General 2nd Hand 500's

[tombb]

Hi guys,

Just looking for some advice, my girlfriend is looking at getting aa fiat 500 but has only about £8000 to spend so will be looking at second hand ones.

is there any advice at what i should be looking out for, any advice on second hand 500's?

mainly looking at a 1.2 pop with bluetooth ad on or a lounge, as bluetooth is a must really, shes already been caught using her mobile once!!!!

anyway any info would be appreciated.

 

[jnoiles]

Get one with Blue&Me. It's the single best thing I've ever optioned on a car.

 

[tombb]

yeah i have it in my giulietta.think the best we have seen so far is a 59 plate with 19,000 miles on the clock for £6,900.

 

[chas379]

Hi guys,

Just looking for some advice, my girlfriend is looking at getting aa fiat 500 but has only about £8000 to spend so will be looking at second hand ones.

is there any advice at what i should be looking out for, any advice on second hand 500's?

mainly looking at a 1.2 pop with bluetooth ad on or a lounge, as bluetooth is a must really, shes already been caught using her mobile once!!!!

anyway any info would be appreciated.

Looking around my area (West Sussex) £8k will get you a 2010 1.2 pop (on a 10 plate) with 18,000 on the clock

 

[jrkitching]

Hi guys,

Just looking for some advice, my girlfriend is looking at getting aa fiat 500 but has only about £8000 to spend so will be looking at second hand ones.

is there any advice at what i should be looking out for, any advice on second hand 500's?

mainly looking at a 1.2 pop with bluetooth ad on or a lounge, as bluetooth is a must really, shes already been caught using her mobile once!!!!

anyway any info would be appreciated.

This may be controversial, but my advice would be to forget it - IMO secondhand 500's are about the worst value-for-money used cars you'll find on the forecourt. The car's popularity has kept residuals high & in consequence the prices currently being asked for a 2 yr old car are way too close to the cost of buying new - negotiation should get you a new 1.2 pop for about £9k & you'll almost certainly get more than the difference back when you come to sell it on.

Bear in mind that a 2yr old car is almost certain to need new front brakes, tyres, battery & exhaust over the next 3yrs, and it will only take one significant out-of-warranty breakdown to wipe out the whole of the saving you'll make over buying new. It's all too easy to end up with someone else's problem & the gaps in used car warranties leave some very expensive holes to fall into.

If your g/f really can't swing the extra cash, consider buying one of the last of the old model MyLife Pandas - essentially the same car as a 1.2 500 pop, but better equipped (you'll get A/C + alloys as standard) - and available brand new with a 3yr warranty for under £7k OTR .

Used cars make a lot of sense if you're buying a large motorway cruiser which has lost half its value in the first 18 months, but given current residuals, the 500 is IMO one to buy new unless you've an inside track on an unusually good deal.

 

[jnoiles]

In all honesty I wouldn't worry about buying used. They're mostly tough little cars.

- New front brakes and discs are a £200 diy job.
- Batteries are cheap and plentiful. Mine lasted 4 years before it died and even then only because I left the hazards on for a few hours when asked to leave the scene of an exploding van.
- Exhausts are crappy, I'll admit. I had a cat back stainless installed for about £340. A mates 2004 panda 1.2 just passed its mot and the exhaust is still fine. Depends on mileage and therefore usage.
- Tyres are cheap. Toyo T1R's in 195/50 15" are £35

Out of warranty breakdowns aren't the end of the world. Buy one with a full service history and if you're worried buy an AA warranty or the like for it. Honestly, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used one but then I'm in the market for a Series 1 Lotus Elise at the moment so my thoughts on what constitutes reliability might be a tad skewed

 

[blitz7287]

Its totally gonna look like i work for motorpoint due to my post in another thread which i don't btw. But check out their site they've got loads of 500's for very reasonable prices and theres quite a few in your price range.

 

[Spinnerdcc]

Its totally gonna look like i work for motorpoint due to my post in another thread which i don't btw. But check out their site they've got loads of 500's for very reasonable prices and theres quite a few in your price range.

+1 this
9 months ago I paid 8.3k for a 14k mile 60 plate 1.3 multijet sport.

 

[stu0710]

Tachbrook Autopark (Mazda dealers) In Leamington Spa are advertising 61 plate delivery mileage lounges and sports from £8999 to £9499 (via ebay)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2011-FIAT...9203207?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item35baea9807

 

[Super Uwe]

This may be controversial, but my advice would be to forget it - IMO secondhand 500's are about the worst value-for-money used cars you'll find on the forecourt. The car's popularity has kept residuals high & in consequence the prices currently being asked for a 2 yr old car are way too close to the cost of buying new - negotiation should get you a new 1.2 pop for about £9k & you'll almost certainly get more than the difference back when you come to sell it on.

