Please might I indulge you and be ever so sexist?
My SiL recently purchased a 2nd hand one of these, with a folding ragtop. Apparently, just what she had always wanted. It rolled up recently at my place with my brother driving. How I laughed. In the world of LL, unless you are a suave, good looking Italian bloke living La Dolce Vita in Turin, a British bloke driving one of these just looks, well, not quite right. I could see myself in an old, battered Panda with mis matching wings & bonnet, but not a 500. Although I do have a jolly male friend with a white one, red & green stripes, red leather interior, who is always immaculately groomed, and carries it off with aplomb.
But a blokes car? Nah.
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I can't understand why they put the high level brake light in the top of the folding roof, because when it's folded..........................................
www.fiat.co.uk/uk/publishingimages/cars/500c/650x400_500c_footer.png
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Didn't you drive it legacy? You could have worn a wig and shades if you were worried about the neighbours.
No such thing as a bloke's or girl's car, not really. These image things are just nuances.
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Time to get the dictionary out methinks.
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>> No such thing as a bloke's or girl's car, not really. These image things are
>> just nuances.
>>
There is such a thing as a women's car and neither the 500 or the MX5 in the other thread are it :
www.womensworldcoty.com/winners/
Nobody tell Pat...
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 30 Nov 13 at 06:00
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I guess it's the thorny old thing about what proportion of our car buying choices are allocated to needs versus wants, whether you buy a car to wear it or use it.
It will in most cases be a combination of the two I guess. For me the main criteria are what it does and how well it does it as opposed to what it looks like, but with others, and who could gainsay them, it might be the opposite.
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For me these days, it's A to B in comfort and reasonable cost.
Sad, innit?
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A friend has just chopped his 12 month old XC90 for a Fiat 500. He seems to like it.
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If I lived and worked in a large city and didn't need loadspace I'd definitely consider one.
Then I'd find a reason not to buy it and have a large estate car instead.
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>> The V70 is MY car:)
>>
>> Pat
>>
How's the first week gone ? Done anything about that shocking 57mpg ? ;-)
First tankful with my S60 D3 was 37mpg but that did include a fast run, it's back up into the low 40's now which should continue to climb. I've got my eye on a kit to remove the limiter just need to time it right as I told SWMBO I wouldn't fiddle with this one.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 30 Nov 13 at 17:58
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Not sure why I've just thought of this but I saw my first Vauxhall Adam on the road yesterday. I feel ( rather than know of course ) that they maybe haven't sold all that many yet.
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Audi A1 falls into that category too for me, I've seen the odd one but nothing the BMW 1 series which you'd think they were giving away free with a packet of cornflakes.
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Loads of Ups round here but haven't seen any Citygos.
Edit - Oh and the one which maybe surprises me the most is how rare new model Kas are by comparison to the rapid spread of the previous model when launched.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sat 30 Nov 13 at 18:48
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Funnily enough I saw one of these Citygoes yesterday - first one I've noticed.
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>>Loads of Ups round here but haven't seen any Citygos
>>
Same here don't think I've seen a Mii or Citygo in the metal, loads of Ups though.
I drove a three cylinder VW Polo a couple of weeks ago, that is quite some feat VW have managed making a petrol engine sound and feel like a NA diesel from about 20 years ago.
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 30 Nov 13 at 18:50
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>>
>> Edit - Oh and the one which maybe surprises me the most is how rare
>> new model Kas are by comparison to the rapid spread of the previous model when
>> launched.
>>
I've not seen too many either and it's a far better looking car than the original, of which there seem to be zillions round here.
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Kaka I always called it, for its resemblance to a cowpat.
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>>
>> Edit - Oh and the one which maybe surprises me the most is how rare
>> new model Kas are by comparison to the rapid spread of the previous model when
>> launched.
>>
Too expensive and a bit mean on the spec front I gather.
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>>
>> Too expensive and a bit mean on the spec front I gather.
>>
Not sure now, but I recall that the 500 was only a few quid more at launch. Much more fashionable, and probably better residuals.
Think that past Ka buyers may have been put off by the slightly bland looks of its replacement plus far more choice now
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>> Edit - Oh and the one which maybe surprises me the most is how rare
>> new model Kas are by comparison to the rapid spread of the previous model when
>> launched.
>>
Just last week Ford were saying how poorly the new Ka had sold compared to the old Ka. The new Ka has much more competition, not least from its cousin the Fiat 500 (built in same Polish plant on same platform).
I much prefer the original Ka, although without the added rust they now seem to have.
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>> I much prefer the original Ka, although without the added rust they now seem to
>> have.
