Morning all!

It’s been a while since I’ve been here but glad to be back! I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get a bit of advice and thoughts on a new car!

After years of a few Puntos and a panda (and an unfortunate couple of 106s in between) I’ve had a Panda Easy for the past three years and, now the uni debt is slightly disappearing, I’ve decided it’s time for a change!

I went into the dealers yesterday to test drive a 500 just to get an idea of size etc and was pleasantly surprised! Compared to the panda, they seem to handle better and seem a bit more responsive. I drove a 500 S and an Abarth. The Abarth is where I’m heading-I couldn’t stop grinning!

The salesmen however clearly weren’t interested and gave me ‘a really good deal’ on a red or black 500 S. I guess it’s target time for them... I’m off to a different dealers on Saturday.

Although I’m fairly set on the 595, it’s quite a change from the Panda and the running costs may be a bit different ;-) I don’t do many miles during the week but tend to do a few hour long journeys at the weekend.

I’d be really interested in your thoughts/any advice on the 500 S and 595. There are a few extras I want (Apple CarPlay, 7” screen) which will have a bearing on price...

Sorry for the ramble and thanks!

Kateee145 said:

Morning all!

It’s been a while since I’ve been here but glad to be back! I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get a bit of advice and thoughts on a new car.

I’d be really interested in your thoughts/any advice on the 500 S and 595. There are a few extras I want (Apple CarPlay, 7” screen) which will have a bearing on price...

Sorry for the ramble and thanks!

Click to expand...

Probably get better answers in a general or 500 section discussion.

Welcome. gar074 and Squadrone Rosso are the two who will know more than me about going from a Panda to an Abarth. I would suspect the 500 S being slimmer than a Panda lengthwise, being nearer the ground with lower suspension and slightly wider tyres leads to a bigger fun factor. And if you have a 2014 1.2 Panda, the current engine might be more linear. Unless you tried the 500 0.9 Twin Air which will feel much faster than it is.

In the meantime, this could be of some use. http://www.pentagon-group.co.uk/offer-results.php?franchise=20&offerCat=new-car

Let us know how you get on with dealer number 2.

Thanks ;-)

Kateee145 said:

Thanks ;-)

Click to expand...

Thanks, I will do! I know they have a game to play but it’s a bit frustrating!

The 595 is a lot of money, not just to buy but high insurance premiums might make it look less attractive in the long run, they do attract a lot of attention, not always the right attention!

Obviously, fuel and other running costs need factoring in.
Servicing, tyres, brakes etc will all be more expensive.

The running costs of a 1.2 500 will be almost the same as a 1.2 Panda, they are nearly identical under the skin.

The ride on our roads isn't great, I test drove an Abarth around London and it was pretty much useless to me as there are so many traffic calming bumps around here.

I didn't reckon I could have put up with more than an hour or so on a long run either.


I've driven a few normal 500 and 500C loaners and hires and I think the 85hp Twinair suits the 500 the best, though it is a marmite engine.

Deal wise, you should be looking for around £2500 - £3000 off list on 500S with a bit of pushing and shoving.

You might find it harder to get anywhere near that off a 595, best I've seen is around £1400.

Thank you Goudrons [emoji4]

Aiming to drive both again on Saturday-there was too much traffic to get about 40mph :-/

Luckily I’ve had some decent insurance quotes for ~£10 more than the panda so that’s not too bad...

With regards to servicing etc I’m happy to pay a bit more if the car is worth it [emoji12]

I'm always intrigued by the Abarths - I love the look of them and they're undoubtedly fun, but Fiats (in my experience) are at their best when they are cheap and cheerful - the Abarth is certainly not cheap! At risk of being banned on the grounds of being a traitor, at that price point there are other, more accomplished offerings....particularly the M*N* C**per S (edited so as not to offend!), that offer an equal on pace, but a more refined and better-built package. Don't get me wrong, I love my Panda, but having had a last-gen Clubman in C**per S guise, there is no comparison. At that price, I'd be wanting more refinement than the Abarth offers. Try before you buy?
The Abarth looks great, though and is certainly the more exclusive option! Just some balance to opinion....

Panda 4x4 TA Antarctica said:

I'm always intrigued by the Abarths - I love the look of them and they're undoubtedly fun, but Fiats (in my experience) are at their best when they are cheap and cheerful - the Abarth is certainly not cheap! At risk of being banned on the grounds of being a traitor, at that price point there are other, more accomplished offerings....particularly the M*N* C**per S (edited so as not to offend!), that offer an equal on pace, but a more refined and better-built package. Don't get me wrong, I love my Panda, but having had a last-gen Clubman in C**per S guise, there is no comparison. At that price, I'd be wanting more refinement than the Abarth offers. Try before you buy?
The Abarth looks great, though and is certainly the more exclusive option! Just some balance to opinion....

Click to expand...

I'm with you on this one. For less money, other than the absolutely awful dash and interior layout, the FieSTa (see what I did there) is also a much better drive than the Abarth. For about the same money, you can get some of the even hotter versions with a proper slippy diff and more power with the warranty intact.

There's also the new Suzuki Swift Sport on it's way, that should be reasonably priced.

The 138hp Boosterjet engine is a peach in the Vitara S, so it should be extremely lively in a 900kg Swift!

Thanks for the other thoughts but I’m firmly in the Fiat camp [emoji12]

With the not -inconsiderable depreciation..
is a pre reg.. or 'nearly new' car a far more sensible option for a well specced Abarth.?

That’s what I’m going for, the dealer has some good deals on and I’m NHS... I know it’s not going to be as great a discount as for the 500 models but I’m going to take my list of requirements vs ‘willing to budge a bit on’ and see what they can do. It was quite nice having the MOT free period with the panda.

I will definitely try and drive the TS 105 too.

Just depends on the available stock I suppose...

They have a pre-reg Turismo in podium blue for £16,800 in the show room apparently-and although not the model I was going for (cost, etc), it may well be cheaper than the base model with extras... I literally have no info on it other than that so can’t really weigh them up as yet.

Finally found my old profile [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

Hi,
If you do ever need any help with insurance then please feel free to drop me a line.
Regards,
Dan.

Thanks Dan. I’ve had a few quotes around £230 which I think are probably as good as I’m likely to get [emoji3]

If you're buying on finance, used and pre reg's cars tend to have higher interest rates.

New models tend to get promoted with lower interest rates.

So your nearly new might work out more expensive than brand new over the length of the term of a finance deal.

Yes, I saw they are advertising a 0.9% interest deal at the moment. The nearly new car finance (according to what I’ve seen on websites) seem a lot more each month even with a hefty deposit!

Today I’m favouring a brand new Trofeo! But still a few days to go... [emoji12]

Also wondering about my current Panda. I was told I would break even with the finance left three weeks ago and now, even though I’ve put 100 miles on and made two payments, it has apparently depreciated by £500! Maybe I should sell privately...

I guess if I have to wait anytime for the new car to arrive they will have to factor that time in as I will need to keep it until I swap them over. Anyone had any experience of this or knows how it works?