Should I buy a 2012 Fiat 500 sport with 103,000 miles?

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Should I buy a 2012 Fiat 500 sport with 103,000 miles?

SJSdriver

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Hello, I am buying a 2012 fiat 500 Sport and I have my eye on a few different ones!
One that I like(color, transmission, price,etc) has 103,000 miles on it! It has never had problems(sellers word) kept in a garage, looks really well taken care of!
I am just not sure if after 100,000 mile mark, its worth investing!
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
 
Welcome to the forum!
Which engine is in the Sport in the US? Is it the 1.4 16v or the 1.4 MultiAir?
If the former, these are pretty bulletproof engines as long as serviced regularly, so as long as oil changes, etc have been done to schedule or more often then there oughtn't be any major issues.
If the latter, these are still fairly 'new' engines and I don't think you'll find many with that kind of mileage on them so caveat emptor.
Obviously some other mechanical parts ie. suspension could be getting tired depending on where those miles were put on (pot holed country route vs highway).

I've also moved your thread to the 500 section for better responses.
 
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Can't comment re the engine but as above states at that age/mileage "most" of the suspension will require replacing?
We bought a 6 year old car with 60k on here, I've replaced all the front suspension due to failure or corrosion plus brakes rear shocks etc IF you are good at fixing things yourself then costs can be kept down easily and parts (here at least due to demand!) are cheap.
ALL cars suffer the rear hatch wiring failure issue at some point so expect that on older cars ours was 7 when it started it too is not hard to fix but takes time so if paying a garage could be more expensive?
 
This question comes up pretty regularly in one form or another.

There's no 'one size fits all' answer.

Any used car is a risk; that risk obviously increases with both age and mileage. Whether it's a risk worth taking depends on your attitude to risk, the price you're paying, the cost and availability of spare parts in your local area, and whether you have access to a reasonably priced repairer (or can fix things yourself).

For keen DIY types, older high mileage cars can prove very cost-effective, particularly ones where the most commonly needed spare parts are easy to find and cheap. For those who choose to use the franchised dealer network for everything, running an older car will likely cost you more than the payments on a new one.

I'd have thought the relative rarity of the 500 in the US market would make it more difficult and more expensive to fix it if it breaks, and that in itself might be a reason to be more than usually wary in this case.
 
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Hello, I am buying a 2012 fiat 500 Sport and I have my eye on a few different ones!
One that I like(color, transmission, price,etc) has 103,000 miles on it! It has never had problems(sellers word) kept in a garage, looks really well taken care of!
I am just not sure if after 100,000 mile mark, its worth investing!
Any input would be greatly appreciated!
I have one (Fiat 500 Sport, US 2012) and there were a slew of problems with it.
I still drive it -- it's fun to drive and I like it -- it's a great city car -- but it was a pain, especially because the dealer was an hour away and they would not order the parts until they had seen it, so some repairs took 2 trips. That dealer (Kelly) is now out of the Fiat business.

This was the first model year in the US.
I now have about 65k miles on it.
I think the later model years have better repair records.

To list a few:
Stick shift knob cracked immediately
Arm rest broke
Back deck and plastic supports broke
Passenger seat release cable broken
Starter completely failed at one point, car had to be towed to dealer
Horn (still doesn't work properly after being "fixed" under warranty)
Key fob -- some electrical board problem, left me stranded, could not start the car (always keep the second key at home)
Paint in front of sunroof peeled.

Engine has generally been OK
Have gotten an intermittent engine code 301 for cylinder 2 misfire (maybe 3 times since 2012) but that usually goes away after I add a fuel additive and reset it.

If many of these things have not been repaired on the cars you are considering, I would worry a bit -- most of the above problems occurred under warranty.
 
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