Happy to see a 500 here! I drive a 2015 500C Pop, espresso with brown and cream seats, and beige top. Lovely car, makes me smile, and makes others smile too. Got it three years ago with only 9700 miles on the clock! Now it's up to 32000.
I've got the convertible Abarth version - had it for 8 years as a daily driver and I love it. The only modern car I've kept for more than a couple of years. I still look forward to driving it every day.
I have one (a Twinair), & have no issue with it, the only failure in the 4-5 years I`ve had it was a random airbag module. My brothers a driving instructor, he has a 2012 a Abarth 500C (with 240,000 miles on it) & a 2011"by Diesel" 500C 1.2 as a backup (with about 80k), both owned from new, both very reliable, both serviced by me & him after the warranty expired, & nether needing any internal engine or gearbox work. The Abarth has been running an upgraded engine chip for about 150,000 miles, & was fitted with a performance cat at about 180,000 miles too.. Its still on its original turbo as well, which is perfectly dry & play free! That would have been unheard of back in the 80`s & 90`s, when hot hatch turbos tended to be dead by 100k! On top of that, any repairs, like coilpacks, sensors etc, are shared with numerous other cars, so are cheap & easy to find & change, & they dont tend to cause a breakdown when they do go, just rough running, so it gives you a change to get around for a few days while you source replacements. Even if you blow an engine or gearbox, you can find them dirt cheap at any breaker or ebay, & they can be swapped by an ameteur in a day! In contrast, I have friends with MINI`s, who have had LOADS of problems with them, even at low mileages, & have generally been eye wateringly expensive to put right, not that you want to hear that! So yeah, not surprising that every single street in every city in the UK has at least two 500`s in them!
My daughter had one whilst she was at university, I now know why Fiat stands for fix it again tomorrow. Maybe it was a bad one but every time she returned home from university I was fixing it! She now has a 107 that’s not as cool but needs less maintenance.👍
I love mine, it's my daily, makes me smile every day. 1.2 best model. Drive it like an Italian! Steering wheel computer controls are on the lounge model.
One needs an Italian mindset to really enjoy a Cinquecento, being Roman sized helps and a city with Vespa's buzzing everywhere so full use of the horn can be made.
I don't get why so many people complain about the rear head restraints 'dig in to their back' when it is actually a really clever design. The design encourage them to be adjusted correctly to protect any passengers in the back, but also are low enough in the low position to not block the rear view. Lots of cars have used this design for a long time.
This is in my humble opinion a better retro modern execution of the redesigned Mini. but it's a close one. I've liked these since they were introduced. It's the details that make it though with the colour coded dash and the switches. I've not been a 17 year old for a very long time but I'd still consider one as a decent runabout with occasional longer journeys possible but a tad more fatigue. Many thanks for sharing.
We've had 3, they have all been frugal and reliable. Current one (1.2 Lounge) has just passed its 10th birthday and has been the perfect 2nd car for the last 2 years. Rusty sumps and rear axle beam are things to watch for. Wiring loom can fracture where it goes into the tailgate, and it's common for the doorhandles to break, but none of these problems have happened with our cars, and fixing them is cheap.
I live in Phoenix USA and I have a 2012 Fiat 500 that i have owned since new. It's been nearly problem free. Maybe a few "quirks and features" as expected but overall, it's been very reliable. It seems like people in England and Europe generally love them and have a very high opinion of them. Here in the U.S. I think there is a lot of anti-small car and anti-Fiat sentiment which clouds people's opinions of them.
We had a 2012 Twin Air Lounge from new in 2012, in November 2012 it was written off when someone in a Toyota Auris pulled out on us outside Hatfield Police station, the Toyota ended up on its side, we walked away with airbag rash. It was a great fun car. After that we had four Abarths and loved them all. I've driven a 500E and that's brilliant too That looks like a Pop fitted with Lounge wheels (Arnold Clark fiddle) the Lounge has a fixed sunroof and air con wit radio controls on the steering wheel We spec'd our second Abarth to have the sunroof, made it even better. The seats are great on long runs, the long, tilting, lower squab is good to support the legs
My daughter, 19 has had one for 2 months just prepping for test. Great to nip around in and pretty fun (30mph on a country lane feels like 60!). If you can get a good one these are great if you have short legs 😊. You have a POP there. Lounge has glass roof, Air Con and City Steering (super light!). Can’t help make a meep meep sound as we pass other 500s😂
My 2011 500 pop bottom of the range has just hit the 200,000 miles. It’s never let me down once. Yes I’ve had everything replaced on it that you would normally expect to replace on a car for the mileage and age so it’s good for another 200,000 miles. I have travelled all over Europe in it. I’ve had many opportunities to replace it with a newer model but it’s my little sunshine and I adore it. I fit three children and four pug dogs in it daily
My Daughter drives a 2019 Fiat 500S with the 1.2 and 5 speed and I love it, I would happily drive it everyday. My Sister drives a 2013 Fiat 500 1.2 with 5 speed as well but it is Pink Metallic with the cream interior and glass top and guess what, I love it and I would happily drive it everyday. It's not Girly, it's full of Character and Joie De Vivre. A beautiful Smiley little car just like the MINI. Love them both.
My wife loved her 500, says it all really. I found it awkward to drive ( and I’m only 5 foot 8) pedals too close together and kept getting my foot whacked by the steering column knuckle. Hey ho it wasn’t my car 😂
I love ours, it is admittedly very cute and a bit girly but it’s great fun to drive and even just sitting in it just puts a big smile on my face unlike most of the modern characterless tin boxes you can buy. It’s not a car for the boy racer though, you won’t see many 500 drivers doing 80 down a High Street dreaming that the head of the Ferrari F1 team is on a scouting mission.
