A 200,000 Mile Fiat 500
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- Опубликовано: 28 дек 2022
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Our Fiat 500 has recently passed the 200,000 mile (322,000km) mark, so in celebration of this big milestone, I've made a review of the ownership experience. What has the cost of ownership been like, has it been reliable, and do Fiat have an unfaitr reputation?
The car:
2009 Fiat 500 Pop (the base version)
1.2 litre petrol engine
Manual gearbox
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I have a vauxhall nova 1.6 gsi bought brand new in 1991 been used daily it now has approx 740k miles on it
My god!😳 I’ve never heard anything like this in my life! Comment pinned🙌🏻🙌🏻
whats the reg so we can see if ur fibbing
Give the reg! And some history about it like what work it’s needed over the years
That's amazing. How did you stop the rust? Makes me feel a bit wasteful, with my 30 or so cars during same time period. I've stopped doing that now.
PLEASE GIVE US THE REG
I have a 2012 Fiat 500 that I received as an 18th birthday present from my parents that now has almost 170k miles - that car has taken me up snowy mountains to go skiing in Quebec, driving down dirt roads in the Upper Peninsula, and this past summer road tripping across the United States with a husky in the passenger seat. I’m always shocked how efficient the packing was in the back with all my camping gear and how well it handled on the windy mountain roads! It’s such a great car, and the parts for regular maintenance are so inexpensive. It’ll be a sad day when she finally quits.
automatic or manual?
Hi Rose, Happy New Year! Is it electric or gas? What kind of tires does it have? All weather or snow? Is it automatic or 5 speed manual? What kind of gas mileage if it is gas? Thank you and have an awesome day!
@@michaelwei
lol
This aint tinder, mate
😂
@@dan_6915 He is just curious about the car, but i get your point
@@ramp7857
Not that i care, but those arent questions about "the car"... :))
An American here with a 2012 Fiat POP. 188K miles and going strong while currently doing a 150 mile a day commute into LA
People always slag off Italian cars, but I have had numerous Fiats and Alfas over 30 plus years and I love them. The secret to me is simple; service them regulary, use decent oil and filters on a maximum 6k mile intervals, wash them when covered in road dirt or winter salt and treat them with respect. What effort you put in is what you will get back...!
Very well said, and I’m so happy to hear people defending Italian cars!🙂🇮🇹
No amount of oil changes help the horrendous electrics it’s not just slagging them off it’s a reality of them don’t get me wrong some alfas are absolutely stunning cars but if you’ve let lucky with them then lucky you
@@pug2052 tbh I am taling about post 2000 Italian cars. French cars also suffer electrical problems and don't even mention anything with a Land/Range Rover badge on it for expensive repairs and poor reliability.
@@simonnlaroche5438yes your not wrong being an enthusiast of Older French cars (excluding Renault) and Land Rovers owning a number of both I cannot disagree but I’m afraid none have the reputation of Italian ones
Thank God you didn't buy the Yaris...!
Because now you'd have just an old Toyota but with the Fiat you've got a classic piece of Italian art.....
It’s 1 AM and I ran outside to check the secret compartment from my fiat. Insane how much better my day becomes every time I look at that car.
Freddie can always become a car salesman if this RUclips thing doesn’t work out. I am like close to running off buying a Fiat now 😆
I will bare this in mind if I ever need a career change!😆👨🏼💼🚗
@@FreddieDobbs It’s bear in mind, not bare in mind! 😂
I thought the same haha im almost convinced to buy one
Only 124,000 miles. Not a big feet
Errrr .............surely a motorcycle salesman!!!
I'm a 55 year old bloke and buying my 1st 500 this week and although I've driven so many different cars in my time I'm like a kid at Christmas! Can't wait to go for a spin!
Bought it brand new in 2013
Fiat 500 lounge automatic
258K miles still driving in east coast of USA
Not a single engine or transmission problem
Never changed timing or water pump
Flush AT fluid at 120k
Changed oil every 9K with mobile 1 synthetic oil
Door hinge changed twice
Head light bulbs 4 times on left and 5 times on right changed
Paint still looks brand new…
Leather seat still has no tear . All the electronics works.
Both Rear hub and bearing changed twice ..
Front left wheel bearing 1 time changed.
Both rear brake calipers had to be changed at 200K
car washed 2 times a year
I did all the work in my garage
Does the AT transmission using AMT?
HI, That's a great feedback! Here in Puerto Rico we just have the 1.4 liter, is it the same?
I'm a 41 year old man bought a black 500 to get around the ULEZ, had no expectation other than it to be basic. The car is truly the best I've owned never missed a beat 👌 I'll keep the car until the duration of it's life, this is coming from someone that's owned Audi's BMW etc
I love hearing this, thank you for sharing!
