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General Is the 500 still competitive?
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General Is the 500 still competitive?
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AGH1965
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If you find these things important, then I don't understand why you drive a 500. Buy an ugly car that drives well and stop complaining!
ahmett
Prominent member
i bought my car 5 years ago!!! I don't have a problem what i mean was i'd be stupid to buy it again 5 years later with no improvements. but you are right if you want to accept rubbish and not fight for improvements, then let fiat not change anything. That will not work in the long term though and I am sure there are quite a few people who will never buy Fiat's again after dealing with issues such as the 1.2 engine mess and the lack of help they had.
I like my car, but I doubt I would buy Fiat again.
No it isn't, it's a five year old Fiat 500.
I would buy a new 500TA straight away if I could convince Mrs Mick F.
I don't know why she's objecting! I think they are great.
Regards,
Mick.
ahmett
Prominent member
What's the difference between mine and a brand new one then? Other than the ta engine of course
It's five years down the line.
It isn't the same as a brand new car.
We bought ours just after her first MOT and just after she went out of warranty.
Low mileage, very clean, immaculate inside and out, 13,800miles. Very happy indeed, but she wasn't brand new ............ and that makes a BIG difference.
We've had four brand new cars over the last thirty-odd years, and I can tell you that owning a brand new car is wonderful.
Regards,
Mick.
It isn't the same as a brand new car.
We bought ours just after her first MOT and just after she went out of warranty.
Low mileage, very clean, immaculate inside and out, 13,800miles. Very happy indeed, but she wasn't brand new ............ and that makes a BIG difference.
We've had four brand new cars over the last thirty-odd years, and I can tell you that owning a brand new car is wonderful.
Regards,
Mick.
It might seem strange to some, but I have my own little rule of thumb for what is brand new and what is not. Clearly, something that has just rolled off the production line, is brand new, no quibble there. The problem arises when weeks and then months pass, then the item is no longer 'brand new'.
Our own TA for instance, was sold as a pre-reg 'brand new' car, but clearly, at already 14 months of age from build date, to suggest the car was 'brand new' is utterly ridiculous, it's a 14 month old car from build and that is that!
Apart from the obvious and immediate outer skin looks, i.e. very little has changed cosmetically, you would hope that 5 years down the line from production, there would at least be some upgraded components in newer cars that went into early production models. It's the stuff you can't see that people forget about. You could argue though in the case of the 500, boot micro switches have seemingly failed time after time and here in 2015, it appears it's still happening for some, so I guess not everything is revised lol!
Our own TA for instance, was sold as a pre-reg 'brand new' car, but clearly, at already 14 months of age from build date, to suggest the car was 'brand new' is utterly ridiculous, it's a 14 month old car from build and that is that!
Apart from the obvious and immediate outer skin looks, i.e. very little has changed cosmetically, you would hope that 5 years down the line from production, there would at least be some upgraded components in newer cars that went into early production models. It's the stuff you can't see that people forget about. You could argue though in the case of the 500, boot micro switches have seemingly failed time after time and here in 2015, it appears it's still happening for some, so I guess not everything is revised lol!
AGH1965
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Well, I bought my first 500 four years ago and my second three and a half years later. Both cars have more or less the same shortcomings. So, you think I'm stupid?
Uh, I bought a 1.2 Lounge in 2010 and just ordered a .9 Lounge.
After seeing a spy shot of the next generation 500 with the Uconnect unit.The bumpy suspension I can live with.
At this stage I think I'd wait until the updated car is revealed, at least just to see what improvements are included. Spy shots to date may not be representative of final production model. I guess there may be good deals to be had though on the current model when the new one is launched
ahmett
Prominent member
i mean if you bought it with the leasing option on the monthly payments then obviously no.
i am a cash buyer so it would be stupid for me to change my fiat 500 for exactly the same one and lose a lot of cash on depreciation.
and i would not spend 17,000 euros on a fiat 500 in 2015, thats for sure, in 2010 it was obviously a better car as 5 years ago technology was not so advanced in cars as now (dual clutch gearboxes more available, more sophisticated hybrid/start stop systems, better diesel engines, etc)
let's be honest, the start stop system in the fiat is a joke = )
Lol! I couldn't agree more. The Peugeot van I drive regularly, the S/S system is absolutely flawless, works all the time, every time, unlike our TA S/S system!
