I’d stick to what you want! And keep looking
Really think about what you want and need and take your time! For 5k in my humble opinion could get you a great car if you shop around.. don’t be fooled that low mileage means pristine components.. my car was 36k miles when I bought it & I have had to replace a ton of parts including the suspension and all in only 2 years of ownership

Before you part with any cash ask questions.. scrutinise the service history give the engine a good look over … listen to it running for any odd sounds
Ignore the interior unless there’s damage it’s the engine & undercarriage you need to concentrate on

I wouldn’t buy an 8 year old 500. This is the point when you have to start putting your hand in your pocket.

Either find a younger model, or save some of your money to cover the inevitable costs.

Have you considered lease or PCP? I personally think it’s a viable option when buying small cars. You know what your monthly costs are and you get a new car in your desired spec, that’s covered by a warranty.

I haven’t done a PCP with Fiat so cannot advise on how good or bad they are, but I’m sure others on here will be able to share their experiences.

How hard are you looking?
1 minute on ebay and you can find better, like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185075779315
Classified ad, £4k, 500 S, 2016, 36k miles, aircon and all the good bits.

vexorg said:

How hard are you looking?
1 minute on ebay and you can find better, like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185075779315
Classified ad, £4k, 500 S, 2016, 36k miles, aircon and all the good bits.

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The Cat N would put me off.

Curious as to how you end up with a car after the insurance company has written it off. Do they give you the option to keep the car and pay you the difference between the insured value and it’s damaged value?

Troubles with 500c said:

The Cat N would put me off.

Curious as to how you end up with a car after the insurance company has written it off. Do they give you the option to keep the car and pay you the difference between the insured value and it’s damaged value?

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YES, ours was written off by a flying object, insurance settled for a smaller amount we got £1250 for our 10 year old car and keep it, cost £500 to fix, bar the slight colour difference you'd hardly notice its a "write off"

Cat N is just cosmetic normally, where the cost of the repair would be more than the value. Simple things like resprays can run into thousands, compared to a cheap second hand wing or door of the right colour.

Buying back will depend on the insurance company, some say no, same sell it back at a very reduced price.

As long as it's all repaired well then I wouldn't be too put off.

So the key to a bargain is to make sure you can see what has been repaired and by whom.

I presume if you bought the car you’d have to inform your insurer it’s a Cat N as this will be reflected in it’s lower value.

Do they also increase the premiums because it’s Cat N?

By the logic given, the premium should be less since the value is less

vexorg said:

By the logic given, the premium should be less since the value is less

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Actually, with some insurers it sometimes is. But others will surcharge the policy, and a few will refuse cover entirely. The Cat N tag will reduce your options at renewal time.

Cat N cars are worth less (but not worthless); whether they're a bargain or a liability depends on the specifics of the car you're interested in. They're definitely harder both to sell and to trade in, but if you're planning on keeping it until it drops to bits, this is obviously less of an issue.

Knowing when in the car's lifetime it was written off can be useful. On a 10 yr old car, a cracked bumper may be all it takes; on a 2yr old one, there could be quite extensive damage. It may have been stored outside whilst not properly weatherproof, waiting to be assessed; damp may have permeated every electrical component and connection on the car, leading to a never ending future of hard to diagnose failures and glitches |(and we see enough of these on cars that haven't been written off!)

For the canny buyer, there are bargains to be had, but there are also plenty of traps for the unwary. If you're not knowledgeable about cars, my advice would be to steer well clear. There's often a good reason why they're cheap.

If you're going to be that cautious then expect to pay top price for a decent car.

There has been good advise given here. Now,what I’m going to say next will not go down well with the Fiat die hards, personally I would steer well clear of any 500. The car needs to more than cute. You could go to any car forum of any make of car and find problems, but I’ve read/heard so many bad stories about the wee car, even working on them can pose problems. I’m not going to dwell on that.

If you’re still hell bent on a 500, I would be taking some one along with you who knows about these cars. Getting advise off here is one thing,but looking at a car on your own is another thing. Best of luck and all that. The secondhand market at the moment sees higher prices, people are hanging onto to their vehicles longer to see what’s going to happen. Our local paper sees no secondhand cars for sale for sometime now when there used be quite a collection.

jimboy said:

The secondhand market at the moment sees higher prices, people are hanging onto to their vehicles longer to see what’s going to happen.