>>
IIRC it was the last car on sale that wasn't galvanized
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>> Done anything about that shocking 57mpg ? ;-)<<
After putting it through it's paces on some local, mud covered roads we're now showing a healthier 47.4mpg, gmac!
It hangs on to the road so well, and does it all with such ease.
I was thinking about the Mondeo during the week and comparing the two.
Taking away any technicalities and being 'girlie' for the first time ever in my life I see it like this.
Mondeo = Elderly, overweight, predictable, lumbering and dependable gentleman.
V70 = Lithe, slim, sleek, compliant and still fun to be with younger bloke!
Amazing what thoughts a bit of Def Leppard on a good system can provoke, isn't it:)
Pat
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>> Amazing what thoughts a bit of Def Leppard on a good system can provoke, isn't
>> it:)
>>
>> Pat
>>
Funny how different people see things differently.
Agree on the Volvo sound systems never had a bad one yet in the larger cars, can't say the same of the smaller ones.
I've gone the opposite way from a P2 S60 (same underpinnings as your V70) to a Y20 S60 which shares 80% of the underpinnings with the Ford EUCD platform.
The car I have bought has 15mm lowered suspension and a 4x stiffer rear anti-roll bar than the standard car, apparently. Never having driven a standard setup car can't say I really notice any crashing, unnecessarily stiff suspension which gets reported on some other brands.
The P2 car was a great car, I owned it for one week short of 7 years, but I drove it everywhere I possibly could on cruise control. The new one has cruise control and speed limiter but makes me feel I want to drive it myself more.
Odd, but we both appear very happy with our new purchases which is what matters. Long may it continue at least for the next 6 years and 51 weeks.
Last edited by: gmac on Sun 1 Dec 13 at 05:29
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The survey quoted by Gmac goes to show that there are more women who buy cars for practical reasons (as does Pat) than because they're 'girlie'.
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It may just be a Cheshire thing ( my wife is a local lass ) but there also seems to be a relatively recent fashion for the girls to want SUVs. My wife has in the past been more than happy with Pandas, Astras, Corsas, a Ka, even a Mondeo estate during her baby shifting years but now she has and loves her Qashqai and wouldn't be easily persuaded to go back to a small hatch. She ( unlike me ) likes the sitty uppy driving position and the general appearance of that sort of car. Her sister has a Nissan Pathfinder which surprisingly enough can be driven without first passing an HGV test.
Along our street alone I'd say more than half of the ladies drive something which on the face of it looks like it could tackle the Sahara, perhaps another 25% have convertibles, the dull ones have Zafiras and there are but a couple of residual small hatchbacks, although one of them is to be fair a Golf GTi.
The men ( including me ) all seem to have something diesel and German.
It's all a bit depressingly predictable I'm ashamed to say. At least we don't live in the onyx tap part of the county.
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My gf has a newish CC GT. Seems to like it, especially the heated seats after previous cooking Passats & Insignias. Does 40k pa and so long as it gets her from A to B, cruises comfortably at 90, she is happy. Purely a work tool, but she would hate anything smaller than a her current wheels, and really hankers after an Aston. Any Aston would do. Even an XKR, which she can now recognise in lane 3!
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We considered the 500 before we bought the i10. Drove it, liked both the styling and the driving experience; the only niggle that put me off was the position of the centre binnacle relevant to my left knee.
Have few if any regrets about buying the i10 but for style the Fiat wins hands down.
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I sorted of lusted here a couple of years ago over a very nice matt-black 500 with a red leather interior. I would.
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Over the years I/we have had some small cars, among my personal favourites were the two Golf GTis I had.
Small cars can be great fun, especially if used in town and are undeniably cheaper to buy, run, insure etc and can be easier to park.
However, every time we persuade ourselves that having a small car is a good idea it's never long before we wish we'd bought a bigger one.
Cars are for moving people and stuff and bigger ones just do that much better.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sun 1 Dec 13 at 10:55
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I keep thinking this of the impractical Beemer....and its boot......
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My most uncomfortable car journey of all time was as a back seat passenger in the original Fiat 500. It was only the fact I was very tired and emotional at the time and the trip was just a few miles made it bearable.
Whenever I've seen one since I wonder how I ever managed to get my six foot frame in and out of a shoebox on wheels. The must have been one of the least survivable cars of all time to have an accident in.
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Something like an X1 would suit you RP wouldn't it?
;-)
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>> Cars are for moving people and stuff and bigger ones just do that much better.
>>
Plus the bigger cars are much better VFM compared to the smaller cars with people focused heavily on the VED rates.