Same here, bought 2013 Fiat 500 cabriolet with 60k on the clock as a second car to my diesel Eclass Mercedes Cabriolet to be driven into ULEZ. However, so far my experience is mixed. Within first 500 miles gearbox failure, cost £800 to rebuild. Secondly cabin noise at motorway speeds is way too high. The car is great for town driving but at the speeds above 45 miles/hour road noise is too much; poor soundproofing and thin window glass are the cause. I would not recommend this model for long trips at highway speeds (read above 50 miles/hour).
@avenuealex comming from a BMW owner, noise levels were unbearable for me on the highway. I’ve removed the door covers and the carpet in the trunk and have put on two layers of sound insulation. Then removed all mud covers in the wheel wells and double insulated them also. So now I’m getting only 62DB doing 100km/h. For comparison, my brand new Toyota rav4 is doing 64DB. Plenty comfortable to travel now.
Would buy another one with no hesitation. 1.2 petrol manual 2010
@@Peregar4ikInteresting figures. Presumably the noise figures given were taken on European roads. The asphalt in the UK is considerably more coarse than in the continental Europe, and road noise is often a problem in decent let alone budget models. I might look into adding additional soundproofing for a better acoustic comfort.
My 2011 S3 is ULEZ compliant, however I can't fault you getting such a compact car for town driving. Best thing for parking and fuel 👍🏻
Fiat Bravo 1.6 16v petrol, 2001. Bought it 10 years ago for 2000€. 350 000km on the clock today. Still going strong. Love Fiat
AMAZING!!! Thank you for sharing this!🙂🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
I'm in the states. I purchased my 2012 Fiat 500 Sport in 2019 with 35k miles on it. It currently has 195k miles. It's the 1.4l non turbo paired with a five speed manual gearbox. Aside from a timing belt/water pump service, and a set of plugs, I've done zero work to the engine. As far as maintenance, I've replaced the front axles, three wheel bearings, and the suspension. Total cost $3,100. Not bad for putting 160k on it in 4 years.
Wow! congrats on your Fiat!. I burned through the factory clutch at 120K, and replaced again around 200K, you are probably a lot better shifter that I am ! I still love my 2012 Pop, it drives great, not a rattle or creak at 213K.
This could well be the premier edizione which I have since new in 2012. Love it immensely and still has it as a summer car with less than 20k km.
I’ve had my Fiat 500 for oven 10 years and was only a year and half old when I bought it with 5,000 miles on the clock. It’s now got 125,000 on the clock. I would have traded it in for a newer car but love it. The person I bought it off had it from new (was only selling it as just had a baby and wanted a 4 door car) she had some factory extras which I love which are a retractable sun roof and leather seats. Which are fantastic as have a dog (often with very muddy paws)! It’s seen me and the dog around France twice now. A real tardis as took my camping gear and my Australian niece joined us down in Provence for a couple of weeks of the two month trip. I will one day trade it in maybe for an electric version but certainly not yet!
Being a fan from italy i love to see how much love you give to my compatriot small 500.
Keep Making us italians proud ❤
Grazie Matteo!🙂🇮🇹
I believe they are manufactured in Mexico by Chrysler
@@WindowsLogic True but Fiat are Italian and do have their products built in other Countries to spec., as do other manufacturers. Great little Italian design.
Thanks to you both. That’s the way to reduce CO2. Instead we’re encouraged (forced) into 2.5 ton, £40k electric monster, all on PCP, so traded in after 3 years and probably 25k miles! Utter madness. The government is encouraging the wrong behaviour. Well done you. Hope you have many a happy mile to come too.
You’re are absolutely spot on and I strongly agree with you!🙂
They’re forcing us to never own anything and not have any control over the things in our lives.
I totally agree with this. My car is 15 years old now and I'm enjoying nursing it along and keeping it healthy. I used to change every year , whilst my wife would just keep hers. I slowly realised it was costing me a lot more than if I used her method.
To be honest, I wasn't even thinking about emissions or waste....just the costs.
Now though, I can see that if everyone kept a car for much longer, we would all be better off. Well maybe not manufacturers and therein lies one of the issues.
Also, who can trust gov advice any more? I find it hard to listen to people who are self serving telling me how I should behave.
If we all switch to electricity, the grid will struggle and just watch that unit price climb...
Couldn’t agree more it’s important to look at the lifecycle of a car as a whole.
Yeah that's the way to reduce CO2 levels - drive 200k miles (and then get the bike out) 😂
I absolutely adore my 500. Can’t say I’ve noticed the positioning of the seat but someone once said it’s a smile a mile and I have to agree
If that car made u smile, imagine driving a proper car..
😂
My wife has had her 500 1.2 since 2010. Now on 140k.
A thorough yearly service and it has been utterly reliable . Costs have been the usual tyres / batteries/ ancillaries etc. Great little car.
Brilliant mileage and delighted to hear this!