All I see driving around on these Summer evenings are Fiat 500 with R plates, literally hundreds of them and also lots of Fiat Punto which is great to see as they are in my opinion under appreciated by many.
Maybe I missed it, did you find the hidden storage bin under the front passenger seat by just pulling up the seat squab, on these pre facelift models. Makes up for no glove box.
I love these cars. I have now had 4 of them (2 x 1.2 Lounges and 2 x Abarth). Every time I find myself without one, I crave another. Don't know why, they are flawed in so many ways but there's just something about them that gets under my skin. I keep looking on Autotrader to find my favourite that I owned, a 2014 Mint green. YC14 ZTF where are you now? Male. Age 63.
@@furiousdriving yeah, back then it was quite new, rented one. My sister got married before in my mum's old 1968 500, which is still in the family. So I thought a new 500 would be nice. Marriage didn't last, unfortunately 😅
I've had a 2012 Fiat 500 Sport for about 4 years. It''s got the 1.4 multi-air engine and a five speed, black leather, and an awesome Bose system. With a hundred horsepower, it's plenty fast. We have very twisty roads and an 8700 ft. summit to go over to get to our little cabin, and the giant turbo pickups chase me to the first corner, then they never see me again. It is speed limited at 122 mph, and I have done most of that (deserted highway, of course) Girl's car? Yeah, if that girl is like Pat Moss
That one is a 500 Pop, rather than a Lounge. A Lounge would have air con and a panoramic roof, along with a few other bits. They're great little cars, fun, quirky and classless. I've had a 2011 Ka and a 2018 500. Would definitely have another!
Also the top speed is not 99mph as i had one as a rental car and lets just say on a clear track the gps i had registered 107mph top speed on a flat surface and that was in the red , surprised the poor thing did not blow its top haha
Yes Matt, the new Fiat 500 certainly is a cute retro car. Some of my daughter's mates own one, but by now the the 2 cylinder POP is quite popular here, nor many 1 2s left on our roads.. On principal I stayed away, Fiat is known to be higher maintenance cars here in South Afica. So for my daughter's, one wanted a Chevy Spark. Four years later we have only done oil and filters and a battery. For my youngest we got a Honda Brio auto. Also a car that we can rely on, for late night returns to her flat. Also only simple services required. Fortunately they are not car enthusiasts, both love their little cars. And Dad loves the low running cost and reliability. Particularly in a high crime country like ours.
Erm, as two members of my family have had one & had similar issues with gear selection and crank seals, I'd advise against. I do see the appeal though...
That is not a lounge version , no panoramic roof and no AC snowflake icon on the control for the cars interior ventilation , you've been hoodwinked lol
I bought my wife a 500 1.4 sport brand new in January 2010 in White with optional red leather seats ( she speced it) . Unfortunately it was not trouble free ..it ate through 3 water pumps ,a thermostat housing, a radiator, the air con condenser fins corroded and worst of all the gearbox bearings ( 6 speed manual) disintegrated...itcwas a money pit ....The wife loved it as it was very zippy . I didn't like the driving position ( I'm 6ft weight 14 stone) and the handling was so so ...its a shame because I liked the retro looks....shame about the build quality...after all its Italian but built in Poland.
@@juliancaston9598 yep 👍💯 gearbox bearings on mine went too it's the input shaft bearings as Fiat used a £2 part 😂 , cost me £1000 to fix as Clutch had to be replaced with it and then the rear shocks went and now cambelt needs doing too so that will be another £350 on top of the other bills , I want to sell and get an i10 again as the i10) I used to own was bombproof timing chain engine
@christineayres7199 It was the gearbox layshaft bearings that went ..they were ball bearings with plastic separators, the plastic broke up and dislodged the bearings. The replacements were roller bearings ( much better quality) . I went to a gearbox specialist direct . While the gearbox was apart it made sense to have a complete replacement clutch ..cost £1200 . In conclusion Fiat and Stellantis use cheap inferior quality parts . Now have a Mazda 2 1.5 Skyactive 115bhp sports...great car .
I usually agree with your opinions on all things automotive … but not this one. My wife wanted a Fiat 500 and we were looking for a nice 7-8 year old car, well we kept going to see cars that had been in accidents and repaired but eventually found a clean low miles one owner. To be fair, the engine is sweet enough, and reliability has not been an issue but I find it simply horrible to drive. Starting with adjusting the seat, it’s hard to reach the seat slider from the seat ( for me anyway) and then it’s awkward to reach for the seatbelt. The centre of the dash/console is up against my left leg and I cannot get comfortable in the car, the steering feels odd and I drive a few before I realised it’s a Fiat 500 thing and not a fault. The windows rattle when lowered, the radio is horrible and fitting an aftermarket stereo causes the odometer to flash as the car complains that the original stereo is missing. On top of all that it’s not actually that good on fuel. For a first car or a good small car give me a VW Polo any day. The good things are the hidden compartment in the passenger seat which is genius so much so that so many owners don’t even know it’s there..and the looks for girl are extremely cute
It's such a good looking car, but I couldn't recommend one, I've worked on 3(?) of them and not had great experiences 1. Burst steering rack seals which is a horrendous job getting it out 2. Just the biggest oil leak, it was dripping as though there wasn't a crack shaft seal there at all 3. on a car with less that 20k miles both front dampers were shot as were both lower control arms. Really is a shame though, I love how they look and they drove decent too
I've got the lounge spec model with the Dualogic box out of nessesity cause of health issues. It has got aircon. Agree about the two levers getting mixed up. Some models have a secret storage compartment under the passenger seat on rhd models. I have the 1.4 litre that has the discs on the rear which IMO don't work or feel as good as drums.....oh I am a MAN 😅
This car goes to prove how good looking pleasing to the eye’s car will sell, The car with the same underpinnings, the Ford ka most people have forgot about it, where the Fiat went on to be a very good selling car to this day
I think it's a good first car unless it is the Semi automatic model, those ones are not good! Semi autos are common in small cheap cars and should really be avoided
Fiat Panda 169 is a better first car, four doors, and the 1.1 Active Eco is dirt cheap insurance. We have one, my eldest passed and had for a couple of years, Now youngest has it. Eleven years of bargain car ( brought it at 4 years old for £2100) .