Golf GTi was on my list however for the budget I set myself I got a newer, bigger car still under manufacturers warranty for less than the GTi would have cost for similar age and mileage.
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>> Cars are for moving people and stuff and bigger ones just do that much better.
Exactly my thoughts. If I was given a fiver for every time I am asked why didn't I buy a MINI or a 500, then I would be quite rich now!
A car to me is a tool, it must meet my needs otherwise it's pointless. I need a car that can carry adults and sports kit and be comfortable. Small cars are often noisier as well.
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>> We considered the 500 before we bought the i10. Drove it, liked both the styling
>> and the driving experience; the only niggle that put me off was the position of
>> the centre binnacle relevant to my left knee.
>>
>> Have few if any regrets about buying the i10 but for style the Fiat wins
>> hands down.
The Fiat 500 has been the biggest motoring disappointment of my life. I so wanted to drive one, with a thought of buying one. 1000km around Sicily (surely the territory it was born for) soon robbed me of that notion. Bad ride, terrible driving position, awful seats, wooly steering,extreme thirst for petrol made it a hateful experience. (except when looking at it parked outside your cafe of choice)
on the other hand, I did a few hundred miles in the Ka, - its stable mate. I hired it because it was cheap, and expected nothing else of it. It was delightful. Nippy, frugal, comfortable, great steering and ride, you really got your small car fun with bags of refinement.
No - what I want is the interior chic of the 500 grafted into the Ka. (fords interiors and dashboards are a dis-ahster dahling)
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>> the interior chic of the 500 grafted into the Ka.
I'd still like to try a TwinAir for a couple of weeks. That has a reputation for guzzling fuel when made to go briskly, although its official figures take some beating. It might suit me now I don't hurry quite so much.
The Ka has always been considered good, brisk, comfortable and well-handling despite its dispiriting original styling. There seem to be dozens of unrecognisable small cars around these days. We even hired one for a couple of weeks a while back. It was OK but staggeringly hideous: great big aggressive Chevrolet-badged snout, fussy hunched rear end and silly tiny little wheels... I think it was really a Daihatsu or something like that. It was fairly quiet, fairly frugal, fairly brisk and fairly comfortable, but nothing would induce me to buy one because of the looks alone (and small wheels are a bit of a no-no too). I have no automotive shame, but I do have aesthetic sensibilities which God knows get enough of a pounding in the normal course of events.
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"Cars are for moving people and stuff and bigger ones just do that much better."
It's surprising, isn't it, even when the children have grown up and left home, how often you still need to carry 'stuff'. I had two test drives in the new Golf GTI and was hugely tempted....but in the end went for another Octavia vRS estate, this time a manual. I've had it for four days now and although it's still running in I can already feel that it's just as much fun as a GTI for the sort of driving I do, with all that extra room and £100 less a month on the PCP (with 0% finance it would have been silly not to have done a PCP).
A added bonus is that an Octavia, even the vRS, has a tighter turning circle than SWMBO's Mini Roadster.
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Congratulations on the new car Avant. Colour etc?
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After a blue one and a white one, it just had to be red! I'd have liked the very pleasant shade of light metallic blue that is available on lesser Octavias, but for some reason known only to Skoda you can't have it on the vRS.
I'll do some first impressions after a few more hundred miles.
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I like red cars. My Westfield was red. Her Qq is red. Cheerful colour. All our company cars are black. Looks like the mafia car park at work or a funeral directors convention.
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>> All
>> our company cars are black. Looks like the mafia car park at work or a funeral directors convention.
Wait 'til you next visit your MB dealer..
New posters and leaflets are black with grey/white lettering....
VERY morbid looking.
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SWMBO has a 500 1.4 auto and she loves it. I don't like it for the way it drives and doesn't suit my size. The auto box is poor, engine noisy especially at motorway speeds, ride too harsh. I find it very difficult to see out of when reversing or checking over your shoulder when pulling out. I occasionally take it out to fuel it up and I do notice other blokes looking in a sort of "why?" manner.
On the plus side its great for getting in and out of town and car parks and in the four years we've had it it hasn't missed a beat and at 35k miles is going better than ever. When we bought it I did wonder how many times we'd be back to the garage for electric or other faults and in this regard it has been exemplary which can't be said of my previous Subaru and current Hyundai.
Last edited by: NeilS on Tue 3 Dec 13 at 10:51
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>> Wait 'til you next visit your MB dealer..
>> New posters and leaflets are black with grey/white lettering....
>>
Octogenarian comfort advertising, reminding them of their youth and how Mercedes will always be there to take care of them :-)
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FIAT 500 - Not a review. Just an opinon - bathtub tom
