RE: PH Carpool: Fiat 500F
Monday 21st January 2013
Name: Oli Smith
Car: Fiat 500F
Owned since: September 2012
Previously owned: MG Midget, Jaguar C-Type Replica, SIIA Land Rover, Austin A30, Ford Anglia 1500GT, Jaguar Mk2, Lola F2, AC Cobra 289, Volvo Amazon. Currently have 930 Turbo, Alfa Giulia Saloon, '32 Riley Brooklands and an Opel Manta Rally Car.
Your Carpooler, in Goodwood attireWhy I bought it:
"My work circumstances changed and I needed a car to run around town in. Being a natural born skinflint something tax exempt was high on the list. When this came up it was too good to miss. I bought from the guy who had imported it from Italy so I registered it with the DVLA and off I went!"
13hp - yes, 13hp - of air-cooled, tax-free funThings I hate:
"It sounds strange but some days you're just not in the mood to be pointed and laughed at by school children."
Kids can be cruel according to OliWhat next?
"I can't leave things alone for very long so a 650cc engine and 'box are on the cards along with uprated suspension. As far as other toys go I have a 997 GT3 RS shaped itch that needs scratching so I should probably start playing the Lottery."
PH Carpool: Fiat 500F
This week's Carpooler has a thing for rear-engined, air-cooled cars ... of all types
Car: Fiat 500F
Owned since: September 2012
Previously owned: MG Midget, Jaguar C-Type Replica, SIIA Land Rover, Austin A30, Ford Anglia 1500GT, Jaguar Mk2, Lola F2, AC Cobra 289, Volvo Amazon. Currently have 930 Turbo, Alfa Giulia Saloon, '32 Riley Brooklands and an Opel Manta Rally Car.
Your Carpooler, in Goodwood attire
"My work circumstances changed and I needed a car to run around town in. Being a natural born skinflint something tax exempt was high on the list. When this came up it was too good to miss. I bought from the guy who had imported it from Italy so I registered it with the DVLA and off I went!"
What I wish I'd known:
"I did a little research on the 500 before I paid out. The main advice that I received was that the bits that don't rust are the windows. Apart from that and some mild kingpin-based drama at the MoT centre it's been pretty plain sailing."
Things I love:
"The fact that everything works! Amazingly even the interior light functions on cue and everybody knows what reputation Italian electrics have. I also like the fact that you can't be in a hurry in this car which is quite nice. Rushing is futile, all you have to do is relax (between the synchro-less gear changes) and wobble on."
13hp - yes, 13hp - of air-cooled, tax-free fun
"It sounds strange but some days you're just not in the mood to be pointed and laughed at by school children."
Costs:
"Fuel economy played a part in my purchase decision but after using the car for a few weeks I sat down and calculated 28mpg around town. This is simply because I drive it flat out but this isn't as reckless as it sounds when you only have 13hp at your disposal. Insurance is £78 fully comp and the tax is free."
Where I've been:
"Just to work and back so far. Once a week I'll give it a good run to warm it up and get it breathing. My last vmax run saw 66mph which certainly focused my concentration - picture the Apollo 13 re-entry scene."
Kids can be cruel according to Oli
"I can't leave things alone for very long so a 650cc engine and 'box are on the cards along with uprated suspension. As far as other toys go I have a 997 GT3 RS shaped itch that needs scratching so I should probably start playing the Lottery."
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Discussion
) and a Harley. If only...really nice car, I remember those days when I was a kid and my dad had about 5 little Fiats around the house (and one other car), 2 at the back and 4 on the parking-lot (for all citizens)
we were with 7 in the house (5 kids) and my dad was also a bit a car man and did most things himself to save money.
he bought 4 of those type Fiats (2x 600 and 2x 500) to "restore" in a cheap way
you know, they rotted fast so in the garage they go and stripped (outside) and get most rot out, then lots of fibreglass went on then shaping and filler and then painting in the garage 
he painted quiet a lot cars those days also for clients just to help those and get a few bucks extra (he was a insurance guy
those days (in the 60/70) when the old oil of the car went in a little hole next to a coniferous tree and the car spray just in the garage which he then sealed the doors a bit and cleaned it and lots of plastic, and he also has made a hole in the side-wall with a electric fan from a cowshed
so those coniferous trees that were beside the garage also got painted
lovely days...I've got many stories
we were with 7 in the house (5 kids) and my dad was also a bit a car man and did most things himself to save money.
he bought 4 of those type Fiats (2x 600 and 2x 500) to "restore" in a cheap way
you know, they rotted fast so in the garage they go and stripped (outside) and get most rot out, then lots of fibreglass went on
then shaping and filler and then painting in the garage he painted quiet a lot cars those days also for clients just to help those and get a few bucks extra (he was a insurance guy
those days (in the 60/70) when the old oil of the car went in a little hole next to a coniferous tree and the car spray just in the garage which he then sealed the doors a bit and cleaned it and lots of plastic, and he also has made a hole in the side-wall with a electric fan from a cowshed
so those coniferous trees that were beside the garage also got painted
lovely days...I've got many stories
Fabulous machine!
I used to have an estate version, think our record was seven people in it at once. It had a lever under the glove box which just jammed the throttle on, a sort of very early cruise control. That made it possible to sit on the roof and steer with with your feet through the sunroof, not that I'd recommend it of course
I had a lot of fun in that car, wish I still had it.
I used to have an estate version, think our record was seven people in it at once. It had a lever under the glove box which just jammed the throttle on, a sort of very early cruise control. That made it possible to sit on the roof and steer with with your feet through the sunroof, not that I'd recommend it of course
I had a lot of fun in that car, wish I still had it.Wow... I just walked past that car 10 mins ago parked round the corner from my house!!! Just been back to check and sure enough it is the same one (not that there are that many around here!!). Sweet looking little thing by the way.
