Engine mount snapped in my Fiat 500 2011 Lounge

[wellfan]

wellfan, you are perfectly entitled to express your views, though I think you should be a little more mindful about what you say publicly.

You say yourself, choice where you are is somewhat limited, so why not travel further South for a better choice? Newcastle, Durham or somewhere in Cumbria or North Yorkshire, all probably within a couple of hours travelling time for you. Ok, I don't know what your situation is as far as is being able to travel, but travel sometimes is what you must do.

You say you keep going back to AC in the hope they could possibly get it right now and again? Trust me, if I had had as many bad experiences as you with one particular motor group, then I wouldn't have wasted my time and effort going back time and time again, I'd have stopped going after the first time, but that is me and I'm not you.

I have no wish to fall out with you, I just think you need to widen your net when considering purchases and stop tormenting yourself with poor experiences.

Frupi, I would be obliged if you could stop your patronising tone in respect of my experiences. I have travelled all over the UK, as far south as Canterbury in Kent to purchase cars. However, as I have no wish to bore other forum members rigid, I do not plan to tell my car buying history. Suffice to say I take a very measured approach to car buying, and I never purchase a car until I have flogged every avenue in terms of getting the best price. Being "tormented" does not come into it. I have no wish to continue this debate with you. Please do not attempt to express your opinion about me any more.

 

[EllieBoxall]

I've learnt so much from this thread and I will most definitely ask for a test drive in the new car, I've changed my mind slightly and now I'm looking at the 500 S 1.2 in red... The interior is much nicer and I think red is a colour I probably wouldn't get sick of. They have the car on the forecourt so will ensure I get a full drive and check before I commit to anything. I think the price is around £12,000 so with a deposit from Fiat of £1750 that brings it down a bit but then the interest on the PCP knocks it back up! Anyway I'm happy I'll have the peace of mind of manufacture warranty so fingers crossed I'm making the right decision here!

 

[EllieBoxall]

Glad everything worked out OK for you Ellie, but if you are thinking of buying one from brand new, I would definitely recommend a test drive in the very latest model. We went from a 1.1 Panda to a 1.2 500S and found that there is a big difference in the way that the two vehicles drive.

After reading the various threads and noting what others have said, I have found that you can get around the slow issues pulling away but you do need to change your driving habits. I have been driving over 25 years, and this is the first car I have driven where engine revs increase whilst getting to biting point and the accelerator will have no effect until the clutch is virtually, if not all the way up. In fact, on many occasions pulling away from junctions normally would not require the use of the accelerator at all!

Once you get used to it, it drives fine and we are generally very happy with the car but as I said, please make sure you have a good test drive.

The guy at Fiat talked me through the different style of driving needed for these engines as they should be driven at 3000-5000 revs when changing gear because it doesn't rely as heavily on the 'talk' it kind of washed over me but I drove a 60 plate 1.2 to see what he meant and I understand, a very 'revvy' car but then I already knew that!!

 

[frupi]

I take it the car you are looking at is unregistered at the present time? Hence the price.

I agree, take the car for a proper test drive, not like what my missus did with our old MX5 years ago, got in it, drove it for 5 minutes and then back to the showroom, I despair! Whereas I on the other hand, took it out for nearly an hour!

Take it on A roads, B roads and the motorway if one is near you. Get a feel for the car in all respects. I am sure you will enjoy it!

 

[Mercky]

...............and be aware that being new it will be very tight and perhaps feel a bit slow after your previous 500 which was well run in. S in red IMO is a much nicer choice then the mint! Does it have the new TFT speedo?

 

[jrkitching]

As for earlier remarks in the thread about checking paint with a laser, for goodness sakes, how many people going to buy a car go armed with laser to determine the thickness of paint on the vehicle they are buying?

Anyone who wants to reduce the risk of buying a car like Ellie's.

Using a hand held paint thickness gauge is actually one of the easiest ways for an inexperienced person to quickly spot an accident damaged repaired car.

 

[frupi]

Anyone who wants to reduce the risk of buying a car like Ellie's.

Using a hand held paint thickness gauge is actually one of the easiest ways for an inexperienced person to quickly spot an accident damaged repaired car.

I guess I might just be going nuts here, but I swear I posted that just a few posts back jr......