I have noticed around near me the go to car for the car mad young lady has gone over to the Adam. Makes sense if you want a car that stands out but isn't a 500 as they are everywhere. Looking like my wife is leaning towards as used 500 for her next car
If I was 17 Matt ( I wish 😂) I would have one 👌🏻, my first car at 17 was a MK3 Cortina Estate 😂, in White 1600L ☹️, but I loved it and could fit 4 mates in and all camping kit for great weekends away 😉
I have this exact model which doesn't have bluetooth but supposedly has AUX which comes up as an option on the radio. Does anyone know where the aux port is because i can't find it anywhere.
We had a 1.4 sport, great peice of design and fun to drive. Quality though was shocking. Cracking paint, alloys laqour coming off, rattles inside, plastic engine parts breaking after a couple of years.
19 year old daughter has her heart set on one of them even though i think a panda is better value for a first car as you know they are going to ding it 🙄🇮🇪👍
Had a 2012 500 TwinAir Dualogic which was a dog and Fiat knew it. Lasted 3 years. ... 12 years later I have a Fiat 500e Red as a second car for small journeys. Nice car but I am sure it is smaller inside than the 2012 model. We will see what this one is like after 3 years. Still keeping my ICE vehicle which is not a Fiat.
Oh. The 500e Red had one disabled owner and 2,000 miles on the clock. 2 years old. I got it for less than half the price of a new one. Even looking back 12 years ago, this new 500e Red is £2,000 cheaper than that new 500 TwinAir. Crazy.
14:16 If i was that gentleman, I'd probably feel safer on the other side of the road, facing oncoming vehicles. Hope he got to wherever he was going safe and sound. 👍
The real trick was it looked so much like the original that it looked small - park and original next to this one and you'll see your eyes are being tricked and its not that small
We can barely hear you due to the horrendous road noise. Yes, I've driven and worked on plenty and can confirm that they really are that loud in reality. A short journey feels like a cross continental journey. Exhausting little car. Poor in an accident also.
I have a red 500 1.2 Pop from 2007 (one of the earliest made) with 285,000 kms. Very frugal at 6.2L/100km, despite my spirited driving style... Original engine, original gearbox, no problems whatsoever. Runs perfectly, the engine is very peppy, superb agility in the city or curvy roads. I went on holiday with 2 other adults, hauling all our stuff and a cat, no problem cruising at 130-140km/h on the highway. And the A/C still works since the very first day! I love my 500.
@@furiousdriving I guess here in Poland the lounge might have been specced differently. They gave it air con, alloy wheels, front fog lights and a leather steering wheel with radio controls.
Yea I’m not sure. I do like the styling….and considering it wasn’t an expensive car even when new. Style on a budget IMO this is a better retro makeover than the Mini. However…..there’s some very annoying little defects especially for anyone over 5ft 5. It needed to be a tiny bit bigger. Wonder if that’s fixed in the new electric and hybrid model? And I’ve heard several people say they’ve had a bad one, mechanical issues. The dual logic automated manual also introduces more unreliability….IMO if you want a small automatic, don’t buy one of these. More overall….has this desire for tiny tho stylish cars now passed? Compact or even very compact SUVs are taking over.
I literally saw a girl once drive straight into a concrete wall at the Sainsbury car park in Beaconsfield lol no joke she literally crashed into the wall because she could not judge distance haha
@@owensmith8467 Gearbox bearing noise and clutch , very expensive as mine cost £1000 to fix , also make sure the cambelt has been done because if not then bye bye engine
@@cosmicsman666 I agree 👍 and I own one, this will sound daft but my previous car a 2011 Hyundai i10 was way better ,I only sold it because I wanted something more comfortable on long journeys sadly the 500 is nothing but trouble 😵💫 gearbox and clutch went bang cost me £1000 then rear shocks broke another £100 and now mechanic tells me cambelt is bad 😞 another £350 will be gone 😱
@@Cayres9 yep. friends and relatives have given me many tales of woe regarding these throwaway tins of italian junk. i10 s have a solid reputation . Try get rid as soon as you can. I have a spacestar and the seats can get a little uncomfy on a long journey so i bought some padded seat covers and they did the trick. peace.
@@furiousdriving here in Belgium used cars are often too expensive + taxes can be high (sometimes the taxes are more than the price you pay for the car itself) except when the car is 30 years and older but they're often more expensive than a younger model....
@@belgianfries3739 I paid £3 grand for a 2013 with 80 thousand on the clock but gearbox needed repair and extra £1000 on top but you can probably get a good one cheap if you hung around
You can't be seriously. In the U.S. when they still tried to sell them they were at or near the bottom with reliability. Then it got worse when they drove them.
