT it before I was to pick it up the following weekend.
Anyway, I paid £8999 for it and drove it away the following weekend.
May 2014 - Day 1 - Initial Impressions
Driving home from Northallerton was a very enjoyable experience, mainly A roads and some good twists in some areas so was good to get a real feel of the car.
It really likes to stick to the road really well and allows you have quite a bit of confidence when driving the car, especially as it was raining as I got closer to Scarborough. The sound as I mentioned before was awesome, nice little burble coming from the rear. Really happy with the spec. Throttle response is what put the biggest smile on my face on the way back, very quick and only tiny bit of turbo lag which is expected but compared to our other car Ibiza FR the turbo lag was almost non existent.
The only downsides I found on the way back was I noticed that the air con wasn't blowing cold air out, something I failed to check on test drive or ask about but I was hoping it would just need a recharge. Second thing was a slight knock from the left rear, something I didn't hear on the test drive but it wasn't too bad so I just put it down to the hard ride that Abarths have when bumbling around in City/Town traffic. I already knew about the hardish rides the A500 have prior to buying it so I suppose you can't say that is a downside.
All in all its a car I was really liking!!
Here are some photos from May 2014, I will get some more upto date photos on here ASAP. I will get more of writeup done soon too, as you can see I am trying to write it backwards but I hope this have given a taster of my Abarth 500 and hope you want to be back for more reading
Edited by Turnip Farmer on Monday 7th March 13:08
Turnip Farmer said:
sleep envy said:
Work for me.
Pods, I think you may need an IT bod to look at your pooter
Oh good, Pods do the photos work if I upload them via the Beta Uploader?Pods, I think you may need an IT bod to look at your pooter
They work with the beta uploader
Podie said:
Looking at the link, they're in Dropbox - which is why I can't see them.
They work with the beta uploader
Right, I've re-uploaded them via the Beta Uploader just incase others have similar issues with the dropbox link, I wouldn't want people to miss out now would I? They work with the beta uploader
, Its a shame you can't bulk upload using it but never mind.1598Craig said:
Great looking car, love the body colour dash
Will be great to hear another perspective on the best micro hot hatch on sale
Cheers mate, yeah the red dash really sets it off, just the right amount of colour.Will be great to hear another perspective on the best micro hot hatch on sale
It may take me a few days to do the writeup on this post and the story of this car during my ownership.
Take a trip to http://www.angeltuning.co.uk/ and unleash another 40hp, it transforms the car.
Podie said:
Nice change to see one that's red with white stripes, rather than the other way round!
Any tinkering / upgrades planned?
I know that I'm bit biased lol but I prefer it this way around too, don't see many with this combo, especially around Scarborough and surrounding areas. In the town I regularly see a white A500 and also a white Abarth Pinto, anyone on here?Any tinkering / upgrades planned?
I have done a little bit of tinkering but will reveal all in the writeup, will post bit more tomorrow what I've done with it so far, have a bit more time to write it up tomorrow.
Planning on maybe suspension upgrade at somepoint maybe just to lower it slightly, especially at the back.
RVVUNM said:
Take a trip to http://www.angeltuning.co.uk/ and unleash another 40hp, it transforms the car.
I have thought about remap but I'm not sure if it's away from my originality ethos, I've heard other owners say it transforms the car, I'm undecided at moment. In what way does it transform the car other than more bhp? There's also the insurance too as that will increase or they may not insure remapped car, not had much experience on remapped car. Turnip Farmer said:
RVVUNM said:
Take a trip to http://www.angeltuning.co.uk/ and unleash another 40hp, it transforms the car.
