General What to look out for?

[madheadmiles]

Looking to buy a cinquecento 1.1 sporting soon, will be my 3rd car, after owning two ****roen saxos. having not owned a fiat, what should i be looking out for in terms of common problems with the cinquecento? or anything i should consider doing as soon as i get the car? eg. head gasket...thanks!

 

[Ouby]

....what should i be looking out for in terms of common problems with the cinquecento?....

Scantily clad maidens falling at your feet
-also might be a few things to look out for here:
https://www.fiatforum.com/cinquecento-seicento-faqs/94826-buying-cinq.html
Most things you need to know as a (potential) new owner are in the FAQ & Guides sections.

 

[Pep0]

a seicento sporting early one with SPI may rust slower
a service history and lady owner is best clutches should last ok if not slipped excessively otherwise easy to do in back street

 

[AppleSei]

a service history and lady owner is best

Debateable

 

[blu73]

agreed, i hate adverts that say lady owner - in my experience if we are to stereotype as these sellers do by pointing out it has a lady owner, then that means to me that its been driven about and only fixed when something stops working and not serviced properly. And if we go further into stereotyping then when something broke it is more likely that said owner would have been fobbed off by some garage along the way who have bodged something or whatever...

I would buy a car that had 20 enthusiast owners and a high mileage over a low mileage, 1 lady owner car any day of the week.

 

[Ouby]

Whether you're a misogynist or not this is all getting a bit :Offtopic:
Shouldn't we be telling this guy why he should be getting a Cinq Sporting instead of another Cit&^*.... Citr^$*.... -nope just can't say THAT word!

 

[Pep0]

Whether you're a misogynist or not this is all getting a bit :Offtopic:
Shouldn't we be telling this guy why he should be getting a Cinq Sporting instead of another Cit&^*.... Citr^$*.... -nope just can't say THAT word!

the op asked for common problems e.g.
clutch
rear arm metal elastic noise
key replacement if you only get one
etc.

 

[jatkinson]

Rear arm problems , NEVER had them in my 5+ years and my brothers 7+ years of cento ownership

Supprised no one has mentioned to look for the Rust in the Rear aches as that ( to me ) is one of the biggest killers of centos

 

[Pep0]

Rear arm problems , NEVER had them in my 5+ years and my brothers 7+ years of cento ownership

Supprised no one has mentioned to look for the Rust in the Rear aches as that ( to me ) is one of the biggest killers of centos

lucky but there is a guide for rear bush replacement had to do mine 65k miles

Seicentos rust less than centos get a Sei instead

 

[Micsei]

Wouldn't hurt to ask the owner to have the spark plugs out. That way you know they do come out (been stung by this one) and you can look at the condition of them. Also good to see the engine run from cold.

 

[blu73]

easy Ouby, i feel my point was very valid.... A low mileage 1 lady owner car as old as a cinq will probably need alot of servicing after some driving. No use is just as bad as mis-use for a car.

Things to actually check.....?

Rust in the rear arches as James said, very important.

Check that the engine warms up and the fan kicks in and out as it should.. This checks several things at once so is not optional. If the thermostat is stuck open it will not warm up, which is bad for wear and mpg. If the fan doesn't work it will overheat. And generally if the HG has gone and its idling it will overheat even if the fan works.

Other than that is all the normal stuff you would check, general condition of engine bay, condition of oil, levels, check the tyres aren't old and cracked - all the little things that indicate how well a car has been looked after.

 

[alfacool]

I just went to have a look at a 2001 sei, and the inside of the boot and rear arches were as rotton as a pear.
Mine looks brand new in comparison.