High mileage 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth

[atikovi]

For all the Fiat haters. I looked at it yesterday at the auction. Had 153,000 miles but could have passed for half that. Started right up and ran smooth. Clean inside and out. Thought I could get it for $2,000, maybe $2,500 thinking I'd price it at $4,995 or even keep for myself. Nope. Sold for $4,600.

 

[ls1mike]

Guy I work with has one with 214,000 miles on. It has been a solid car for him.
He loves it. Won't get rid of it because he is not sure what he would replace it with.

 

[TheOilWizard]

The original owner was probably a BITOG member.

 

[GON]

I watch (salvage) auctions closely. Prices moderated from craziness a few months ago. Prices of vehicles at auction are back at crazy high levels. Seems the lul in used car prices may have been temporary/ short lived.

I was watching two vehicles over the past week going to IAAI auction this morning at Tucson. Pre-bids on both vehicles is well above what any sane person would pay for a unaudited pre-repair salvage vehicle. Another car I have been watching for a month went to auction at Little Rock. Normally a "reasonable" auction. Car sold for twice what I would have expected.

Maybe the cars aren't selling for more than historical norms. Maybe the exchange rate of used cars to USD is what changed.

 

[Finklejag]

I never find late model Abarth’s on online for sale. I only find 2012 or 2013 years. The first two years they came to the US. I guess people keep them long term?

The people that owned that one probably never cleaned and conditioned the seats.

 

[atikovi]

The people that owned that one probably never cleaned and conditioned the seats.

For 10 year old leather, I thought they looked pretty nice.

 

[CKN]

I never find late model Abarth’s on online for sale. I only find 2012 or 2013 years. The first two years they came to the US. I guess people keep them long term?

The people that owned that one probably never cleaned and conditioned the seats.

These were not big sellers. It's hard to find examples of used vehicles that have minuscule sales.

 

[dishdude]

These were not big sellers. It's hard to find examples of used vehicles that have minuscule sales.

Yep. Americans generally aren't into tiny two door cars.

 

[ecotourist]

A Fiat Abarth would have made an excellent urban vehicle. I kind of liked them but was put off by them being a Fiat, which in the past didn't have a good reputation for reliability. [Cue the Fix It Again Tony (FIAT) commentary.]

Seems I was wrong. I've now heard of several that have had high miles with good reliability.

 

[Passport1]

I'm not a Fiat hater. In fact I like them. Had a 131wagon and a 128 Coupe at the same time. They will test your mechanical skills and patience but are a joy to drive until the tin worms steal them from you.

 

[Tdog02]

If you bought a Fiat 500 in the US then it was made in Mexico. European versions were built in Poland. The US version got a different auto trans and was actually quite reliable if the owner changed the oil on a regular basis. The manual is more fun to drive but either way you were looking in the wheel wells of just about all other vehicles on the road. They make a Corolla seem like a big car.

 

[nwjones18]

I always sort of wanted one of these..

 

[andrew_j]

Yep. Americans generally aren't into tiny two door cars.

That are ugly to boot, nope.

 

[raaizin]

They had great commercial for this car

 

[GSCJR]

I'd be all over one of these:

 

[fantastic]

I about bought one of these when they came to market in the US but it was the "Pop" version.

 

[andrew_j]

I recall one sitting on side of road during pandemic with for sale sign for months when people were desperate for used cars. Its price was not bad however no body wanted it.

 

[bladecutter]

My wife's Abarth is sitting in the garage, and looks nearly identical to that one.
Same black with red exterior, but has the solid roof, not the sunroof option that one has, and hers also has the red leather seats, not the base black leather seats.

Great car, and she still loves it after almost 11 full years with it.

 

[panthermike]

I've always had a soft spot for them but when they came out it wasn't a good time for me to buy and I had some reservations. But I do know a family friend that has one and absolutely loves it

 

[bladecutter]

Slightly unrelated, but still on topic for high mileage Fiat 500's...

After having our 2 Fiat's for over a year and a half, our next door neighbor came across the street, and asked us about the car.
She said she loved the looks and was thinking about replacing her very aged, and very worn Subaru with a new car, since she was planning on retiring in the near future.

So my wife and I took her to the Fiat dealer, and the two of them took off for a test drive while I waited in the dealership (I wasn't feeling well, and spent most of it in the bathroom).
I think it was nearly an hour later when the two of them returned with the car they took for a test drive, and they were talking non stop about how thoroughly lost they got in the neighborhoods behind the FIAT dealer, and it took that long to find their way back.

Well, our neighbor wound up custom ordering herself a '13 Pop, and after 10 full years, just a few weeks back, she sent me this picture: