Two English garages are advertising a new left hand drive 500 for sale on the net. Both are skanky liars, they havent really got one for sale and wont get one til about September. My folks went to look at one advertised on autotrader for sale at Fiat main dealers Pewsham Garages Chippenham but the salesman just tried selling them a Panda which he said was about the same but cheaper.

Anyone seen a new 500 in britain yet or know of one over here?
Preferably a real one, not just a pretend one advertised to mislead people

Ms_Cinq said:

Two English garages are advertising a new left hand drive 500 for sale on the net. Both are skanky liars, they havent really got one for sale and wont get one til about September. My folks went to look at one advertised on autotrader for sale at Fiat main dealers Pewsham Garages Chippenham but the salesman just tried selling them a Panda which he said was about the same but cheaper.

Anyone seen a new 500 in britain yet or know of one over here?
Preferably a real one, not just a pretend one advertised to mislead people

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British launch date January 08

My advice, especially you are travelling any distance to view a new 500 (or indeed any car) is to ask the dealer to email you a photo of the actual car they are selling, and arrange a test drive appointment specifying you want to drive the actual car they are selling.

You may find that the photos being used are simply "for illustration purposes only". Also when an advert says a car is in stock, it might mean its in stock, but only in Italy. That certainly seems to be the case with the 500s being advertised at the moment.

I call them phantom Fiats: They don't really exist. There do seem to be several of them around at the moment! Totally invisible to us mere mortals!

The photos of the one in the advert you mention seem to have been taken from an Italian website http://www.omniauto.it/foto/5996/fiat-500-in-concessionaria

They haven't really got one in stock in the UK.

If you really want to buy a LHD 500 I can put you in touch with a reputable dealer who expects to get a batch of 10 in about September.

10k for a little car like this seems a bit rich anyway even tho it looks gooorgeous. I hope they dont sell many at that price and then have to bring the price down for the proper uk launch next year. Do we kno what prices will be in this country yet?!

My best guess at the moment:

1.2 Pop (10500eur) = £7400 to £7600
1.2 Lounge (12500eur) = £8800 to £9000
1.2 Sport (12500eur) = £8800 to £9000
1.4 Pop (12500eur) = £8800 to £9000
1.4 Lounge (14500eur) = £10200 to £10500
1.4 Sport (14500eur) = £10200 to £10500
1.3 Mjet Pop (12500eur) = £8800 to £9000
1.3 Mjet Lounge (14500eur) = £10200 to £10500
1.3 Mjet Sport (14500eur) = £10200 to £10500

Impressive work JassieJase
OK if we get the 1.2s and the POP versions, not so good if they milk us all in GB by initially only giving us 1.4s and nothing less than sport version. It is nice but it is not MINI quality from what I have seen and even the initial press reports have said the engines arent much the driving position is odd if youve got medium or long legs . Initial MINI reports were wildly enthusiastic and went downhill later. Already people who have driven 500s have said maybe only good for short journeys, the short legged and people with short memories - who dont remember that its mainly a Panda derived vehicle from a manufacturer with a terrible reputation. The press reports will find more faults inthe weeks ahead.

Better reliability than Toyota say Fiat. Dream on guys. Same engines,same production methods, bits from same suppliers, run by the same money-hungry bosses.

Fiat have a new badge and have changed the name of the UK distributors to try and claim its a new beginning for Fiat, hoping we all forget how crap some fiat dealers have been and how poor quality some of their products have been.

Best looking cutest city car it may be, but a premium and quality product??????

RE:Anyone seen a new 500 in Britain yet?

I haven't seen one in the UK yet, but there has been a reported sighting on a transporter on the M20 (Brendan at fiatmotorclubgb.com)
http://pub41.bravenet.com/forum/3446348668/show/756038

Fiat obviously registered hundreds and hundreds of them for the Italian launch.It is possible that one or two LHD examples will be brought to the UK for FiatUK to show off to people (including any trader who might have expressed an interest in taking a Fiat franchise.)

Ms_Cinq said:

Better reliability than Toyota say Fiat. Dream on guys. Same engines,same production methods, bits from same suppliers, run by the same money-hungry bosses.

