Straight trade an old car for new car?

"tiltz" (tiltz) 01/07/2016 at 17:10 • Filed to: None

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I’ve been looking at an Abarth for the last few months as a new DD. I stopped by the local Fiat dealership the other morning to finally put my butt in the seat. The Abarth in question was a 2015 Red 5 Speed with most of the bells and whistles and stickered for around $27K.

I took it for a quick drive and being a dealer, they wouldn’t let me leave without trying to make a deal. I didn’t really intend to buy that day, but I let them entertain me. Anyways, they offered a straight trade for my 2012 2-door Rubicon with 41K miles. I had been thinking of getting into a cheaper jeep for a while since the JK will probably take a plunge in resale when the new body comes out. They gave me the Abarth until the end of the day to think it over. It had about 40 miles when I got it and 140 by the end of the day.

The extended test drive was nice. The Abarth was a cool little car. In sport mode it was like an angry hamster. The engine revved up and made a really nice noise.. The little 1.4 Turbo has no muffler; only a cat.. It sounds like a mini F1 car. The turbo made the car pretty fun to drive. And, overall it would make a decent little DD...

The interior bits were pretty chintzy, even more so that what the JK has to offer. The back seats would work okay for kids or adults in a pinch, but otherwise, not all that useful. The 5 speed was good. It shifted smoothly and the engine didn’t have a lot of turbo lag. In ECO mode (whatever the standard non sport mode is called) the Abarth didn’t offer much torque, though and kind of had the same driving dynamics as a rental car (albeit with a much better exhaust note).

I have an older e36 M3 which is a lot faster than the Abarth, more practical, more analog and has more character. It checks a lot of the same boxes as the Abarth.

At the end of the day, the Fiat was no replacement for the JK. The Jeep is bought and paid for and has a ton of money into it, not to mention blood, sweat and tears. I bought the Jeep new and have always thought that it would be the one vehicle that I would keep for a really long time. It has some pretty unique modifications (the stretch and rear suspension setup) that make it a really stand out. I am biased because its mine, but I still think its one of the better looking more simplistic 2 door JKs out there. I guess I had a momentary lapse in judgement, but after driving around the little angry hamster, my loyalty is still with JK.

Mr. Ontop, No Strokes, No Smokes...Goes Fast. > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 17:18

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I love my 500, but they do depreciate like a falling rock. Jeeps seem to hold their value better. Probably a sensible financial decision, however I still think you need a little Fiat 500 in your life.

Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 17:20

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Depreciation will be your downfall

-guy who preys on depcreiated 500’s

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 17:26

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I have a soft spot for the Abarth...it’s a really good fun-to-dollar value and has by far the most character in the hot hatch class. But if you already have cars that tick the same boxes, I can see how an Abarth wouldn’t really add much to your life.

If you have been driving Toyotas all your life, an Abarth would give you a great dose of caffeine. The fact that Fiat isn’t exactly a seller on fire means you can often get one for a song, and dealers are ready and willing to give test drives.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 17:36

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Dude! That’s a sick Jeep! I’ve been thinking of getting into a 2dr JK for a while. Your’s but with a hard top would be pretty damn perfect.

Do you have more info on the stretch and maybe more pics of that fine machine?

is that 35’s on 3-4 inch lift?

MPA > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 17:39

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$27k? Damn

Although looking on Autotrader, I see new ‘15s priced anywhere from $20k to $29k

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/…

gin-san - shitpost specialist > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 17:44

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Maybe I’m optimistic, but I would think that people would give you the Abarth plus cash on the used market for your Jeep. However, I have no idea what Jeep prices are like.

The Snowman > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 17:45

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A good low mileage 06 is still very expensive, I don’t think the new body can affect you negatively if anything it will slow depreciation as people don’t want the new jeep. Jeep owners fear change.

shop-teacher > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 17:58

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You made the right call. The 500 will depreciate way more than the JK, new body style or not.

tiltz > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/07/2016 at 18:15

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Hey, thanks for the kind words. The Jeep is up around 3” on 37” tires. The stretch is mostly custom. It uses Synergy Long arms and 14” King shocks. The rear axle is pushed back 8”. Here are some photos after I finished the project.

iSureWilll > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 18:20

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That Jeep is a nasty off road machine! I like it!

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 18:23

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Wowzers! I wasn’t expecting that!

I’d need to keep the back seat in mine so that would be out but still a very cool machine. the stretch really makes it look right.

V12 Jake- Hittin' Switches > Supreme Chancellor and Glorious Leader SaveTheIntegras 01/07/2016 at 18:28

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Depreciation is your friend

- guy who drives a car purchased for 1/8 of its original value

tiltz > Luc - The Acadian Oppo 01/07/2016 at 18:28

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You can definitely keep the back seats. You just have to route the shocks more similiar to the stock way. It just limits the overall shock travel to about 8-10.” I always make things harder than they should be ;)

ChronicVw > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 18:33

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The abarth is fantastic car, but it’s hard to justify the price. $30,000 can buy a lot of car.

Tapas > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 19:32

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Get a 2013 Abarth if you like it.

They don’t hold value so I’m sure you can find decent examples for like $15k

SLK > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 19:51

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Theyre like 15 grand with 15-20k on the clock on the used market

Jayhawk Jake > tiltz 01/07/2016 at 19:53

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You can find low mileage used Abarths for $15k all day. If you think your jeep is worth about $25k, sure why not. But if it's worth $20k+? Pass

Mark Bour > tiltz 01/08/2016 at 14:13

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A friend of mine bought a base-ish Wrnagler for... I don’t know... $23k or something. He drove it for 18 months, put 15kmi on it, and traded it into the same dealer he got it from for $22.5. Yeah, they hold value alright, especially right now.

Memento Mori > tiltz 02/13/2016 at 10:29

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I test drove a 500 Turbo a couple years back and am borrowing a buddy’s 500 Pop (base model, no go-fast bits) and they are definitely fun little cars. Even the Pop has a good exhaust note, I can’t even begin to imagine an Abarth!
Nice review, cool to read some other impressions.