Fiat 500 experiences?

Alfasudcrazy

I am just toying :rolleyes: with the idea of getting a Fiat 500 and was just wondering if anyone has had personal experiences of these cars. I would especially like to hear from anyyone who had or owns one. My main question is whether these are just cute Italian fashion statements that are really crap to drive and troublesome to own or are they the wonderful cars a lot of people say they are.
I am amazed at the prices for these on ebay

http://search.ebay.co.uk/500_Fiat-Lancia_W0QQa38ZQ2d24QQa39ZQ2d24QQa41ZQ2d10QQa6ZQ2d24QQa85ZQ2d24QQalistZa39Q2ca41Q2ca6Q2ca85Q2ca38Q2ca3801QQcatrefZC3QQcatrefZC6QQcoactionZcompareQQcoentrypageZsearchQQcopagenumZ1QQfromZR2QQfsooZ1QQfsopZ1QQftrtZ1QQftrvZ1QQgcsZ13QQpfidZ1150QQpfmodeZ1QQreqtypeZ2QQsacatZ18305QQsadisZ200QQsbrftogZ1QQsofocusZbs

PaulK_CCI

Never owned one for a longer period of time, but I have driven and sold a few of them.
As with all classics you must look at the car in perspective, and a Fiat 500 is then generally reasonably OK to drive if you look at what it is and what is was built for. A bit cramped, but light steering and gearchange. Only city driving would be recommended. Anything over 50mph is going to be tiresome and unpleasant. Also longer distances not recommended.

So for small distances at relatively lowish speeds, they're a funny little toy car to play with. Also people's respons is always great, young and old, they all seem love them.

MercMad

I have two rather unique experieces with them and I'm not sure either of them will give you the desire to obtain one but this is absolutely true,

Friend of mine rag me and asked to borrow some tools as he was changing the oil on his 500. Anyway I was working late and told him I'd drop in on my way home. He broke various poor quality wrences trying to get the sump bung off and by the time I got there he had driven the car out onto the lawn removed the oil filler cap and turned the car upside down to drain the oil out the filler ! !

We turned it back over he filled it with oil, cleaned the mess and off he went ! !

Second one was on my honeymoon in Italy. Bus that was supposed to drive us from Sorrento to Rome never showed. Time was marching on so they organised a car to take us. We travelled to Rome in a stretch E-Class Merc and arrived and the meeting point with the travel agent, a 20stone Irish woman new to the job and in a very dizzie state. She told us "the bus hasn't turned up ". Great !

So she decided to drive us to the airport...........in a Fiat 500 ! Now I'm 6ft 1", I was about 16 stone (:O) then, we had bought all around us in Italy, my wife is small so she went in the back and this woman crammed us all in, there was luggae everywhere, filling the windscreen ad she drove like "Popeye Doyle" in the "French Connection" car chase scene all through those narrow streets and onto the motorway to the airport.

It was either surreal or unreal......never figured out which !!

Cool cars though !

Ratchet

Well, it’s very small simple car so do expect choppy ride, steering is hard and car is noisy but rewarding to drive in own kind of way.
engine is simple and will not give you many problems . Things which do go, are
calipers leaking , drum brakes are bad
gearbox mounts
driveshaft boots
window winders

many engine parts from 126 air-cooled bambino can be adopted as 126 was born after 500 and shares the same mad mechnical design

Body must be rust free or professionally restored
rust can eat the car in no time. I seen some bad cars before.