@@danr1920 Agreed 💯👍 nothing but problems with mine 2013 only 80 thousand on the click but gearbox and clutch exploded cost me a grand to fix then rear shocks exploded lol 🤣 so I will be selling soon , is sad as it looks so beautiful
In Australia these aren't that popular l can't remember the last time l saw one there are plenty of small cars around Suzuki Swift Honda Jazz Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2 there is the odd new mini but not many Fiat 500 and Matt before you go making claims of they were popular all over the world not here in Australia
No they are not good cars , I have a 2013 lounge i paid £3 grand for it from a dealer who did not tell me the gearbox bearings were bad , cost me £1000 to replace and fit new clutch , then rear shocks broke and the rear axle needs replacing as is rusty , the car has only done 80 thousand miles , it should not be in such a bad state and the cambelt needs changing or the engine will blow up my mechanic said its a very bad design , interference engine it is so if the belt snaps thats good bye engine , Do you know what the worst thing is ? I traded my 2011 i10 in for it got £1500 but the i10 was perfect never had 1 issue and it was faster by 16bhp , why did Fiat put a weak 69bhp engine in such a nice looking car ? anyway 1st car buy a Hyundai i10 its just better , has a timing chain too so wont blow up
@@furiousdriving Yeah 👍 the person who owned it that the dealership bought it from was an Evri delivery driver so probably my 500 was sadly abused which is awful as it's a rare yellow colour 500 anyway it's driving in at moment but I want rid of it due to loss of faith in the car
I have a 2011 500 pop bottom of the range. I’ve done just over 200,000 miles in it and it’s a fantastic little car most of the components that would have gone and been replaced so it’s good for another 200,000 miles. And it’s never let me down and I have been all over Europe. It.
@@asa1973100 Freddie Dobbs is that you ? 😂 As there's a guy on UA-cam called that he drives a pop got 211 thousand now out of It but obviously changed cambelt and water pump , the thing is if it snaps then the engine is toast , I'm surprised you've not had the bad gearbox bearings issue yet as they always go wrong
No. They don't teach anything about real driving and how to cope if things go wrong. Everything is assisted (brake servo, PAS,, hill hold (in case you can't do a hill start), so many sensors (fluid levels etc.)). No car produced this century is a good first car. Old cars are better because you learn more by using (and maniacs like us, maintaining them). 500s are fun, our Great Niece had one and I rented one while my X5 was being repaired (ABS pump, not cheap). Modern cars have no soul or character and, quite honestly, at our end of the market (your work horse aside) ugly. Sorry, but thats 40 years of driving experience, spannering and 26t driving. Don't start me on motorbikes!
Oh really ? I give you Behold the Hyundai i10 some of them have done over 200 thousand miles never an issue as timing chain engine and very simple engines too
The only time you don't see these on the road is when Love Island is on the TV
Superb
Cheeky bugger but alas true
Happy to see a 500 here! I drive a 2015 500C Pop, espresso with brown and cream seats, and beige top. Lovely car, makes me smile, and makes others smile too. Got it three years ago with only 9700 miles on the clock! Now it's up to 32000.
Although they're no longer teenagers, two of my kids have them as their first cars. They really are excellent little motors.
What would they think of an original 500?
I've got the convertible Abarth version - had it for 8 years as a daily driver and I love it. The only modern car I've kept for more than a couple of years. I still look forward to driving it every day.
I have one (a Twinair), & have no issue with it, the only failure in the 4-5 years I`ve had it was a random airbag module. My brothers a driving instructor, he has a 2012 a Abarth 500C (with 240,000 miles on it) & a 2011"by Diesel" 500C 1.2 as a backup (with about 80k), both owned from new, both very reliable, both serviced by me & him after the warranty expired, & nether needing any internal engine or gearbox work. The Abarth has been running an upgraded engine chip for about 150,000 miles, & was fitted with a performance cat at about 180,000 miles too.. Its still on its original turbo as well, which is perfectly dry & play free! That would have been unheard of back in the 80`s & 90`s, when hot hatch turbos tended to be dead by 100k!
On top of that, any repairs, like coilpacks, sensors etc, are shared with numerous other cars, so are cheap & easy to find & change, & they dont tend to cause a breakdown when they do go, just rough running, so it gives you a change to get around for a few days while you source replacements. Even if you blow an engine or gearbox, you can find them dirt cheap at any breaker or ebay, & they can be swapped by an ameteur in a day!
In contrast, I have friends with MINI`s, who have had LOADS of problems with them, even at low mileages, & have generally been eye wateringly expensive to put right, not that you want to hear that!
So yeah, not surprising that every single street in every city in the UK has at least two 500`s in them!
…. I learnt to drive with him. Numero uno ?
@@babbo1218 Thats him!
I have one as a daily and i love it to bits . Every time i park it i look back and smile. I love it!
My daughter had one whilst she was at university, I now know why Fiat stands for fix it again tomorrow. Maybe it was a bad one but every time she returned home from university I was fixing it! She now has a 107 that’s not as cool but needs less maintenance.👍
I love mine, it's my daily, makes me smile every day. 1.2 best model. Drive it like an Italian! Steering wheel computer controls are on the lounge model.
One needs an Italian mindset to really enjoy a Cinquecento, being Roman sized helps and a city with Vespa's buzzing everywhere so full use of the horn can be made.
I don't get why so many people complain about the rear head restraints 'dig in to their back' when it is actually a really clever design. The design encourage them to be adjusted correctly to protect any passengers in the back, but also are low enough in the low position to not block the rear view.
Lots of cars have used this design for a long time.
This is in my humble opinion a better retro modern execution of the redesigned Mini. but it's a close one. I've liked these since they were introduced. It's the details that make it though with the colour coded dash and the switches. I've not been a 17 year old for a very long time but I'd still consider one as a decent runabout with occasional longer journeys possible but a tad more fatigue. Many thanks for sharing.
