Hi there,

I'm Neil, just joined the forum, and have fallen in love with the new 500.

I was looking at one last weekend and was going to book a test drive for this weekend. I wondered just how reliable the new Fiat models are before I dive in and get one. I've never owned a Fiat before, and am looking for something a bit more economical for getting to work and back than my current car.

This will be a second car, and I'll be doing roughly 100 miles per week. I had my eye on the 1.4 Sport if this helps.

Any tips or issues with the new Fiat models would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Neil.

Hello and welcome, to be honest all Fiats old and new arent as bad as people would have you believe... too early to say how the 500 will perform but its based on the most reliable small car in its class, the new Panda.
Hope that helps

4hero said:

Hi there,

I'm Neil, just joined the forum, and have fallen in love with the new 500.

I was looking at one last weekend and was going to book a test drive for this weekend. I wondered just how reliable the new Fiat models are before I dive in and get one. I've never owned a Fiat before, and am looking for something a bit more economical for getting to work and back than my current car.

This will be a second car, and I'll be doing roughly 100 miles per week. I had my eye on the 1.4 Sport if this helps.

Any tips or issues with the new Fiat models would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Neil.

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Hi Neil n welcome

nowt wrong in wanting a new 500 . The only thing I would suggest is try ALL the motors before ordering.I Would say that the weakest motor in the line up is the 1.4. The 1.2 & 1.3mjt have both won rave reviews and only cost £35 per year for road tax as well as being very frugal. So book a few test drives & see for yourself.....you won't be disapointed :wave:

Let us know how you get on

Yoshi :spin:

Ps we own a 54 plate panda and has been totally reliable with no probs what so ever......unlike my sister in laws VW polo

Thanks for the replies and welcomes guys!

Yoshi. you make a good point about the 1.4. Thinking about it do I really need the 1.4? After all, the car is only for going to work and back (stuck in traffic mainly). I am really looking for something which is cheap to run, good on fuel, and fun to drive. The £35 car tax* is great, compared to £450 which I'm currently paying (and still will be I suppose)...

* did anyone notice the ad's on tv saying "if you don't pay your car tax..."? Since when did it become Car Tax and not Road Tax? I can see the money is not spent on our roads, there are nothing but pot-holes around my area :bang:

Thanks,

Neil.

Hi Neil,

I had the same reservations about buying a FIAT.

I did a little reasearch & it would appear that they are no where near as bad as they are made out to be.

The 500 is based on FIAT osr reliable car to date, the Panda, & being a newer model than the Panda one would hope the 500 is even better.

I have covered 2500miles in my 500 so far & love it, all I can suggest is to go & try one & make your choice then.

I have a 1.2 & get at least 50mpg from every tank now she is loosening up a little.

Hi Neil

Welcome to the 500 owners gang. The more the merrier!

I can vouch for the comments made from other people. 1.3 and 1.2 are best matched to your requirements. The clincher is the £35 road tax expecially in the light of the mileage you do, on top of excellent fuel economy.

BTW mine is a Sport 1.2 due for delivery any time in the next 3 - 5 weeks.

Good luck

Just for the record, road tax rates from next year will be only 20 quid for 1.3 MJT, 30 for 1.2 and 120 for 1.4.

Cliff

cliff dykes said:

Just for the record, road tax rates from next year will be only 20 quid for 1.3 MJT, 30 for 1.2 and 120 for 1.4.

Cliff

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Thanks for that I didnt quite believe it but its true :slayer:. Good news for us diesel owners !

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/EDITORIAL/car_page_content/41183.html

If you are a business user the wee snippet at the bottom of this year's budget means only 13% BIK for an mjet.

Yipee

Cheers

D

Thanks a lot for all the advice guys, the 1.3 sounds better and better all the time!

What is it that gives Fiat the "First in any Trouble" reputation?

I think they have always made great engines but have let themselves down with the ancillaries, In our 13 years with a Cinq it's been things like the clutch cable breaking, clicking speedo cable, headlight adjusters falling apart and the impossible to refit without pliers locking fuel cap that have at times done this for us.

Most of the problems I have found have been in parts connected to the adaptation to Right Hand Drive.

I recently pored over a 500 following a test drive at these sort of things and was pleasantly surprised to find the build quality has now improved considerably. They have put a lot more thought and effort into the 500, guess they had to in order to save the company.

Hi Neil,
Go to Arnold Clark Fiat Grangemouth and speak to Scot Longwright he's right into the 500 and was great to deal with. On the downside however I've only had mine for 3 days and 200 miles and it's been in the dealers waiting for a new ECU since. In the 3 days I had it I was ver impressed however, it's a 1.2 auto sport

Its good to hear Fiats arnt as bad as people say.

I was talking to a local fiat speciaist who asked what engine the Stilo is we bought, when we said 1.6 i think he said something like "oh no, possibly the worst" which wasnt very confidence inspiring!

They also said they do 5 headgaskets a week, mainly on 1.2 puntos.

Which put me off a little.

Has the 1.3 diesel 500 had headgasket problems? I asked this at a dealer and they said not that they know of

Although the good thing is it will have a 3 year warranty

Wouldnt put me off buying a 500

roadster1_98 said:

Hi Neil,
Go to Arnold Clark Fiat Grangemouth and speak to Scot Longwright he's right into the 500 and was great to deal with. On the downside however I've only had mine for 3 days and 200 miles and it's been in the dealers waiting for a new ECU since. In the 3 days I had it I was ver impressed however, it's a 1.2 auto sport

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To be fair you are 1 of the very 1st customers to have a "auto" 500. And the problems with the "auto" ECU seems to be well documented with other fiat models. Might I suggest a call to fiat direct as I'm sure they'll try to help sort your issues.

I think bar the head gasket recall 99.9% of the people on here and on the "other" site are delighted with there standard transmission 500's, With very few major faults reported.

As I have already said our 54 plate panda has been totally reliable unlike the in laws same age VW polo (been into the dealer at least 4 times).

I don't think we can "muddy" all the good work the 500 is doing to the reputation of fiat just yet

Yoshi

4hero said:

Thanks for the replies and welcomes guys!

Yoshi. you make a good point about the 1.4. Thinking about it do I really need the 1.4? After all, the car is only for going to work and back (stuck in traffic mainly). I am really looking for something which is cheap to run, good on fuel, and fun to drive. The £35 car tax* is great, compared to £450 which I'm currently paying (and still will be I suppose)...

Click to expand...

The confusing thing with the 1.4 Sport is that it is the 1.4 engine that in any trim Pop, Lounge or Sport gets the stiffer springs, discs all round and "Sport" button to make the steering heavier and modify the throttle response. The Sport is simply a trim level. The 1.4 also gets ESP as standard (an option on the smaller engines). Most people think the Sport is a sportier drive but all the 1.4s share these features.

The 1.4 is a louder (more rorty) engine and produce its power far higher than the 1.2 (and obviously the 1.3 diesel) so it gives the sensation of being a more sportier variant if you enjoy working the engine. Read the reviews of the 1.4s and you will find the drivers are enjoying pushing these cars along the B roads. Of course if it is just for around the City the low down torque of the diesel and to a degree the 1.2 will make for a relaxing and more economical drive plus the springs are softer (possibly too soft for some).

It depends on your driving style and where you will be driving.

Cheers
Baldrick