Bear in mind that a 2yr old car is almost certain to need new front brakes, tyres, battery & exhaust over the next 3yrs, and it will only take one significant out-of-warranty breakdown to wipe out the whole of the saving you'll make over buying new. It's all too easy to end up with someone else's problem & the gaps in used car warranties leave some very expensive holes to fall into.

If your g/f really can't swing the extra cash, consider buying one of the last of the old model MyLife Pandas - essentially the same car as a 1.2 500 pop, but better equipped (you'll get A/C + alloys as standard) - and available brand new with a 3yr warranty for under £7k OTR .

Used cars make a lot of sense if you're buying a large motorway cruiser which has lost half its value in the first 18 months, but given current residuals, the 500 is IMO one to buy new unless you've an inside track on an unusually good deal.

With the OP's stated budget I quite agree with you regarding getting a new 500 if poss.

Anything over two years old essentially has no warranty left anyway (as we've seen with so many examples of third year faults not being covered on here).

However I do think there is a decent chance of getting a good deal on a 1.2 Pop (particularly in BNW) as they aren't exactly the rarest of cars

 

[clb1970]

With a budget of £8k wouldn't she be better off putting £3.5k into a new one, getting a PCP/iDeal deal and sticking the rest in the bank to make payments with?

I'm sure a FIAT dealer would do a good deal on a 500 pop or lounge with that sort of deposit and very low APR. Plus you'd get £500 deposit contribution from FIAT making her money go even further.

Just a thought

 

[deeyup]

I turned my nose up to a 7 month old twin air at £9495 and
bought a new twinair plus as it was not a lot different in price for me.

Something you should take into consideration if you have the full cash to buy outright is the current finance deals offered by Fiat.

The ideal pcp can be had with nigh on 0% finance. So put your £10,000 cash
into a high interest account and make £750 or so off it over three years and take the pcp.

If you don't have the cash to buy then the interest rate you will get on finance on the used car will add £1000 to £1500 to your overall cost.

All this should be taken into account.

 

[loveshandbags]

Having past up 2 seperate opportunities of buying a spanking new 1.2 Pop (scrappage scheme in 2010 and with it being extended in 2011) I bought secondhand TWICE on each ocassion.

Key factors for me was wanting more power with a bigger engine (wasn't prepared to pay an extra €2K from new for it) and a better spec with A/C, B&Me, etc. etc (again another €2K). In the UK it's £1,200.

I sold the last 500 for good money (had a little fear that prices were going to 'dive' but they haven't) that had been speced to the eyeballs (FW, CC, Lounge, 16s, A-Bar, etc.) and appreciated the extras over a standard Pop.

If I was after a TwinAir model there's little choice out there (aside from a TA Pop) but with a 1.2 Lounge BNW in plentiful supply it would be hard to pass up on the value in a 2011 Lounge model at 9K as already posted by blitz7287. They might be lacking in the 'right' spec e.g. white ambiance but one could 'live' with that.

Away from the main dealer's forecourt the weak 3rd warranty is having an impact on secondhand prices. As of late in Ireland the 'supply' that was here 1-2 months ago has dried up. UK has a much better choice/supply so if I was the OP I would make the most of it.

 

[tombb]

thnks for all your help.

never been a fan of getting anything on finance, always been the frame of mind of getting what you can afford.

for me its just reliability im a bit worried about, the best price is for a 59 plate at 6900 but not sure if that is a bit too old, does anyone know if there have been many problems with 59 plates or older? its only done 19000 miles so seems pretty decent to me.

 

[jnoiles]

Common list of things that go wrong:

- Wiring to the boot (check the boot handle releases the hatch)
- Breather pipe splits
- Brakes worn
- Leather on steering wheel split
- Hydraulic seals on clutch cylinders go (rare-ish, tends to be early 2008 models)

Check if those are ok and/or ask for proof from the dealer that they've been looked at/replaced where required.

On a personal note, I can tell you that at higher mileage and harder use cycles you can go through:

- Clutch release bearings at 60k annoying because the clutch is fine, its just the bearing, has happened to a few pandas as well
- Front suspension arm bushes at 50k (£268! + fitting)
- Front bearings at 40k but not bad at £35 each + fitting
- Exhaust starts to rot, gets terminal at about 50k (replacements depends what you want to replace it with)
- Top mounts, I've replaced front ones twice at £80 each but you shouldn't need this unless you're really punishing the beast
- Shocks get floppier at about 60k miles, not too expensive at £80 konis or KYBs

 

[deeyup]

thnks for all your help.

never been a fan of getting anything on finance, always been the frame of mind of getting what you can afford.

