Opinions on the Fiat 500?

My son is looking at a 2013 500 Pop. He needs a reliable basic commuter. He wants a 5 speed, and he's pretty tall (6'2")

Thoughts?

They eat engine mounts. Considered a consumable. About $300 Canadian all in plus install if required. Based on people I know who have them, all parts are premium priced.

The seating position in the Fiat is weird for tall people.  The seat doesn't go down far enough so my eye line is at the top of the windshield.  A mini fits me a lot better but I can't really comment on base fiat vs base mini reliability.

Worst rental car I've ever had.  Twice, we could not climb a hill in the one we had in Italy.  And the fuel economy was pretty poor on the one we had here in the US.  

In reply to ojannen :

It's weird for short people too.

My son loved his but it was not a good car.

Ours must have been the exception.  In 140,000 miles it only needed regular maintenance (fluids, filters, plugs, timing belt), two rear wheel bearings, and a driver side door handle hinge.  It wasn't a rocket by any means but we took several long trips and didn't feel any more underpowered than any other small car.  The seating position is different and you're either comfortable or very uncomfortable, 6'2 could be too tall to be happy in it.  We loved it and would have gotten another after her accident had we been able to find one that wasn't black or white. 
 

Gratuitous Joy the Fiat pics: 

Let's just say that after test driving every version of 500 (pop, sport, turbo, Abarth) I bought a new 2013 Mazda 2 sport 5 speed. Test drove them back to back to back in one day. The shifter on the Fiat was loose and sloppy compared to the Mazda, the steering was less precise, and the buy in was higher (even for the Pop). Since then the 2 has been extremely reliable using mostly consumables in 144000 miles since new getting over 35 mpg when I keep my foot out of it. It also makes one hell of an autocrosser! Still on the original clutch. The 500s have a terrible track record for reliability.

I really wanted a Fiat. Especially the Turbo. They sound incredible. And I like the looks. But am glad to have gotten the 2.

Abarth or 500e 

I had a 500 as a rental a few years back. Hated the circle in circle in a circle dash design. Car was also very sketchy driving in snow on the interstate.  
 

Styling wise I really do not like them. Why is such a little car so tall? Is it taller than it is wide? If your son likes the looks, then that is all that matters. 

If he is tall he'll need to find one without the sunroof. I'm 6'3" and had to tilt my head at an angle to fit in the sunroof model I test drove.

I get the impression that they are not bad but do have a handful of common small issues. Aftermarket is pretty strong which is good.

A friend of mine bought one for his daughter. No problems in the last 5 or 6 years except he keeps having to redo the wiring for the headlights. It keeps melting the plug for some reason. 

It also goes through front tires at a much higher rate than rears, he refuses to rotate them for some reason. 

He would buy it again. 

In reply to T.J. :

The sketchyness in the snow was likely tires. With a set of good snows it plugged along nicely as long as it wasn't too deep. 

In reply to Slippery (Forum Supporter) :

It benefited from regular tire rotations more than any other car I've had. They feel extremely nose heavy. 

I found my 500 Abarth was weird in the snow.  That was all due to the traction and stability control,  it was never out of control or feeling off, it was just weird feeling the car make corrections before I even realized there was an issue.

The reason you sit so tall in the 500 is exactly because the car is so small.  If you sat lower, your legs would need more space, thus taking up even more of the limited space for the back seat passengers.  After a few hundred miles, you will not even notice it.

In reply to Wally (Forum Supporter) :

[My 500 experience covered a couple days and probably less than 200 miles of driving, so my opinion is not one to give a lot of credence to.]

It definitely had whatever tires came on it from the factory since it was nearly brand new when I had it. The wrong tires can make any car feel sketchy in the snow. I got caught out one winter in MN with my normal tires on my WRX instead of snow tires. It was about 3" of fresh snow on the roads and the car was quite a handful. The stability control worked harder than usual. With snow tires on that thing I always wanted it to snow late at night/early in the morning so I could make my 35 mile commute on the unplowed backroads.

I will also add. If you are going to get a 500, at the very least get the turbo model.  at roughly 100 hp, the standard 500 is a rolling speed bump on the road.  The Turbo bumps that up substantially and we all know about the Abarth.

Little to add except I spoke with a guy who absolutely loved his 500EV. Limited range, but a great fun vehicle. 

It feels like driving a barstool.

Honda Fit.

One of my Fiat club pals bought one new. You can read and decide for yourself if you want one of those turds.

https://fotnw.blogspot.com/?fbclid=IwAR1Naocb8nnjKLjQ-WR4IzTI0biYpbTqZRlk0do8NkdndEWMuLGVDtZL5Tc

There is a reason they have piss-poor resale value.

Nissan Versa Note. I drive a 15 and used to be a Lyft driver and taller passengers sit in the front and back with no issues concerning space. Probably more room and not as tight as a 500.

It is my opinion that the Fiat 500 is small and ugly.

Cute, funky, cool. Seating position is awful. As someone else said, it's like driving a barstool. 

I have seen a lot of video reviews for the 500 and in almost everyone of them I am amazed at the abuse the reviewers inflect on the cars.  I remember one guy dinging the interior because the three bottons on the dash flex slightly when he pushed on them.  I tried it with my own Abarth, I really had to put some pressure on those buttons to make them move the ways his did.

While these are cars that like to be tossed through the twisties, have a great exhaust note, good power, and can almost anything anybody asks of them,  they are not meant to be manhandled the way some people use them.  there is a reason they are so light while still containing all the creature comforts,  things are made of lightweight materials.  It's like working with power tools, let the machine do the work, when you open the door you are not trying to yank open a bank vault.  I know this will not convince anybody, but there is a reason I can usually keep cars running long past their sell by date, I respect them and treat them like I want them to last.

Next time you see a smoking honda, ask yourself how badly was that car abused?  If it was treated like some of the "wannabe street racers" around here, I bet it spent a lot of time bouncing off of the rev limiter. Use a car like it was designed to be used, not like you bought it at Harbor Freight.

I could never get comfy (6' tall). My right knee hits the console in a weird way. If it weren't for that I'd probably own an Abarth. I might buy one anyway they're so awesome, except for that #%*£~¥#€{* console.....

Zero ownership experience but 100% opposite of others rental experience I sought out the 500 after minivan and SUV options. Felt like it might flip tail over tip on big Boston potholes but the most fun rental ever. I drop laps around empty mall parking lot at 10pm for no reason except giggles.