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They do great in snow. If you throw on steel wheels with snow tires. Have 85k on my Turbo, thrived through two Wisconsin winters with Michelin X-Ice rubber.
what i've learned for the past year from this guy is selling to him my broken car let him fix it and then buying it from him again to save on repairs lol
This guy couldn’t have actually paid $200 for a knob - no one is that stupid right? He said “shifter”, but not sure exactly what he meant. Mechanics must see this guy coming a mile away...
I rented a 500c Abarth about two weeks ago. Put 300 miles on it in 48 hours. It seriously was the most fun I've had in a car in a long time. Hilariously fun. So much personality, I didn't care about all of its flaws, I still want one so badly!
Afaik the Fiats/Abarths in Europe are not the same that they are in the US. Different engine, gearbox, etc. And based on how bad reputation Fiat in general has in the US (well, at least based on RU-vidrs), I think the US versions have far inferior quality hardware.
Gofuckyourself Nicely you seem a very angry person. You also need to understand the difference between platform sharing where 2 or more manufactures share/develop a basic platform to cut costs to create their own cars and badge engineering where a global company will badge a car differently in different markets depending on brand recognition. The Fiat 500 is based on the panda platform and the KA then used it to save money.
I want one of these so badly. The cars that people (mostly family) have told me to get didn't last or had multiple problems, vs the ones I did research on and gut feeling about that were so much fun to learn to work on, drive and were great cars overall. I am worried that my limited space will make it difficult for me to work on my own car. I prefer working on my cars, that way I seem to be able to figure out any issues before they become problems, and I get to really understand how each make and model works.
My wife bought one and we both love driving it. Heck I am selling my more practical Kia to make my wife's FIAT 500 my daily driver. (I took ownership of it)
I bought my Fiat Gucci Limited Edition n I love, love, love it!! Bought from original owner, low mileage , beautiful Gucci striped soft top!! N all the Gucci leather detailing n seatbelts. I’m in heaven.!!! Now that COVID restrictions are mostly lifted, I’ll cruise So. Cali coastal Hwy 101 with the top down. It’s a classic n collectors item. Win, win !!
They are far more popular in Europe because they are perfect for the type of roads. In the UK I see them everywhere and aftermarket support is pretty good. You can lease a brand new 595 for about £180 a month here. On our narrow and twisty roads these small hot hatches are as quick as a supercar.
That said, Fiat parts are generally pretty expensive and difficult to get ahold of as they always ship from Italy, and that's coming from a former Fiat owner in the UK!
Absolutely right about the Fiat 500. I had a turbo non abarth version. Loved that car. A drunk driver hit me and totaled it. I miss that car. I was gonna get another one this year and just found out it’s being pulled from the market.
These are amazing little cars, and now make for fantastic winter beaters and cheap runabouts. I want one. Also, I agree. People largely are idiots, buying up all the CUVs and ignoring excellent cars such as the Abarth. You have made this automotive landscape for us, and damn you for it.
A Chevy Spark is a beater. This is an enthusiast Italian car that should be treated with respect. This is the Abarth version. But you're right, people are largely idiots and don't care or understand the racing history and tradition behind a legendary brand like this.
@@624radicalham I would run mine as my winter car happily. Save my Alfa Romeo for summer. Would rather run an Abarth as a winter car than a stupid Spark that's for sure!
@@ChaosphereIX Driving it in winter is fine. That's not treating it like a beater, which was my response to the OP. A person wants a beater, buy a fucking Spark not an Abarth 500.
I worked in a VW based garage in the 70s, and we could swap a motor in 35 minutes. One time a woman was passing through and she blew the motor in her 66 Beetle. She had an appointment, so I lent her the motor out of my 66 Beetle so she wouldn't be late. 35 minutes later, out with the blown and in with my used, she was on her way. For my "sacrifice" my boss gave me a 1600 duel port head motor for a project I was working on.
@@DctorSkillz1 I feel so badly for your feet. The pounding your tootsies took just to propel you to the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes club to perform your duties as the Grand Poobah. Give a tip of the helmet to the boys there.
