A friend has just swapped her 2013 500 1.2 for a 2019 Aygo due to gearbox and clutch issues all in one year. Unfortunately they have a garage that they’ve ‘always used’ and, the first time it went in they said ‘what have you bought that Fiat for?’. Hardly a vote of confidence on their willingness!
So far, 3mths, they love the Aygo, but they’re comparing different cars with a completely different spec. It’s just as plastic but it’s newer, it’s got loads more tech but it cost a whole lot more, it looks good from the outside but they’ve tried too hard on the inside and it shows.
Their real standpoint is that they love VAG, but could only afford one (he’s got some VW sports thing that it’s more somber than a mortuary inside) so the missus and eldest daughter share the Aygo
2013 ~ 10 years old, a clutch isn't out of the ordinary - although some / many cars may get away with the original throughout their life. Gearbox and clutch issues though, at that age, are most likely down to how the cars been driven / looked after. I don't think the 500 / Panda of this generation were known for having problems with the clutches / gearboxes more than any other car (although I do remember some kind of software issue that made the 500 easy to stall which I saw on some consumer TV show years ago - but I think that was sorted eventually).
Toyota as a brand, I am a fan. I currently have a 2018 Avensis. Although I miss Fiat massively, I have to admit the Avensis is so little trouble that I
nearly wish something would go wrong so that I'd have more car stuff to get my hands dirty with!
Back when I had my 2005 Panda and I'd constantly think / look for future cars I tried to get into the Aygo but the exposed metalwork in the car, no real parcel shelf and the fact that anything up to 66% of it might be Peugeot / Citroen parts (and I had a theory it was more so French than Japanese given it was built and designed for the EU market more so than anywhere else). I just couldn't get into it.
As for their mechanic, in fairness most mechanics I've spoken too always started with "They're good little cars those" upfront, in a tone of surprise / that they've shocked me by declaring that. Anybody (much older than me) does say that back in the 80s era, Fiats might have had issues. But these days the only real fault being they're pricy, relatively basic and not appealing to many peoples preference for sharp lines and overly sculpted body panels.
I still don't like VAG. And yet I have test driven cars each time I changed my car. They're soul less. More so than my Toyota. From a Seat to a VW to a Skoda, you're so obviously sitting in what feels like the same plastic bathtub with largely the same fittings (light controls give it away, nearly vomited in my mouth when I saw a Porsche on YouTube that shared that part design too!), and the wing mirrors on a lot of the economy / Golf and below models look very similar on many. The diesels are smoky, loud and give trouble around the 10 year mark (even with people who I know flog them regularly) and the petrols I drove (smaller ones) are dead as a doornail to drive and because of it, feel like you're in a wobbly Polo sized boat that eventually gets to the speed you need. And for the record, my Avensis has a grossly undersized engine for a D-segment car (a 1.6 diesel) but man have Toyota / BMW put the necessary leg work into the turbo / gearbox to make it not a living hell. It's slow, but not dead-as-a-doornail-slow. It's liveable with. whether or not it will age well, we'll see.
With the exception of one uncle who bought a pretty specced out new GTI Golf in 2015, the people in my family and that I know with VAG cars are not really car people. They're happy with their cars, but other than renewing their insurance each year and putting fuel into them, that's it really, they are cars and they do the job. And they rarely keep them to be old enough to have issues. Though one had to pay £600+ for a new radio unit out of warranty from the dealer and didn't have much choice because of how much was tied into the info screen. That's sure to have left a bitter taste. Hopefully your friend has a pleasant experience of them and minimal fuss / expense. To me, that's all they're good for. I couldn't imagine owning one. I don't get the same love / joy out of maintaining and driving my Avensis as I did with my Fiat's. But I can see that being amplified with a VAG car. At least the Toyota is reliable.