Fiat 500. A year later.. (in USA, that is)

So now that the tiny Italian car has been out for a while, what's the DL verdict? Anyone own one? What's been your experience so far?

FIAT = Fix It Again Tony!
This guy in the Fiat 500 Abarth Super Bowl commercial ….
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DvAmE7n05vo8
Was this guy the year before for Lowe's. Musta dumped the wifey and home and headed for the City ….
http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D35DucgYOMq0
Ex-Ad%20Guy
I played with one at the dealership, and it's a fun little car. Not much space, the back seat is purely for show, and it's very plastic on the inside, so I don't know how it would hold up. For something like $15,000 it looked like a deal.
I don't know about the Fiat 500, but Consumer Reports is giving good reviews to the revised Chrylser 300/Dodge Charger, and while still panning the Chrylser 200/Dodge Avenger, admits greats strides have been made in improving these Daimler Benz abominations that should never have left the factory. And the new Jeep Grand Cherokee is flying off dealer lots at numbers last seen in the 1990's when it first came out. The new Dodge Dart, built on a Fiat platform, is getting good advanced press. Fiat and Chyrsler must be doing something right.
Fiat 500 is being assembled in Serbia. Think of it as new Yugo.
My 60 year old dad is going to get one. He had one when he was a teenager. I can't wait to drive it. That is all.
I rented a Fiat 500 two or three times through Hertz. Found them fun to drive and they had good pick-up - they didn't die going up an incline like the Ford Focus or Chevy Impala that I also rented. But I've since bought a 10 year old used VW Golf which drives better than any of them.
They are small and over priced, technically unreliable and not the best in class fuel economy. Buy a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris. Save money, get better gas - no expensive and regular repair bills. If you want an unreliable, mechanically problematic small car, at least buy domestic, get a Chevy Cruze, you will be helping the local economy.
I just bought a new KIA Soul---love it.
R10, I was going to get a Soul, but I got the Forte Koup instead. I love my car!
Hyundai/Kia progressively supports anti-gay employment policies. They are the only major auto manufacture, who does today. Why not buy a car from James Dobson then?
A Smart Car almost ran me down in the crosswalk. I could have crushed it with my hand.
Wow, that took 12 replies!
If this is the same model as sold in Europe, the thing turns into a rust bouquet, as Hyacinth would say, in about two to three years.
There's an amazing amount of headroom. It's just wasted space and a result of the styling, but you could wear a top hat while driving that thing.
I bought a Lexus based on the thread from not long ago. I hope to drive it into retirement.
Okay I just bought one. Couldn't wait any longer. It's a kick to drive and the styling is so well done. Here's hoping for many miles of fun.
OP
Won't lie. My partner just bought the 500 with the Gucci package. It's adorable. We look ridiculous with my 2012 Beetle of the same color in the driveway next to his gucci striped Fiat. Whatever.
Just curious r19, what part of the country do you live in?
[quote]Buy a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris. But what if you have style and want car that's aesthetically pleasing?
There is nothing asthetically good looking in the fiat. It does resemble a budding hemmeroid, being about the same size and shape. It also resembles a turd on funny wheels.
R2, I love her tat. Appropriate.
Anyone drive the little Scion iQ?
Tarquin
Those Scion iQs, Fiat 500s, and of course Minis (which I have) are getting very popular around here (inner loop Houston). I just rode in a 500 rag top. At 5' 11" I actually barely fit in the back seat. Totally cute, but seems poorly constructed. Cheap materials. The Mini is an armored tank in comparison. And with the soft top down you cannot see a thing behind you.
Here's r22:
http://images.uglypeopleunite.com/files/2011/08/ugly-people-unite-244.jpg
I totally agree with R1. I owned a FIAT and it was the worst car I ever owned, a real lemon. It finally committed suicide one Sunday when a belt broke, wrapped around the drive shift and broke two pistons. What a piece of shit!
Fiat actually bought Chrysler to learn how to build better and more reliable cars. THAT tells you a lot.
The Gucci edition Fiat is adorable. How can you not smile when you look at it?
Perfect summer car.
I love the way they look, but haven't been in one or driven on. I have a Scion xA that's been running great for 6 years and can't really rationalize getting a new car when mine is so perfect. But I wish it looked like the 500.
Italians have always been very good at making absolute technically crappy products look sexy. From blenders to cars to clothes.
I was in London this past spring, and it seemed like the Fiat 500s were everywhere! They're sure cute, and seem as though they'd be a great "city car" size-wise. But, sorry, the very word "Fiat" does not exactly inspire confidence...
Fiat-500 meets Ford F-150 "Is all you homersexual commies from New York City feelin all safe n kozy in that teeny imported fairy car now?. Be a real man - buy a TRUCK!"
http://www.benlevy.com/auto/meet/supercar20110507/img_2378.jpg
JLo drives one, so how bad could it be?
