Can you believe that only ONE of these 500s has a stick shift?
Yup, this is it. The dealership consists of a simple trailer-office and a small lot. It's McKevitt Fiat, which is right next to the much-more-established McKevitt Volvo. The dealership has 75 500s in its inventory, and what you see is what is displayed for the buying public. While we were there, a young hipster type and a baby boomer couple were also looking at the cars. Apparently, quite a few of the cars were out for test drives. Though the car has been selling poorly in America, I expect that these sell themselves in the Bay Area.
I did a little bit of online research last night. These are the basic trims available in the U.S.:
- Pop (base model). $15,500.
- Sport. $17,500. 16" wheels, sportier suspension, rear spoiler, fog lamps.
- Lounge (luxury). $19,500.
- 500C (convertible, but more of a roll down cloth top like a 2CV). $19,500.
- Abarth. $22,000.
We were interested in a stick shift base model or a sport model. As cool as the Abarth is, I didn't think it was worth $6,500 more. More on that later.
Sport front:
Pop front:
Sport rear:
Pop rear:
Here are some tidbits we learned from the helpful and not-pushy-at-all salesman. All of the Gucci edition Fiats were snapped up. There were no Abarths on the lot. Apparently, they only began production on them in March. If you want one, you have to buy one and then they'll build it for you. The first Northern California Abarth will arrive on May 1. It will go to the president of the local Ferrari owners club.
We understood that the car was going to be small and inexpensive. But we were still surprised by how small the car was and how sub-par the fit-and-finish and interior materials were.
First, the room. I kept reading that the 500 had more interior room than the Mini. Numbers-wise, that may be true. But I felt more constricted in the 500 (both in the front and back seats) than in the Mini. Plus, at 6' (1.82 m) (excluding my Kim Jong Il-esque bouffant), my scalp was pressed against the cloth moonroof. I felt very claustrophobic. Thankfully, the bright interior helped psychologically.
The deal breaker for us was the fit-and-finish. The North American version is built in a Chrysler plant in Mexico. (The Euro version is built in Poland.) I've been in plenty of great Mexican-built cars, but this car just didn't feel right. All of the interior surfaces felt chintzy. The seat handles and manual cloth moonroof were difficult to operate. I just know that if I was having a bad day, I would accidentally break off a trim piece or two.
We ultimately did not test drive the car. We didn't want to waste the salesman's time.
In conclusion, I don't think the 500 is a bad car. It is certainly beautiful and stylish. Plus, it may be incredibly fun to drive. It just wasn't for us.
11 comments:
The interior on these cars are unapologetically cheap. I also think they are way overpriced for what you get. Especially when a loaded Fit can be had for a little more than the starting price of the 500.
Never tried one over here, but it'd be interesting to see if the interior quality is as iffy. Then again, you could say that the poor fit and finish is being faithful to the original 500. I've always thought of these more as fashion statements rather than a good car for the price.
What engine do they sell? Are this all the 2 cylinder engines? Ore the 1.2 8V? I wonder if the mexican build version are really that bad? Or maybe just the normal fiat-level. Compared to the price in € - i think it is a bargain. But, it isnt a car for the states. Not yet. Not without hybrid. Not without e-power. Not in this size at this time.
Got a pic of a reddish one in Sonoma when we were there in October.
Was happy to see the return, especially of the Abarth. But not at that premium. I'd consider buying one but knowing the Abaarth is available it would have to be that!
@F1O: I'm afraid that people who are interested in the 500 get turned off by it when they comparison shop. The resulting poor sales will convince Fiat that bringing Alfa back here would be a bad idea.
@Edvin: I would be interested in knowing how the Polish 500 compares. The thing is, for decades, European imports have been considered luxury or near luxury cars here. Because I am unfamiliar with Fiat, my expectations may have been too high. The fit and finish is comparable to a 1990s Hyundai.
@Bjoern: We get the 1.4 liter Multiair here. The only car that is smaller here is the SmartCar. The SmartCar sold poorly here because it's so small, the fuel economy is terrible, and it's a really old car.
@Steve: I think in my less penny pinching days, I would have liked the Abarth. But a 40% premium in my eyes is just not worth it.
@F1O: I'm afraid that people who are interested in the 500 get turned off by it when they comparison shop. The resulting poor sales will convince Fiat that bringing Alfa back here would be a bad idea.
@Edvin: I would be interested in knowing how the Polish 500 compares. The thing is, for decades, European imports have been considered luxury or near luxury cars here. Because I am unfamiliar with Fiat, my expectations may have been too high. The fit and finish is comparable to a 1990s Hyundai.
@Bjoern: We get the 1.4 liter Multiair here. The only car that is smaller here is the SmartCar. The SmartCar sold poorly here because it's so small, the fuel economy is terrible, and it's a really old car.
@Steve: I think in my less penny pinching days, I would have liked the Abarth. But a 40% premium in my eyes is just not worth it.
Can I get a wrecked Abarth and stuff the engine/trans into my X1/9?
I hired a Fiat 500 on vacation to Europe last summer and (for the price) found it fantastic with loads of character & looks awesome. It is perfect of the European market or as a city car in the USA, but agree that the Abarth is where my $$$ would go!
Funny how even on car topics you end up mentioning Kim ;)
It would be interesting to compare the fit and finish of Mexican and Polish cars. You could do that in Chile, since we received 500s from Europe befor the Mexican production started.
And by the way, Fiat Poland's plant seemingly makes better quality cars than those in Italy!
@Viva: All of the American reviews of the 500 mention how nice the material and fit and finish are. I'll bet that Fiat gave the press Polish models to drive. Those bastards!
Hate to break it to you guys, but European Fiats aren't any better...
They're a poor man's Mini and should be treated as such.
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