Technical drove a for-sale 2011 1.2 manual. when engaging 1st from stop, rattles the car (avoid or ok?)

[jlhdasMorahd]

yesterday i posted this:

total loss my 500. found another one. Km are oddly low. how can i verify? | FIAT 500 (2007+)

Hi. Found a 2010 manual. Oddly low km. only 55,000 Km. Is there a way to very km wasn't tampered with? I do own a OBDII computer, if that can help (It's not a fancy one, but not the cheapest one either (I think it was 50USD). Thanks for the advice.

www.fiatforum.com

drove the car today.
seems rather worn for a low mileage one, but what i wanted to ask about the most is this:

when engaging 1st gear from stop (lifting clutch) (paddle feels ok btw) the entire cars rattles pretty harsh (lots of squeaking from what feels like the front dash/windshield area).

also, if i throw the paddle a bit harsh, the feeling is sudden (as if it's being banged right into gear - not smooth).
hard to explain but i hope this makes a bit sense.

what do you guys think?
is this just perhaps a worn out clutch?

thank you!!

 

[GettinBetter]

seems rather worn for a low mileage one

.. what exactly seems rather worn? floor mats, steering wheel, pedal rubbers, door handles seats?

...if i throw the paddle a bit harsh...

What does that mean, I'm not familiar with that term?

You need to be a bit more specific.

... when engaging 1st gear from stop (lifting clutch) (paddle feels ok btw) the entire cars rattles pretty harsh...

I've had cars with over 100k miles that do this, and IMO its an indication of the worn state of the whole drive train, from diff to wheel, including the UJ's and CV's.
If we are talking about the same issue, it can be overcome by pulling away a little harder, but driving in slow traffic can be a nightmare. I used to leave greater distance between the car in front, pull away harder and roll further.

 

[jlhdasMorahd]

sadly i forgot to take pics of the INSIDE (stupid, i know)


the seller, who is a mechanic (he said the owner left him to car because it needed work and he just didn't want to bother) did mention he fixed a problem in the "exhaust". A hole in the exhaust.

when i asked if it was a problem with the catalytic converter, he said no, there was a hole in the "boiler" (not sure how to translate this). He said he plugged it (filled it?) and it's fine now.


The real (maybe ONLY ace this gar has going for it is the very low KM (55K KM), but perhaps that's no guarantee for a solid car)

Should I let this one go?

 

[jrkitching]

seems rather worn for a low mileage one

Externally it seems rather worn even for a very high mileage one. There's no reason to suppose it's been looked after mechanically any better than it's been looked after cosmetically.

I would certainly walk away from that car.

It looks to me like a complete piece of junk.

 

[GettinBetter]

You don't say what you're looking for. What sort of use it will be put to use for. What are your parts availablility?
PROs: Rear light clusters are still bright, and relatively uncratched, the paintwork laquer is still shiny, the dash (through the window) seems quite clean.
CONs: Can you get the bodywork dealt with, can you get the clutch or parts of the drive train replaced, can you do the repairs yourself, can you afford to pay someone else to do it. Have you added up the costs of each option. Is there any documented history with the vehicle?
Can you plug in MES and get/investigate the diagnostic data before buying it?

Are you beginning to get the picture?
Ultimately it's your decision, but walking away is looking more favourable.

 

[AnthonyH]

I agree, the car isn't worth having.

 

[ahmett]

sadly i forgot to take pics of the INSIDE (stupid, i know)


the seller, who is a mechanic (he said the owner left him to car because it needed work and he just didn't want to bother) did mention he fixed a problem in the "exhaust". A hole in the exhaust.

when i asked if it was a problem with the catalytic converter, he said no, there was a hole in the "boiler" (not sure how to translate this). He said he plugged it (filled it?) and it's fine now.


The real (maybe ONLY ace this gar has going for it is the very low KM (55K KM), but perhaps that's no guarantee for a solid car)

Should I let this one go?

Looks worse than mine with 250,000 km! No thank you unless you are buying it for like 2000 EUR

 

[The Panda Nut]

yesterday i posted this:

total loss my 500. found another one. Km are oddly low. how can i verify? | FIAT 500 (2007+)

Hi. Found a 2010 manual. Oddly low km. only 55,000 Km. Is there a way to very km wasn't tampered with? I do own a OBDII computer, if that can help (It's not a fancy one, but not the cheapest one either (I think it was 50USD). Thanks for the advice.

www.fiatforum.com

drove the car today.
seems rather worn for a low mileage one, but what i wanted to ask about the most is this:

when engaging 1st gear from stop (lifting clutch) (paddle feels ok btw) the entire cars rattles pretty harsh (lots of squeaking from what feels like the front dash/windshield area).

also, if i throw the paddle a bit harsh, the feeling is sudden (as if it's being banged right into gear - not smooth).
hard to explain but i hope this makes a bit sense.

what do you guys think?
is this just perhaps a worn out clutch?

thank you!!

Avoid it!

 

[Ralf S.]

If it's dirt cheap and you can work on it and you don't mind the bodywork being all bent, then it might be worth a punt.

I would verify the mileage though.. it could be genuine given the condition of the paint (under the dents and scrapes) but it could also have just been re-programmed or given a new instrument cluster.

It sounds like it needs a new clutch.. 55,000kms is quite young but these are learner cars so the transmission gets a proper beating. It could also be the driveshafts... but mileage is very low and learner drivers can't really break them, even if they try.

The bodywork is a nighmare... and you have lots of pieces, clips, badges and covers missing which would trigger my OCD. The bodywork repairs (if you got a professional to do them) would probably cost you as much as the car. On the other hand.. then it would be pretty nice. Depends how much of a project you want.


Ralf S.