General 2011 500 twinair… WOW

[Jproll]

How good are these little cars! I bought a 500 0.9l twinair 2011 model as a 2nd car (1st is a 2.0l Kuga) to use as a drive to work car as I work shifts and my wife still has use of a car. We went out to buy a KA, but they were all awful, and spotted the 500 on the forecourt (in baby blue with the white sporty strips on the sides) and instantly fell for it. Offered less for cash and got it, it has continued to surprise me, it’s quick and nippy around town which is great but a few days ago I travelled on the M1 for 80 miles (with my dog as the only other passenger) and omg what another surprise! At 70mph I was still able to put my foot down and go, In order to overtake I’ll add. What a car, granted i had pressed the eco button so it was off (which felt like I’d pressed a sport mode button on) so impressed I could power along with the big boys in the fast lane like I would in the Kuga… but wow what a great little car (a bit like my miniature dachshund, might be small but has a big bark). I just wanted to share that I’m sold for life, it has a couple of issues (right DRL doesn’t work, think the wires have corroded) another issue identified is the exhaust blows due to someone welding the wrong size aftermarket exhaust hose on so one of the joints has a gap, my mechanic says it will pass mot but it’s the wrong size and the gap won’t stay filled.

 

[AndyRKett]

Welcome to the forum.

And congratulations on your new purchase, I know you said you intended to buy a KA but I have to wonder, did you know the 500 and the KA of this era are actually the same car under the skin? you just could not get the Twinair engine in the KA. They were all built on the same production line in Poland along with the Lancia Ypsilon which also used the same platform, Basically the second generation KA was a Fiat with a ford badge.

Basically you bought the best KA.

Worth noting that for such a little engine the Twinair is well renouned for being a bit thirsty, just to be aware.

Door handles and wiring to the boot are also common failure points, not a lot you can do to prevent failures in those areas but just to be warned.

 

[Jproll]

Welcome to the forum.

And congratulations on your new purchase, I know you said you intended to buy a KA but I have to wonder, did you know the 500 and the KA of this era are actually the same car under the skin? you just could not get the Twinair engine in the KA. They were all built on the same production line in Poland along with the Lancia Ypsilon which also used the same platform, Basically the second generation KA was a Fiat with a ford badge.

Basically you bought the best KA.

Worth noting that for such a little engine the Twinair is well renouned for being a bit thirsty, just to be aware.

Door handles and wiring to the boot are also common failure points, not a lot you can do to prevent failures in those areas but just to be warned.

Thank you, I did learn about KA afterwards, the ones I looked at, with the budget I had were not well kept, and sounded horrible when started. I tend to keep the 500 in eco mode most of the time, just knocking off when I need that bit extra on faster higher speed roads. Every time I switch from the diesel Kuga to the 500 I have to remember the gear ratio differences and you can end up staying in a low gear for a long time. Still learning!
Thank you for the warm welcome, luckily no other issues besides the ones I highlighted, but I am sure to post on here should I need any guidance on anything else that crops up.