fiat 500s - are they all broken
Discussion
I have been looking for a used 500 for the last few weeks. budget is up to about 5k, which gets me into 2012 cars
so far, one had door handle fall off at dealer,
another had done less than 15k miles and was on its 2nd clutch - presumably due to riding around at 4k revs and riding the clutch
another has worn out bushes in rear suspension
today one broke down on the way from one dealer branch to my local one - they estimate 1k bill to fix and on that basis sent it back to the branch it came from, on the basis that they had no idea what else might be wrong and didn't want to get in to it (probably dodged a bullet there)
some of these are not big issues in themselves, but I'd rather they werent there. Having perused the MOT history of almost every 500 within a 20 mile radius I don't think any have been advisory free, and most have failed an MOT at some point.
someone on the fiat forum suggested that when buying a 5 year old 500 you need to have a 1-2k sinking fund for sorting it out - now thats all well and good if you are getting into a TVR, but a fiat??
It's a pity because I have had some good times with small fiats in the past (some horrors too) and was looking forward to having one on the drive, but I am really wondering if it's a smart move. might have to look at some other small car options.
Other cars on the radar would be:
Mini
Up/Mii/citigo
twingo
are any of these less likely to bork?
so far, one had door handle fall off at dealer,
another had done less than 15k miles and was on its 2nd clutch - presumably due to riding around at 4k revs and riding the clutch
another has worn out bushes in rear suspension
today one broke down on the way from one dealer branch to my local one - they estimate 1k bill to fix and on that basis sent it back to the branch it came from, on the basis that they had no idea what else might be wrong and didn't want to get in to it (probably dodged a bullet there)
some of these are not big issues in themselves, but I'd rather they werent there. Having perused the MOT history of almost every 500 within a 20 mile radius I don't think any have been advisory free, and most have failed an MOT at some point.
someone on the fiat forum suggested that when buying a 5 year old 500 you need to have a 1-2k sinking fund for sorting it out - now thats all well and good if you are getting into a TVR, but a fiat??
It's a pity because I have had some good times with small fiats in the past (some horrors too) and was looking forward to having one on the drive, but I am really wondering if it's a smart move. might have to look at some other small car options.
Other cars on the radar would be:
Mini
Up/Mii/citigo
twingo
are any of these less likely to bork?
cheers chaps,
having been disappointed by the local stock (20 mile radius) I am loathed to start schlepping all over the place to find similar disappointment.
suzuki swift might be worth a look, thanks.
I had a rental yaris (series1)a few years ago for a week and it gave me terrible back ache - don't know if the newer ones are any better
having been disappointed by the local stock (20 mile radius) I am loathed to start schlepping all over the place to find similar disappointment.
suzuki swift might be worth a look, thanks.
I had a rental yaris (series1)a few years ago for a week and it gave me terrible back ache - don't know if the newer ones are any better
Willy Nilly said:
One careful lady owner?
that could be the case - but I rather suspect they are not built with longevity in mind - they only need to survive the 4 year pcphaving looked at the issue from all sides, I dont think I want to sink cash into a 5 year old 500, which is a shame. cos I quite fancied blatting around in a twinair
maybe I'll join the herd and take a pcp on a nearly new, and bask in the warmth of the manufacturer warranty.
sawman said:
Willy Nilly said:
One careful lady owner?
that could be the case - but I rather suspect they are not built with longevity in mind - they only need to survive the 4 year pcphaving looked at the issue from all sides, I dont think I want to sink cash into a 5 year old 500, which is a shame. cos I quite fancied blatting around in a twinair
maybe I'll join the herd and take a pcp on a nearly new, and bask in the warmth of the manufacturer warranty.
Have to admit thought, I did see alot of dross out there before this one.
OH had a 500 for 3 years from brand new. Never fell apart or had any problems with it. We sold it and randomly spotted it about a year later and it looked absolutely shagged out.
I think it's down to how you treat them like any other cheap car, we didn't pamper it but also didn't abuse it.
I think it's down to how you treat them like any other cheap car, we didn't pamper it but also didn't abuse it.
Just remembered my daughters 1.2, it had to have a new drive shaft and lower arm a few weeks ago.
The lower arm ball joint is also a weak point apparently, it failed, the wheel shifted and pulled out the drive shaft which damaged the splines, the mechanic also said that he could see that it had had a gearbox re-build at some point (gear boxes are weak too), which was a good thing.
The lower arm ball joint is also a weak point apparently, it failed, the wheel shifted and pulled out the drive shaft which damaged the splines, the mechanic also said that he could see that it had had a gearbox re-build at some point (gear boxes are weak too), which was a good thing.
My wife leased a 1 year old one, actually we just traded it in for a smart forfour. After the warranty ran out it needed a new outer door handle, and I replaced both the front wishbones with TRW items (couldnt stand the front end clunkiness any longer). The 1.2 8v engine seemed bullet proof though and overall it had a hard life, but only did 28k miles. Driving it on any sort of distance gave me headaches due to road noise which was my biggest complaint, the smart that replaced it is so much more smoother and quieter on the road.
Edited by davebem on Saturday 30th December 13:07
sawman said:
BAM225 said:
Why not lease a abarth then 
unfortunately, my daughter is also going to be using this for learning so insurance is an issueIf the reliability of used ones is really as poor as it seems in this thread, then leasing might be a good way to get a new one.
I ran one for a year and whilst we didn't have any reliability problems it had a really disconcerting jiggly ride which I didn't pick up on the test drives. It was fine going round corners but in a straight line it felt like the back end was stepping sideways. I had it reviewed by the guys that look after my TVR and the dampers replaced as a punt but it made no difference and nothing else was adjustable. It had the later suspension set up which was supposed to have sorted some of the early problems but it was the main reason we got rid after a year, my wife felt unsafe in it. It was a pity because inside it was a lovely thing to be in compared to the Aygo we had the previous year - that was very definitely built down to a budget. Fiat group stuff is a bit hit and miss on quality.
AIUI, the Ford Ka version of the 500 has a completely different rear suspension, pity its a gobbing thing to look at.
I would take a Mini over a 500 all day long. Whilst the Cooper S that replaced our 500 is in a different league to the 1.2 500 performance wise, the One is still a decent drive. Plenty of choice around too, so whilst there might be some ragged ones you can find a gem. They're not as reliable as you'd expect being owned by BMW but if you pick the right build year you can avoid some of the worst issues. Another consideration would be a Kia Picanto.
AIUI, the Ford Ka version of the 500 has a completely different rear suspension, pity its a gobbing thing to look at.
I would take a Mini over a 500 all day long. Whilst the Cooper S that replaced our 500 is in a different league to the 1.2 500 performance wise, the One is still a decent drive. Plenty of choice around too, so whilst there might be some ragged ones you can find a gem. They're not as reliable as you'd expect being owned by BMW but if you pick the right build year you can avoid some of the worst issues. Another consideration would be a Kia Picanto.
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