General What to get?

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General What to get?

I do hope so, the other two new Fiats I had were fine. Think Im going to go for the 15" sport wheels, read a few reviews and its put me off the 16"s. The 15" multis look a nightmare to clean! So thats a round 10k, exactly what I have to spend:)
 
Not ordered the car yet i am trying to get a good trade in price on the smart as I can't be bothered to advertise it yet, if I can't get the right trade in i will wait until I have time to advertise it so on that video and your comments I will put the ESP on it :D don't know when it will happen but i will sort it out
 
I do hope so, the other two new Fiats I had were fine. Think Im going to go for the 15" sport wheels, read a few reviews and its put me off the 16"s. The 15" multis look a nightmare to clean! So thats a round 10k, exactly what I have to spend:)
You do need to drive it to decide though as reviews are always subjective depending on the sort of ride you like/are used to.

I dislike soft cars to the extent they make me feel unwell. Honestly I would rather drive a Fiat 500 with 16" wheels than a Lexus LS400 having driven both (at least on my commute, maybe a 400 mile motorway run would be different!)

I have an Audi A3 Sportback S-Line running on 18s and I really like the ride, it feels smooth although firm. Yet when I read some reviews about filling loosening and bone jarring I really worried I made the right choice (company car) until I got to drive one. Six months on I still love the ride and body control.

My wife is trading in her 147 2.0TS for the 500. The 147 is softer than the Audi although again some reviews refer to the crashy ride.

So to us the 500 on 16s feels about right. The 500 has a reasonably supple ride which feels quite alive and fun, sure there is plenty of movement but I like that in a car, otherwise it feels divorced from the road.

I have read other reviews which state the grip levels between the 15s and 16s are quite noticeable. Of course it could have been two quite different tyres on each car rather than profile making the difference.

Cheers
Baldrick
 
Thats very helpful... I guess Ill never know exactly what Im getting as no 1.2s available to drive. I like a car to move about a bit... the MR2 Ive just sold had a very comfy ride but was constantly jiggling about, when the new owner tested it I had a passenger ride for the first time and it was awful! My old Panda is very bumpy and jittery and I like that. I loved the ride of the new Panda on 14s btw.
I dont like a lot of grip, I prefer old fashioned levels of roadholding so I think the 500 will appeal:)
To be honest, Im a bit fussy about how clean my cars are and the thought of cleaning either of those multispokes does not appeal... I reckon the 15" sports will be the ones for me.
 
If you can get hold of Metalmate to treat the alloys it basically protects them from brake dust and the like for the life of the car. Very difficult to get hold of however, there are not many outlets and its not available on the open market.
 
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Nuovapanda should i try and sell it on pistonheads it is totally immaculate, only done 7600 miles i really like the look of the 15 inch multispokes more than the others but it's that cleaning problem
 
Nuovapanda should i try and sell it on pistonheads it is totally immaculate, only done 7600 miles i really like the look of the 15 inch multispokes more than the others but it's that cleaning problem

Definately try sell it on Pistonheads or something. The thing about trade ins is you can tell the dealer you want X amount or you will sell it privately and get more but the dealer isn't really that fussed if they get your car as a part ex. So they will only offer what it is worth to them.

They want to sell you a car not buy one off you.
 
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Thanks beast i will, we don't need to change her car as it's superb but it is just over 4 years old now and i was wondering if at that age it's a good time to move it on. If I put it on pistonheads I haven't got a clue how to put a picture on :eek:
 
Dealer called me back this morning as promised:) thats a first for me! He even remembered me from Sunday... got a test drive Saturday morning. He suggested taking the diesel out as it will be a closer match to the 1.2, I just cant afford the extra for any engine upgrade, not for a while anyway.
 
Dealer called me back this morning as promised:) thats a first for me! He even remembered me from Sunday... got a test drive Saturday morning. He suggested taking the diesel out as it will be a closer match to the 1.2, I just cant afford the extra for any engine upgrade, not for a while anyway.

Good that he is doing as he said.
I'm surprised he reckons the diesel will be a closer driving experience to the 1.2. Yes it's closer bhp wise but the 1.4 is much closer in the way the power is delivered looking at RR charts of the 3 engines the 1.2 and 1.4 are almost identical in that if you took the numbers off them all, the only one you could identify with complete certainty is the diesel.
 
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