Fiat have a new badge and have changed the name of the UK distributors to try and claim its a new beginning for Fiat, hoping we all forget how crap some fiat dealers have been and how poor quality some of their products have been.

Best looking cutest city car it may be, but a premium and quality product??????

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Since when were Toyota running Fiat engines?

the new fiat 500 is nor released yet in italy so is in rest of the world.
as i heard the released in october or december
THAT IS I HEARD

a friend of mine flew to London and landed yesterday, she reckons to have seen a black one there!

I know someone how is going to look at one today in a Fiat dealer in Northampton.

Which dealership is that J333evo?
Northampton is only an hour or so away from me and I'd like a look at one.

Thanks for the pm J333EVO

Yippee I've seen a silver 500 Sport in Northampton

What a little beauty!

Probably be Motorvogue - I need to pop down to see them about Panda issues, lol, so may have a look around

My girlfreind saw the one at motorvogue, I think she said it was black. Might pop over after work and have a look

KevinB said:

Thanks for the pm J333EVO

Yippee I've seen a silver 500 Sport in Northampton

What a little beauty!

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I'm so jealous!!!!!

Suasexed said:

I'm so jealous!!!!!

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Me too.

Did anyone take any pictures?

What's the build quality like?

I almost drove past it without noticing it: I definately didn't think it had the "WOW" factor, a good looking model but not stunning!

It looks a lot like a Nissan Micra from some angles, and a bit like a Ford Ka.
It was clearly on display at the side of the road, but no-one was giving it a second glance (except me). It didn't take my breathe away like (for example) the first time I saw a MINI or a Smart Roadster.

Silver paintwork (OK) black and grey interior (dull) but with the chrome bits and coloured-coded section to the fascia the whole effect was very pleasing.
Good quality plastics I thought, similar to MINI quality, but not better than a MINI IMO. The doors and hatch close with a reassuringly solid 'clunk' (better than my Ford Ka, but I'm not sure MINI drivers will be overly impressed.)The centre console and some of the switchgear is identical to the Panda, but with the chrome etc it certainly gives a 'perception of quality' up front. Plastics around the payload under the hatch less good I thought.

Strange shaped seats on this Sports version, and you seem to sit close to the windscreen and side window, but I could get used to it and the seats on the other models are supposed to be better according to some press reports.There was plenty of room for me (a 6 footer with long legs) to get in and out.

I'm sure I'd like it more in a bright exterior colour, and with a brighter coloured interior: red and ivory perhaps.

So I won't be rushing out and buying a LHD version, (this one was not for sale BTW) and I won't be paying a deposit and ordering a RHD version in advance from a dealer, but I WILL be having a look at the Lounge or Popular version when it comes out in the UK next year.

The Ford version of the vehicle coming out late 2008 (the new Ford Ka) is now back at the top of my 'wish list' with the Fiat 500 very close by in second place.

Kevin, I feel sad.

Before you saw one you were so enthusiastic about getting one that you were even contemplating an LHD, now you're not even sure about ordering a RHD version.

I still haven't seen one, but I'm sure the Silver paint didn't help in the desirability stakes.

Were the "strange shaped seats" comfortable despite their shape?

Seats were sporty and shaped at the sides (in the way they should be I suppose) not all soft and flat and squidgy like the cheap seats I'm used to in my Ford Ka!

I only sat in it for a few minutes, but I'm sure they would be OK. Some journalists have suggested that the Sport has a different suspension set-up. I suggest it's just the bigger wheels and sports seats that make the ride on a sport feel more harsh. The flatter seats on the lounge and popular version are probably more what I am used to and are said to be more comfortable.
Don't be sad. It's a good looking car, and I am delighted to have seen one.OK I haven't driven it, but it has a solid feel to it, but it will NOT make people stop and stare in the streets as infomotori and others have suggested. It may have that effect in Italy, but it won't in the UK and it won't single-handedly make Fiat great in the UK as Fiat are hoping

(If it was a girl walking down the street I'd give it 8 and a half out of 10)