Now, this isn't really a car that was owned for a long time, but was used as basically a rental car when me and my family where away on holiday to see grandparents, uncles and aunties, cousins, etc whilst away. Since the rental company didn't have anything in stock, they gave us what I believe to be someone's private car, that being an '03 or '04 Fiat Idea 1.3 Multijet with about 250,000ish Kilometres. We took it from Palermo to the deep Southern Sicily and across to Southern Italy (Calabria) and back on bald tires which was sketchy but I think very much worth it as it was also enjoyable in the meanwhile that we were away. We also experienced the car hitting 260,000km on the dot! Anyway, despite being sketchy AF it was amazing and proves that any car of any build quality, as long as it's maintained, can maintain whoever drives it and owns it.
I've got a 1.1 2009 panda (all the same underpinnings as the 500, just with a more utilitarian, more practical body) and I've done about 32k miles in it so far, and it's on 118k in total, over the last 5 years.
It's so simple, I was able to learn how to change the suspension and brake parts you mentioned myself, having never worked on cars before.
I passed my test in it, it's taken me from Cornwall to Norfolk and everywhere in between, it's done house moves where it's full to the headlining, towed a friend's diesel focus when it's cambelt snapped, carried dumpy bags, railway sleepers, been a parts runner for my fiat 126 project car, and without a single complaint while doing so!
They're truly wonderful, under-appreciated little cars, and I totally understand your appreciation for it ❤️
Roll on 200k!!
Good review Freddie. Haven't owned a 500 but have run three different models of Panda since 1992 which are almost identical to the 500 and all proved to be very reliable. I intend to run the current one into the ground. It will be a shame when legislation brings about the end of these simple, cheap, no nonsense, petrol engined cars.
I’m a gigantic Panda fan (I owned a ‘93 model)❤️🙂 I completely agree with you- it will be a big shame when these cars that we currently take for granted, disappear. We must hold onto them if at all possible
@@christga100 I've no first hand experience of the twinair engine. My current 2014 Panda has the 1.2 FIRE engine (same as Freddies 500) a simple engine that suit the Panda well. Most 1.2 Mk2 (2003-2011) had an earlier iteration of this engine with 60bhp which was a non-interference engine so no piston crowns hitting valves if the cambelt goes. Overall build quality of the Mk2 (built in Poland) was definitely superior to the current Mk3.
@@christga100 I've got a Panda TwinAir. It's pretty bomb-proof. Got 78,000 on it ('12 reg) and most of those are motorway miles. Holds its own on the motorway, deqd nippy and pulls nicely with the turbo engaged. Done supermarkets, holidays, tip runs and huge roadtrips with four adults in and it just keeps going. A few irritating faults (fan blower intermittent and a couple of in-dash bulbs blown), but nothing major at all. Got it with 5,000 miles on it and serviced it every 10,000 miles. Had a Mark 1 Panda before this and that died with about 130,000 miles on it (uneconomic gear box failure), so on that measure - this one is about half way through its life. Intend to run it until it dies and then get another.
My brother is a driving instructor, he has a Abarth 500 which he got new in 2012, he also has a 2012 1.2 500C as a backup car, which he also got new. The Abarth has done 245,000 miles, & like yours has an entirely original engine & gearbox. The backup cars done a paltry 90.000 miles, & again, is entirely original under the bonnet.
Obviously, both take a battering on a daily basis, & as a result, things like clutches & brakes have to be changed more often than the average car. The clutch on the Abarth tends to last around 3 times longer than the 1.2`s, as its a bigger clutch with more surface area. The cars were serviced by Fiat for the first 3 years for warranty reasons, since then I`ve done most of the work on both. The 1.2 has never broken down, the Abarth has broken down twice, once when a hose pipe fitting snapped, letting all the water out at around 90,000 miles (despite overheating slightly, it didn't do any long term damage), the second time it cut out & refused to restart, after a lot of diagnostic work we realised the injectors weren't firing, but didn't tell us why.. We took each fuse out, checked them & put them back, then we found one was blown, when it was replaced it started & ran fine (it was one in the engine bay, that isn't listed in the handbook!). Yes, the odd coilpack has gone, & the odd sensor, the odd alternator & starter, the odd crank position sensor, but NONE of them have caused a breakdown, just rough running, giving you enough time to buy replacement parts & fit them, which occasionally took anything up to a week, but they still kept working for their living! Oh, & the leading edge of the Abarths sills have both had no paint on them for years, as they`re stonechipped, have they rusted? Nope!
I also have a 2012 500 (twinair) main daily (I`ve only done 55k in it, but its been 100% reliable), as well as 3 Uno`s (88-93) & an 88 Panda, & they`ve been just as bombproof in the decades I`ve had them (if a little more rust-prone!).
Fiats have a horrible reputation, its very, very unfair! A lot of it comes from second or third hand owners who`ve purchased an abused, unserviced car, which has subsequently needed tons of work. but this applies to many cars reputations!
My previous car was a 2015 Fiat 500, 1.4, manual, which I bought new and recently traded in with 237,000 km on it. Overall - good car. Rear wheel bearings and gearshift bushings were trouble spots. I knew about the door handles, and gave them a squirt of lubricant every few months, and never had trouble with those.
Those 1.4s are oldschool but crazy reliable
Is your 1.4 turbo?
