Buying Advice - 500 vs GP

Okay, im going to get a biased opinion here (and in the GP forum !) but need some feedback on owners who have had their 500s for a few months now..

..thinking about a used 500 - needs to be a 1.4 Sport as my current Golf TDi is a bit nippy despite its age n mileage and i'm sure a 1.2 would frustrate the hell out of me

OK so i've seen advertised today a 57 plate 500 1.4 Sport, red with white side stripe, 16" sport alloys, red brakes. Looks all the world to be a showrrom launch/demo car. Its up for £9700, so about £2k off list (or the cost of the VAT if you like !)

Now on paper it looks a decent enough buy, and i'm sure there is a deal to be done, but .....

1. what sort of mpg can i get - i have a 25 miles each way commute that a mix of stop start traffic, 60mph dual carriageway and 15 miles of motorway. The Golf gives me 51mpg even with the odd spurt over the speed limit. Would i get 43mpg out of the 500 (to equalise the fuel cost per mile ) ??

2. Mile munching - i will be doing around 18k miles per year, mixed driving as above. Is it comfortable for 3 - 4 hour stints on the motorway ?

3 Rear boot space is none existent - how big an issue is this to people. Preferably i need a split rear seat as one rear chair will have to carry a child booster seat ?

4. How conscious are male owners when driving it - i test drove one months ago and everyone stared at me (it was a baby blue example mind) ?

5. Vandalism - horrible word, but the car dioes stand out in a crowd so what have been poeples experiences to date ?

6. Reliability - i expect there to be niggles as its a Fiat and its a new design, but how many visits/repairs are people experiencing ?


And as for the Grande Puntos - £9k would get me an 08 plate 1.4TJet sporting 5 door, list price £13500. Bigger car, more oomph ?, split rear seats, better handling ??, more comfortable ?? less conspicuous ??


All replies most welcome guys n gals

Have you seen the 0% over 3 years AND the 5 year unlimited mileage warranty on the GP at the moment?

answers in CAPS

This is an emotional decision. You have driven it so you know what it's like. Have another drive along your normal roads, then think. The boot isn't so bad but does the Sport come with a split rear seat as standard?
Keep asking yourself what you REALLY want from a car.

Echo Rob's thoughts 100%....

Thanks for the replies so far - you are quick !

Yes i test drove the mjet 500 - i thought it was nippy enough to be honest, but the ride was a bit crashy (i could get used to it though), and the interior space pretty good but the boot poor. I know you can't have it always, but its a 'second car', albeit the one that gets used all the time for weekends away, day trips with the 6year old in the back, school runs, shopping etc.

Yes- i need split rear seats - not sure you can get a childs bike in even with the split seat tho ??

0% finance on new GPs - yes, i'm aware, but i have my eye on a 100 mile 08 plate GPS at £4k off list - never going to get that discount on a new car with 0% finance too ?

I test drove a GP 1.9 Mjet Sporting the same day as the 500 1.3mjet - better ride despite the 17" wheels, but not the same grin factor.

A 500 is an emotional buy for sure - my trouble is putting 18k miles per year on one means it'll have to go after 2 years as the price will plummet once its past 50k miles !


Keep those responses coming !

i would go for the punto mainly for the sake of you'r kid it has more rear leg/headroom a bigger boot and you can get a cycle carrier to fit and as you said its a bit quicker but it won't give the fuel economy of the 500. i have had my 1.2 500 for 1 month now getting 43mpg and below 4000rpm the 1.2 is as fast as the 1.4 my few complaints are. the back end is very bouncy over uneven roads, drivers seat doesn't go low enough for my liking the headroom is fine but i like to sit low, and finally the seatbelts in the front can't be adjusted to stop neck rub. as for it being girly well if you drive like a girl it will look girly just remember its related to a ferrari and you will be fine

Ahahaha!!! RobW, "gay car of the year".. I wish you had told me yesterday on my similar post regarding image it's bad enough what my colleagues call me just because I like rollerblading in hyde park instead of watching football!!!

That said, going out with my gay friends I seem to have easier access to girls so maybe the 500 will be a further ace in my sleeve

I have a 1.4 sport and a nearly three year old son and space wise it's great! I can fit our pushchair plus his bike in the boot and we don't have split rear seats.

I test drove both the 500 and a Grande Punto Sporting and was really quite disappointed in the Punto. I had a Punto GT turbo for ten years and really expected the new GP to be as much fun but it seemed a bit boring and I hated the texture on the dashboard with a passion, that was possibly one of the main reasons I didn't have one I also always knew that if I bought a Punto that every time I saw a 500 I would feel a pang in my heart. I remember the first time I saw one in the flesh, the fleet manager at work had one on test and he drove it round to show me, my heart actually skipped a beat when I saw it, I knew then it was lurve

I do find my 1.4 a bit thirsty, I had an '07 Seat Ibiza 1.9Tdi sport before (lasted a year with it until I realised how much I missed having an Italian car!) and I really notice the difference in the number of times I visit the petrol station! My 500 has 500 miles on the clock and I am getting about 37mpg.

I don't know about vandalism, mine is garaged overnight and we live tucked away in a small village - where will you park it overnight?

Regarding reliability, mine went back to the garage after two weeks ownership as the mileage was flashing, something to do with proxy alignment, they plugged her in and it was sorted in a few minutes. You get problems with any car these days unfortunately but the car seems really solid.

Good luck
Snowball

Hi snowball (*grrr this forum is addictive!), about vandalism - in London you either stop worrying it as it WILL happen, or like me you fork out for underground secure space.

I was just looking at the FIAT accessories space and it said "alarm" for the 500 "working with the key"??? Does the 500 have an immobilizer, and does said "alarm" add the flashing - siren function? Do you know anything about it? Maybe there is a post on this already but couldn't find it...

Oh I can't wait. Most of all I hope to fall in love and stop changing vehicle so frequently...

comes with immobilizer alarm is extra can be fitted later cost about £135 plus fitting and works off the key

Think another batch of test drives is required - its staggering the variation people are geting in mpg, whether it be 500s or GPs. God help some of the GP Tjet drivers if petrol prices rise another 20% !

Welcome to the FF and here are the votes from Melanabb jury:

1. Mine (1.2) is going on 1700miles and averaging 44mpg, though all town
2.Most I've done is 2 hours and I was fine, depends how big is your bum and how broad your shoulders (made by/for Italians, remember)
3. I find it large enough for everyday, but the boot is oddly shaped
4. Can't possibly say
5. No issues whatsoever, but live in tamed expanses of Hampshire (one of the lowest crime rates in the country). Parked in driveway in cul de sac.
6. Had it since April and only had flashing mileage, sorted with proxy alingment.

That concludes the voting from Melanabb

What exactly does "made by/for Italians" mean?

I'm Italian, 6ft tall, blue eyed 54 in chest 32in waist and 17% bodyfat (because in my country gazzling beer is not a national pastime), and do take exceptions to uncalled for stereotyping.

If anything you should be glad that the 500 is more spacious than it appears, so that Europe's FATTEST CITIZENS can fit in it... and no, it isn't the Italians...

It might mean that Italian cars tend to be configured for people who tend to be long in the torso and shorter in the leg? North Europeans often have relatively longer legs.
If this was what was meant it isn't stereotyping, merely a statement of fact.
I remember years ago a friend of mine trying to buy a suit in southern Italy and he couldn't find a pair of trousers long enough.
Body types vary around the world.