We've had 3, they have all been frugal and reliable. Current one (1.2 Lounge) has just passed its 10th birthday and has been the perfect 2nd car for the last 2 years. Rusty sumps and rear axle beam are things to watch for. Wiring loom can fracture where it goes into the tailgate, and it's common for the doorhandles to break, but none of these problems have happened with our cars, and fixing them is cheap.
I live in Phoenix USA and I have a 2012 Fiat 500 that i have owned since new. It's been nearly problem free. Maybe a few "quirks and features" as expected but overall, it's been very reliable. It seems like people in England and Europe generally love them and have a very high opinion of them. Here in the U.S. I think there is a lot of anti-small car and anti-Fiat sentiment which clouds people's opinions of them.
Got a 2013 1.2 Lounge in white.
Great little car.
Yeah but thats a Pop he tested lol
We have a ford Ka and a Chrysler Ypslinon. Both are based on the fiat 500 / Panda.
We had a 2012 Twin Air Lounge from new in 2012, in November 2012 it was written off when someone in a Toyota Auris pulled out on us outside Hatfield Police station, the Toyota ended up on its side, we walked away with airbag rash.
It was a great fun car.
After that we had four Abarths and loved them all.
I've driven a 500E and that's brilliant too
That looks like a Pop fitted with Lounge wheels (Arnold Clark fiddle) the Lounge has a fixed sunroof and air con wit radio controls on the steering wheel
We spec'd our second Abarth to have the sunroof, made it even better.
The seats are great on long runs, the long, tilting, lower squab is good to support the legs
My daughter, 19 has had one for 2 months just prepping for test. Great to nip around in and pretty fun (30mph on a country lane feels like 60!). If you can get a good one these are great if you have short legs 😊. You have a POP there. Lounge has glass roof, Air Con and City Steering (super light!). Can’t help make a meep meep sound as we pass other 500s😂
My 2011 500 pop bottom of the range has just hit the 200,000 miles. It’s never let me down once. Yes I’ve had everything replaced on it that you would normally expect to replace on a car for the mileage and age so it’s good for another 200,000 miles. I have travelled all over Europe in it. I’ve had many opportunities to replace it with a newer model but it’s my little sunshine and I adore it. I fit three children and four pug dogs in it daily
My Daughter drives a 2019 Fiat 500S with the 1.2 and 5 speed and I love it, I would happily drive it everyday. My Sister drives a 2013 Fiat 500 1.2 with 5 speed as well but it is Pink Metallic with the cream interior and glass top and guess what, I love it and I would happily drive it everyday.
It's not Girly, it's full of Character and Joie De Vivre. A beautiful Smiley little car just like the MINI. Love them both.
My wife loved her 500, says it all really. I found it awkward to drive ( and I’m only 5 foot 8) pedals too close together and kept getting my foot whacked by the steering column knuckle. Hey ho it wasn’t my car 😂
5'3" and size 39 feel always fits FIAT's perfectly.
I love ours, it is admittedly very cute and a bit girly but it’s great fun to drive and even just sitting in it just puts a big smile on my face unlike most of the modern characterless tin boxes you can buy.
It’s not a car for the boy racer though, you won’t see many 500 drivers doing 80 down a High Street dreaming that the head of the Ferrari F1 team is on a scouting mission.
All I see driving around on these Summer evenings are Fiat 500 with R plates, literally hundreds of them and also lots of Fiat Punto which is great to see as they are in my opinion under appreciated by many.
Maybe I missed it, did you find the hidden storage bin under the front passenger seat by just pulling up the seat squab, on these pre facelift models. Makes up for no glove box.
no, I missed that
I love these cars. I have now had 4 of them (2 x 1.2 Lounges and 2 x Abarth). Every time I find myself without one, I crave another. Don't know why, they are flawed in so many ways but there's just something about them that gets under my skin. I keep looking on Autotrader to find my favourite that I owned, a 2014 Mint green. YC14 ZTF where are you now? Male. Age 63.
This was my wedding car in 2009, I loved it.
Didnt know that, what a fun wedding car!
@@furiousdriving yeah, back then it was quite new, rented one. My sister got married before in my mum's old 1968 500, which is still in the family. So I thought a new 500 would be nice. Marriage didn't last, unfortunately 😅
Had a Twin Air version when they first came out . Great looks,great engine ,great fun ,great exhaust note, SHOCKING MPG!
I've had a 2012 Fiat 500 Sport for about 4 years. It''s got the 1.4 multi-air engine and a five speed, black leather, and an awesome Bose system. With a hundred horsepower, it's plenty fast. We have very twisty roads and an 8700 ft. summit to go over to get to our little cabin, and the giant turbo pickups chase me to the first corner, then they never see me again. It is speed limited at 122 mph, and I have done most of that (deserted highway, of course) Girl's car? Yeah, if that girl is like Pat Moss
That one is a 500 Pop, rather than a Lounge. A Lounge would have air con and a panoramic roof, along with a few other bits.
They're great little cars, fun, quirky and classless.
I've had a 2011 Ka and a 2018 500. Would definitely have another!
Also the top speed is not 99mph as i had one as a rental car and lets just say on a clear track the gps i had registered 107mph top speed on a flat surface and that was in the red , surprised the poor thing did not blow its top haha
Yes Matt, the new Fiat 500 certainly is a cute retro car. Some of my daughter's mates own one, but by now the the 2 cylinder POP is quite popular here, nor many 1 2s left on our roads.. On principal I stayed away, Fiat is known to be higher maintenance cars here in South Afica. So for my daughter's, one wanted a Chevy Spark. Four years later we have only done oil and filters and a battery. For my youngest we got a Honda Brio auto. Also a car that we can rely on, for late night returns to her flat. Also only simple services required. Fortunately they are not car enthusiasts, both love their little cars. And Dad loves the low running cost and reliability. Particularly in a high crime country like ours.