@@BilalKhan-ng3ex Non turbo. (Less to go wrong, and less stress on it ...)
Great little cars, had two brand new ones now for last two years a 2013 which has now covered 123k and still drives perfect, no rattles or squeaks, no rust.
That little 1.2 engine is a gem, smooth, quiet and peppy when given an Italian tune up.
I commute daily in it and I get 60mpg, as a trucker I know how to nurture every last mpg.
They’re so much better than many other small cars.
Freddie, I loved every second of this video, I've watched many of these videos, and this is by far the most in depth, interesting and useful video I've ever seen. You kept me interested all the way through, and I now really want one of these great little cars. And also I wanted to commend your good lady for her excellent filming throughout 👍
Ive had two fiat 500s drove them from Glasgow to London. Absolutely love them
205 000 miles vauxhall corsa 1,0 life 59 reg sold it 2 years ago still registered on the road. 55mpg
The best so far- I’m pinning this comment! Thank you, and amazing!🙂🙌🏻
I downsized from an Audi A4 Avant to a new 59 plate 500 lounge and never looked back. 49000 miles so far with maintenace costs of £4700 to-date (yes some suspension issues lately but not too expensive). Based on your mileage, I'm looking foward to another 30yrs plus of happy motoring :)
I own a panda with 330.000+ km, so more than 200.000miles
Bought it new in 2011, used it daily since then, never really cared about, traveled all around Europe with it. Lived in different countries etc..still going strong with no abnormal oil consumption or anything unusual.
No rust at all if not superficial on the suspension arms due to having lived in north European countries for years.
Only real issue that I've got with it in all this time has been that once the thermostat kind of exploded at around 240.000km, replaced with a new one and all good since then.
Only maintenance done till now (sometimes out of the scheduled time) and mostly done by me.
2 clutches replaced; 1 gearbox oil change made at 300.000km; shock absorbers replaced at 300.000km and only because the front right just blocked itself ahah;
timing belt done every 120.000km.
Services every 20.000km, with only one valve check/regulation done at 300.000km.
These vehicles are made to work, simple, and even if the engine blows up you can just replace it with few hundreds euros, fire and multijet engines are close to immortals. Interiors as well, all plastics etc, are in very good shape with no sign of wear/fading at all..a part of the driver seat that is worn out on the sides.
Pretty nice bulletproof vehicle, in my case a 1.4 8v fire engine dual fuel CNG/Petrol (not sure you got it in UK), mostly driven over 4k rpm ahah.
I got sick of paying monthly payments for a car that I barely used. Sold it and bought a 62 reg 1.2 Fiat 500 street for only £3k. It only had 25k miles on and is a proper sporty looking thing. I absolutely love it, drive it like a go kart, been a road trips to Devon and the Lake District in it and it’s perfect. So cheap and economical to run as you said. If you’re thinking of getting a 500, just do it. You won’t regret it!
Did you find the car online and are there any websites you'd recomend? 😊
I started following you because I typed in youtube search Fiat500 , we live in El Medano and have followed you ever since , thank you for your content wich my wife and I both love , long live the 500 XXXXXXX
Thank you so much for sticking around, hugely appreciated🙂🙌🏻🙌🏻
I’m thrilled that the 500 has hit the 200k milestone. My wife has a 12 plate one, same colour but the model above with air on and she loves it. It starts first time on the first turn of the key and has never let us down 🤞🤞🤞 Ours has only covered 50k miles so it’s nowhere near as well used as your car but it’s a great little motor. Passes every MOT with just the odd advisory and is dirt cheap to run and insure. We were thinking of swapping it in 2023 but decided against it with all the uncertainty in the world at present. Ours is paid for and we would need to go into debt to get something better. Congratulations on the 200k milestone and thanks for the videos…I really look forward to them. Stay safe you two 👍🇬🇧
You’ll have many years more good motoring with such low miles I’m sure, Alan🙂 I also have considered upgrading, but it’s a brilliant feeling of freedom to know a car’s fully paid off. Delighted yours is running so well and here’s to many more miles!🙂🚗
@@FreddieDobbs Cheers Freddie…yes it is a good feeling to outright own the car 👍 here’s to many more miles.
We bought a 2010 Kia Forte new and currently it has 198,000 miles and approximately 0 cents have been put into the vehicle other than routine maintainence
, absolutely wonderful
Freddie is the only guy on RUclips who could review a full ashtray and make it sound like an attractive proposition!. Love it 😂 #sandtothearabs
Well, they are a very rare thing these days.
@@DiscoFang not at my house they aren’t
@@Mowser63 You’re sitting on a goldmine. Epoxy resin them like fossils in tree gum. The future in executive desktop paperweight nostalgia.