But you can afford it if you have the money in the bank.

 

[frupi]

I have to say, I don't agree that buying a used 500 can be a poor deal. I know other forum members are aware from my previous posts, but my Wife and I did buy a 6 month old 1.2 POP A/C B&M ex Fiat fleet car (fully traceable and genuine) with only 821 miles on the clock for £7499 cash. Even though the car was technically six months old from first registration, it had only had four months of use from its PDI in early April 2011 by the time we had bought it late August 2011. She's now on almost 5000 miles, first service done at Fiat for £82.73, new car smell still intact! Can't fault it.

Our car has so far given us zero concern in relation to any issues (apart from the crappy windscreen washer barrels!) We paid the 27 quid for the 3rd year warranty, didn't have to pay anything to notify Retainagroup for change of ownership in respect of the number to call in case of theft because the car was previously company owned. Four years Return to Invoice cover cost us £124.

There are some cracking second hand deals to be had out there if you are prepared to search for them and in some cases, travel far to get one. We've personally travelled in excess of 300 miles on two occasions to buy a brand new or nearly new car and in the case of my own car (not the 500), I saved myself £10,000 off the list price.

Personally despite the huge discount I was fortunate to get with my own car (that truly was a 'one off' deal), I'd never buy a brand new car again, the initial depreciation in my view just doesn't make it worth it.

 

[Super Uwe]

thnks for all your help.

never been a fan of getting anything on finance, always been the frame of mind of getting what you can afford.

for me its just reliability im a bit worried about, the best price is for a 59 plate at 6900 but not sure if that is a bit too old, does anyone know if there have been many problems with 59 plates or older? its only done 19000 miles so seems pretty decent to me.

I appreciate where you are coming from, finance is not always something that people want to take up.

However I think what deeyup said is bang on; the way the finance deals are structured means that you can put your cash elsewhere for the next 3 years (apart from paying the monthly amounts as they become due) and still end up better off.

The other good thing is that at the end of the three years your girlfriend will have a few options available to her (maybe she would like another new 500, maybe a different car).

Re the price you quoted here, I agree it's a decent price for a 59 plate. If you are determined to go down the second hand route, I would try and get a 59 plate built in 2010 or a 10 plate - these cars will have Start&Stop as well as the much improved suspension (ours is a 2009 59 plate with the old setup, the overall ride/comfort is much harsher than the newer models).

Hope this helps anyway!

 

[loveshandbags]

Common list of things that go wrong:

That's a useful list of the things that can go wrong. Since the outputs from the petrol engines are modest there are no gearbox issues and the engines have proved to be very reliable.

never been a fan of getting anything on finance, always been the frame of mind of getting what you can afford.

for me its just reliability im a bit worried about, the best price is for a 59 plate at 6900 but not sure if that is a bit too old, does anyone know if there have been many problems with 59 plates or older? its only done 19000 miles so seems pretty decent to me.

Running gear of the 500 is based on the Panda and that's proved to be one of the more reliable small cars around.

For me personally I've never bought any car on finance. My view is that borrowing is for an asset (supposedly like property) and since cars are an expense item it doesn't fall into that category. A finance deal means you are making a commitment for 3 years and I personally would not want that since I 'chop and change'. If one has a business buying new allows one to write the depreciation costs over 8 years up to a value of €24K.

What's skewed the 500 in favour of finance deals is that discounts on the new price are not that easy to come by and 0% deals makes them attractive. I was surprised to see a recent poster getting swayed on TA over a 1.2 on the basis of the finance dealer being cheaper.

Buying a cheaper 500 below your budget could result in more maintenance costs. Since paint is now water based it does not have the same 'wear & tear'. Carefully inspect for paint chips and check the service history for preferably an earlier than scheduled oil change. A brake fluid change would be nice but not a show stopper. If you are in the lower end of the price range buy on condition and spec as opposed to thinking of the money & the year.

 

[jrkitching]

What's skewed the 500 in favour of finance deals is that discounts on the new price are not that easy to come by and 0% deals makes them attractive.

Remember that the cost of providing these low cost finance deals and deposit contributions is already built into the price of the car.

The value of these deals to the customer obviously depends very much on their personal circumstances, and I appreciate that for many folks it could be significant. But for the cash buyer, it just makes the car uncompetitive unless you can negotiate an equivalent discount. At the interest rates currently available to savers, taking the deal and putting your money on deposit doesn't go anywhere near to making up the difference.