Erm, as two members of my family have had one & had similar issues with gear selection and crank seals, I'd advise against. I do see the appeal though...
@@Jam3sA I have one it is more artwork than an actual useable vehicle LoL 🤣 that's how badly made these are 😅
The Abarth version is very much fun to drive👍
Great video. Currently trying to seek one for my daughter. They seem to hold their value well, even for a 2009 plate over £2,500.00.
That is not a lounge version , no panoramic roof and no AC snowflake icon on the control for the cars interior ventilation , you've been hoodwinked lol
Currently own one, never ever again. So many expensive issues
@@carsonbarclay5360 Yep 👍 and not even a fast car , My old i10 had 16bhp more and felt way quicker and more stable round bends
I bought my wife a 500 1.4 sport brand new in January 2010 in White with optional red leather seats ( she speced it) .
Unfortunately it was not trouble free ..it ate through 3 water pumps ,a thermostat housing, a radiator, the air con condenser fins corroded and worst of all the gearbox bearings ( 6 speed manual) disintegrated...itcwas a money pit ....The wife loved it as it was very zippy .
I didn't like the driving position ( I'm 6ft weight 14 stone) and the handling was so so ...its a shame because I liked the retro looks....shame about the build quality...after all its Italian but built in Poland.
@@juliancaston9598 yep 👍💯 gearbox bearings on mine went too it's the input shaft bearings as Fiat used a £2 part 😂 , cost me £1000 to fix as Clutch had to be replaced with it and then the rear shocks went and now cambelt needs doing too so that will be another £350 on top of the other bills , I want to sell and get an i10 again as the i10) I used to own was bombproof timing chain engine
@christineayres7199 It was the gearbox layshaft bearings that went ..they were ball bearings with plastic separators, the plastic broke up and dislodged the bearings.
The replacements were roller bearings ( much better quality) .
I went to a gearbox specialist direct . While the gearbox was apart it made sense to have a complete replacement clutch ..cost £1200 .
In conclusion Fiat and Stellantis use cheap inferior quality parts .
Now have a Mazda 2 1.5 Skyactive 115bhp sports...great car .
The profile silhouette and some solutions in the interior remind me a lot of the Punto mk2 3 doors…
An excellent review as always Matt.
I usually agree with your opinions on all things automotive … but not this one. My wife wanted a Fiat 500 and we were looking for a nice 7-8 year old car, well we kept going to see cars that had been in accidents and repaired but eventually found a clean low miles one owner. To be fair, the engine is sweet enough, and reliability has not been an issue but I find it simply horrible to drive. Starting with adjusting the seat, it’s hard to reach the seat slider from the seat ( for me anyway) and then it’s awkward to reach for the seatbelt. The centre of the dash/console is up against my left leg and I cannot get comfortable in the car, the steering feels odd and I drive a few before I realised it’s a Fiat 500 thing and not a fault. The windows rattle when lowered, the radio is horrible and fitting an aftermarket stereo causes the odometer to flash as the car complains that the original stereo is missing. On top of all that it’s not actually that good on fuel. For a first car or a good small car give me a VW Polo any day. The good things are the hidden compartment in the passenger seat which is genius so much so that so many owners don’t even know it’s there..and the looks for girl are extremely cute
It's such a good looking car, but I couldn't recommend one, I've worked on 3(?) of them and not had great experiences
1. Burst steering rack seals which is a horrendous job getting it out
2. Just the biggest oil leak, it was dripping as though there wasn't a crack shaft seal there at all
3. on a car with less that 20k miles both front dampers were shot as were both lower control arms.
Really is a shame though, I love how they look and they drove decent too
@@Uni_Iris_1 Yeah Fiat=Fix it again Tony 🤣
I've got the lounge spec model with the Dualogic box out of nessesity cause of health issues. It has got aircon. Agree about the two levers getting mixed up. Some models have a secret storage compartment under the passenger seat on rhd models. I have the 1.4 litre that has the discs on the rear which IMO don't work or feel as good as drums.....oh I am a MAN 😅
Id love one if it wasnt for that lump on the side of the gear shift area!
@@JimF500 I've got the secret compartment in mine lol 🤣
@@Cayres9 that is not fair, I don't have it 😂. Did you know about it?
Great cars! I want to buy a TwinAir Cabrio.
This car goes to prove how good looking pleasing to the eye’s car will sell, The car with the same underpinnings, the Ford ka most people have forgot about it, where the Fiat went on to be a very good selling car to this day
I think it's a good first car unless it is the Semi automatic model, those ones are not good! Semi autos are common in small cheap cars and should really be avoided
Fiat Panda 169 is a better first car, four doors, and the 1.1 Active Eco is dirt cheap insurance. We have one, my eldest passed and had for a couple of years, Now youngest has it. Eleven years of bargain car ( brought it at 4 years old for £2100) .
@@BernardSamson-hf6fc Wonder 🤔 if it has the gearbox ⚙️ bearing issue like the 500 ?
Fiat on borrowed time in US…no appetite for city cars here….to the extent that any can sell, the Japanese and Korean brands have the market sewn up!
I read recently Fiat had to scrap the 500 EV as it wasnt selling so now they bringing back the hybrid 500 instead lol
Most Americans want a car that works like white goods evening if it's dull, looks cheap and doesn't dry particularly well either.