I’m an American and for the past 5 holidays to Europe I’ve ended up with a Fiat 500 as the rental car each time, both in the UK and in Italy. And I’ve loved them. I probably have close to 8,000 miles spread over all the 500s I’ve rented. But the most recent rental 500 I had was a 2021 Hybrid model in the UK just two months ago. I loved the idea of the hybrid, but the execution was really lacking. If the hybrid batteries were charged it was okay, but if they had been depleted (for example, while climbing hills in Wales) the car lost all torque and was a gutless wonder. I changed the speedometer display so I could always see the status of the hybrid batteries and I had to adjust my driving style to whether there was any power in reserve at any given time.
A very good point that I noticed with the 1.0 Hybrid Panda I tried- completely gutless😳
Then, once the batteries have died, as with all hybrids, you're carrying around pointless weight.
You know what Freddie pal, I've got no interest in a 200,000 mile Fiat 500.....and yet this might be my favourite video of your entire library 😀. Happy New Year, looking forward to more content in '23.
I’m delighted to hear it, thank you Ben! And Happy New Year!🙂🥂
The 1.2 petrols from FIAT (the ones derived from the fire) are non-interference engines which means that if you break the cam belt you just need to put a new one in and that's it, no grenaded valves pistons etc.
I'm absolutely in love with this car. Mine looks exactly like yours including the interior...only my steering wheel is on the opposite side lol.
It was love at first sight and I knew I had to have it! It's my first manual and it's been an absolute blast learning to drive with it! For being such a tiny engine, I'm constantly pleased with how well it gets along.
It's all just so incredibly charming. Every time I see it, it puts a smile on my face. It's honestly just the kind of car I've been dreaming of since I was a kid.
People keep trying to talk me out of getting one. I'm only using it as a city car (to get to work, local outings, I think they think I'm taking it across Australia or something.). They keep going on about the costs of parts, but some people are driving very expensive cars that are expensive to run AND repair. 🚗
@@rachaljay3759 I've had my 500 for over a year now. It had about 80k miles on it, but it was well taken care of.
I was nervous buying it...because you just never know if a car is going to have a bunch of troubles or not. But I've had very few! I did have to replace the thermostat which was about $100, and I had the brakes replaced...my mechanic told me my breaks were fine to drive, but they'd eventually need to be replaced so I just had it done while I had the money to do so.
I also had a small heart attack a month ago because a warning light started flashing on me...turns out, my tires just needed to be inflated because of the cold weather! haha
Otherwise...the car has been an absolute dream! It still puts a smile on my face, and I love driving it! It's my first time driving a manual, and though it took me over 6 months to finally become real comfortable with it, it has really been a lot of fun to learn with...and now it's been months since I've stalled the poor thing! lol :D
I too only use mine mainly for city driving, though I've also taken a few day trips around my state with it and a few times a month I need to head to a town about 30 miles away...
But yeah, it's just been such a joy! It's by far my favorite thing I've ever owned. It's charming as heck and a ton of fun! I'm so proud to own it too! lol
It really is a dream come true for me. It's not the exact model of car I thought I'd own (I always loved the Mini Coopers!)...but ever since I was a kid I've dreamed of owning a really cute, small car. And this car is exactly that and I love it to bits!!
They are better cars out there of course. I think the Mini Cooper is one of them...but if I had to do things over, and I was presented with the choice of a Mini or my Fiat knowing everything I now know about my 500...I'd absolutely go with the 500 again! Minis are EVERYWHERE in my town. They're still one of my favorite cars ever, but I love how the 500 stands out a bit and isn't as common. And gosh dang...it's just so cute and charming from the outside, and stylish on the inside!
Sorry for the ramble...I freaking love my Fiat 500 though! I'm so glad I made the purchase of it!
I have one with the same engine and gearbox as yours and it has 240.000 Km and it drives perfectly. It is a 2009 model with the A/C too!
Fantastic performance from the 500. I really enjoyed your enthusiasm!
Great video! My family owns a 1.4L manual 2017 Fiat 500 (with no AC too haha) in Canada and we love it!
My 2013 fiat 500 turbo. At 178k miles and is running very strong. The Interior is still in great condition. For NYC it's perfect
I've got a Fiat 500c 13 plate, it was my parents car. My dad gave it with 3k on it.. It now has 118k on it and it just flew through a mot. Amazing little car. Use it every day.
Great video. Thanks for the good quality. A friend of mine has a 2013 Lancia Ypsilon with the twinair engine, bought new and always did regular oil changes. The car now has approximately 225.000 miles on it and the car still looks like new. The only parts that were replaced, besides the oil changes, were shock absorbers (front and rear) and brakes at approximately 205.000 miles. Very reliable, but people should not forget that regular maintenance is very important.
Hi Freddie , I have a 2008 VW Passat 1.9 TDI variant with 317,000mls on the clock , I purchased the car with 199,000mls 4 years ago and it’s been wonderful and a joy to drive! Happy new year from Ireland 🇮🇪
This is incredible, thank you for sharing this! And to have taken the gamble on buying it at 199,000 and the gamble paid off for you!🙂💪🏼
The 1.9 where good the 2ltr went down alot
As an owner of a 2009 Twingo II GT I fully go with "once everything that can break is broken, you're left with a reliable car". Boot handle, quirky powered windows, interior materials, a lamp, plastic trim.... But it still goes and drives lovely.
