Off Topic Which car have you owned/driven proved the closest to the Fiat 500 ?

[ahmett]

I think the A2 was way ahead of its time in many respects.

I very much wanted one but it did not come as an auto and my wife only has an auto licence so it was ruled out.

It was really beautiful. I only sold it because it was over 70k miles and i didnt think it would be cheap or easy to look after anymore. One small crash and the insurance would call it a write off! Because of this, they are becoming rarer and rarer. It was still running perfectly when i let it go. The manual box was quite simple and the engine being NA loved to be revved!

 

[ahmett]

Why didn't you tell the wife to learn how to drive a proper car?

Fair point maxi but from what i see manuals are dying away more and more. Any car worth more than 20,000 pounds new is most likely going to be bought auto, and even with the fiat i just bought it with duallogic. Manuals are fun, but not in busy towns.

 

[RobinPJ]

Having once been forced to resort to getting out of the car and push it across the New North Road in London when she stalled turning right into Arlington Avenue during a huge hour long argument (I mean "driving lesson"), I gave in and agreed that perhaps an automatic was the answer.

 

[frupi]

Why didn't you tell the wife to learn how to drive a proper car?

Mmm, I for one have never been able to work out these auto gearbox thingys! I mean, they are supposed to be technically easier to drive - aren't they? Trouble is, any car with an auto box isn't exactly being driven (imho). I can understand people with disabilities driving auto's, and yes, I can sympathise a tiny weeny bit with people who have absolutely zero hand/leg coordination, but I just don't see the point of them for normal driving. Sorry, I think having driven auto box cars, including large luxury marques, even in start/stop traffic in city centres, they still do nothing for me. All this clap trap about them being less tirng to drive - mmm, those that love them, can keep them

 

[ahmett]

Mmm, I for one have never been able to work out these auto gearbox thingys! I mean, they are supposed to be technically easier to drive - aren't they? Trouble is, any car with an auto box isn't exactly being driven (imho). I can understand people with disabilities driving auto's, and yes, I can sympathise a tiny weeny bit with people who have absolutely zero hand/leg coordination, but I just don't see the point of them for normal driving. Sorry, I think having driven auto box cars, including large luxury marques, even in start/stop traffic in city centres, they still do nothing for me. All this clap trap about them being less tirng to drive - mmm, those that love them, can keep them

New autos are fine in reality they are a manual with an electric clutch. Thats what the duallogic is.

 

[frupi]

Fair point maxi but from what i see manuals are dying away more and more. Any car worth more than 20,000 pounds new is most likely going to be bought auto, and even with the fiat i just bought it with duallogic. Manuals are fun, but not in busy towns.

Just for the record, my own car cost well over 25K but I still insisted on a manual box, much more fun to drive!

 

[ahmett]

Just for the record, my own car cost well over 25K but I still insisted on a manual box, much more fun to drive!

If i had a Pagani Zonda F or an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, I would definatly get it manual! A Fiat 500? Auto suits me just fine!

 

[frupi]

If i had a Pagani Zonda F or an Aston Martin V12 Vantage, I would definatly get it manual! A Fiat 500? Auto suits me just fine!

Interesting reading about RUI thinking about a Tesla Roadster, I quite fancy a go in one of those myself, trouble is, I think that is just put your foot down and go in eerie silence! No gearbox as such? What would I do with my spare hand? (keep it clean)

 

[306maxi]

Interesting reading about RUI thinking about a Tesla Roadster, I quite fancy a go in one of those myself, trouble is, I think that is just put your foot down and go in eerie silence! No gearbox as such? What would I do with my spare hand? (keep it clean)

Use it to steer like you should be doing?

 

[306maxi]

Mmm, I for one have never been able to work out these auto gearbox thingys! I mean, they are supposed to be technically easier to drive - aren't they? Trouble is, any car with an auto box isn't exactly being driven (imho). I can understand people with disabilities driving auto's, and yes, I can sympathise a tiny weeny bit with people who have absolutely zero hand/leg coordination, but I just don't see the point of them for normal driving. Sorry, I think having driven auto box cars, including large luxury marques, even in start/stop traffic in city centres, they still do nothing for me. All this clap trap about them being less tirng to drive - mmm, those that love them, can keep them

I think they can suit certain cars. My 504 for instance, well I just wouldn't have had it with a manual. The 3 speed auto suited it just fine. On a 500? I really don't see the point The engine needs to be worked and rewards you for working it and you just can't do that with an auto to the same extent as with a manual.