But in the real world and in all reality, I doubt anyone outside of the motor trade and few very gadget conscious people would ever actually bother with one. Let's face it, if you turned up at a franchised dealers forecourt brandishing one of those, I suspect the dealer would be quite happy to show you the door.

 

[306maxi]

I guess I might just be going nuts here, but I swear I posted that just a few posts back jr......

But in the real world and in all reality, I doubt anyone outside of the motor trade and few very gadget conscious people would ever actually bother with one. Let's face it, if you turned up at a franchised dealers forecourt brandishing one of those, I suspect the dealer would be quite happy to show you the door.

Not really. 99 times out of 100 you're not going to find anything wrong and turning you away will only arouse suspicion.

 

[frupi]

Not really. 99 times out of 100 you're not going to find anything wrong.......

Amen! to that part of your sentence!

I'd turn people away though

 

[306maxi]

Amen! to that part of your sentence!

I'd turn people away though

and you'd lose sales from it.....

 

[frupi]

and you'd lose sales from it.....

But I'm not a salesman maxi and so I don't care. I wasn't being serious, just ridiculously childish for which I am not going to apologise

 

[EllieBoxall]

Yes it does have the new TFT speedo, but I don't know what that is??? Tomorrow should be the day my finance is settled and the remainder is being transferred into my bank. I worry this will affect my credit and I won't be accepted for finance / pcp on a new car ? My credit rating is good but if the two overlap can that hinder my chances of getting new finance? My finance company have said they can give me a quote to finance this new car, as they know the situation so it might work out better, I didn't know that! But then I don't know if I would get the deposit from Fiat if I don't use their finance company FGA Capital!!!!!

 

[ahmett]

Yes it does have the new TFT speedo, but I don't know what that is??? Tomorrow should be the day my finance is settled and the remainder is being transferred into my bank. I worry this will affect my credit and I won't be accepted for finance / pcp on a new car ? My credit rating is good but if the two overlap can that hinder my chances of getting new finance? My finance company have said they can give me a quote to finance this new car, as they know the situation so it might work out better, I didn't know that! But then I don't know if I would get the deposit from Fiat if I don't use their finance company FGA Capital!!!!!

Why would it affect your credit rating?

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Yes it does have the new TFT speedo, but I don't know what that is??? Tomorrow should be the day my finance is settled and the remainder is being transferred into my bank. I worry this will affect my credit and I won't be accepted for finance / pcp on a new car ? My credit rating is good but if the two overlap can that hinder my chances of getting new finance? My finance company have said they can give me a quote to finance this new car, as they know the situation so it might work out better, I didn't know that! But then I don't know if I would get the deposit from Fiat if I don't use their finance company FGA Capital!!!!!

It shouldn't affect your credit rating as the first will be updated to show as settled
ahmett several credit applications in a short period of time doesn't look good to lenders.

 

[Sweetsixteen]

Just go for it, Ellie - and let the future take care of itself. You've proved already that you can handle big problems.

Have fun in your new ride, huh?

Sweetsixteen.

 

[poggy]

Ellie sign up to Noddle and you can track your finance rating and whether the loan settlement has been registered.

It is free and to be honest is worth having as you can pick up on any fraudulant applications etc. www.noddle.co.uk.

I was a director of a company and they used companies house records to try and get credit in my name, fortunately the address was the companies and not my home so they didn't match and it was blocked.

Actually paying off a few loans does improve your record.

 

[306maxi]

Ellie sign up to Noddle and you can track your finance rating and whether the loan settlement has been registered.

It is free and to be honest is worth having as you can pick up on any fraudulant applications etc. www.noddle.co.uk.

I was a director of a company and they used companies house records to try and get credit in my name, fortunately the address was the companies and not my home so they didn't match and it was blocked.

Actually paying off a few loans does improve your record.

What's the difference between this and Experian? I signed up for a trial account with Experian the other day as I was wanting to get a credit card. Seems a lot of money to spend if you go past the trial period for not much?

 

[poggy]

Not much difference, but Noddle is free for life

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Not much difference, but Noddle is free for life

:yeahthat:

I use noodle, free for life, gives all details except exact credit score (they do a rating out of 5, so give an idea if you're good or rubbish), and allow you to see everything logged against your name, so can pick up any errors in your credit score and get them resolved.

 

[EllieBoxall]