Love watching your 500 adventures. Have a 2012 Abarth 500 Esseesse (in NZ) but it's only done 193,000km so far :)
That was a really good video, I loved the vibe between you two and it seems that there's a beautiful story behind the ownership of this car. Well managed
Congratulations I am a fiat man and hav had many fiats over the years found them reliable also have the the original 500 and X19 well done great channel happy new year
Just seen this. Your videos are popular and I can see why, great presentation, thanks for sharing. Love the 500.
Astonishing that it’s done so many miles! Excellent review Freddy.
These little cars are great . I had a peogeot 107 with 117,000 miles on the clock and it never missed a beat . I've read about Fiat pandas , 107's and Aygos with 250,000 miles on the clock. If looked after they go on forever 😉
Great little cars. The 1.2 engines are bomb proof. Much better, more reliable and less prone to rust than the BMW mini
I totally agree
Great vid! This aspect of motoring is so neglected in all medias that this is really refreshing. How about my 03 VW Lupo GTI , a daily driver with 315000 mls clocked up.Negligible oil consumption,rarely topped up between 10000 ml oil change services and returns 43 mpg on original untouched engine.Not bad,surely!
2012 1.3L Toyota yaris hatchback with 350000 miles it was fun to drive 😅
Noooo way! Damn it, I knew it wouldn’t be long before a Toyota or Honda came along with some ludicrous figure!😆 Amazing- we’ll done and comment pinned- this is the highest mileage sub 1.4 small car I’ve ever heard of!🙌🏻🙌🏻
I will never forget this car. It holds a special place in my heart. 💔😅
A great and detailed review, warts and all. Brilliant little cars with bullet proof engines in the Fiat tradition.
I’ve had five of these but back in the day ran Citroen AXs and like you I spent an average £400 to £500 a year running them and they proved, like the Fiat, pretty reliable. Great video!
You have a sense of humor I admire.. well done mate. 👏
We bought my wife a new Panda 1.2 8v in 2015 and love it still. I do most of the maintenance myself. Keep up the good work! (Incidentally back in the summer after watching your video on the Transalp I bought myself a 1997 model - I've always wanted one!)
Fantastic! It’s very strange for me as not usually my kind of bike, but I cannot stop thinking about the Transalp!❤️🇯🇵🏍🙂
@@FreddieDobbs just listened to your adventure bike podcast. I originally went to look at the Himalayan and thought about it. Then I went on autotrader and found my 1997 Transalp with 48,000 miles for £1900! It's comfy, reliable and fun in a way I'd never get from a shiny new bike on finance.
I have a Fiat Punto 1.3 diesel.
235000 km, from 2005.
No problems until now, just nead new shocks. Great consumption 4.1 liters for 100 km.
This One Will stay with me until the end.
Great videos! Regards from Portugal
I have a 2011 Fiat 500 pop and I love it! Mechanics love it as well! I am guessing like you said it’s so simple! ❤
His passion for this car is absolutely fantastic. I want one now!!
Hey Freddie!
I bought a tiny 2001 Toyota Yaris in 2020 to make some extra money delivering food in town. It is 1 litre automoatic. when i bought it for 400 pounds it had 177 thousand miles on the clock. Nearly 3 years later it still runs and delivering takeaways around at 226k miles. I have never had any issues and the only thing i spend money on is servicing and wear and tear ( brakes, tyres etc ). Great little runaround perfectly suit the purpose i got it for, it paid istelf off in first couple of weeks as well :) Perfect little machine
Huge fun guys!! That wee car is a part of our (you fans!!) viewing family...and a bit of a hero!! We (my wife and I) think driving smaller, older cars saves the planet far more than buying new (and also we can't afford them!!). We have a Honda Fit (Jazz) 2005 that we bought 8 years ago with 56K kms and has now done 139K kms. We've moved house (and towns) 3 times using it big time, travelled everywhere in it, used it as our daily, etc. It has a 1500cc Vtec that just starts every day. it's smooth, quiet, fun to drive, roomy (especially with the flat bed fold down seats in the back which are bloody amazing), and looks great. 90% insdie and out. Let's say 95%. Very tidy. Over 8 years we've repaired one seized front brake caliper, and put Honda additive into the CVT oil (yep, I know...cvt). And usual yearly oil and filter changes. Two new tyres on the front. The rear (even checked by a tyre shop this year!) are still excellent. We'll just keep it because there's no reason not to.😆 Take care guys..drive and ride safe..love from NZ as always.
I love this, and am not surprised! Honda and Toyota ALWAYS score top marks in reliability! And it’s true- why sell or trade up, when these cars are still so good🙂 Sending all my best!🇳🇿
My wife is on her second lounge 500 and I can honestly say it's one of nippiest fun cars to drive. Never had any problems mechanically, just a very well built car.
