"Khalbali" (khalbali2)
01/13/2018 at 00:24 • Filed to: None
6
33|
"Khalbali" (khalbali2)
01/13/2018 at 00:24 • Filed to: None | 6
| 33 |
The never ending car search has led me back to the 500 abarth, I know we have some OPPOs that own them and wanted to get opinions if possible. Any issues? Reliability? Any mods done? Kinda want a cabrio but have heard some bad stuff about it so not sure. Would probably get a new one but if reliability is decent, the used ones are temptingly cheap. As a bonus the wife wants a regular 500 too so we could have almost matching cars.
No pic because kinja’d.
MOD UPDATE: “I have you family” -FS
smobgirl
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 00:37 |
|
60k miles on mine. No problems whatsoever. Well, the hatch won’t stay open on its own but that’s a byproduct of hail damage and an insurance conflict over the replacement window. It’s still a hoot to drive and I still love how it sounds.
Steve in Manhattan
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 00:47 |
|
Those wheels alone sell it ...
|
Steve in Manhattan
> smobgirl
01/13/2018 at 00:47 |
|
Any videos of the car, driving it?
|
Khalbali
> smobgirl
01/13/2018 at 00:59 |
|
Is yours the hatch? For some reason I thought you had a cabrio. Have you done anything to it? I definitely wouldn’t go crazy just curious. The added complexity of the soft top just worries me I think I’d leave that to my wife’s car and get a hard top myself, not even a sun roof.
|
Khalbali
> Steve in Manhattan
01/13/2018 at 01:00 |
|
Yeah I’m ashamed at the fizz that gives me.
Variance
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 01:33 |
|
I actually asked about this a few months ago, and got some good feedback. See my post below:
https://oppositelock.kinja.com/input-requested-from-500-abarth-owners-1819298838
|
Steve in Manhattan
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 01:53 |
|
I am not ashamed, nor should you be. That’s retro done well. The Beetle never really came back until they put those throwback wheels on it. IMHO.
|
Khalbali
> Variance
01/13/2018 at 02:02 |
|
Awesome thanks! You still considering one?
shpuker
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 04:16 |
|
I’m just picturing that Fiat as a full EV with like 150 miles of range and a 20 minute charge time and it makes me happy
|
shpuker
> shpuker
01/13/2018 at 04:17 |
|
Or just straight piped on the normal Abarth setup
404 - User No Longer Available
> Steve in Manhattan
01/13/2018 at 09:29 |
|
And I kinda liked the Camaro steelies, but too bad they’re gone now.
Renescent
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 09:48 |
|
We’ve had an Abarth (2013) for a little over a year and my wife still loves it. I think it’s a blast to drive locally and the noise never gets old. No mechanical issues, replaced a couple of bulbs and the paint is coming off a couple of the stereo buttons (WTF FCA!?).
It’s comfortable enough for long trips but the narrow track has you hunting back and forth on worn freeways.
|
smobgirl
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 09:51 |
|
Yeah, hatch for me. I haven’t done anything...yet. I had plans, and then I got close to $7k in hail damage, and then I couldn’t decide if I wanted to keep the car. Now my long term thoughts are to possibly get something smallish and SUVish for daily driving and start messing around with the Fiat (take out the back seats, maybe a tune), but I want a garage first. Some folks on here or Jalopnik claim to have gotten close to 200hp without issue and now that the car isn’t worth much it’s less risky for me to mess around with it.
|
smobgirl
> Steve in Manhattan
01/13/2018 at 09:53 |
|
None...I don’t really have a good way to do that. I tried to film a tunnel run through the canyons when the back window was out but it didn’t work.
|
Variance
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 10:35 |
|
Nah, I ended up deciding to get a beater, rather than something that I would feel bad about destroying with salt and abuse.
I do still want to get one eventually, with how much praise they get, but I’m not sure when that might be.
Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
> shpuker
01/13/2018 at 11:22 |
|
The stock Abarth is basically straight piped.
|
Khalbali
> smobgirl
01/13/2018 at 11:51 |
|
Gotcha, dunno why I thought you had a cabrio for some reason. Back seat delete and shift knob would be pretty much my only mods for a while but yeah, down the road maybe a tune or something. Sounds like even just the shift knob is a PITA on these though.
|
Khalbali
> 404 - User No Longer Available
01/13/2018 at 11:52 |
|
That is nice, don’t think I ever saw those.
|
Khalbali
> Renescent
01/13/2018 at 11:54 |
|
Great to hear, thanks! Seat comfort is good as I drive a lot but not a ton of highways, longer trips we’d just take my wife’s larger automatic car.
|
smobgirl
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 12:21 |
|
TysMagic has the cabrio! I think he had the convertible top repaired immediately and had a few more issues repaired under warranty. I will say, they haven’t made it easy to get stock parts when things go wrong. I had a snow plow damage my hatch/bumper/bumper cover and we waited nearly 4 weeks for some clips.
Shift knob is a total pain in the ass, but I don’t mind the stock one. Also I thought the hatch supports would be easier or I would have swapped those by now...I have a broomstick that works fine though.
|
Steve in Manhattan
> smobgirl
01/13/2018 at 12:43 |
|
If you’ve got a GoPro, I think I have some extra suction cups that fit somewhere ... would have to look.
random001
> Steve in Manhattan
01/13/2018 at 12:48 |
|
I would rock those!
|
smobgirl
> Steve in Manhattan
01/13/2018 at 12:51 |
|
Hah. That’s one of them newfangled camera things, right?
I’ve been considering a decent dash cam at the least but I’m not much on technology.
|
random001
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 12:51 |
|
I’ve got a 2013 abarth Cabrio, and I love it. Love it! Its ridiculous, useless, loud, super small, but oh god is it fun.
I would 100% get a FMIC. The SMIC piping is atrociously long. Bist builds so much faster with the fmic. I went with the ATM IC, along with the badass ATM intake that sits in the old IC spot. I would also invest in a billet oil filter cap. Those things strip to hell.
I’m 6'4", 180 lbs, for reference.
AMA.
|
Steve in Manhattan
> smobgirl
01/13/2018 at 13:00 |
|
The other thing is, there are dozens of suction cup or dash phone mounts for sale. And if by “newfangled” you mean around for about 6 years or so, then yes.
|
Khalbali
> smobgirl
01/13/2018 at 13:02 |
|
I remember really hating the stock one last time I drove one but that was a few years ago. Felt like a softball then but maybe I wouldn’t mind it now. I have a hurst t handle in my Miata that I like and think would be awesome in the Abarth but it sounds like I’d have to thread the outside of the shaft myself, not sure if I’d want to do that for reversibility’s sake.
|
Khalbali
> random001
01/13/2018 at 13:04 |
|
Any issues with the top? Any other recommendations? Have you done any other mods?
|
random001
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 13:27 |
|
I haven’t had any, no. It works perfectly fine, and I probably actuated it 200+ times so far. I take every chance to put the top down.
The shifter is a little sloppy, but it’s mostly ok. I have tried a few tunes, but honestly after the FMIC and intake, it drove so well, I removed the tune and run stock. I forgot, but I did manage to get a set of the alfa 4c coils. It smoothed out the engine a bit, but it also reduced the noise somewhat. Not sure it was worth it. heh.
|
404 - User No Longer Available
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 13:55 |
|
I’ve seen them around as winter rims in my area.
|
smobgirl
> Steve in Manhattan
01/13/2018 at 15:02 |
|
Dude...I only recently got lazy enough to buy a coffee pot that plugs in. I’ll probably get a GoPro by the time I’m 70!
aquila121
> Khalbali
01/13/2018 at 19:36 |
|
An Abarth wouldn’t fit my needs, but man am I digging that look. The pic you posted gives me a classic Beetle-surfer-vibe.
|
shpuker
> Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies
01/14/2018 at 00:06 |
|
Then do this
|
Khalbali
> aquila121
01/14/2018 at 05:19 |
|
Yeah I love it.
