Fiat 500 poor resale? | GTAMotorcycle.com

Fiat 500 poor resale?

TwistedKestrel

King of GTAM
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I'm not buying one, was just idly looking at classifieds, when I saw a 2012 Fiat 500 for $4.5K. I thought maybe it was a typo but no, that's about what they go for. So why does the resale on these fall off a cliff?
 
Isn't it a tiny, five (six, maybe seven) year old car?
 
The Fiat is a horrendous car. Please dont waste your money.


Poor build quality, and just plain poor overall.



Move on, trust me on this one.....
 
But if it's used for it's intended purpose (city car) it can be a good tool.Ask BrianP.
 
But if it's used for it's intended purpose (city car) it can be a good tool.Ask BrianP.


So can a Civic or even the cheaper Fit, and its build light years better, more fun to drive, and won't break down, and will retain its value and so on.
 
Isn't it a tiny, five (six, maybe seven) year old car?

Sure, but it was a "premium" small car. A Chevy Cruze would have listed for the same or less when new, and they're definitely worth more at the same age

and complete junk
Fix It Again Tony. It's a niche market 6 year old car.
The Fiat is a horrendous car. Please dont waste your money.
Poor build quality, and just plain poor overall.
Move on, trust me on this one.....

Can you guys be more specific?
 
Only thing that has gone wrong with mine in 57,000 km is that the outside temperature display is wonky in hot weather.

I don't want a bland Japanese appliance.
 
Sure, but it was a "premium" small car. A Chevy Cruze would have listed for the same or less when new, and they're definitely worth more at the same age





Can you guys be more specific?

car has a reputation for being unreliable

here's a review that sums the 500 up nicely
cute, but long list of shortcomings

but there's something about Italian machinery
even if it's under powered and uncomfortable
they are cool, a Fit is anything but cool

edit: and yeah, some very good deals on kijiji with these cars
but can't figure out why almost all of them are auto trans
why would you buy a 100HP car and not get the 5 speed??

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-fiat-500-sport-long-term-wrap-up-review
 
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car has a reputation for being unreliable

here's a review that sums the 500 up nicely
cute, but long list of shortcomings

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-fiat-500-sport-long-term-wrap-up-review

That takes me back to when I used to read C&D front to back every time a new issue came out. The review is sort of the opposite of what I would expect - if it's not even fun to drive, then what's the point. They didn't have too much trouble mechanically, but since it's a sample size of one I always treat that as what is the service experience like instead of how solid the car is.


but there's something about Italian machinery
even if it's under powered and uncomfortable
they are cool, a Fit is anything but cool
Only thing that has gone wrong with mine in 57,000 km is that the outside temperature display is wonky in hot weather.

I don't want a bland Japanese appliance.
And sure, I get that too. With the caveat that the Fit *could* be cool, but Honda can't seem to make that happen. Sometimes I wonder how the same company that made the CRX, the S2000 ends up making the bland Civics, Accords & Fits that people actually buy. Even the fourth gen Civic was kinda cool, and it didn't put on airs. The recent refresh is a little better (I'll take comical over-styling over bland) but not there yet for me. I *wanted* to like the 500, because it is kinda cool, cooler than any other small car you can buy these days
 
but can't figure out why almost all of them are auto trans
why would you buy a 100HP car and not get the 5 speed??

Because the overwhelming majority of people cannot drive standard anymore – it's an increasingly lost art here in NA.
 
That C&D article has a fair bit of rubbish in it.

The gearshift in the 500 is one of the best in its segment. Positive, accurate throws, and the shift lever is positioned very well (on the dash). The clutch is easy to use. (Contrast 1: Chevrolet Spark. The manual gear lever is a rubbery vague mess. Contrast 2: Nissan Versa. Ditto, and on top of that, it sits low and at an odd forward angle for no apparent reason. Both of these are from personal rental-car experience in Mexico.)

I find the front seats to be comfortable, with good side bolstering. Granted, someone much bigger than me is not going to fit well, and the back seats (which I don't use) are for children only. Indeed, the steering wheel tilts but doesn't telescope. Not an issue for me; it's in the right spot. Yes, you sit in a somewhat upright position. It's not like the seating position of a Corvette, and if that's what you were expecting, buy a different car.

No, the car is not a powerhouse. Nothing in this segment is. You have to work the gearshift a little to make it go; that's part of the entertainment. The turbo engine fixes the power shortage but for the type of driving that I do (either stuck in traffic, or cruise control set at 115) the non-turbo does the job just fine. I've passed plenty of other cars on rural roads ... you have to work the gearshift.

I'm averaging around 6 L/100 km (39 mpg US).

If you don't like the standard throttle response, press the "sport" button. I usually don't bother; the default setting works well enough.

It is not particularly sensitive to crosswinds relative to other compact cars. No, it will not erase all trace of the outside world like a Lincoln Town Car would. I don't want a car like that.

For what I use the car for (and for where it has to fit in my driveway! my bike hauling vehicle eats up most of it and limits any other vehicle to be a small one to avoid the every-day driveway car-shuffle headache) it has been fine.
 
car has a reputation for being unreliable

here's a review that sums the 500 up nicely
cute, but long list of shortcomings

but there's something about Italian machinery
even if it's under powered and uncomfortable
they are cool, a Fit is anything but cool

edit: and yeah, some very good deals on kijiji with these cars
but can't figure out why almost all of them are auto trans
why would you buy a 100HP car and not get the 5 speed??

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2012-fiat-500-sport-long-term-wrap-up-review


the article sums it up pretty nicely. its a poor design with atrocious quality. Fiat is just trying to cash in on nostalgia. The horrid resale value says it all.


Knock the Fits and Civics and Accord of this world, but the reality is people are buying them in droves, because they are reliable, engineered well, and hold their value well.


Followers of this thread and Fiat owners, dont have to agree, but the market clearly does.
 
Yeah, driving standard is not easy ... LOL

272973_2.jpg
 
That C&D article has a fair bit of rubbish in it.

...[snip]

Thank you Brian, I appreciate the counter point. I do find that what I will and won't put up with in a car can be very different than from the next person, maybe I would drive it and like it. That would leave their low value as a mystery then, unless NA truly does hate subcompacts.

This still just idle talk, but do you do any mild work on it, like brakes or what not? How is it to work on?
 
It's european, what you expect?
 

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