Does anyone drive a Fiat 500?

[alldakatz]

I am about to change my car and thinking of getting a Fiat 500, but I have to admit I am swayed by the cuteness factor. Has anyone any particularly bad (or good) experiences with this model?

The Abarth is the performance special edition of the Fiat 500.

It has a 1.4 turbocharged engine, stiffer suspension, better brakes, nice alloys etc

Think of it like a tiny hot hatch.

Never driven one but I like the look of them and they get good reviews (but obviously they are more expensive).

It was my first car, had a 2009 plate from 2012 until 2021 when we sold it as we didn’t need two cars any more.

It was the cutest tin can I ever had. It rattled at top speeds when it eventually got there, had little acceleration but did the job getting me from A to Z. Being small I could fit it in a lot of spaces larger cars couldn’t get into.

I absolutely loved it but I can admit it was purchased because I thought it was cute. There were definitely better cars I could have spent the same amount of money on but didn’t.

Now I have my workhorse Honda Civic which I love for its boot. So you can see how my tastes have changed over the years!

I had a 1.4 engine automatic transmission (or maybe a 1.2, whatever the largest size was in a regular model) and it was extremely nippy in urban environments, but honestly needed a following wind at motorway speeds. The acceleration was great up to about 60 kmph but definitely needed a downward on-ramp when joining the motorway to get up to 120 kmph in time (some rural parts of Ireland have uphill on-ramps and I never tried it but would have been bricking it if I had).

Love mine. Door handles are prone to breaking mind - and are a bastard to fix

Funny I was just thinking this morning that I'm coming to a time in my life where I don't really need a big car anymore and I'd love to have another one.
I got one when they first came out and LOVED it. Yes, I was the target market for style etc, it was very cute. It coped fine with the motorway driving I was doing then. I think mine had a 1.4 engine??? Sadly it got written off in an accident, but for the size of the car and what happened, I was completely fine.
I had one as a hire car a year old so ago and loved it, so easy to manoeuvre.
I don't know much about what the electric version of it is like, and I'm thinking ahead to when my kids might want to start learning, it might not be the most economical insure.

I had an Abarth 595 and compared to my nieces fiat 500 it felt like a Ferrari 😂 The only reason I got rid of it was I needed something with a bigger boot.

Bought a second hand 1.2l 2 and a half years ago for daughter just prior to her passing her test. We both drive it and love it. It’s a great improvement on my first car(similar situation a few decades ago!) It’s now 10 years old. We’ve had a few issues but nothing you wouldn’t expect for a car of its age. Yes it’s small, but that makes parking it easier. I choose to take my, much larger, car for long journeys and motorway driving.

Gearboxes need replacing at 60k miles on the earlier models.

I’ve driven mine for over 10years, absolutely love it, no mechanical problems. It’s perfect for me as a single person that doesn’t travel too far. Only downsides are that now my grandsons are well over 6 foot, it’s a bit of a squeeze. It’s also not very easy for friends, we are of a certain age, to get in and out of the back seats, as no rear doors.

Many thanks to all for your input. I don't need a large or particularly powerful car, so I think the Fiat will suit me fine.

I had one. I loved its style and had lots of compliments on it.
A few things I found were: It’s definitely better suited as a city/town car. It was fine with just me in it but really struggled with passengers, especially on hills. It was underpowered and didn’t feel particularly safe on A roads and motorways.
The petrol cap was really fiddly, not a simple unlock/unscrew job.
It sounds silly but there was definitely bullying on the roads. I was constantly pulled out on and tailgated. Even my DH said the same when he drove it. It did eventually affect my confidence driving it.

No but I used to. Loved it, it was a great little car. Just make sure you get a 1.2L not a 1L as my 1L struggled up hills. The 1.2 didn’t. Never had to have anything fixed in 5 years.

I have one and I love it - I have a basic fiat lounge. So easy to park and great for the narrow lanes where I live. The acceleration isn’t the best and it is loud at speed but it’s just a cheerful tiny car. The petrol consumption is good too. I wouldn’t want to do long distance in one though as they aren’t the most comfortable.

Fab little car for pottling around town in.

Buuuut, very small boot space and I wouldn't use it for motorway driving. Too underpowered- joining slip roads would be a hairy experience and you feel it's "tin can-ness" anything over 45mph and not a dead straight line.

Abarth is worth a look, but prone to expensive mechanical issues.