Frank Galpin It’s Craftsman. The 19 end turns about 45° at 1 1/2” from the center of the box end. It shows no heat or tool marks. I’m thinking the more common U-shaped wrench might also work.
Definitely need to drive one of these... very excited just hearing you talk about it. Those tires will make for an interesting race between you and @WatchJRGo
Small cars are great in the snow. Their light weight makes it practically impossible to get stuck in one, provided you have good tires. Although, if a truck crashes into you and you're in a Fiat 500, that's another story.
Protector of the Republic Ehh. They are no match for a 4 WD truck or SUV in the snow. I live in PA and have had pretty much every type of vehicle there is and small fwd cars are certainly fine to get by with there’s not enough ground clearance to get through any substantial amount of snow, on top of that this one is even lower and has sport tires on it. To be fair though, I think he was really meaning that he’ll have a car to drive after the snow has been cleared but there’s still salt, sand and gravel on the roads.
@@jpoeste The 500 in general yes, here in Italy it's typically owned by women. But the fact that our cars are smaller it's great in 2 ways: 1 - one must be an idiot to go around with a 2t giant useless SUV/truck that drinks a huge amount of gas, on the slippery surfaces is a disaster and it doesn't handle well compared to any lighter sedan, just ro move around an 80kg ass. 2- in EU we have a thing called "history", something doesn't exist in the U.S. of A. Our cities have narrow streets. Try to get in the center of Parma with a giant 'murican car... Good luck with that.
Alex-GenTLe Yea most of our streets were made in the age of cars or other types of transit. But there are some exceptions like Boston, which has wide cobble roads.
Alex-GenTLe Geez at least try to be a little more arrogantly insulting. You forgot to comment about McDonalds cheeseburgers and how stupid and uncouth we are too.
Thanks for the positive review on the abarth. They are great cars and extremely fast/fun when you modify them. Let me know if we can do anything for you with your Abarth.
I like the advice about having a winter beater. My 269,500 mile BMW 328i is definitely going to be my winter duty car this season. Have to keep the nice cars out of the salt here in New England!!
Agreed with everything Hoovie said about the Abarth and our country’s sad, sad taste in vehicles. I wish we were able to import current production euro spec vehicles!!! Or just make a custom order from the manufacturer (not that I can afford any of them new-but the concept is what matters) is love to have a Mazda6 wagon manual 😍
Yes and no, that'll blow a head gasket and cost more than this abarth. He doesnt live where there are mountains so he doesnt need AWD. The WRX is cool, but I see so damn many of them the content would be super boring for me.
I appreciate the love for the ford flex. I had one up to 120,000 miles when the suspension components started falling apart after the crazy expensive water pump replacement. toyota and honda for this guy.
Hey Hoover, I did the same for my winter beater! Except I bought a pristine 2013 500 Turbo with 25K miles for 4k! I immediately spent 3 grand on it on modifications (bilstein coilovers, k&n intake, catless downpipe, set of advanti storm wheels, front mount intercooler, various forge bits, and other odd ends...) and now I have.a 200+ hp little beast that is an absolute blast to drive.... and obviously is now absolutely un-drivable in winter.
Adding 2 or 3 big odor absorbers from the Walmart auto section worked for us- meat from the grocery store slid under the front seat in the middle of the summer and leaked onto the floor. Odor eliminator spray from a pet store also helps.
It's probably more than just the knob, the stock linkange & bushings are garbage. Replacing all of that ran me $200 and shifted sweet & positive after that.
This show is really cathartic. Watching this reminds me of all the times I had huge expenses from a mechanic, except here it's even more money and it's not me.