@@skimmingstoness Yep 👍 Dodge Ram 🐏 with the Cummins Diesel engine is best👍🙂
I saw one of these for the first time on holiday in Italy in 2007, so cool i think i would prefer a Fiat 500 too the Mini (:
I have noticed around near me the go to car for the car mad young lady has gone over to the Adam. Makes sense if you want a car that stands out but isn't a 500 as they are everywhere. Looking like my wife is leaning towards as used 500 for her next car
We need an MK1 Aygo next ;)
I’ve been thrilled with my Abarth but the MultiAir engine does have its foibles.
Great review!
Get the 1.2 fantastic little cars , I owned one a few years back on a 14 plate , in teck house grey
If I was 17 Matt ( I wish 😂) I would have one 👌🏻, my first car at 17 was a MK3 Cortina Estate 😂, in White 1600L ☹️, but I loved it and could fit 4 mates in and all camping kit for great weekends away 😉
Also the 1.2 fire engine has none interference valves and pistons, in other words if the cambelt snaps , it won’t do any damage
@@Phil-1969 not true as my mechanic said it is an interference engine 1.2 8valve 2013 lounger version
@@Cayres9yes your mechanic is correct, I do apologise
@@Phil-1969 Damn 😱 I'm disappointed 😞 as mines on 85k original cam belt not good 😱 as if it blows then I'm in trouble 😵💫
I have this exact model which doesn't have bluetooth but supposedly has AUX which comes up as an option on the radio. Does anyone know where the aux port is because i can't find it anywhere.
We have just bought one and we love it.
We had a 1.4 sport, great peice of design and fun to drive. Quality though was shocking. Cracking paint, alloys laqour coming off, rattles inside, plastic engine parts breaking after a couple of years.
It's crazy how insanely cheap cars are in England. In Greece the cheapest I could find was at 5000 euros, with well over 150000 kilometers 🤨
Cool! Maybe as a second car? After learning to drive in the tough Aygo? And always de 500 1.2, the best engine.
My 240 jaguar only did 0-60 in about 12seconds and 24 to the gallon
19 year old daughter has her heart set on one of them even though i think a panda is better value for a first car as you know they are going to ding it 🙄🇮🇪👍
AKA as a Ford KA 🤓🚗👍 Toyota Aygo 🤓👍
Had a 2012 500 TwinAir Dualogic which was a dog and Fiat knew it. Lasted 3 years. ... 12 years later I have a Fiat 500e Red as a second car for small journeys. Nice car but I am sure it is smaller inside than the 2012 model. We will see what this one is like after 3 years. Still keeping my ICE vehicle which is not a Fiat.
Oh. The 500e Red had one disabled owner and 2,000 miles on the clock. 2 years old. I got it for less than half the price of a new one. Even looking back 12 years ago, this new 500e Red is £2,000 cheaper than that new 500 TwinAir. Crazy.
14:16 If i was that gentleman, I'd probably feel safer on the other side of the road, facing oncoming vehicles. Hope he got to wherever he was going safe and sound. 👍
The real trick was it looked so much like the original that it looked small - park and original next to this one and you'll see your eyes are being tricked and its not that small
same as the Mini
Have you driven the “twin air” version…? 🤔
We can barely hear you due to the horrendous road noise. Yes, I've driven and worked on plenty and can confirm that they really are that loud in reality. A short journey feels like a cross continental journey. Exhausting little car. Poor in an accident also.
I have a red 500 1.2 Pop from 2007 (one of the earliest made) with 285,000 kms. Very frugal at 6.2L/100km, despite my spirited driving style...
Original engine, original gearbox, no problems whatsoever. Runs perfectly, the engine is very peppy, superb agility in the city or curvy roads.
I went on holiday with 2 other adults, hauling all our stuff and a cat, no problem cruising at 130-140km/h on the highway.
And the A/C still works since the very first day! I love my 500.
I had a 63 reg 500 duelogic let's just say never again I'd rather walk lol
You sure it’s a lounge? Looks like a pop.
The owner told me it was a Lounge and had it advertised as one
@@furiousdriving I guess here in Poland the lounge might have been specced differently. They gave it air con, alloy wheels, front fog lights and a leather steering wheel with radio controls.
That’s a Pop. Lounge has sunroof, leather steering wheel with remote controls for radio.
And aircon
That's not the lounge , it should have a glass roof with a roller blind ( the roof however doesn't open ).
You started out in a lounge then showed us round a pop 🤔
Yea I’m not sure.
I do like the styling….and considering it wasn’t an expensive car even when new.
Style on a budget
IMO this is a better retro makeover than the Mini.
However…..there’s some very annoying little defects especially for anyone over 5ft 5. It needed to be a tiny bit bigger.
Wonder if that’s fixed in the new electric and hybrid model?
And I’ve heard several people say they’ve had a bad one, mechanical issues.
The dual logic automated manual also introduces more unreliability….IMO if you want a small automatic, don’t buy one of these.
More overall….has this desire for tiny tho stylish cars now passed? Compact or even very compact SUVs are taking over.
These do suffer from internal door handles breaking off and various other happenings
Hi Matt, Economic what more do you need. Small and Italian. Seems to popular with a certain age of lady. Thanks for the vid, Later 👍
Whenever i see a 500 on the road i think trainee Audi driver and give it a wide berth! 😂
I literally saw a girl once drive straight into a concrete wall at the Sainsbury car park in Beaconsfield lol no joke she literally crashed into the wall because she could not judge distance haha
I have no issues with the Fiat 500 other than what commonly goes wrong. The EV 500 is useless with its range but I'm glad the hybrid is available.
