General Advice on buying a 2013 Fiat 500

[mj2k]

5 owners is a lot for a 2014 car, almost 1 a year! Check the service history carefully - looks like that last receipt was for work done to pass an MOT, so that's no guarantee it's 'partial' service history is any more than 'keep it legal' work, i.e. effectively no service history at all. Dealers can be a bit economical with the truth when they say a car has a service history, e.g. my other half looked at a car with FSH, what it didn't mention was the full service history stopped 5 years before We walked away. Fast.

Mileage isn't bad though and it looks in decent condition, and being a 1.2 it'll be v cheap to tax / insure. Only thing I'd add to @Baglady1990's comment is check under the front wings for rust, behind the spring / shock, near where the brake flexi lines attach (you may need to dig a load of mud out), check for rust bubbles near the corners of the rear wing and check for clunks when you're driving it - not a biggie, but the front suspension top mounts are quite prone to wear and it'll cost a few quid to have them replaced. Oh, and check for any 'check engine' warning lights, and have a look at the colour of the oil. If it's jet black and rather gloopy that's confirmation it's not been properly serviced in the recent past, and if it has sparkly bits in it or looks like mayonnaise close the bonnet, give the dealer a funny look, and walk away.

Edit: BTW full kudos for perseverance

 

[jrkitching]

Also is it a bit pricey? For its age?

I'm seeing some pretty high windscreen prices on used car forecourts just now, driven no doubt by a shortage of cars being traded in, a consequence of the supply situation higher up the food chain.

Personally I don't think they're worth the money; maintenance costs will certainly be unpredictable and there's no guarantee you won't see some pretty hefty bills over the next 2-3 years, and the car's remaining useful life might not be much longer than that. You'd likely run a new one bought on a pcp for a lower total cost over your period of ownership.

It's also a spec that's at the bottom end of the 500 model range; just some vastly overpriced plastic wheel trims (you'll find out if you ever kerb one)and a pastel paint colour. Trade value of that car is about £2500; it'd likely make around £3000 if it were being sold privately. Whichever way you look at it, you'll lose £2000 the minute you drive it off the forecourt. If it develops a serious problem 12 months from now, you'll lose pretty much everything you've paid for it.

I've just looked online and it would seem you can get a brand new 500 pop for a shade over £10000: IMO that makes a near 8yr old car with almost 60k on the clock look poor value at £4695; that's practically half the cost of a new one.

 

[Baglady1990]

I pity the fool who’s selling me my next 500!!
They won’t know what’s hit em!

I’d be there hours and I’d be taking my laptop to run MES

 

[mj2k]

I'm seeing some pretty high windscreen prices on used car forecourts just now, driven no doubt by a shortage of cars being traded in, a consequence of the supply situation higher up the food chain.

Personally I don't think they're worth the money; maintenance costs will certainly be unpredictable and there's no guarantee you won't see some pretty hefty bills over the next 2-3 years, and the car's remaining useful life might not be much longer than that. You'd likely run a new one bought on a pcp for a lower total cost over your period of ownership.

It's also a spec that's at the bottom end of the 500 model range; just some vastly overpriced plastic wheel trims (you'll find out if you ever kerb one)and a pastel paint colour. Trade value of that car is about £2500; it'd likely make around £3000 if it were being sold privately. Whichever way you look at it, you'll lose £2000 the minute you drive it off the forecourt. If it develops a serious problem 12 months from now, you'll lose pretty much everything you've paid for it.

I've just looked online and it would seem you can get a brand new 500 pop for a shade over £10000: IMO that makes a near 8yr old car with almost 60k on the clock look poor value at £4695; that's practically half the cost of a new one.

True, and any which have a Cat N or S marker are likely to have been picked up for a song and looked like this only a few weeks before:
https://www.copart.co.uk/lot/67757431/clean-title-2009-fiat-500-lounge-chester

Which does make a new car seem good value in comparison, esp as you often see Cat N/S 500s going for 3-4k; that's the issue with going for a good looking and sought-after model like the 500. A similar Panda (basically the same car under the skin for the smaller engined models) would be a fraction of the cost of a 2nd hand 500.

Edit: this one's a good price though, other than the iffy-looking front wheels (which would be cheap enough to replace)

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202112200694381