Thought I recognised the cricket ground in the photos. Consider this a PH Spotted!!
Thought I recognised the cricket ground in the photos. Consider this a PH Spotted!!
looks like a nice example !
They have more than 13bhp, only the very early ones had that little power, think the later ones were 18/19 bhp and the 600R was 21 bhp.
Having had two, sold the last one last year I can see the appeal on the skinflint side of things but generally this doent pay off, you end up not paying VED and the insurance is quite cheap but the constant orders to 500 specialists for a new box of bits can get expensive, as can welding and bodywork, even the nicest 500 will start rusting pretty much the minute it sees rain, and sometimes without. As the OP says, they arent quite as thrifty on fuel as you may imagine.
If you need a car to get to work the 500 can be less than reliable, in 2011 my wife was drivng ours and it dropped a valve, I had to rebuild the engine as the 1 piston, one barrell and the head was ruined, luckily I had bought a job lot of 500 parts and had enough bits to make one good engine, cost me £200 in machining, gaskets, oil etc but even a little tiddler like this can cost you if it breaks, especially if you arent hands on.
They are fun to drive, you have to go everywhere with your arse on fire watching other traffic like a Meerkat on speed in case it stops, pulls out or otherwise challenges your momentum, a crash n a 500 would be very bad indeed, the seatbelts are lashed to the B pillar which looks like one of the weedier bits from a Meccano set.
I think a well sorted 500 is a fine thing but really needs, if you are going to use it regulalrly at least a 126 engine, preferably even a bit more power than that, not talkign 100 bhp but enough to cope with traffic, 30-35 bhp would do fine, the front disks off a Cinquecento, an alternator instead of the dynamo and electronic ignition/wasted spark type setup as the points can be a source of misery.
They go for strong money, not as strong as some of the dealer advertised examples are advertised for, the sweet spot is abotu five grand, we sold ours for £3500 as it needed a respray and people were clamouring for it, seems people want not so much to not spend the money but they like to buy a project, but not the rusting hulk pulled from a barn.
I think poeple love the 500 and think it would be easy to own, they by and large arent, they are all at least 40 years old and werent built to last, I had one chap wanting to buy my car as he thought it "ideal" for his 17 year old daughter, I would recommend against that, they dont have any safety features, tend to break down and sharing the roads with Range Rovers and whatever as a new driver would be fraught, the accident that you walk away from in a Punto or Corsa could conceivably kill you in a 500, not to get all "Police Camera Action" but they are for batting round town in good weather or a ten mile jaunt for a picnic, not schleeping driver and three mates, plus luggage home from uni.
They have more than 13bhp, only the very early ones had that little power, think the later ones were 18/19 bhp and the 600R was 21 bhp.
Having had two, sold the last one last year I can see the appeal on the skinflint side of things but generally this doent pay off, you end up not paying VED and the insurance is quite cheap but the constant orders to 500 specialists for a new box of bits can get expensive, as can welding and bodywork, even the nicest 500 will start rusting pretty much the minute it sees rain, and sometimes without. As the OP says, they arent quite as thrifty on fuel as you may imagine.
If you need a car to get to work the 500 can be less than reliable, in 2011 my wife was drivng ours and it dropped a valve, I had to rebuild the engine as the 1 piston, one barrell and the head was ruined, luckily I had bought a job lot of 500 parts and had enough bits to make one good engine, cost me £200 in machining, gaskets, oil etc but even a little tiddler like this can cost you if it breaks, especially if you arent hands on.
They are fun to drive, you have to go everywhere with your arse on fire watching other traffic like a Meerkat on speed in case it stops, pulls out or otherwise challenges your momentum, a crash n a 500 would be very bad indeed, the seatbelts are lashed to the B pillar which looks like one of the weedier bits from a Meccano set.
I think a well sorted 500 is a fine thing but really needs, if you are going to use it regulalrly at least a 126 engine, preferably even a bit more power than that, not talkign 100 bhp but enough to cope with traffic, 30-35 bhp would do fine, the front disks off a Cinquecento, an alternator instead of the dynamo and electronic ignition/wasted spark type setup as the points can be a source of misery.
They go for strong money, not as strong as some of the dealer advertised examples are advertised for, the sweet spot is abotu five grand, we sold ours for £3500 as it needed a respray and people were clamouring for it, seems people want not so much to not spend the money but they like to buy a project, but not the rusting hulk pulled from a barn.
I think poeple love the 500 and think it would be easy to own, they by and large arent, they are all at least 40 years old and werent built to last, I had one chap wanting to buy my car as he thought it "ideal" for his 17 year old daughter, I would recommend against that, they dont have any safety features, tend to break down and sharing the roads with Range Rovers and whatever as a new driver would be fraught, the accident that you walk away from in a Punto or Corsa could conceivably kill you in a 500, not to get all "Police Camera Action" but they are for batting round town in good weather or a ten mile jaunt for a picnic, not schleeping driver and three mates, plus luggage home from uni.
AlanQ said:
Fabulous machine!
...It had a lever under the glove box which just jammed the throttle on, a sort of very early cruise control...
Yes, the hand-throttle is fun. And I have always liked the two little levers for the choke and the starter between the seats. My father bought a bright red 1965 example on a whim for his wife for about 1.5 million lira (aka tuppence) in 1990 and they still have it. They forked out to have it fully rebuilt by Fiat about 10 years ago and I can't see it ever being sold - as children we all used to love going in it and I'll happily inherit it unless one of my siblings beats me to it. ...It had a lever under the glove box which just jammed the throttle on, a sort of very early cruise control...
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