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If you want hybrid and a different automatic, may I point you in the direction of a Toyota Yaris, lol!
You keep going on about technology, etc: I own a 2008 Grande Punto, and when the sad time comes to trade it in, I intend to buy the facelift version. I'm well aware that it will mostly be the same car, and I'm happy with that: tbh, I would buy a newer Punto even if they hadn't facelifted it, because I love my car the way it is. I would imagine many 500 owners are the same.
I guess you haven't driven a good one then. I'd take a petrol turbo over a normally aspirated petrol or turbo diesel any day.
Completely agree I've been driving petrol turbos for the past three years (Audi and now BMW). Their low rev torque gives great driveability and economy in town, yet there's impressive response when being driven spiritedly.
Going back to the original point, and raised above, I don't think the 500 has ever been competitive as an A to B vehicle. Fiat themselves have always had more practical offerings in the Panda and Punto. Yes the ride is bouncy (mine has the older and worse rear set up) and the stereo isn't great but the 500 sells well in the same way that the cramped and overpriced Mini seems to.
I don't think I've ever seen a diesel 500 and less than a handful of dualogics so don't think that's where change is needed, at least as long as the retro image appeal remains. I thought the Twingo might be competition but it left me a bit non-plussed as have the new Toyota Aygo and VW Up. Unlike the 500, none of these are common sights around where I live.
Where Fiat aren't competitive is their ability or desire to sort out the niggles of faulty door handles, boot switches, poor quality suspension components and p**s poor customer services.
Yes. The 1750 motor in my Giulietta shows how a petrol turbo can be economical, smooth, and a whole load more powerful (237bhp from a 1.8!) than a diesel engine of similar weight and size.
Yep.
Ah, Aygo, so that's what it's called - I said iQ before but that's Smart-car small. Never seen an Aygo here. People generally choose bigger cars for the money.
YES!
If FIAT could win at quality, they could win over the U.S. market. And that would make other 'competitiveness' null and void. Quality here is defined as 'meeting or exceeding customer expectations". It's perfectly possible for a small, cheap car to do that (I suspect that buyers of second-hand 500s have a better-quality experience than buyers of new 500s have).
-Alex
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ahmett
Prominent member
relax alex honda 15(!) years ago got 250 hp from a Nautrally Aspirated 2.0 in the S2000! haha
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I do think fiat have now well and truly overpriced the 500.
I bought mine early 2008, It was basically the first one in at the dealers and cost me £7500 cash.
At this time I considered it great value for money.
Do I at the current price --- No, and certainly wouldn't buy new now. There are better cars out there now for the money. and when you consider under the skin the Panda is the same car for far less money it shows how over priced it actually is.
I do however love my car to bits and having been my daily hack for the best part of 5 years with no significant issues, have retired it to the garage where I have treated it to a custom made stainless exhaust system and new alloys. Its pampered and polished and comes out to play at the weekends when the weathers nice
I suspect it'll be part of the family long after Fiat stop making them.
I bought mine early 2008, It was basically the first one in at the dealers and cost me £7500 cash.
At this time I considered it great value for money.
Do I at the current price --- No, and certainly wouldn't buy new now. There are better cars out there now for the money. and when you consider under the skin the Panda is the same car for far less money it shows how over priced it actually is.
I do however love my car to bits and having been my daily hack for the best part of 5 years with no significant issues, have retired it to the garage where I have treated it to a custom made stainless exhaust system and new alloys. Its pampered and polished and comes out to play at the weekends when the weathers nice
I suspect it'll be part of the family long after Fiat stop making them.
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By the way if you think the 1.2 500 is underpowered it's not nearly as bad as the 1.2 5 door Corsa I test drove the other day, I was expecting a lot more from the 16 valve engine but it was hopeless. It wasn't a new one either- 61 plate so well run in.
Why would you be test driving a 1.2 Corsa? The 1.4 90 was bad enough for performance and the 1.3 cdti 93ps S although a decent performer is so dreary and dull I don't know why people buy them. Would rather a 500 1.2!!!
