I had it all figured out. I did the research, compared vehicles, decided only RWD would do for me. Ran down Pros and Cons with many hours of deliberation over many weeks and finally decided on the BMW 128i for my next vehicle. 6MT, hardtop, sport pkg or not if I can't find it. THIS WAS THE CAR. SO....
Why does the FIAT 500 abarth still haunt me?
Should I reconsider my choice? I know with parts I can reliably make 230 hp in the abarth and 250 in the 128. but the abarth is almost 500lb lighter. But fwd. What I want is fun, delight, joy. And reliability. I thought I wanted dorifto ability, but that only comes with RWD. What if I want to HDPE? What if the car never leaves the street? wait. auto-x? Hmmm. Does anyone have Objective facts I may have missed? Subjective opinions I may not have heard? Interesting stories that may or may not be relevant? At this point I'm looking for any input you have on which one should need to join my garage. I'm looking for a long-term relationship here. whatcha got? what do you know that I should know?
What are you buying the car for? DD duty? Fun?
I have no experience with either so I don’t have much to add. But I’m terribly practical so my first thoughts are about how many seats, trunk size, mileage, etc.
Have you driven the Fiat? I quickly discovered that while it's fun, it wasn't for me. And while I'm okay with FWD cars I prefer the dynamics of RWD.
In reply to spandak :
Fun. I have a work truck that I currently drive to and from my house so my POV sits in the garage most of the time. Also both are small and I forsee two adults up front and possibly a 9 year old in the back occasionally but mostly just me in the car 90% of the time.
In reply to clutchsmoke :
I have driven neither car. but my current stable is 2001 corolla, basically set up for autocross and is a blast in the twisties. Then 1988 M5 which is a blast to drive but not as nimble. Also it's for sale to finance my next purchase. shameless plug.
gunner said:
I know with parts I can reliably make 230 hp in the abarth What I want is fun, delight, joy. And reliability. Why does the FIAT 500 abarth still haunt me?
The only thing reliable about the FIAT is that you can reliably count on it to break. Yes, the Abarth will haunt you...and your wallet.
Klayfish said:
gunner said:
I know with parts I can reliably make 230 hp in the abarth What I want is fun, delight, joy. And reliability. Why does the FIAT 500 abarth still haunt me?
The only thing reliable about the FIAT is that you can reliably count on it to break. Yes, the Abarth will haunt you...and your wallet.
is this from personal experience or hearsay, 'cause if it's the latter, my hearsay is that owners love them and say they've been pretty good. 
Slippery said:
gunner said:
In reply to clutchsmoke :
Then 1988 M5 which is a blast to drive but not as nimble. Also it's for sale to finance my next purchase. shameless plug.
How much?
Since you asked $35.500 and here's a link to my ad- http://www.mye28.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=148039
Chris_V said:
Klayfish said:
gunner said:
I know with parts I can reliably make 230 hp in the abarth What I want is fun, delight, joy. And reliability. Why does the FIAT 500 abarth still haunt me?
The only thing reliable about the FIAT is that you can reliably count on it to break. Yes, the Abarth will haunt you...and your wallet.
is this from personal experience or hearsay, 'cause if it's the latter, my hearsay is that owners love them and say they've been pretty good.
This is pretty much what I've been hearing from owners as well.
Chris_V said:
Klayfish said:
gunner said:
I know with parts I can reliably make 230 hp in the abarth What I want is fun, delight, joy. And reliability. Why does the FIAT 500 abarth still haunt me?
The only thing reliable about the FIAT is that you can reliably count on it to break. Yes, the Abarth will haunt you...and your wallet.
is this from personal experience or hearsay, 'cause if it's the latter, my hearsay is that owners love them and say they've been pretty good.
That's kind of like asking if the feeling that a BiTurbo is unreliable is personal experience or hearsay? It's pretty well documented how "reliable" Fiat is, but if I'm wrong, great. I just won't be the one to find out first hand.
You really need to drive both cars before you make a decision. There's nothing worse than a "fun" car that isn't because you don't like the seats or you can't stand the steering feel or whatever.
The Fiat was never on my radar, but as a 128i owner I can testify that it is certainly a fun car.
