General Advice on this used Fiat 500

[Fiatnewyork]

Hi, newbie here!

I'm in the market for a used 2012 Fiat 500 and found a Pop model with only 59,000 miles on it. I took a mechanic with me and he advised it needed the following repairs:

• New Tires
• New Brakes
• New Rotors
• Change the right ball joint

Other than this, everything looks good. It drives well and doesn't have any major dents and scratches.

He's asking $4,500 for it. Given the list of repairs, do you guys think this is a good deal? Should I be concerned that all those changes need to be done?

Thanks!

 

[AndyRKett]

As you’re in the states, you need to consider parts availability, I know a lot of you tubers I follow have been Experiencing problems with getting parts since Fiat announced they where withdrawing from North America.
So if you were to buy the car it could be a while before parts where available to do the repairs. Basically spending all that money then not being able to use the car.

 

[Fiatnewyork]

Yes, I am in the States! That's a great point, definitely something to consider for the future.

The mechanics I've talked to claim they have the parts for these repairs available, at least for the short term need.

 

[jrkitching]

UK Translation: it needs new tyres, front pads & discs, plus one track rod end.

Absolutely normal wear and tear items on any 8yr old car with almost 60,000 miles on the clock; on a Fiat, you'd likely be replacing this lot for the second time now.

In the UK, these parts would be reasonably cheap, with good availability of decent aftermarket alternatives, plus this would be bread and butter work for any halfway competent independent garage, so labour would be cheap also.

In the USA, things may be different. Local repair shops may not want to work on what is, to them, an unfamiliar car, and aftermarket parts may not be so easy to come by either. If you need to rely on OEM Fiat parts, they will likely be both costly and hard to get.

The real question is whether it really makes sense to own an 8yr old Fiat in the USA, since you could expect these sort of repairs on any car with similar age and mileage.

 

[John202020]

A quick check shows parts can be the same price as here depending on if they're the same fitting Eg.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/FIAT-500-F...845615&hash=item3d67e51925:g:~QwAAOSwKWpZdNaJ

As for the ball joint check to see if its the track rod end(steering arm) or lower control arm joint that needs replacing?

 

[Rocco Reviews]

Hi, newbie here!



I'm in the market for a used 2012 Fiat 500 and found a Pop model with only 59,000 miles on it. I took a mechanic with me and he advised it needed the following repairs:

• New Tires
  
• New Brakes
  
• New Rotors
  
• Change the right ball joint
  

Other than this, everything looks good. It drives well and doesn't have any major dents and scratches.



He's asking $4,500 for it. Given the list of repairs, do you guys think this is a good deal? Should I be concerned that all those changes need to be done?



Thanks!

$4500 is a little high, not because of the mileage but because it’s one of the early cars. If it’s manual, or auto make sure it gets the recalls done. It last probably worth 3500-4000$. Try checking KBB for an accurate price value.

 

[Ralf S.]

$4500 is a little high because the owner has let the tyres, brakes and rotors wear out and they've neglected a worn suspension item.. so I'm guessing there's not much thought or care gone into keeping the car roadworthy. You'll be sure to find a few other things that they "forgot" or "didn't notice"... which may be minor or trivial but which you're paying good money to inherit.

Offer $4000 and keep the $500 for TLC.


Ralf S.

 

[varesecrazy]

Post is weeks old now..

Probably dead unless they post again