I have thought about remap but I'm not sure if it's away from my originality ethos, I've heard other owners say it transforms the car, I'm undecided at moment. In what way does it transform the car other than more bhp? There's also the insurance too as that will increase or they may not insure remapped car, not had much experience on remapped car. Right the next part of my Abarth 500 ownership story
June 2014
I noticed that in the car's history that the cam belt had not been changed or no paperwork to prove that it had been done so that was first on my list to have done, it required to be replaced every 4 or every 36k years anyway so it had to be done for peace of mind. I also wanted rid of the old rubbish tyres that were on there too so I ordered 4 Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres to go on it and also wanted to get to the bottom of the slight knocking noise at the rear.
Got the car booked in at Piccadilly Motors in Knaresborough for the work. Over on the Abarthisti forums I was recommended by other A500 owners to get the water pump replaced at the same time at as the cam belt as in order to access the cam belt the whole front bumper on an A500 needs taking off and the water pump is in the same area, I am trying to be proactive with this car and go for long term reliability.
Tyres arrived at my home and somehow managed to squeeze the 4 tyres into the back of an A500, wish I had a photo to show you this but sadly I don't. It was like playing Tetris but I managed to get them in there, I probably should have got them delivered to Piccadilly motors, ah well. Anyway drove to Knaresborough for the work.
Tyres all fitted, cam belt done, water pump done. Also on inspection they noticed the oil had been filled a little too much! I am not particularly mechanically minded but I knew this was a bad thing, maybe not as bad as having too little but non the less not good. That means that the previous service that Central Car Sales must have over filled it slightly, anyway crisis averted and oil drained to correct levels.
They also inspected the rear for the knocking noise and the rear shock bushes were worn hence the knocking so two new ones of them were ordered and they also noticed that the front top suspension mounts were rusty and corroded. This is due to a design flaw which Abarth fixed on later models after 2010 typically. Basically the water would run down the channels and then into concave shape of the top mounts so they needed replacing too and also when the new ones were put on some mount covers were ordered too.
I have attached a photo to explain what I mea, its not my top mount and my was in far worse condition but you can see the issue with the design. Basically the mod is just a cap that fits over it to stop water entering it.
It something that I should have checked really when I bought the car but sadly it something I missed and some of you may say that this shouldn't happen on a car of 5 years old, yeah your probably right but I suppose is the joys of owning a car. At least its sorted not for the long term.
If you are buying or thinking of buying a 2nd hand A500 make sure you check these and make sure the mod has been done before you part with your hard earned cash.
I got the car booked in again for the extra work noticed and paid up for the work done on that day. I can't remember how much it cost without digging out the invoice but thing it was around £300-£350.
Next update will be about having the A500 booked into a detailer to sort the paintwork.
June 2014
I noticed that in the car's history that the cam belt had not been changed or no paperwork to prove that it had been done so that was first on my list to have done, it required to be replaced every 4 or every 36k years anyway so it had to be done for peace of mind. I also wanted rid of the old rubbish tyres that were on there too so I ordered 4 Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres to go on it and also wanted to get to the bottom of the slight knocking noise at the rear.
Got the car booked in at Piccadilly Motors in Knaresborough for the work. Over on the Abarthisti forums I was recommended by other A500 owners to get the water pump replaced at the same time at as the cam belt as in order to access the cam belt the whole front bumper on an A500 needs taking off and the water pump is in the same area, I am trying to be proactive with this car and go for long term reliability.
Tyres arrived at my home and somehow managed to squeeze the 4 tyres into the back of an A500, wish I had a photo to show you this but sadly I don't. It was like playing Tetris but I managed to get them in there, I probably should have got them delivered to Piccadilly motors, ah well. Anyway drove to Knaresborough for the work.
Tyres all fitted, cam belt done, water pump done. Also on inspection they noticed the oil had been filled a little too much! I am not particularly mechanically minded but I knew this was a bad thing, maybe not as bad as having too little but non the less not good. That means that the previous service that Central Car Sales must have over filled it slightly, anyway crisis averted and oil drained to correct levels.
