(G) What made you buy a 500?

Well, this is my story.... Who's got a better one? LOL

The only reason that I bought a 500 was that I got invited to the Fiat & Lanica USA club annual convention last year (we were there in the panda the year before) in Detroit and FIAT UK gave me some branded jackets and sunglasses to auction off for the local Hospice here in Belfast and the Americans gave 1000 dollars for the items so after I'd had a drink or two I got up on stage to thank everyone that had bid and to say goodbye



Thats me somewhere up by the podium... Anyway, I sort of got carried away with the banter in the room and the next thing I knew is that I was telling 500 people that I was going to bring a brand new FIAT 500 to the huge Italian Motor show they were having in New York this July!

So I had to buy myself a new 500 just to get me out of an embarrassing social situation that I got myself into while under the influence!

Alan (my other half) nearly killed me for that one....

Jim

Well, Ive been following the 500 since 2004 in Geneva, then when I saw the first ones I didnt like them at all. Then I got a wee bit carried away in here having a pop at Fiats new fat 500 and everyone said go look at some others, so I did and ended up 11k poorer

Good story mate

I at first didnt want one I saw one in the local dealer in black and it just didnt look right it looked like a micra (please dont kill me for this)

I then started to read reviews about the car and got a little more interested came on here and started to get involved in the hype, then i used the online cofig thing and as soon as i could see what the car looked like in other colours i fell in love, ordered it launch night and drove it away on the 1st april 2008 (how silly am i i didnt even test drive one)

But it is so far the best car i have ever had and its my 7th fiat

others being an uno, mark 1 punto, a stilo and 3 gp puntos

I've always loved the original 500 and wanted one - HOWEVER - having Minis (small ones) we could not have another, classic car to maintain. It had to be the 'every day' car.

I have been watching and waiting since launch in Italy last year. I LOVED the look and idea of the new 500 .... I knew our 'every day' car could would have to go. ONLY if I could pursuade the other half!

Tax, petrol and insurance (AND a petrol guage that never worked) got the better of my Alfa 156 Sportwagon AND the other half saw the new 500 pre launch and rang to tell me all about it !!! He liked it .. he put the deposit down for me without even a consultation! Hooray and he we are. Love it!

E505 JPY Good story btw! Funny

for me it was a toss up between the aclass merc uand the 500 that is until I saw it in the metal... then the reaction I got from Miss E, just sheer delight and saw how well you could spec it up, the merc just sorta dropped away from our thoughts...

Keep seeing Micras and thinking they are 500s too, still. Especially some of their pastel colours. AND there are SO MANY on the road. They must be great little cars??!

The Micra is nearly a great car, I had one and it fell short on suspension and build quality. Its a well known fact that the designer took some inspiration from the original 500, I havent mistaken one yet for a 500 though and there are thousands round here, Micras that is!

Thanks for that, interesting. Was the previous shape/smaller Micra trying to look like a Mini?

I do apologise as it is actually ugly when you look at it properly, I just WANT it to be a 500 when I see it. I am halucinating!!

I quite like the styling, especially the front of the earlier ones... theyve ruined em now with a bit in the bumpers. My wife reckons the 500 looks more like the Ka I just reckon it looks like a 500

Well, yes of course you are right.

We walked up to ours in the car park today, looked at it (as you do) from a distance, and thought ... what a funny looking little(ish) thing you are!

Year ago i bought and owned for a couple of years an old 500 back in Italy at the time, really loved, then forced to sell it. Last year i seen in Italy the first 500 around and was impressed how this new small car could still have a market!!! Now I know been to the dealer 2 month ago to buy a new GP for my other half and BANG seen the 500 sat in it and felt in love two weeks carried away dreaming about it and in the end I ordered my baby last month!! Cannot wait fo it to arrive!!!

I know how you feel! I keep staring at mine...the 500 that is

New glasses for the wife

I first saw one on the roof of the old Fiat factory in Turin. It was white, but painted with African art to promote an art exhibition. From that point on I had to have one!

Decided to partly retire the old Subaru Outback (gets out at weekends ) due to high petrol costs. Started looking at secondhand 'something small and economical', came across the new 500, and as I always loved the old ones, fell in love immidiately (to the point of preffering it to my lifelong dream to have Mazda mx5 - sad I know ), went over some options and ordered it. Still in love