Great review Freddie! I'm old enough to have owned the old original version 1970 Fiat Bambina 500, I loved that little shaker (aircooled parallel twin with a cooling fan like a VW Beetle). I also owned a 1975 Honda 500 Four at the same time, I used the Bambina to carry my carpenters tools about :)
I think I would love your car a lot more! Keep up the good work mate.
Air cooled parallel twin with cooling fan. This is the definition of character!😀
Thank you for this great review, Freddie!
I also own a Fiat 500 for two years and never knew about this storage under the seat!😅
200.000 Miles are amazing. I hope I will get the same mileage with my car. I love it, don't need more!
And I must say: I love the unique Style of your Videos! It is always a pleasure to watch them! You're doing a fantastic job!
Happy New Year!
Without doubt one of the best engine designs ever made. We have 3 Fiats currently in our family with variations of the Fire engine. A 1989 Uno 45, 1996 Punto 60S and a 2006 Panda 4x4. All are great fun to drive with plenty of get up and go, they never fail to leave a smile on my face!
word i was a fiat mec back then and they could snap timing belt and no damage to the valves they are hard to kill had a 500 in my shop with broken cooling hoses and owner still ran it timingbelt cover had melted into the engine mount and intake manifold was damaged to cylinder head surface job no valve was hurt and it started in a few second no damage to the engine block that engine is old but still works better than vw psa ford citroen new engines is crap they count down for breakdown from the factory
and had a multijet 500 230,000 km broken timing chain new chain and a pair of rocker arms back on the road for the next 200,000 km
Our family is too big for one of these but you’ve done a good job of selling them, I’m goin to start looking into the ‘500L’ which looks like it will fit us all in. Happy New Year!
I had a 63 plate 500s, awesome wee car, absolutely loved it and it only had 10k miles, so polar opposite of yours. Something to be proud of and a real milestone for what is seen as an 'unreliable' make. Hope you hold onto it! 👌
Thank you Rod, I will definitely keep it🙂❤️🚗
I have a Fiat Panda with the same engine. Basically the same car but with a bit less style and a lot more interior space. I agree with everything you've said in this video. Mine's 10 years old (I've had it for 8 years) and there isn't a spot of rust anywhere. It's the least flashy car I've ever owned but it's my absolute favourite. It does exactly what you want it to do at a bargain price and has charm in abundance. Mine's done less than 50,000 miles, so your experience bodes well for the longevity of mine!
I would buy a Panda if the 500 ever packs up- for the exact reasons you’ve mentioned- it’s an incredibly practicals car that makes so much sense. The only benefit the 500 has over the Panda is the styling, and that is subjective🙂
They’re both superb little cars that I love very, very much!
The Panda is not the most popular car in Italy for nothing ;-)
@@FreddieDobbs I owned a 2013 Fiat Panda 1.2 pop for 3 years. I had a few issues with the engine management system, however, it was a practical car. And surprisingly held its value well when I traded it in for a Toyota IQ.
I bought a seventeen year old panda this year. 1.1 petrol with 20k miles. A grandson was selling his grandmas car. It had just had new brakes, shocks and springs fitted.Since I bought it, I’ve changed the timing belt, fitted a tow bar (just enough grunt to pull a camping trailer) and swapped out the stereo and speakers for a pioneer Bluetooth unit and alpine speakers. It’s in nice condition. Just a little bit of lacquer peel on one of the rear doors
Had a Fiat Uno back in the early 90s at Uni, with a Fire engine, great little car
I’m also traveling EU with a 500. 150.000Kms and it’s doing great.
Enjoyed the Vid guys, thanks.
Considering how light and nimble you say it is, I was a bit disappointed you didn't almost give yourself a hernia demonstrating the "lean angle" as you so often do for us! 🤗
My 500 lounge also has ZERO rust. So does my Punto. AMAZING BODYWORK FROM THAT FIAT DESIGNER.... production made sure it was great. LOVE IT!
Very lovely review! I used to drive 1.2 Panda and all the things you said are on the spot. Great!
Honestly watched your video by mistake however I enjoyed watching your review more then I can admit. You are very engaging and fun to watch
The 500e is great fun too. I did have a petrol version and enjoyed that as much as you do. You should invest in a mechanic course, you'd save a fortune. 😀
Great video. I'm in the motor trade and you are right on the whole the 500s do wear well. The biggest is problem is many owners don't maintain them properly. As you say the main costly items are suspension related, they do seem to wear out quicker than other cars. Good thing with the FIRE engines is they are 'safe' so if the belt snaps they are non-interference so cambelts not a major worry. You mention the heater fan doesn't work - that will be a £10 relay. Yes I agree, the driving position is shit, my gripe is the height adjustment, only the rear goes down. Keep her going!
