Thinking about buying a new 500

[MrJD]

My commute to work has gone up in recent years, and the new fiat 500 pop looks decent and gets 40 mg. What do you guys think about them? I think i have read that some of you own one... Opinions?

Right now I can get into one for about $15k out the door... which seems like a sweet deal considering.

The one I am looking at is Rame or copper color.

[spidernut]

Per JD Powers and Consumer Reports, the Fiat 500 has more initial defects than almost every car maker except Smart for Two. The few people I've talked to who own them just love their 500s.

[baltobernie]

I don't think I would buy a new (insert brand here) if the closest dealer was 100 miles from my home.

[spider2081]

We purchased a 500PE in 2011. The car had more than its share of little annoying issues. The Dealer was 30 miles from our home so service was a little difficult to deal with because there were no loaner cars available. Others had a much better experience.
We now have 30,000 miles on the car and a new dealer is 15 miles away. Our last 14 day trip was close to 2800 miles driving close (on the high side)to the 70 MPH speed limit the car averaged 40.2 mpg and used about 1/8 qt of oil. For me the car is very comfortable to drive city or highway. My wife and I are happy with the cars performance and handling. Bottom line is we like the car enough to recommend purchasing one to others.
Go for it!

[MrJD]

it used oil, LOL.

There are no close dealerships of any kind where we are, so the closest fiat dealer is just as close as all the rest.

Spider, is it any harder getting up to traffic speeds than any other economy car? Have you noticed lots of buffeting and moving around when the wind blows on the interstate (or when a big truck is near)?

Seats comfy for the long trip you mentioned? I have read some people don't care for the driving position.

I'll SS the new consumer report on the car tonight. The first year of production had a low ranking, 2013 was WAY better. 2014 the ranking has not yet been done... and the car I am looking at is a 2014.

[spider2081]

I think Enterprise has them for rent so you could rent one for a weekend and see what you think.

I feel the acceleration is more than adequate. Ours is a 5 speed standard transmission. Here in CT we have parkways designed in the 1920's with out blend entrance ramps in fact some ramps have stop signs. So far it has not been an issue. I think some people are afraid to take advantage of the high red line on the tachometer and shift too soon.

Driving at highway speeds is no problem in fact the car is so stable I quickly forgot how small it is compared to the Mercury Montego we have. Wind and trucks have little effect on the car. Visibility is an issue. Lots of blind spots with the car especially when backing up. The engine and road noise is greater than on some new cars. It is similar to the 2007 Focus station wagon we had.

We have a neighbor who is a little over 6 foot tall. He owns a 2010 Cadillac CTS. When he drove our 500 he commented it had more headroom than his car. My wife and I are 5' 6" tall medium build for us the seats are very comfortable. Lots of adjustments on them to find a position that is satisfactory.

The dealer we now use also owns a BMW and Mini sales dealerships. The 3 sales departments share one service facility. He claims they have fewer Fiat warranty claims than either of the other dealerships. He probably wants me to buy another Fiat from him.

[vandor]

Had one since 2011. I love the car, works well for city or highway. I think it has plenty of power for everyday driving.
Negatives are it's size in case you need to carry something large and limited headroom in cars with a sunroof. Most of them come with no spare tire, if you get one I'd get a spare tire kit.

[MrJD]

Had one since 2011. I love the car, works well for city or highway. I think it has plenty of power for everyday driving.
Negatives are it's size in case you need to carry something large and limited headroom in cars with a sunroof. Most of them come with no spare tire, if you get one I'd get a spare tire kit.

wow... you have got to be kidding. My wife and I are going on a little trip at the beginning of august. Might have to rent one and take it out... especially considering we are going to the mountains.

I'd be trading in my little toyota truck... I worry about having to move things around occasionally... but in the last year that has only happened one time. If something major comes up, you can rent a uhaul truck for something like $20 a day plus mileage.

Csaba, what mpg do you get?

[lanciahf]

Ours is a 2013 POP model with 22000 miles. My wife has one for her daily commute 100+ miles through HELLISH NJ\PA traffic. BTW she loves it.

Me? To put it bluntly its a 10,000.00 car. We seem to visit the dealer every 4 months to deal with steering/suspension knocks. Every time we visit we seem to get either a new steering column or Steering rack, the latest "fix" last week was new control arms. Car has never left her stranded but I do not see it it lasting unless I invest in steering components when its out of warranty. I have talked to others and they had similar stories or thought the suspension knocking was normal.

If I had to do it over again I would not have bought it. it was really her decision as I was sure she would not like it.

Oh btw Blind Spots Galore. multiple airbags and thick pillars do not make it easy to see out of.

Just our experience, I know everybody wants Fiat to do well but this is not how you do it.

[MrJD]

wow, thanks for the comment. Tis not always sunshine and rainbows I suppose. I figured the reliability would be pretty good being that it is based on the fiat panda (which they have been making for a LONG time.)

Here is the consumer report

[spidernut]

New and used car verdict "much worse than average". Not a good sign. I love my Spider but I was afraid that Fiat would not be able to shake the Fix it Again Tony image. With this type of repair record I'm afraid that they won't be able to overcome their prior reputation.

[vandor]

Now that I drive very short distances in the city I only get 38-40 mpg. When I was commuting part highway part city driving I got 42-43 mpg. I do try and save gas tho.

>Oh btw Blind Spots Galore.

I get no blind spots while driving - the driver's mirror has a small blind spot mirror. In parking lots one cannot see what's behind the trunk, just like with any other vehicle. I put parking sensors on the rear bumper in case there is a kid standing behind that car.

[spider2081]

We had only used the rear seat 2 times in the 3 years we had the car so I decided to take it out. See my post under topic "rear seat delete" in the Fiat 500 section of this site. We packed 2 suit cases and 2 overnight bags plus other stuff for a 2 week trip and all was below the window line.
I agree the mirrors are great and forward visibility is good also. The large front window posts create blind spots that are a concern when making a turn. Also backing up is problem if the car does not have a back up camera.
I also agree looking at used 500 prices the cars do not hold their value as well as many other cars. We usually keep a car 8-10 years so hopefully that will level off some in time. I think some people buy the car because they like the economy and didn't realize fuel economy means smaller and slower. They would rather drive what they are use to rather than adapt to a smaller less powerful car. I have driven many small cars including Ford Cortina , Datsun 510, so I was pleased with performance considering engine displacement and weight of car.
Mountain driving could be a problem driving through Alleghany Mountains in NY our 500 could have used a turbo. We lost speed on a couple of good long grades.

[Daniel]

I test drove the Fiat 500, Mini Copper and Ford fiesta hatch back out of the 3 the Ford was hands down the best
of the 3 more power smoothest on the road and best looking imo. According to the the spec sheet the Ford has
120 HP vs Fiat's 101 you give up a little MPG. I thought Ford has a better product. I love my fiats and have been
a fan for decades that was why I even considered buying a new car from them.

[lanciahf]

Really? What do you see when you turn your head to the left? Big fat B pillar... Now turn to your right and try to look over your shoulder? I do not trust my mirrors even though they are the size of Watermelons.

Ours gets 40 mpg no matter how we drive it

Now that I drive very short distances in the city I only get 38-40 mpg. When I was commuting part highway part city driving I got 42-43 mpg. I do try and save gas tho.

>Oh btw Blind Spots Galore.

I get no blind spots while driving - the driver's mirror has a small blind spot mirror. In parking lots one cannot see what's behind the trunk, just like with any other vehicle. I put parking sensors on the rear bumper in case there is a kid standing behind that car.