The Fiat 500 is the new "chick car", replacing the Beetle. I live in Austin and there are tons of the little Fiats around. I don't know if it is the colors, the options, or marketing, but they seem to be very popular with young women. Lots of college stickers on them too. The Mini is also pretty popular, but probably more expensive.
[quote]So now that the tiny Italian car has been out for a while, what's the DL verdict? Same as before: it's supplanted the Miata, Beetle and Mini Cooper as the gayest. car. EVAH! More seriously, it's a piece of crap: it's gotten TERRIBLE J.D. Power reliability numbers, and all of the major car magazines are in agreement that the 500 is extremely disappointing by any measure of sportiness, with the exception of the newly released 500 Abarth limited-edition model. A Mini Cooper is much more roomy and sporty and costs about the same. No, but really: I assume any guy driving a 500 is both gay and flaming, and probably has a tiny dog in the passenger seat. Is that really how you bitches want to be perceived?
happy%20BMW%20owner
Oh, and its sales numbers have been a huge disappointment for Chrysler. That's why you're seeing so many Fiats in car-rental pools: Chrysler had to dump them through fleet sales, which is almost always a measure of last resort when a manufacturer can't sell a car on a lot for anything close to MSRP.
Chrysler has to definitely dump these. The dealer up the street has almost 50 on the back lot and they have been there forever. They all have dust on the hoods.
Who would ever drive one of these in a Midwestern winter? Totally impractical fora large segment of the North American market.
R37: OMG that's totally me! Except my shirt's usually off too.
Love%20my%20little%20fiat.%20
[quote]Buy a Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris. Save money, get better gas - no expensive and regular repair bills. Or go American and get the Ford Fiesta. It is more affordable, better gas mileage and looks more stylish IMO.
The Ford Fiesta does not come in a convertible.
The Euro designed and built Ford Fiesta is a good 10 years ahead of the Fiat technically and uses a much higher quality of build materials. The contrast really makes you realize how incredibly cheap and dated the Fiat 500 is.
[quote] Be a real man - buy a TRUCK!" Like a lesbian.
I don't know about the car, but I love the Fiat Baby.
[quote]The Ford Fiesta does not come in a convertible. Neither does the Fiat: its "convertible" top is basically a large, fabric sunroof. [quote]Who would ever drive one of these in a Midwestern winter? To be fair, it's no better or worse than any other front-wheel-drive car in the winter. Put snow tires on any of them and they'll be just fine. Like all modern cars, the 500 has traction control and ABS, which are the two best things to have short of all-wheel-drive in snow.
I so agree that the ford fiesta looks great i am so gonna get one
What's with this fashion for tiny cars in the US and Canada? They are totally impractical. I have a tiny car in Europe, while I drive a big car in North America. I would never put a Fiat on an American road, it would be crushed like a coke can if it hit an SUV.
But...JLo told me to buy it, R49. I do what JLo tells me.
R49, they're not "fashionable" in the U.S. Small cars have historically sold poorly in America, and that reality hasn't changed. Yes, cars like the Mini Cooper have developed niche audiences, but you generally don't see them outside of trend-conscious urban areas. Your concern about being "crushed by an SUV" is partially accurate. Although, in theory, a car like a Fiat would be much superior to any sort of truck in terms of avoiding an accident to begin with -- generally speaking, the larger the car, the worse it is at emergency avoidance, with the exception of high-end German sedans -- you are correct that diminutive size has its drawbacks. My mother had a Miata for many years as a second car, but finally gave it up after she was hit for the *fourth* time in it. She never had a serious accident, but in each of the four cases, she was hit by either a large SUV or a big American car that didn't see her in their mirrors.
r51, I was talking in terms of safety on impact (not whether the car is generally implicated in a collision). Fiat bodywork is notoriously poor (I have one), and cars often collapse on impact. Nissan is not much better. The Mini Cooper is a better quality, but it baffles me why people drive them in the likes of Toronto. During winter they are out of action. I just find them nothing more than an impractical fashion accessory in North America - perhaps it's because they are cute (whereas in Europe the Fiat 500 is known as a 'hairdresser car').
The Fiat 500 is a piece of crap. These pictures are laughable because this CRAP is lipstick on a god damned pig. Pathetic. I've driven in one. Uncomfortable, and toxic plastic stink and toxic plastic interior. Its a criminal piece of crap.
Mick%20Russom
I met a woman in her 30's who bought one because it's cute. She's a working stiff like me who should be buying a car for its reliability and practicality. Whatever.
The commercial jingle is catchy, I'll give it that.
I purchased on in 2012 but sold it within 6 months. I live in Colorado and even with snow tires on, if it snowed more then 7 inches it was impossible to get to work or get home from work. The clearance on this vehicle is only 4.1 inches. If they ever come out with a AWD and raise it up a few inches I would consider it again. It was very fun to drive but not very practical in snow states.
One parked next to my F-250 and it wasn't as big as my hood.
Clown%20puncher