I'm new to the 500and am looking to get a car in the next week or 2. Just wanted advice on engine, trim etc. Quite fancy the USB option ,is it reliable? Alloys , and silver are my only preference. I went to a local dealer today just to see if I fit in one as I'm 6ft 2, surprised to find it roomy for such a small car. How is reliability and on the road costs ,tyres etc.
Thanks in advance.

Autotrader is your friend, silver could be an issue, white dominates, general running costs are very good, but expect to replace parts that you would never think would need doing (at such a you age), (£200 for new suspension arms at just over 5 years old) go for one with ac ie lounge

Six months ago I'd have said I'd be mad to do it but I ended up going for a fully repaired Cat D and got the car of my dreams for about 2k less off the book price. It's amazing what spec 500 5k can buy you if you're prepared to look at this sort of car.

Christian said:

Six months ago I'd have said I'd be mad to do it but I ended up going for a fully repaired Cat D and got the car of my dreams for about 2k less off the book price. It's amazing what spec 500 5k can buy you if you're prepared to look at this sort of car.

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I don't see the issue with a categorized write off providing the repairs are carried out to a good standard and are photographed etc... throughout.

Pathaleon said:

I don't see the issue with a categorized write off providing the repairs are carried out to a good standard and are photographed etc... throughout.

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Which is exactly what I do. I have dozens of pictures, before, during and after repair.

There's a cracking repaired white 2014 S on eBayy now for £4995 with a "best offer". I did ask and he said £4,750 was his best price but I think you could probably get it cheaper. It's a Cat D fully repaired. Beautiful car.

We were lucky enough to get ours with red leather, aircon, all the extra plastic trims on the rear panels and chrome mirrors.
Mrs and daughter love it so my life is easier!

This is the one on eBay

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322087050336?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT

It may be worth ringing your insurance company and ask if you buy a cat d car should the worst happen say a few weeks after purchase what would you get back? The original write value or your purchase price it may be fine or you may get a serious shock if they only offer one third of its value?

John202020 said:

It may be worth ringing your insurance company and ask if you buy a cat d car should the worst happen say a few weeks after purchase what would you get back? The original write value or your purchase price it may be fine or you may get a serious shock if they only offer one third of its value?

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I've researched this quite extensively due to the fact that I sell Cat D's.

The general consensus from insurance companies is that it makes no difference to them. As long as the vehicle has a current MoT which was gained after the repair was done, then it's fine. It does not affect the premium in any way. The only reason they want to know is it obviously deflates the value of the car, hence the cheap price.

I just sold one for £4,600 which as an uncrashed equivalent would have been nearer £7K. Huge saving obviously which would be reflected in the pay out from an insurance company should the worst happen.

Having said that, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask the insurance what they would pay out if you crashed it a week later.

here's two just for interest, not sure where you are in the country so maybe a bit far, but don't be afraid of travelling to get the right car, I went 300 miles to get my Mazda

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...lt&search-target=usedcars&model=500&logcode=p

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classif...code=ne304na&search-target=usedcars&logcode=p

I did my insurance online for this, and the question about cat d is not even asked. My wife is an ex underwriter, she said it wouldnt make a difference to the insurance as said by the previous poster and will not be an issue if the car is mot'd. I rang to confirm, and yes, it's true.

If I'd known this years ago this would not be my first cat d car!!! Although I gather cat c may be more complicated....

Once I knew all this after weeks of looking, I instead looked for a cat d and had a car in my possession within 2 days flat as for some reason (!) there seem to be gazillions of cat d fiat 500s everywhere you look. I wonder why that is?? as posted above a much higher spec/newer car can be gotten for much less - there are loads of real gems out there and I didn't even have to travel out of the county.

The only reason I can think of there being so many Cat Ds around is that they are primarily female young inexperienced drivers who buy them. The law of averages says new drivers are more likely to have an accident.

The rise in use of mobile phones while driving maybe, especially among youngsters?

Who knows.

For the record, I won't buy a Cat C again, it was much more difficult to sell it and made a loss too, but it just had to go. The only reason it was a Cat C was due to the 5 airbags and dash I had to replace, but I think Cat C has more of a stigma attached than a Cat D does.

Christian said:

there seem to be gazillions of cat d fiat 500s everywhere you look. I wonder why that is??

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The market for repaired written off cars is very thin; the vast majority of folks won't even consider them and no franchised dealer will touch them.

The reason is FUD - fear, uncertainty and doubt. In reality some are perfectly fine, some are just junk, and most folks (though perhaps not most folks here ) haven't the knowledge or experience to tell the difference. The vast majority of used car buyers simply see it as easier and simpler to just walk away.

I won't add to the FUD by debating the merits of buying repaired Cat D (or even Cat C) cars.

What I will comment on, though, is the absolute hypocrisy of repairing & reselling far more heavily damaged cars without leaving any permanent record in the vehicle history when it's in the commercial interests of an owner or insurer to do so. For those who don't remember it, this thread illustrates why I feel so strongly about this.

I'd like to see a system put in place where all accidents and associated repairs are permanently recorded in the vehicle history. The logicstic problems would be enormous, but we manage to do exactly this for aircraft, so it's by no means impossible. Buyers would then have a much better idea of the true history of a vehicle, and would know which areas might need a more careful inspection before committing to purchase.

jrkitching said:

What I will comment on, though, is the absolute hypocrisy of repairing & reselling far more heavily damaged cars without leaving any permanent record in the vehicle history when it's in the commercial interests of an owner or insurer to do so. For those who don't remember it, this thread illustrates why I feel so strongly about this.

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Crikes, I'd forgotten about that thread. It seemed to have just about everything- dodgy crash repairs, dodgy used car dealer, FIAT [allegedly] playing fast-and-loose with their self-insurance scheme (and getting caught), CAB/trading standards/credit card company/finance house getting involved and the forum pulling together and the OP getting a reasonable settlement.

zanes said:

Crikes, I'd forgotten about that thread. It seemed to have just about everything- dodgy crash repairs, dodgy used car dealer, FIAT [allegedly] playing fast-and-loose with their self-insurance scheme (and getting caught), CAB/trading standards/credit card company/finance house getting involved and the forum pulling together and the OP getting a reasonable settlement.

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IMO one of the forum's finest moments. One story like that makes it all worthwhile .

jrkitching said:

I'd like to see a system put in place where all accidents and associated repairs are permanently recorded in the vehicle history. The logicstic problems would be enormous, but we manage to do exactly this for aircraft, so it's by no means impossible. Buyers would then have a much better idea of the true history of a vehicle, and would know which areas might need a more careful inspection before committing to purchase.

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The US has such a system. However it still won't catch all cars.