Introduction
My Second 500 and love them
Looking for one for my partner, all the ones round here seem overpriced and have so many stone chips the bonnet needs respraying yet still all at top prices. Been looking for weeks now on a budget of 5-6 grand and cant find a decent one anywhere.
Many of the typical 3-4yr old forecourt cars I've seen could easily cost you another £2k in repairs in the first year of ownership, and that's if you get a good one.
Stone chips are common on all secondhand Fiats; solid red seems to be the worst colour to have in this respect.
IMO secondhand 500's are way overpriced; for £5-6k you could get far better value from a different marque or model. An equivalent Panda of similar age and specification may only be half the price for what is functionally a better car; if you shop around and pay cash, £6k will get you close to the entry point for a brand new one with three years warranty.
500 residuals are driven by fashion, not technical merit. Without considerable DIY expertise, I wouldn't want to own one out of warranty, no matter how cheaply I could buy it. Many of the typical 3-4yr old forecourt cars I've seen could easily cost you another £2k in repairs in the first year of ownership, and that's if you get a good one.
Stone chips are common on all secondhand Fiats; solid red seems to be the worst colour to have in this respect.
2 more 500s looked at today lol. Both described as immaculate and well looked after with careful owners. 1st one 12 plate 26000 miles rear quarter panel offside different shade completely ? Owner obviously wore rings as scratched all over door and repeatedly banged drivers door on wall/garage as paint missing on door edge for about 8 inches.
2nd one 12 plate 52000 dent in passenger door and rust on chips on bonnet, dirty seats again both above top money of dealer price. Another wasted 150 miles on the panda.