3 years ago my mum has bought a new Dacia Sandero Stepway. Before that car my mum has owned 2 different Opel Agila, and in the first one we had changed to the engine for an other user one with 90k km already on. Me and my brother have learned to drive and it was the best way to learn to drive a car. Such a tank of a car. The most fun part was going flat out in a highway. I think my brother manages to get to 145km/h ones coming back from svizzerland ahahah. Between the 3 engines I’m sure we’ve managed to do over 250000 km in them, with if I remember correctly a 300 km trip to Poland and back. And it was super easy to do any maintenance on that car.
I LOVE cars like this- good, simple fun!💪🏼💪🏼
Brilliant review dobby!
I’ve got a Fiat 500s 2014, 69.000 miles and going strong. Bought it nearly new in 2015 as a stop gap car until I could find the one I wanted. It grow on me and still have it going into 2023 !!!
Thank you for the very informative video, I am a 500e which is a compliance EV which only sold in California and Oregon from 2013-2018. It is an amazing green vehicle which can produce a range of 201 km without any carbon emissions. I have no problems with it, I bought new all weather tires and sold the all season tires as we have snow and ice here in Vancouver for a couple of months in the winter. It is fully loaded with a huge sunroof which feels like a convertible when it's opened. We will be getting the new 500 EV in 2024 so I might be making a deposit on one soon. Enjoy your 500 for another 200k miles!
I would like one in Oregon, if you are ever here and wish to Sell :)
Ah fabulous, I've been waiting for this video. What a fantastic little motor. I owned the same model, same year for a couple of years and thought it was a blast. I didn't know about the secret compartment, either! Most 500s are owned by young women and so are not driven hard, and generally serviced and looked after. They are excellent used buys. Looking foward to the quarter million miles video, or how about a 'to the moon' video at 230,000 -ish?
They’re deceptively tough and a very good point you make- the kind of people who buy it will drive them very sympathetically. To the Moon video must be next!😀🌒
Freddie, you made me glad I bought a 2017 Pop, also manual, with 42K. It is so fun to drive! In fact, my rear license frame says: "If you are not shifting, you aren't really driving"
LOL
When I travelled all over Europe for six months and rented a car, they always gave me the fiat over a mini. It was quite a good ride. Very small and compact. Not bad
Reluctant to part with the Fiat and Bonnie with a combined HP of most motorcycles... says quite a lot about Freddie's passion for excitement.
thanks for this review for long term ownership. this definately makes me look towards owning one
Fred, when you pulled away I could see the passengers side brake pad warning plug dangling from the wheel, iether that or it is the ABS plug.. check it over quickly. Love the Fiat. I have a 2014 keep wrangler 2.8 diesel which is the Fiat engine.. love the channel mate
thank you for the reasurance I bought a 2012 Lounge yesterday xx
Thank you for this very detailed review! Now I really want one.
Excellent video. Very informative.
Hi Freddie. In addition to our bikes, my wife and I have a white '59 plate Lounge with 90,000 miles. We are looking to px for a...... newer white Fiat 500. Such cool cars. Well done Fiat. Keep on keeping us informed and entertained Freddie. Cheers 🍻
Even the same year as ours! We’d go for the Lounge version too, when we buy another (which I’m sure we will too🙂). They’re such lovable little cars🚗👌🏻
Good video - glad to see a Fiat doing so well. I have been driving them since i passed my test 45 years ago. They are the best kept secret re small fun cars that go and go!!
Some thoughts about the servicing, repair costs etc: with the possible exception of tracking down the corroded wire, almost everything you mentioned (including the suspension) can be diy by the road side - a massive saving on garage costs. If you think you're not a mechanic just try it, it's not difficult (always remember: safety first).
Here in the US people think these cars are junky because Fiat puts their worst engines in the "American" Jeeps and SUV's and base their opinions on that. I had the 1.4 liter 500 hatchback in black with black and tan leather interior. Great car. Great gas milage, reliable, easy parking, and decently quick for such a small car. That 100hp goes a long way. You put an exhaust on and it sounds like an Abarth. I had the 5 speed manual. Like you said, if you're thinking of buying this car stay far away from the automatic transmissions. These cars were designed for manuals and will run significantly smoother and longer with them. Also, you're right, I had no idea about the seat compartment lol.
Probably you are referring to the diesel FPT diesels: extremely reliable engines in Europe but killed by the EPA regulations in USA...
Excellent review and I'm most impressed with the reliable engine and gearbox.
My 2012 fiat 500c sport automatic hit 198,600 miles still running strong
A good honest review, well done.The under seat compartment is not the only secret storage bin......Look under the airbag on the passenger side, I drop down lid for slim items etc.
The door handles can be a bit fragile, but with common sense use they will do just fine. The parts prices are cheaper than you may think...example...pair of rear shocks £52...fit them yourself..in 30 minutes...front suspension lower arms a pair, £50-60 .....General service oil, filters, and plugs...around £60..
I get around 55 mpg from the 500 I'm currently running, but on a long run with not too much traffic...60.
Thank you so much Ian- I’m off to check this extra compartment out!🙂
Fabulous review, informative, detailed and entertaining
Good reviews, fun to watch.