Fiat 500 Abarth search

[Kevin Channer]

I have casually been in the market for a Fiat 500 Abarth to become my daily driver. My ideal car would be 2013 500C Abarth with low miles, less the say 30k. They are available but the one caveat is I want to pay less than 10k. I have found a few examples in my price range but most were on the east coast, where they seem to sell for 20-30% cheaper. East coast can be done but it adds some complications. I also entertained the thought of bargain hunting at the other end of the market. Finding the lowest priced 500 Abarth and paying cash. That would probably mean a salvaged title car, but if the damage was minor and the repairs decent I could have a nice daily driver for cheap. Yes resale would be poor but based on sales I believe resale for Fiat 500s is dropping like a rock. A salvaged bargain would have less depreciation. I missed out on a good one about a month ago. It was a 2013 Abarth 500C in a local insurance auction, It was loaded with low miles, listed as light front end damage, no airbags deployed, no visible damage, running, keys, manuals etc. I was waiting for it to come available for bid, and it came available when I was out of town. I guess it sold for about 5k. Yesterday I looked at a 500 Abarth that is for sale at a lien sale lot about 10 min away from me. It is also salvaged. They are asking $3,500. It is complete and running, but the repairs if you would call them that were done in some ones home garage. It appears to have taken a slightly offset front hit at less than 20 mph. The front bumper cover and sub apron were not replaced, the apron was crudely straightened and the bumper cover, hood lip and fender edges bondo with coating of rhino liner giving it the look of a faux bra at a distance. The rhino liner was also used to cover the dash sealing the area where the passenger air bag exploded! obviously they did not replace the airbag. The steering wheel airbag though intact, probably has no airbag inside. The dash and interior wear ok, leather seats good, a/c worked. Driverside seat belt cut, missing. They lock on impact and must be replaced. The engine sounded ok. 48k miles. No visible codes, seat belt light on, and a service due warning which may be mileage generated. 17" wheels were good, front tires new, probably replaced due to damage. Has after market tuned exhaust. Conclusion, this is close to the bottom but not what I am looking for.

 

[ecohen2]

I have one that I am about to put on the market. It has 25k miles and lives at my condo in Colorado and is pretty much tricked out, but you could not tell by looking at it. The car has about 25k miles, new tires and has never been abused.. I am looking to get about 10k for it with all of the extra goodies... It is grigio, no sunroof with the larger rims. PM me if you are interested... Who knows, I might even drive it to California for you...

First question is, why are you selling it? I wouldn't sell it if I had space for it. I also own a C63 that I am moving out to Colorado and between the two cars, my wife can drive the C63 but not the 500 Abarth... Trust me with roads like this in my backyard the little guy is my favorite car to drive out there:

Ed

 

[Kevin Channer]

Thanks for the response; here are my thoughts, Your car sounds like a good value but it is at the top of my budget and my formula is at the top get exactly what you want, ie I want the convertible, low miles, leather, etc. I passed on a 2015 GQ Abarth 500C a few months ago. It had 6k miles and was still under a bumper to bumper warranty, 300 miles away. $10,500. I probably should have pulled the trigger. I have mixed feelings about the GQ interior. I also think I wan a 2013. The other half of my formula is if I compromise, go cheap. I was watching a 2012 500 Abarth that was $6.5k 36k miles, no sunroof, cloth interior, very clean, one owner. They dropped the price to $5,800 but it sold quickly.

 

[myronx19]

I bought a 2013 earlier this year. It had 120K kms when I bought it (75K miles). One owner, decent shape and bone stock. Loaded, leather (not heated), has sunroof (which I like), and no beats audio from a dealer. I got mine at a great price $7950 CAD, so like peanuts in USD.

I don't think there's an Abarth GQ, just a GQ version. The Abarth is THE ONE to have.. in my opinion. It's a ton of fun. But, these are not great reliable cars. That's for sure. My rear main seal was repaired under warranty by the prior owner. It's leaking again, but they may cover it under warranty. If not, then it's either going to be costly for me to fix, or I'm going to do it myself.

They're fun, buy cheap - because the repairs will come - changing the front control arms (which you WILL have to do) is a real pain. The bumper fascia and a lot of support structure has to come off to gain access to the control arm bolts. The Abarth control arms are specific to the model, and they're NOT cheap. But, I knew this going in.. and it's my summer daily and it will never see winter ever again (previous owner did drive it in winter)

Good luck! Cheers!

 

[Kevin Channer]

Thanks Myron for the info. Particularly information about specific issues. I am still searching for a bargain somewhere about $9.5K or less
I have been eyeing another 2014 Abarth/GQ 500C again I said that because that is how it is listed, it has the Abarth drivetrain with the limited edition interior and trim, I prefer the standard leather seats but this car has the balance of the warranty and 15K miles. It is priced at $9,800. Here in CA the price for a similar car is $12-14K. I am expecting the prices to fall further. The few dealers around here have very little inventory and they don't seem to be getting more. It really does not look like Fiat is here for the long haul. Another observation, as winter approaches the prices seem to fall particular on the east coast. I think the car is perceived to be a fair weather commuter at best.