What are the common issues with the 500? Thinking about getting one. Can't decide between 500 and Panda.
@@owensmith8467 Gearbox bearing noise and clutch , very expensive as mine cost £1000 to fix , also make sure the cambelt has been done because if not then bye bye engine
Basically a ford KA but more expensive
not the greatest place to film with the strimmer going off in background lol
Brake test? You are watching too much Sarah 😂 Maybe also check the bolstering next time 😉👍
😂
majority of those are built the same, dont think any of em have touch screens et in them yet.
no.
@@cosmicsman666 I agree 👍 and I own one, this will sound daft but my previous car a 2011 Hyundai i10 was way better ,I only sold it because I wanted something more comfortable on long journeys sadly the 500 is nothing but trouble 😵💫 gearbox and clutch went bang cost me £1000 then rear shocks broke another £100 and now mechanic tells me cambelt is bad 😞 another £350 will be gone 😱
@@Cayres9 yep. friends and relatives have given me many tales of woe regarding these throwaway tins of italian junk. i10 s have a solid reputation . Try get rid as soon as you can. I have a spacestar and the seats can get a little uncomfy on a long journey so i bought some padded seat covers and they did the trick. peace.
Quntum of solace not casino royal.
1500 £...? For a good used fiat 500?....Are used car that cheap in the UK??
you'd be amazed what a couple of thousand will buy
@@furiousdriving here in Belgium used cars are often too expensive + taxes can be high (sometimes the taxes are more than the price you pay for the car itself) except when the car is 30 years and older but they're often more expensive than a younger model....
@@belgianfries3739 I paid £3 grand for a 2013 with 80 thousand on the clock but gearbox needed repair and extra £1000 on top but you can probably get a good one cheap if you hung around
Lounge fly! 😋👍
Just buy a Ka, and save yourself a couple of grand. Ford, what happened to you?
Ka is the more expensive option!
@@smoothmicra KA= Gearbox and Clutch issues same as 500
Yes a great car, we had one on hire. But alas like the soundtrack of your video, it's a bloody noisy car . . .
7:55 beep! beep!
Do you get extra dosh from comments?
Not exactly but UA-cam count the interactions and promote videos with more likes and comments
Another great video as always Matt 👍
You can't be seriously. In the U.S. when they still tried to sell them they were at or near the bottom with reliability. Then it got worse when they drove them.
@@danr1920 Agreed 💯👍 nothing but problems with mine 2013 only 80 thousand on the click but gearbox and clutch exploded cost me a grand to fix then rear shocks exploded lol 🤣 so I will be selling soon , is sad as it looks so beautiful
In Australia these aren't that popular l can't remember the last time l saw one there are plenty of small cars around Suzuki Swift Honda Jazz Toyota Yaris and Mazda 2 there is the odd new mini but not many Fiat 500 and Matt before you go making claims of they were popular all over the world not here in Australia
Panda > 500
But the Panda cant take corners as fast as the 500
Absolutely not a good first car unless you have plenty of money to repair it and insurance not exactly cheap
No they are not good cars , I have a 2013 lounge i paid £3 grand for it from a dealer who did not tell me the gearbox bearings were bad , cost me £1000 to replace and fit new clutch , then rear shocks broke and the rear axle needs replacing as is rusty , the car has only done 80 thousand miles , it should not be in such a bad state and the cambelt needs changing or the engine will blow up my mechanic said its a very bad design , interference engine it is so if the belt snaps thats good bye engine , Do you know what the worst thing is ? I traded my 2011 i10 in for it got £1500 but the i10 was perfect never had 1 issue and it was faster by 16bhp , why did Fiat put a weak 69bhp engine in such a nice looking car ? anyway 1st car buy a Hyundai i10 its just better , has a timing chain too so wont blow up
Sounds like you got a bad one. This one belonged to a mechanic who had no trouble with it
@@furiousdriving Yeah 👍 the person who owned it that the dealership bought it from was an Evri delivery driver so probably my 500 was sadly abused which is awful as it's a rare yellow colour 500 anyway it's driving in at moment but I want rid of it due to loss of faith in the car
I have a 2011 500 pop bottom of the range. I’ve done just over 200,000 miles in it and it’s a fantastic little car most of the components that would have gone and been replaced so it’s good for another 200,000 miles. And it’s never let me down and I have been all over Europe. It.
@@asa1973100 Freddie Dobbs is that you ? 😂 As there's a guy on UA-cam called that he drives a pop got 211 thousand now out of It but obviously changed cambelt and water pump , the thing is if it snaps then the engine is toast , I'm surprised you've not had the bad gearbox bearings issue yet as they always go wrong
Yipee, Matt you don't look old enough for teenage kids.
I'll take that. Its the moisturiser
Yes, it’s a lovely design. But if your 17 year old is of the male variety, probably get a Toyota Aygo.
No. They don't teach anything about real driving and how to cope if things go wrong. Everything is assisted (brake servo, PAS,, hill hold (in case you can't do a hill start), so many sensors (fluid levels etc.)). No car produced this century is a good first car. Old cars are better because you learn more by using (and maniacs like us, maintaining them). 500s are fun, our Great Niece had one and I rented one while my X5 was being repaired (ABS pump, not cheap). Modern cars have no soul or character and, quite honestly, at our end of the market (your work horse aside) ugly.
Sorry, but thats 40 years of driving experience, spannering and 26t driving. Don't start me on motorbikes!
Oh really ? I give you Behold the Hyundai i10 some of them have done over 200 thousand miles never an issue as timing chain engine and very simple engines too
Your sound issues are really annoying.
He appologize already.
No. It's not the perfect car because it is unreliable.