Fiat 500

Thinking of getting one. I was looking at the Fiat website re. the Panda thing and my wife caught me. She suggested getting a 500.

I may have to go and see if I fit in one.

Reply to
Abo
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Oh look - a new thread. I think I'll contribute.

How much are they compared to a Panda. I think I would have the Panda, but that's because I'm pretty anti-fashion.

Remember, the Panda 100hp is even faster than a transit van...

Reply to
Bob Sherunckle

Cheapest 500 is a grand more than the cheap Panda. Still a sloooow car but it's mainly going to be used as a city car or on expensed work mileage.

It's about £6000 plus my 306, less whatever else I can get off it.

Reply to
Abo

I'm sure if you wander into the quietest Fiat dealer near you - probably the one with the least enjoyable customer service department - they'll do you a good deal.

The fact the garage is shit (and Fiat / Alfa ones are legendarily so) shouldn't be an issue, the thing'll have a factory warranty and it'll probably be easy enough to get a Ford dealer to put it right.

Reply to
Pete M

I do and I'm 6ft1 Of course there's bog all chance of getting someone in behind me , but = if it's not a problem for you then go for it. I'd love one

--=20 Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger , then I hide until it goes away"

Reply to
Dr Zoidberg

They aren't doing much of a discount at the garages I've seen. The one where I bought my Bravo had discounts of just over a grand on = the 500 , 2-3k off Puntos and 3.5-4.5k + off Bravos meaning there was = very little difference in the price you'd pay for a similar spec car for = all three sizes!

--=20 Alex

"I laugh in the face of danger , then I hide until it goes away"

Reply to
Dr Zoidberg

Not likely to get a big discount off one - if your 306 is 10 years old or more (I suspect it is), then you should get the scrappage off it at least.

Don't worry about it being a grand more than a Panda, as they're holding their value much better - so the total cost of ownership shouldn't be much different.

Reply to
SteveH

not a problem for you then go for it.

Yeah, it's just gonna be me driving or Rachel, single commuter car really. We've got the sprogbus for everything else.

I guess it depends where you are long, if you see what I mean (careful...), I'm all leg and belly but I'll give it a go when I get chance.

Reply to
Abo

I'd exercise a little caution here. The 500 is *currently* holding its value well, but this may or may not continue. The Cinquecento originally held its value well, especially the Sporting, but after the first three years this very quickly dropped off. Fiats, even small Fiats, are not known for holding their value. If you want something with a better reputation for holding its value then that would point towards - yeuch - the Fox. Now there's a car that falls over its own wheels...

Reply to
DervMan

You'd want to 1.4 version of the Fox unless a 0-60 time of 17.5 seconds floats your boat. And that results in a higher VED band and s**te fuel consumption compared with the 500. And the 500 looks better.

Reply to
Abo

We looked at the Fox before we got the C1, it was utterly s**te (only thing Nat liked were the funky seats). Unfortunately the 500 was a bit too pricey for us at the time so didnt even go and have a look for fear of signing something. The C1 is the first new (or even newish) car we've owned, but I've been totally impressed and we havent regretted it at all. Obviously the 107 and Aygo and pretty much the same, but our local Peugeot salesman was an arse so didnt go with them. The Toyota dealership was the best out of all we looked at (VW, Hyundai, Skoda, VW, Citroen, Peugeot) but their finance deal couldnt match Citroen.

Anyway, what I was trying to get to, is don't rule out the C1/107/Aygo. Yes they're a bit basic in standard form, but you can spec it up a bit to make things more comfortable, and they're actually a giggle to drive.

Reply to
Carl Gibbs

I'd also the Panda (4x4) because it's a more practical car than the 500. The 500 is however a bit gorgeous but all things considered crapper than a Mini.

I think you're wrong to imply that the Panda is not fashionable or less fashionable than the 500. The Panda is an incredibly fashion-conscious vehicle.

Reply to
Steve Firth

They are several thousand pounds cheaper than a Mini, though.

It's only the retro styling which would arguably put them in competition with each other.

Reply to
SteveH

i'm not keen on the 500 not my thing but they seem good little cars for the cash. i love my mini though and there's few small cars i'd part with it for realy.

although the 500 is LOADS cheaper than a mini. only good thing is i didn't pay a lot for my mini and i expect it's value to hold out ok when i'm done. defo like a cooper next or maybe a turbo'd cooper s if i could stretch.

Reply to
Vamp

Except I'd not want any version of the Fox that's currently in production as they're all not fun to drive. In some respects the lesser powered 1.2 is the one to have, because the 1.4 is overpowered for the chassis poise and grip. But as I say, they fall over their own wheels. The Fox manages to be lumpy in the ride department but wallowly in corners and roundabouts. Oh and they rattle. And air conditioning was something like £900 as an option. So on and so forth.

I'm sure it would be no less painful to live with than any other car, but eww, just eww.

But for those amongst the population that justify a car purchase on depreciation, it is arguably the sub-B class car to buy, as it shouldn't depreciate as quickly as the Fords, Fiats, Kias et al. I'd just not want one full stop...

Reply to
DervMan

You liked it that much! ;-)

Okay the above is a bit harsh. I liked the simplistic dashboard arrangement (presumably nicked from the original Ka). The interior was rattly in the

900 mile demo I tried, very dark and the ventilation system wasn't great (needed air conditioning). But it was more the way it drove...

Yes; I like the trio. In the class I also rate the Picanto, as it's cheap to buy, cheap to run, outdrives the Fox (but not the Ka, Aygo or Mini), has decent interior space and equipment.

Reply to
DervMan

They were multicoloured in a sea of dullness, so maybe that's why.

Dealer didn't have one to test drive and reckoned he couldn't get one in for a while, but a look through the brochure soon put us off anyway as it looked crap, mpg was crap, performance was crap etc etc.

Picanto was knocked on the head as soon as I suggested it (well Kia in general was). Shame really.

Reply to
Carl Gibbs

Heh - compared with the C1, there isn't much that doesn't seem to show crap mpg! :)

The 1.2 doesn't feel as sluggish as the performance figures would suggest. It's no ball of fire, but the engine has a decent usable spread of power, broader than the 1.4 donk, which feels peaky by comparison. The 1.4 does feel quicker on the open road where you can use the gears a bit more but in the city it's wasted.

Well kinda. The 1.0 model isn't quick by any stretch, needs working hard but isn't engaging as the Citroen 1.0 donk is. The cheapest Picanto was at the time about a grand less than the cheapest C1 (at least list price wise) at £5,995. The cheapest Fox was about about £6,500, the C1's list was something like £7,000 as I remember as was the Ka. But as you know, wander into most dealerships and they'll talk. I could have bought the basic Ka for £4,995, Citroen love to offer deals. The Volkswagen dealer sniffed that they don't discount in the same way as the pikey dealers _but_ instead offered something like £200 off and the first two services free.

Kia offered freebies and a similar small discount but the warranty was much longer.

Anyway, meh, I decided I'd miss my Saab too much so spent less on an older, bigger 9-3 instead... :)

Reply to
DervMan

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