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General I think I'm done with my 500

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General I think I'm done with my 500

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auto_blanco said:
Ive said it before, but here goes, the suspension set up on the 500 is poor in terms of ride and body control, but its a fun, cheeky car to drive, I love them. Its not 'good' in the classic sense of the word, but its a great car to drive. It would annoy the hell out of me if it was my daily driver though, so I can see both sides...but I find the seats pretty good tbh!

Ive driven many different 500s, no Abarths though (n) and I still think the purest and most fun is the 1.2 Pop on 14 inch wheels. Very quiet over bumps, smooth ride and fun if rolly handling, its a giggle, its not a serious car its a bit of fun that combines modern levels of safety and quality. Its not a family car, its not a sports car, it is what it is and its good!
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I'm quite looking forward to getting my winter tyres on to see the improvement that the 14" wheels will give in terms of ride quality.

I just try to avoid potholes and bumps in the road and slow down for speedbumps and any rumblestrips going in and out of towns.
 
grungdog23 said:
lol, ive had my 500 a year now, i couldnt agree more with what you say!! mine was also a keeper, small cheap etc... but its just horid! the crashy, bouncy, embarrising ride, the dire driving position, its the only car ive known where your bottom falls through a 3 inch gap in the seat when its at its low setting! but i do think there still a good looking car, but thats sadly it....
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Comforting to know that I'm not alone, although I do recognise that I was not going to get a lot of empathy on a 500 forum for having; goodness, a critical view of the 500!

But I wasn't after empathy, but answers to my questions! So to refocus on one of my original questions: would you expect much of a loss in 9mths ownership? Normally I would say yes, but the 500 seems to hold value well at the moment.

Previous second car was a MINI, a car of a different class altogether (albeit more expensive), might head back that way.
 
Luxy said:
Comforting to know that I'm not alone, although I do recognise that I was not going to get a lot of empathy on a 500 forum for having; goodness, a critical view of the 500!

But I wasn't after empathy, but answers to my questions! So to refocus on one of my original questions: would you expect much of a loss in 9mths ownership? Normally I would say yes, but the 500 seems to hold value well at the moment.

Previous second car was a MINI, a car of a different class altogether (albeit more expensive), might head back that way.
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i have a feeling youre trying to be just a teensy bit provocative.....
 
Luxy said:
Previous second car was a MINI, a car of a different class altogether (albeit more expensive), might head back that way.
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In what sense do you mean? I currently own one and I am not impressed at all to say the least. I'm not the only one, I used to be on a Mini forum and the amount of problems (from the little nagging one to the impressively bad one) is unbelievable, especially for a BMW in disguise. That is why I'm changing for a 500. The only thing I'll miss is the go-kart sort of driving, damn that little fella can stick to the road!

From the 500 I have seen I challenge anyone to prove the Mini is better built.
Now maybe you meant the "class" is that Mini belongs to BMW, but let remind ourselves that Fiat owns Ferrari and Maserati. :D
 
Cucciolotto said:
In what sense do you mean? I currently own one and I am not impressed at all to say the least. I'm not the only one, I used to be on a Mini forum and the amount of problems (from the little nagging one to the impressively bad one) is unbelievable, especially for a BMW in disguise. That is why I'm changing for a 500. The only thing I'll miss is the go-kart sort of driving, damn that little fella can stick to the road!
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Exactly. The 500 has a surprising amount of grip due to the fact that a lot of people on 16" wheels have quite decent tyres and the suspension is quite stiff. But it is severely lacking in the poise department and this could be sorted with some decent springs or better yet some coilovers. Even the Mini in poverty pack form isn't that great in terms of handling, you have to go for one with the sports suspension for that.

There was a red leather interior that went for ~£300 pounds and this would have cured the whole seat thing but some people are just unwilling to get a socket set out and do any work..... :rolleyes:
 
Murano16v said:
Ahh the pretend German Mini with the British flag on top " it's really a small Beemer you know":sleep::sleep:
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At least you didn't use the lame insults that people on this forum usually use like calling it a Bini, Bimi, Bikini, Bigi or whatever. LAME!
 
I'm probably coming to this thread at little late on - But i just wanted to say that tyres play a big part in the ride and road noise.
I changed my tyres in the summer for a complete new set (long story) and went for tyres that were rated more for comfort and economy (After all it's only a 1.2 it doesn't require balls out performance tyres)
The difference is astonishing - quite, smooth and it still corners like its on rails).(y)
 
muttleysdad said:
I'm probably coming to this thread at little late on - But i just wanted to say that tyres play a big part in the ride and road noise.
I changed my tyres in the summer for a complete new set (long story) and went for tyres that were rated more for comfort and economy (After all it's only a 1.2 it doesn't require balls out performance tyres)
The difference is astonishing - quite, smooth and it still corners like its on rails).(y)
Click to expand...

What were on and what did you swap to?

Cheers
 
Done; put deposit on MINI Cooper this morning.

Ciao Ciao
 
306maxi said:
I just mentioned that the 16" rims were easy to damage about a thousand times in the weeks before delivery and my wife has kept the car away from kerbs :p
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I wish muttleysmum would - the front suspension and ajoining bits are totally knackered on our punto through repeated kerbings - am expecting a big bill before the mot:cry:
 
extreme_dullness.jpg
 
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