Original owner of a 2013 Abarth. Nero with the red stripes, 17" rims, leather, convenience package, Sirius. 6 years on and it still puts a huge smile on my face every time I drive it. Problems? 17" rims are easy to bend. I do not recommend the P-Zero Neros that come stock. A softer compound I believe will help save the rims. Bent rim lead to a worn wheel bearing. But I fixed it in my garage for $70. Getting all 4 rims straightened and painted black was $700. Driver floor mat wore through. Shift knob grey paint is wearing off. Hope to replace the shifter for less than $200. Other than that, stone cold reliable. If you can accept some of the cheap plastics, you won't have many complaints. I also bought factory black lighting all around for $700. Tinted the windows. It's murdered out now. I ran a 500 Madness piggy back box on it until the Chinese wiring harness crapped out. That combined with the "go-pedal", an adjustable TPS thingy, the car was a total hoot! I'd guess it peaked at 185hp or so. Albeit with the box removed power delivery is quite a bit smoother. I prefer. I can't recommend enough picking one of these up for between $6500 and $10,000. You cannot buy this much fun in a car for that kind of money. And Hoovie is totally correct that it's very usable. You'd be shocked at how much stuff you can put in the back of the thing. I love it. Car is a home run. American's are just automotively daft.
Yes you really need FIAT Abarth 500 500X or L or 124 Spider good cars Maybe old Fiat is not reliable but coming and new Fiat products are way reliable my Fiat Punto is 2008 model done 1,98,111 miles still runs as strong almost new never break down Twice my vw polo break down first vw polo got ecu failure and electronic failure Second in winter when we were in Ladakh battery dead of new vw polo car we jump start by cable that we connect to Our Fiat Punto Battery
I’m just glad we haven’t lost the entire Fiat lineup. FCA invested so much in to bringing them here, so I can’t imagine they’d drop the entire brand here. At least Fiat is thriving across the Atlantic
Speaking from Italy here: FCA are a fucking bunch of retard. Not because of their purchase of the USA group, but: - they stayed in IT until they were able to mug the country money threatening to send people home and close factories, then they moved to a fiscal paradise and killed nearly all the 3rd party italian supplier - they have no idea of how to use their brands: they own Lancia, one of the greatest and more innovative brand of all the time (search for its history: they are those that invented the monocoque, the 1st independent suspensions on all wheels, the dion bridge transmission, the inboard brakes, the V engine -YES!-) and what are they doing with it? A damn egg-shaped Lancia Y. They practically killed it. They killed Innocenti, they killed De Tomaso, they killed Autobianchi (search A112 Abarth). They have not been able, like VW group did, to create a placement for each of them, for instance: utilitarian -> Fiat / Sporty -> Alfa / Elegant and luxurious -> Lancia / Electric and esperimental -> Autobianchi. No. All dead. - they have no idea of the product: they are just money movers. Fiat brand is producing 3 cars. THREE!!! 500, made in Poland, Tipo, made in Turkey, and Panda (which is nearly EoL too). And Alfa? Giulietta is EoL and there will be no replacement, Giulia (yes, that's good!) and one of those stupid big SUV, the Stelvio. They can't survive. And now they're partnering with Peugeot, hoping to be able to survive by sharing chassis between way too many cars that will be all the same.
@@CRAPO2011 He'd repaint them by hand with a brush while talking about it for 6 hours calling it a 'touch-up detail" and they'd end up looking like crap.
@@ScoobyShotU OK, again, why buy ALL SEASON tyres if it's a winter beater? ( all season are shit, not too good in the winter, not too good in the summer)
@@musimir1883 True! People do not often think about the fact that the rubber gets harder during cold. That's why you have dedicated winter tires ("friction tires" in northern Europe, that come without studs) when temperatures fall below 5-10°C. If you have tires that can deal with the cold, it usually means much higher wear during warm days.
A little white car in the snow? Perfect choice to blend in, when driving I would be more vigilant than usual if i were you. You do not want to find yourself stuck in the radiator grille of one of the SUVs, lol. Joking aside, I love the 500 abarth and I totally agree with you on all points made. Keep it up.
@Death trooper most American cars can't hold a candle to most European cars in terms of finish or reliability. Interiors in particular are something US manufacturers never get right, made of the cheapest plastics and faux leather they fall apart within 30k of driving, the switch gear fails just as quickly and while the engines may be reasonably reliable they are thirsty and underpowered. And with so basic running gear you would think it would be reliable and reasonably comfortable, but no, how can they mess up suspension so badly it handles like a brick on a rollerskate while wallowing like a 400lb person on a trampoline?
