500 What have I done?

[Bert One]

I'm sure I've made the right decision, a couple of years ago I got all sensible and bought a Skoda, an it's been absolutely fine in a sensible sort of way BUT... I've had a hankering for 500 ever since they were introduced!

My wife was always in opposition saying she doesn't like men in small cars but she was having a look at the new car she had ordered from Arnold Clark in Salford and as we were leaving I wandered over to their huge display of 500s.

Within the blink of an eye the sales guy was all over me again and long story short on Friday I will be the proud owner of a 2011 1.2 Pop in grey (it all happened so fast I'm not even sure which grey ?)

It is a plain vanilla model, no personalisation at all which is OK as I didn't want one with someone else's identity.

Anyway Hi everybody ! I'm suffering a bit from buyer anxiety so help persuade me I've done the right thing and please don't say I should have bought a Twin Air::confused

 

[jrkitching]

The 500 can somehow put a smile on your face in a way that many much more costly cars fail to do.

The 1.2 has more than enough power to enable you to enjoy the drive & is a well established design with a proven track record for longevity and reliability. It also has the lowest total running cost per mile of all the engine options.

Just relax, chill and prepare to enjoy it.

 

[Zxbx16v]

Don't panic , you'll love it their great cars . I take my wife's out whenever I get the chance , as said the 1.2 is a good engine and suits the car .

Mark

 

[The Twins]

I'm sure I've made the right decision, a couple of years ago I got all sensible and bought a Skoda, an it's been absolutely fine in a sensible sort of way BUT... I've had a hankering for 500 ever since they were introduced!

My wife was always in opposition saying she doesn't like men in small cars but she was having a look at the new car she had ordered from Arnold Clark in Salford and as we were leaving I wandered over to their huge display of 500s.

Within the blink of an eye the sales guy was all over me again and long story short on Friday I will be the proud owner of a 2011 1.2 Pop in grey (it all happened so fast I'm not even sure which grey ?)

It is a plain vanilla model, no personalisation at all which is OK as I didn't want one with someone else's identity.

Anyway Hi everybody ! I'm suffering a bit from buyer anxiety so help persuade me I've done the right thing and please don't say I should have bought a Twin Air::confused

Relax... All 500 variants are cool.
The 1.2 Pop is in the spirit of the classic 500. Unpretentious, inexpensive and refreshingly simple.
You can personalise it as much as you want after purchase. This is the great thing about the 500.
Enjoy!

 

[Bert One]

Thanks for the reassurance guys. God, this week is dragging.......

 

[staffordmike]

I saw pictures of the 500 in Auto Express back in 2006 and immediately decided I had to have one. I got mine when the new registrations came out in 2008, not long after they came out, and have loved it ever since. Sure more 500s are driven by women than men but I don't care, I've seen women driving Porsche 911s and Aston Martins.
There is something about the 500 that defies explanation, it is just such a brilliant, endearing little car. Enjoy it!

 

[The Twins]

I saw pictures of the 500 in Auto Express back in 2006 and immediately decided I had to have one. I got mine when the new registrations came out in 2008, not long after they came out, and have loved it ever since. Sure more 500s are driven by women than men but I don't care, I've seen women driving Porsche 911s and Aston Martins.
There is something about the 500 that defies explanation, it is just such a brilliant, endearing little car. Enjoy it!

Perfect summary! Couldn't agree more.

 

[Bert One]

Just confirmed car is prepared and insurance certificate received so all is good for picking it up tomorrow, I can 't wait!

 

[Zxbx16v]

Have fun and don't forget pics are required .

Mark

 

[scout]

Let us know how the first 1000 smiles goes, that will be Sat morning at the latest

 

[Bert One]

Got the grandchildren over from tomorrow, it will be interesting to see how they react - I reckon it will appeal to them.
I'll take some pics when the Mrs is out of the way, I'm on a watch forum and she already thinks I'm nuts when I take photos of my watches!

 

[The Twins]

Lol, I know what you mean. My wife also thinks I'm a bit strange. She'll say "'are you talking to your funny forum friends?"
I'm into watches too. Mostly tool/dive watches.
Looking forward to pics.

 

[The Twins]

What was the new car your wife was buying by the way?

 

[Bert One]

What was the new car your wife was buying by the way?

An Astra 2.0 CDTI.
Yep, I like a nice Diver too (watch that is)

 

[The Twins]

She couldn't be tempted into a 500? ; )

 

[Bert One]

Ha Ha, no way - she doesn't like small cars and the only reason she's going back to an Astra is that we have a tight driveway and she scraped her Insignia on the gate post.
She had an ultra-unreliable 126 long before I knew her and still associates
Fiat with recovery vehicles!
She also thinks she needs a 4 door to ferry the grand kids around, I reckon they are small and flexible enough to get in a 2 door.

 

[JTD_Liam]

I'd be amazed if the 500 goes wrong more than the Astra. Vauxhalls is all I've seen broken down over the last few months - 13 plate Astra on the M60, a previous shape Astra just been dampened down by the fire brigade on the M6, a 12 plate Insignia being attended to by the AA last night, a previous shape Corsa on the back of a recovery truck last night - this is just in the last fortnight. I've only ever seen 2 500's on recovery since 2008 when they were launched.

Vauxhall do use Fiat diesel engines in some cars but generally their cars have gone from decent solid workhorses in the 90's and early 2000s to utterly pointless now. Of the 4 mates with Astra's (2 current shape and 2 previous shape) only one hasn't had bother with them. One's had a new engine after 18 months, another had a new clutch & gearbox in the first 6 months (both current shape) and a mate with the previous shape has had break-downs in his. As has my granddad actually - the alternator on that 57 plate one gave up on the M4 about a month ago.

Fiat have a reputation, but in real life I see far more problems with other makes of car than Fiat. They were actually the most reliable European manufacturer in the latest Warranty Direct survey, beating all the German makes. You'll love the 500, i'm sure.

http://www.reliabilityindex.com/manufacturer

 

[Bert One]

I'm hoping they are both trouble-free, the worst problem we had with a Vauxhall was a problematic roof on a twin-top and to be fair the dealer did sort it.
My last Fiat was an X1/9 (sadly stolen) which was relatively reliable for an 80s car
From the sound of it the 126 was a bit of a Friday afternoon car.

 

[Bert One]

Hee hee hee larious, just driven it back from Salford to Littleborough, it coped with the rigours of rush-hour M60 traffic with ease, didn't feel at all underpowered and compared to the Skoda the handling is a delight, need to watch the speed bumps though!

downsides so far? Well it isn't brand or nearly new and although I got the worst and most noticeable paint defects done there are a few more now that the car is very clean and polished also I'm not sure if there is a spot of binding in the rear brakes or just new car paranoia?

Upsides? I love it! plus the mats that I was promised turned out to be 500 logo'd Fiat items not the usual Arnold Clark tat

Very happy

 

[The Twins]

Yes, 500 will cope with m'way no prob.
What makes you think the brakes are binding?
Glad you are pleased.
You could always go back about other paint defects if it wasn't clean Shen you viewed it.