They also inspected the rear for the knocking noise and the rear shock bushes were worn hence the knocking so two new ones of them were ordered and they also noticed that the front top suspension mounts were rusty and corroded. This is due to a design flaw which Abarth fixed on later models after 2010 typically. Basically the water would run down the channels and then into concave shape of the top mounts so they needed replacing too and also when the new ones were put on some mount covers were ordered too.
I have attached a photo to explain what I mea, its not my top mount and my was in far worse condition but you can see the issue with the design. Basically the mod is just a cap that fits over it to stop water entering it.
It something that I should have checked really when I bought the car but sadly it something I missed and some of you may say that this shouldn't happen on a car of 5 years old, yeah your probably right but I suppose is the joys of owning a car. At least its sorted not for the long term.
If you are buying or thinking of buying a 2nd hand A500 make sure you check these and make sure the mod has been done before you part with your hard earned cash.
I got the car booked in again for the extra work noticed and paid up for the work done on that day. I can't remember how much it cost without digging out the invoice but thing it was around £300-£350.
Next update will be about having the A500 booked into a detailer to sort the paintwork.
The A500 is in for a service and MOT today with Gareth at Northern Alfa.
What a horrendous drive from Scarborough to Rotherham this morning.
Fingers crossed it will sail through MOT, I'm not expecting any issues.
Will get detailing photos up later today if I get time if not will be up tomorrow
What a horrendous drive from Scarborough to Rotherham this morning.
Fingers crossed it will sail through MOT, I'm not expecting any issues.
Will get detailing photos up later today if I get time if not will be up tomorrow
Well thought I would post the next update of my ownership of an Abarth 500
October 2014 - Some more mechanical work and paint correction detail with Deeper Detail of Goole
Took the car back to Piccadilly Motors in Knaresborough for the rear shocks to be replaced and the front top mounts also replaced. I had the rear shocks just replaced with the standard shocks as I do plan to upgrade all my suspension with something better at some point, maybe some Koni FSD all round and some Eibach Springs or some Bilstein Coilovers.
Anyway, they also told me that some of the paint on my alloys was coming away, I did know they had a couple of curbing marks from the previous owner so was on my list to do but didn't know it was as bad as the paint was flaking off
, the mechanic believed with was powder coated cheaply and with water based paints too hence the longevity of the powder coat was poor. I have some good news though, just had the alloys done today so more news and photos of that to follow
Next thing I wanted to sort on the A500 was the paintwork, it was full of swirls and it drove me nuts in the bright sunlight, not sure how the previous owner(s) washed the car but it was crap, too many £5 washes comes to mind however I knew this needed doing when I bought the car. Also bought some pressed metal plates from Elite Car Care, they look great and highly recommend them to anyone wanting new plates and of course they are fully road legal too.
Got hold of Mike at Deeper Detail of Goole and we talked through all the various options and I decided on the following
- Correctly Washed and Clayed to remove contaminants etc
- Paint Correction to get rid of as many swirls and scratches where possible
- CQUK Ceramic Coating (which is awesome)
I would have liked the alloys doing but as I was going to get them refurbished at some point I didn't bother, also another thing I added to the 'to do' list was painting the callipers, they could do with a lick of paint at some point but thats for later.
Mike kindly took some photos of the whole process, you can see some before and after images, he did an awesome job and his attention to detail is spot on, he had the car about 5 days in total. He told me the paint the Abarths is quite hard so it did take him a while to get the swirls out using a DA because of the this and he also found out that the bonnet had been repainted at some point in its life, probably due to stone chips and slab front end of the A500's.
Anyway, onto the photos enjoy! Some of the first photos are how it arrived with him, the roads were pretty dirty on the way over from Scarborough.
