Fiat 500
 

A friend of mine is considering a new Fiat 500. Anyone know anything about their build quality and reliability?

I rented one for half a week. Can't comment on reliability but most new cars are on par w/ each other nowadays (gap in reliability among carmakers has narrowed). In terms of build quality, the materials are clearly economy but the dash pops with character with control dials like Mini. Noticed no red flags in build quality. If your friend is that concerned I suggest they put down 25 bucks to spend a day with a rental!

Warning: Its ride is very jittery with the short wheelbase and, if daily driven, that annoyance gets to you FAST.

My sister in-law wants to get the Fiat 500 Abarth we saw in LA auto show, she test drove the 500 she liked it, cant say about reliability cuz its only been on sale in the US for few months. she cant wait for the Abarth to come out looks cool cheezy but it has a bite...

The build interior is good. If I were your friend I would wait if I would be willing to put in the extra money for the Abarth or not. Either way, tell him to test drive it and never hurts to do so.

Thanks for the replies.

This is for a woman. She might not have too much concern for performance issues. But, out of curiosity, I'd like to know: Will the Abarth be in limited supply?

I haven't heard the numbers they are bringing but for sure there has been quite a community who were waiting for the Abarth.

Saw one on demo at a mall close to my house and the sticker price was $26k. I didn't see anything that justified that price really for the size and price compared to other cars in that class.

FIAT = Fix It Again Tony

I've test driven one, and while the way it drove didn't terribly impress me (I didn't like the shifter/and clutch feel, driving postion too high), it certainly felt build-wise on par with the Americans now days (not surprising because their built in North American after all), which is to say on par with the Japanese as well. You have to remember that it's a sub-20K compact so you'd expect some corner-cutting. And I think the Fiat does a decent job. I certainly wouldn't mind an Abarth as a second car.