 

[ahmett]

I think they can suit certain cars. My 504 for instance, well I just wouldn't have had it with a manual. The 3 speed auto suited it just fine. On a 500? I really don't see the point The engine needs to be worked and rewards you for working it and you just can't do that with an auto to the same extent as with a manual.

The duallogic box is not a normal auto it doesnt take away torque. I would prefer the duallogic on the fiat 500 it does just fine and manual mode is literally manual mode it only downshifts if you are going too slow for the gear so that it would stall and doesnt upshift i have bounced off the limiter a few times.
Now if you do burnouts perhaps the manual would be a better option.

 

[306maxi]

The duallogic box is not a normal auto it doesnt take away torque. I would prefer the duallogic on the fiat 500 it does just fine and manual mode is literally manual mode it only downshifts if you are going too slow for the gear so that it would stall and doesnt upshift i have bounced off the limiter a few times.
Now if you do burnouts perhaps the manual would be a better option.

As usual you're using your logic and assuming that everyone is the same.

 

[loveshandbags]

Many thanks for all the contributions to-date. I've listed the cars below...

Fiat 127 Sport
Mini Metro
Panda 100HP
Panda 1.2
Renault 5 GT Turbo
Fiat Uno
'72 Fiat 500
Mini (old one)
Citreon Dyane (for the attention you get !)
Audi A2 1.4 (Aluminum body)

There is another car missing from the list and it has got a mention on the FF a few times...

 

[Mercky]

Ford Ka?? Drove a hired one around the French Alps recently - not very nice and has none of the 500's charm despite the similarities!

 

[frupi]

Ford Ka?? Drove a hired one around the French Alps recently - not very nice and has none of the 500's charm despite the similarities!

Ah, I've had a complete mind fart, the Missus owned a silver KA for nearly four years and I'd completely forgotten about it. Just goes to show how completely unimpressed I was with it! I probably only drove it two dozen times in whole time she had it. Completely unforgettable experience, although I do remember that three weeks after she bought it, the power steering pump on it just blew out and bled all over the road. Now that was a Friday afternoon car, total pile of junk imho. It did have good head room though

 

[loveshandbags]

Ford Ka?? Drove a hired one around the French Alps recently - not very nice and has none of the 500's charm despite the similarities!

IMHO the 'old' Ford Ka should qualify. I kinda liked the simplicity of it despite not having the Zetec engine. There was a demand for one without power steering because it saved 3-4mpg. The similiarities may be in the engine size of 1.3 and the 1.2 of the 500 and possibly the shape.

The car I was thinking of was more up in the power range given my bias of the 100bhp 1.4

 

[Melanabb]

Does it count if you were a passenger? In that case, Zastava Fiat 600... It was like being a chicken chucked about the wooden crate

 

[Nathan126]

Current 500 would be this:




Closest to a classic would be this:

 

[cjc156]

Peugeot 205 Gti 1.6
Alfa Romeo 2.0 GTV
Alfa Romeo 2.0 156
Mercedes Benz C180 Estate
BMW 525 Sport
Mini Cooper S
Ford Fiesta 1.6
Mercedes Benz C200k
Fiat 500 TA

And for me the Gti is almost identical in approach and character to the TA

 

[loveshandbags]

Peugeot 205 Gti 1.6
Alfa Romeo 2.0 GTV
Alfa Romeo 2.0 156
Mercedes Benz C180 Estate
BMW 525 Sport
Mini Cooper S
Ford Fiesta 1.6
Mercedes Benz C200k
Fiat 500 TA

And for me the Gti is almost identical in approach and character to the TA

That was the one I was thinking of.
I never owned one but had a drive from a guy that I knew. I was in the underdog RS CVH Turbo at the time. You had some nice cars and quite a few alfas.