@Death trooper Our european cars in Europe are very reliable. vw bmw mercedes renault peugeot opel taxis, most have well over 400.000 kilometers. That is because our cars are manufactured in Europe where the quality control are high standards. Where the american market european cars are made in mexico and other 3th world country's where the quality control is very low.
Bashing the reliability of American cars just shows how ignorant people are. Aside from Toyota vehicles a majority of America vehicles are as reliable or more so then their competition. Asian cars are not as bullet proof as urban legend suggests. When a American or European car has a issue it is a POS. If a Asian car has a problem it is unavoidable because nothing is perfect.
Back in the day, late sixtys, I worked for a designer who had accumulated some early sixtys Abarths. Seven hundred fifty cc. with a single Weber carb. About one forth smaller than what they are now, and a kick to drive. About the same time he bought a 1958 Ferrari 250 Tour de France, for around seven thousand dollars. Those were the days when most exotic european cars were just not on the radar. Cheers
I own a 2013 Abarth like this, only in black. Recently I crashed it and the reparation costs are so steep mainly because you can't find parts for it anywhere. I don't live in the USA, but I'm forced to import almost everything from there and what do you know? There aren't parts for it even in the US. The car has been in the shop for months waiting for the parts, however, I don't plan to sell this car anytime soon or even ever, it's the most fun I've had in a car and as said in the previous episode I'm sure one day it'll get the appreciation and love as a collector car. It defies all logic, I love it.
Hey, I own a 1963 Beetle that belonged to my grandfather, it has its original engine, never opened or refurbrished, original paint, everything, and it is immaculate! It has 45k original miles, and starts every time I go drive it which is every month or month and a half. Those engines are built to last!
nobody maybe bought it in the USA but here in Italy, it's a classic. This car, if you keep it for a few years, will never lose money, prices are already rising. Abarth cars from the 70's and 80's are fetching silly money now. buy you parts directly from Italy. They're undesctructable and a lot of fun...
@Joaquin Fernandez Dodge,Chevy,Ford, Izusu NPR with a chevy engine. I'm not a brand loyal twit, I buy what works and lasts for personal use and my business. Not everybody wants to drive a 94 toyota like Scotty and honestly he is out of touch with modern cars.
@@georgeburks3755 And yet, there are groups and clubs full of people who love them. I guess they didn't get the memo that you and Scotty don't like them.
Pablo Chappelli remove the seats, strip the floor down to the sticky sound deadener pads, pour in some Fabuloso and put a new carpet in it. Or drill drain holes and spray truck bedliner in it
You can buy tire chains made from plastic for the front tires. Easy to put on, and they cut off easily. Some extra long zip ties also work for more traction with less rim damage than steel chains.
I bought some Achilles all season tires for my 500 for $200 from Amazon. A complete set! 3000 miles into those tires and I can tell you that they are actually much better than the factory junk that Fiat put on this car. They perform better than the factory tires did when new. And at only $200 for a complete set, I don't care if they wear out at 20k miles.
He only claims to not care... yet he puts new tires on it and a $200 shift knob. It's entertaining to watch him "not care" about any of his cars while spending thousands of dollars on each one.
My leased 2014 Abarth made a great winter beater/daily driver/track toy. I never did an oil change myself, I took one look at the oil filter location and said naaaah! I kept a set of dedicated snow/steelies and swapped them each winter/spring. Poetic justice: it was leased turned in on a flat bed truck due to broken shift linkage which I had covered under warranty but I also had less than 30 days left in my lease and didn’t want to keep paying for the high insurance.
I live in the KC area and it's snowing now. I wish I had a winter beater. But instead I got a 19 Fiesta ST Line. They quit making Fiestas back in May and what dealers have is all they're going to have of them. My wife drives on 06 Expedition 2 WD with off road tires. I told her "good luck getting around in it."
I love these little cars, I would really appreciate a 2019 TT RS 5 Cylinder. However, as hoovie stated, No one can take my 2005 Chevy Tahoe from me; I just can't seem to let that go. Murica'!
The "problem" I see with cars like the Fiat 500, and the Beetle is that they tried to make a car like the old car that everyone loved, and then put modern front-wheel drive, front-engine into a car that was always, and should have stayed rear-engine, rear-wheel drive.