October 2014 - Some more mechanical work and paint correction detail with Deeper Detail of Goole
Took the car back to Piccadilly Motors in Knaresborough for the rear shocks to be replaced and the front top mounts also replaced. I had the rear shocks just replaced with the standard shocks as I do plan to upgrade all my suspension with something better at some point, maybe some Koni FSD all round and some Eibach Springs or some Bilstein Coilovers
.Anyway, they also told me that some of the paint on my alloys was coming away, I did know they had a couple of curbing marks from the previous owner so was on my list to do but didn't know it was as bad as the paint was flaking off
, the mechanic believed with was powder coated cheaply and with water based paints too hence the longevity of the powder coat was poor. I have some good news though, just had the alloys done today so more news and photos of that to follow Next thing I wanted to sort on the A500 was the paintwork, it was full of swirls and it drove me nuts in the bright sunlight, not sure how the previous owner(s) washed the car but it was crap, too many £5 washes comes to mind however I knew this needed doing when I bought the car. Also bought some pressed metal plates from Elite Car Care, they look great and highly recommend them to anyone wanting new plates and of course they are fully road legal too.
Got hold of Mike at Deeper Detail of Goole and we talked through all the various options and I decided on the following
- Correctly Washed and Clayed to remove contaminants etc
- Paint Correction to get rid of as many swirls and scratches where possible
- CQUK Ceramic Coating (which is awesome)
I would have liked the alloys doing but as I was going to get them refurbished at some point I didn't bother, also another thing I added to the 'to do' list was painting the callipers, they could do with a lick of paint at some point but thats for later.
Mike kindly took some photos of the whole process, you can see some before and after images, he did an awesome job and his attention to detail is spot on, he had the car about 5 days in total. He told me the paint the Abarths is quite hard so it did take him a while to get the swirls out using a DA because of the this and he also found out that the bonnet had been repainted at some point in its life, probably due to stone chips and slab front end of the A500's.
Anyway, onto the photos enjoy! Some of the first photos are how it arrived with him, the roads were pretty dirty on the way over from Scarborough.
Very nice Abarth, I have the inverse version of yours cosmetically.
I originally bought it for my then girlfriend, she went but the car stayed. I absolutely love it and a perfect opposite to my RS6 which is all dark and serious and not exactly amazing for smaller twistier roads. The Abarth is a little hooligan that just eggs you on to drive the wheels off it. With the wheels so far in each corner it just grips and grips....
You not going for the remap? Mine's the esseesse version and the difference when you press the sport button is remarkable! Turns it into a serious B road weapon.
I originally bought it for my then girlfriend, she went but the car stayed. I absolutely love it and a perfect opposite to my RS6 which is all dark and serious and not exactly amazing for smaller twistier roads. The Abarth is a little hooligan that just eggs you on to drive the wheels off it. With the wheels so far in each corner it just grips and grips....
You not going for the remap? Mine's the esseesse version and the difference when you press the sport button is remarkable! Turns it into a serious B road weapon.
Ug_lee said:
Very nice Abarth, I have the inverse version of yours cosmetically.
I originally bought it for my then girlfriend, she went but the car stayed. I absolutely love it and a perfect opposite to my RS6 which is all dark and serious and not exactly amazing for smaller twistier roads. The Abarth is a little hooligan that just eggs you on to drive the wheels off it. With the wheels so far in each corner it just grips and grips....
You not going for the remap? Mine's the esseesse version and the difference when you press the sport button is remarkable! Turns it into a serious B road weapon.
Cheers buddy, glad you kept the Abarth, like you say but of a hooligan, handles like a go-kart.I originally bought it for my then girlfriend, she went but the car stayed. I absolutely love it and a perfect opposite to my RS6 which is all dark and serious and not exactly amazing for smaller twistier roads. The Abarth is a little hooligan that just eggs you on to drive the wheels off it. With the wheels so far in each corner it just grips and grips....
You not going for the remap? Mine's the esseesse version and the difference when you press the sport button is remarkable! Turns it into a serious B road weapon.
I am not sure about the Remap, not had much experience with Remaps in the past and worry about something going bang on it after but I have heard that it can transform the car. Did you remap yours? I am thinking of going down maybe the TMC/Bluespark box route.
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