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My view is that once the supply of new vehicles returns to normal, the value of these overpriced mid life secondhand cars will plummet like a stone.

jimboy said:

personally I would steer well clear of any 500. The car needs to more than cute.

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I'd agree with this. Objectively, used 500's have always been well overpriced, with absolutely no justification beyond fashion.

So if your heart is set on a 500, game the system. Take advantage of the unjustifiably low depreciation by buying new and trading away before the warranty runs out and the repair bills start mounting up.

Or buy a Panda. The drive is the same, they're more practical load carriers, you can carry adults comfortably in the back, and they don't have hatch wiring which self destructs or door handles which come off in your hands.

jrkitching said:

My view is that once the supply of new vehicles returns to normal, the value of these overpriced mid life secondhand cars will plummet like a stone.

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Aye! It has to drop sometime, there vehicles out there that are just not worth the money.

jrkitching said:

Or buy a Panda. The drive is the same, they're more practical load carriers, you can carry adults comfortably in the back, and they don't have hatch wiring which self destructs or door handles which come off in your hands.

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Agreed! Perhaps not so "cute" but much more practical and, in some respects, easier to work on.

vexorg said:

How hard are you looking?
1 minute on ebay and you can find better, like this: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/185075779315
Classified ad, £4k, 500 S, 2016, 36k miles, aircon and all the good bits.

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Sorry OP but I was thinking this. When I was looking around 5k would have been a very good budget. When I was looking at the 500 most seemed to have a very poor MOT history. I bought my nearly mint Panda for less than 2k and its a joy to drive. By the way my last car was cat N and it was superb. Just saying.

The problems the OP faces are the reason why we changed to new or delivery mileage on a PCP about ten years ago. We had an Alfa 147 & we could afford a deposit and a set budget a month, But not a big amount to pay for anything decent outright.

We started with a 500 TwinAir, that was written off, so after that we had four Abarth 500/595s (!) and then a the current Tipo, which we've had for nearly three years.

The Tipo was pre reg, there was negative equity in the last Abarth (we need to quickly change to a bigger car quickly) and after three years we have broken even with the Tipo and have a new 500X Sport 1.3 DDCT on order, for just £35 a month more than the Tipo

There are deals to be had, if you will take what's in stock. You could use a chunk of your budget as a deposit and you could get a new 500 (or Panda) for less than £200 a month.

Essentially, you're paying for the depreciation over time.

The advantages are that there should be no surprises, its under warranty, a service plan for three years is a few hundred quid.

You end up without any real unexpected bills.

You may shout "NO" I don't want new, you loose too much, but its relative and remember that 2nd hand prices are high, its paid over the period of ownership from new and not all at once

After about 3 years, you'll have no negative equity and you can trade for something else, few people go through the whole four years.

Of course, the OP may only have the £3k budget, but you need to have a contingency.

Difficult choice, we made the jump and don't regret it one bit

Having owned and driven 2 500s in only 3 years I have to agree with jimboy
If I could turn the clock back…. I’d swerve the 500 like I’d swerve ted bundy!!!
Cheap parts & lack of accessibility to repair said parts!
I have had many a dilemma with my 2011 but I chose to go forward and learn the hard way!
Every cloud … in turn I have learned how to diagnose & repair myself but if this isn’t an option for yourself a 500 could easily become a money pit quite quickly

If I was to buy one tomorrow knowing what I know now! I’d want a dam good warranty! And I definitely wouldn’t go near an 8 year old one!

Baglady1990 said:

Every cloud … in turn I have learned how to diagnose & repair myself

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Wish I could learn to do that, what with the state the NHS is in just now!

Suggestion
Try and find a nice car at around £3500, spend the other £1500 replacing all the front/rear suspension, recon the brakes front and rear check the condition of the rear axle/beam/replace?
Once those jobs have been done the car should be good for another 6 years as its those parts that fail.
Lots of those jobs can be done by a competent DIY mechanic, if you need to pay a garage you need to shop around to say the least EG, front discs and pads £30, garage £150-200 ?

Pugglt Auld Jock said:

Wish I could learn to do that, what with the state the NHS is in just now!

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Your not wrong!