Okay, im going to get a biased opinion here (and in the GP forum !) but need some feedback on owners who have had their 500s for a few months now..
..thinking about a used 500 - needs to be a 1.4 Sport as my current Golf TDi is a bit nippy despite its age n mileage and i'm sure a 1.2 would frustrate the hell out of me
OK so i've seen advertised today a 57 plate 500 1.4 Sport, red with white side stripe, 16" sport alloys, red brakes. Looks all the world to be a showrrom launch/demo car. Its up for £9700, so about £2k off list (or the cost of the VAT if you like !)
Now on paper it looks a decent enough buy, and i'm sure there is a deal to be done, but .....
1. what sort of mpg can i get - i have a 25 miles each way commute that a mix of stop start traffic, 60mph dual carriageway and 15 miles of motorway. The Golf gives me 51mpg even with the odd spurt over the speed limit. Would i get 43mpg out of the 500 (to equalise the fuel cost per mile ) ??
2. Mile munching - i will be doing around 18k miles per year, mixed driving as above. Is it comfortable for 3 - 4 hour stints on the motorway ?
3 Rear boot space is none existent - how big an issue is this to people. Preferably i need a split rear seat as one rear chair will have to carry a child booster seat ?
4. How conscious are male owners when driving it - i test drove one months ago and everyone stared at me (it was a baby blue example mind) ?
5. Vandalism - horrible word, but the car dioes stand out in a crowd so what have been poeples experiences to date ?
6. Reliability - i expect there to be niggles as its a Fiat and its a new design, but how many visits/repairs are people experiencing ?
And as for the Grande Puntos - £9k would get me an 08 plate 1.4TJet sporting 5 door, list price £13500. Bigger car, more oomph ?, split rear seats, better handling ??, more comfortable ?? less conspicuous ??
All replies most welcome guys n gals :worship:
..thinking about a used 500 - needs to be a 1.4 Sport as my current Golf TDi is a bit nippy despite its age n mileage and i'm sure a 1.2 would frustrate the hell out of me
OK so i've seen advertised today a 57 plate 500 1.4 Sport, red with white side stripe, 16" sport alloys, red brakes. Looks all the world to be a showrrom launch/demo car. Its up for £9700, so about £2k off list (or the cost of the VAT if you like !)
Now on paper it looks a decent enough buy, and i'm sure there is a deal to be done, but .....
1. what sort of mpg can i get - i have a 25 miles each way commute that a mix of stop start traffic, 60mph dual carriageway and 15 miles of motorway. The Golf gives me 51mpg even with the odd spurt over the speed limit. Would i get 43mpg out of the 500 (to equalise the fuel cost per mile ) ??
2. Mile munching - i will be doing around 18k miles per year, mixed driving as above. Is it comfortable for 3 - 4 hour stints on the motorway ?
3 Rear boot space is none existent - how big an issue is this to people. Preferably i need a split rear seat as one rear chair will have to carry a child booster seat ?
4. How conscious are male owners when driving it - i test drove one months ago and everyone stared at me (it was a baby blue example mind) ?
5. Vandalism - horrible word, but the car dioes stand out in a crowd so what have been poeples experiences to date ?
6. Reliability - i expect there to be niggles as its a Fiat and its a new design, but how many visits/repairs are people experiencing ?
And as for the Grande Puntos - £9k would get me an 08 plate 1.4TJet sporting 5 door, list price £13500. Bigger car, more oomph ?, split rear seats, better handling ??, more comfortable ?? less conspicuous ??
All replies most welcome guys n gals :worship: