ok im still debating on if i should take advantage of the gov scrappage or not for the 500A.

i dont know what to do though.i love the car.but head is takeing over and putting doubts on my mind.

pros- love how it looks
cons - nearest dealer is an hour and away from me research guarage which its not too far but isnt so convienient either.
insurance is on the steep side.
i dont use my punto as much as would like to either.i drive 2 miles to get work and 2 to get back. and i drive around town abit too.hardly ever motorway.so i dont know if its worth it or not for what i need.but heart says to go for it.i must do about 3000 miles a year.

few questions.

1)whats it like to live with? as its a kind of a rare car it worries me.
2)is this car suitable for town driving?as i only do about 3000 miles a year.
3)any views on running costs?
4)any trouble with vandals because it is a distinctiv car?
5)need some views on how comfortable you lot are leaving this parked when you go places.
6)concerned about the running cost and parts when i need to replace things after 3 years. im the sort of chap that for my punto at the mo i like going to local guarages to get things cheaper instead of going to main dealers.and i doubt i can do that with an abarth.

anything else i should consider?much appreciated.heart says go for it..head says...i dont need one and its not a sensible choice that i might regret buying it for what i need it for. please help.please give honest oppinions.i know the car looks great but i need a owners honest oppinion even if theres bad points.

its a car you buy with your heart and your head agrees as it is a modern reliable car

few questions.

1)whats it like to live with? as its a kind of a rare car it worries me.
It'll be like a stiffer and more powerful 500
2)is this car suitable for town driving?as i only do about 3000 miles a year.
Of course it will be. But do you really want to splash all that cash just to drive 3k miles a year? It'd be a shame really IMHO.
3)any views on running costs?
Servicing shouldn't really be any more expensive than for a petrol non turbo 500 really, though Abarth will want more to service it.
4)any trouble with vandals because it is a distinctiv car?
You can get this with any car.
5)need some views on how comfortable you lot are leaving this parked when you go places.
It's got an imobiliser so you'll be fine
6)concerned about the running cost and parts when i need to replace things after 3 years. im the sort of chap that for my punto at the mo i like going to local guarages to get things cheaper instead of going to main dealers.and i doubt i can do that with an abarth.
Of course you can do that with the Abarth. It's just a 500 with an Alfa gearbox, a Grande Punto engine etc etc. Nothing fancy really. Running costs won't be high if you're only doing 3k miles a year

salvo's yellow punto said:

ok im still debating on if i should take advantage of the gov scrappage or not for the 500A.

i dont know what to do though.i love the car.but head is takeing over and putting doubts on my mind.

pros- love how it looks
cons - nearest dealer is an hour and away from me research guarage which its not too far but isnt so convienient either.
insurance is on the steep side.
i dont use my punto as much as would like to either.i drive 2 miles to get work and 2 to get back. and i drive around town abit too.hardly ever motorway.so i dont know if its worth it or not for what i need.but heart says to go for it.i must do about 3000 miles a year.

few questions.

1)whats it like to live with? as its a kind of a rare car it worries me.
2)is this car suitable for town driving?as i only do about 3000 miles a year.
3)any views on running costs?
4)any trouble with vandals because it is a distinctiv car?
5)need some views on how comfortable you lot are leaving this parked when you go places.
6)concerned about the running cost and parts when i need to replace things after 3 years. im the sort of chap that for my punto at the mo i like going to local guarages to get things cheaper instead of going to main dealers.and i doubt i can do that with an abarth.

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It's great to live with It IS ultra rare around my area (Manchester), I've only seen 3 on the roads and they were prob the same car I think it being rare makes it more appealing to me. The looks you get are quite amusing. I've had people stop and take pics on there mobiles

I was at first quite worried about leaving it 'rougher' areas but it has been O.K. up to now (touch wood). I get the odd kid say "nice car" as you park it in places and it sometimes worries me to think they'll be ripping the badges off it! But if it happens, it happens.

Si

But you MUST take it out now and again for a long run, as you should with any car. Surely that couldn't be too much of a hardship?

ow yer thats a good point..how much is the servicing for 1st 3 years?.

im about an hour from research garage, and also only do about 3000-4000 miles per year...but id still say go for it. you dont have to do a high mileage to enjoy the car. fuel economy is of course crap if you're doing mostly urban runs (i get around 30mpg, sometimes a bit less) - but again, it is in any car compared to cruising speeds (where 40+ is easily achievable)

the only time you would HAVE to use Research dealer is for warranty claims - servicing you can do elsewhere cheaper, as maxi has mentioned.

i was worried about vandalism as well - but it seems to be one of those cars that attracts curious interest rather than malicious intent. ive had groups of what some would call 'yobs' surrounding the car occasionally, but i guess it doesnt look aggressive enough for them to want to kick it in - fortunately! you need to be more worried about doing damage yourself, namely to the wheels which have protruding rims and are extremely easy to kerb.

i think you'd regret it more if you didnt buy one than if you did! i didnt need one in my situation, and my mileage doesnt 'justify' it as some would say, but i love it and havent regretted the purchase for one moment.

its a very rare vehicle, and its just nice to be driving something different on the roads to a mini or a ford

salvo's yellow punto said:

ow yer thats a good point..how much is the servicing for 1st 3 years?.

Click to expand...

i dont know, but i would guess if you were to go the abarth dealer route you wouldnt get much change (if any) from a grand over the three years, for not a lot more work than a regular 500

I'm similar to you, i do very few miles per year, although a bit more than 3,000
My main drive is 0.4 miles to the train station and on a weekend I only tend to drive a mile into Solihull and back.:yum:
But I wouldn't swap my Abarth 500 for the world. At the end of the day it's a really nice car to drive, it's nice owning a rare car, and as long as I'm happy paying hundreds of pounds a month to pose then it's fullfilling a purpose.

With regards to some of your questions, I absolutely s**t myself whenever I leave it anywhere, but that's a new car thing. You'll see more Porsche's and Audi TT's and loads of other cars which are quicker, worth more, and more luxurious in your average car park and if you were going o go through the ffort of nicking someone's modern car, you'd definately make it more worth your while. Well, that's my view anyway. And as said above, any car can be vandalised, anywhere and at any time...it's just bad luck...

I've only done 350 miles in the month since i got mine and I'm averaging around 25mpg, but thats been all short journeys.

It's definately worth it IMO, so you should take the plunge

i love my a500
we went to buy a normal fiat
but by time we speced it to how we wanted it
the abarth worked out as cheap

our nearest abarth dealer is 120 miles away
but there is a lot of goot independant garages aroud
that charge half the price of abarth

if you are scared to leave it anywhere buy a old car

at the end of the day its a car that turns heads
young and old

so if you want one buy one
its not up to us to tell you what to buy

the car will be yours for as long as you keep it
you have to live with it day in day out

and i love mine
and we have 2 kids that sit in the back and have enough room to fight all the bloody time


:slayer::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::slayer:

tutlev1 said:

i love my a500
we went to buy a normal fiat
but by time we speced it to how we wanted it
the abarth worked out as cheap

our nearest abarth dealer is 120 miles away
but there is a lot of goot independant garages aroud
that charge half the price of abarth

if you are scared to leave it anywhere buy a old car

at the end of the day its a car that turns heads
young and old

so if you want one buy one
its not up to us to tell you what to buy

the car will be yours for as long as you keep it
you have to live with it day in day out

and i love mine
and we have 2 kids that sit in the back and have enough room to fight all the bloody time


:slayer::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::devil::slayer:

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I love poetry!

There once was a man from Nantucket...

nottsfiat07 said:

I love poetry!

There once was a man from Nantucket...

Click to expand...

Isn't that more of a rude limerick?

glad im not the only one that thought that post was either a song or a poem when i first saw it!

lol sorry i was so tired
i could not think stright
but i had to reply to the question lol

i feel so stupid now

tutlev1 said:

lol sorry i was so tired
i could not think stright
but i had to reply to the question lol

i feel so stupid now

Click to expand...

No one is trying to make you feel stupid! Just the way your post was structured was funny!

Now this is stupid...

I love my 500
Its nippy, not fast,
In a race with a Porche
I'm sure I'd come last!

But driving it daily
Is such a great laugh
It could only be better
If it was an Abarth!

Well, I had a 1.2 Sport. Lovely car and economical. Sadly the economy went out the window as you have to thrash cars like that to get them up hills in Wales.
I now have an A500.
When I had the Sport, I insured it for 5000 miles a year. I did 6,000 in that year.
I have insured the Abarth for 10,000. Fed up with constraints.
The Abarth isn't much fun to drive over pot holes and speed bumps and it's economy mode will really irritate you. Sport mode is an absolute blast but not even slightly economical.
People do come flying up behind you to try and catch a glimpse of the badging. That spurs some on to drive like a maniac in the hope you're up for a race while others back off in awe/appreciation.
Had no problems from vandals, thieves or hassle from Police.
Ultimately, from what you outlined in your post, I would say this isn't the car for you unless you want to start enjoying the open roads again.

Fred Mumford said:

Well, I had a 1.2 Sport. Lovely car and economical. Sadly the economy went out the window as you have to thrash cars like that to get them up hills in Wales.
I now have an A500.
When I had the Sport, I insured it for 5000 miles a year. I did 6,000 in that year.
I have insured the Abarth for 10,000. Fed up with constraints.
The Abarth isn't much fun to drive over pot holes and speed bumps and it's economy mode will really irritate you. Sport mode is an absolute blast but not even slightly economical.
People do come flying up behind you to try and catch a glimpse of the badging. That spurs some on to drive like a maniac in the hope you're up for a race while others back off in awe/appreciation.
Had no problems from vandals, thieves or hassle from Police.
Ultimately, from what you outlined in your post, I would say this isn't the car for you unless you want to start enjoying the open roads again.

Click to expand...

the abarth is every bit as enjoyable nipping around town. i occasionally take it out for longer drives, but certainly dont feel im missing out on anything by not racking up massive mileage outside town

The Abarth may be quite expensive to buy considering it's a small cheaply produced car, but you should get most of it back due to it's exclusivity, desirability, it's multiple appearances on Top Gear, and a featured car in some new racing games. All of which make it turn heads too! But it's not an expensive car to own or run really. Tax is £145 iirc which is good for a quick car, insurance shouldn't be too bad either, age/driving record depending. As for fuel, it's as economical as you want it to be, i can fill up once a day some weeks, and other weeks a full tank will last me 3 weeks. Servicing may be dear at an Abarth dealer, but it can be serviced at any VAT registered garage however local, without jeopardizing warranty etc.

But none of this matters once you own and drive one, it's so fun, the way it drives, and looks and gets looks! It looks like a fast car from the outside, it looks like a Ferrari on the inside, it feels quick to drive and the sound is great too (especially the backfires mmmmmm) It appeals to a lot of people both young and old, but it's one of those cars that gets respected, rather than people getting jealous and wanting to damage it imo (maybe because it's still a small car) It loves it in town (just don't attempt a turn in the road!) but it loves the open road even more!

I had the same dilema about 3 month ago.
and I ordered the A500.
I got it now and I am happy.
its a good move
my plan is up to 2000 miles a year.
200 so far.MDQ

can somebody confirm how much the servicing is please? thanks again