Klayfish said:
Chris_V said:
Klayfish said:
gunner said:
I know with parts I can reliably make 230 hp in the abarth What I want is fun, delight, joy. And reliability. Why does the FIAT 500 abarth still haunt me?
The only thing reliable about the FIAT is that you can reliably count on it to break. Yes, the Abarth will haunt you...and your wallet.
is this from personal experience or hearsay, 'cause if it's the latter, my hearsay is that owners love them and say they've been pretty good.
That's kind of like asking if the feeling that a BiTurbo is unreliable is personal experience or hearsay? It's pretty well documented how "reliable" Fiat is, but if I'm wrong, great. I just won't be the one to find out first hand.
Yeah, 'cause nothing has changed in the automotive world in 40 years. Cars are just like their 30-40 year old ancestors. From every manufacturer. I mean new Camaros suck because Vegas did, amirite?
Where is Jerry? From what I have heard the 500 is not a POS. Live a lot of people are saying go drive them and see what you think.
Chris_V said:
Klayfish said:
Chris_V said:
Yeah, 'cause nothing has changed in the automotive world in 40 years. Cars are just like their 30-40 year old ancestors. From every manufacturer. I mean new Camaros suck because Vegas did, amirite?
Sure, cars have definitely changed in 30-40 years...but in FIATs case I'll make an exception. 
I wasn't trying to compare the BiTurbo to the Abarth directly...my point was that I don't need personal first hand experience with either of them to have an opinion of their quality reputation.
It's got nothing to do with changing. Are MINIs known for solid build quality? Jaguar? Land Rover? Audi? I have zero doubt the Abarth is a blast to drive, I'm just not about to hop on the "it's reliable transportation" bandwagon. Feedback I get says no.
Jerry
UberDork
5/29/18 10:47 a.m.
Aaron_King said:
Where is Jerry? From what I have heard the 500 is not a POS. Live a lot of people are saying go drive them and see what you think.
Duh duh DUUUUHHH! Hi, someone call?
If you still live in the 70s with your porn-stache, yes Fiat's are terrible little fun cars to drive. Living in the 21st century? I've put over 57k miles on my Abarth since purchase in March '14. Other than routine/scheduled stuff I've replaced an axle and partial steering shaft for a clunk, and that was just over the winter. So now they're fairly reliable fun little cars to drive.
docwyte
SuperDork
5/29/18 11:43 a.m.
I'm still not interested in buying an Alfa Romeo. In reading the magazine reports of the new hot Alfa sedan, most of them had serious reliability issues with it. Some things don't change, happy to hear some do...
Whoever said drive first, then decide is 100% right. I've only sat in an Abarth, never driven one, and the ergonomics just don't work for me, something about the ratio of my torso to legs and melon sized noggin. I was sad that day, as it pencils out awesome, but I spent 10 min trying to get comfortable with no success. Question: If Abarth is in the mix, why not a mee-yotter?
Well there it is. It seems to me that I'm worried about the 128 not being as chuckable as I want and the abarth was at the top of my list until I decided rwd was a must. I will definitely have to sample both cars. So why not a miatas? Both of the above cars have at least the illusion of a back seat where I can chuck a skinny 9 year old for short hoops. I'm not sure I'm ready for a car that replacing the top is a requirement. And last, power. For an extra grand the BHP of the fiat can be raised to about 230 and the bmw to 250. Not so cheap in the miata. Now in 10 years when the 124 drops to 10 to 12 grand, I'm all in
Tk8398
Reader
5/30/18 12:51 a.m.
In reply to Klayfish :
My parents owned several older fiats back when they were new, and the only one that ever resulted in an unplanned walk was a used 600 purchased for well under $1k.
I had many 124s. Only 1 ever needed a tow, and that was due to the rash of bad ball joints that was running rampent in the parts departments of all dealerships and vendors.
I've had two full sized adults in the back of our Fiat. Getting in and out was a bit tricky but once they were back there they stayed quiet. Alfas do seem a bit troublesome. I've only seen two on the road. Both stalled in traffic with their flashers on waiting for help.
As an aside, I have seen about a dozen of the new Gulias running around under their own power.
After much thought I have decided the BMW is the choice for me. Already coming into the comparo, I wanted RWD and non turbo. Now aesthetics. After seeing both vehicles in person multiple times in the last few weeks, the BMW 1 is the clear favorite. Thanks for all our input people.
