Ownership Verified: Katwalk's 2017 Abarth Fiat 500c

katwalk

katwalk

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Joined
Apr 1, 2008
Messages
10,341
Car(s)
2003 VW Beetle, 2017 Abarth Fiat 500c
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(Is this picture sufficent for verification? :LOL:)

So I mentioned in the general automotive thread the day the beetle became too broken to be considered a daily driver, here's her replacement.

Yes in a move that will shock no one when faced with replacing the bug I went with... technically also a bug because it's a scopion! I have learned exactly 0 lessons from the beetle other then "I refuse to own a car slower to 60 then like 8 seconds because too many highways have no on ramps here" and bought ANOTHER notoriously unreliable retro styled cute car. Now smaller and faster. Can't wait for the roof to break on this one because wow is it convoluted. I am stupid, everyone knows this already.

Anyway I love this thing it is so much fun. Midlife crisis well spent.

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Well, it's a 500, but at least the right 500 (read: not the XL or one of the other abominations they slap the badge on). :D
And open roof is always good.

Is this actually bigger than the Beetle though?

Seriously, nice little car, I hope it serves you well. :)
 
Nice choice but while I'm no mechanic those pictures show that there is something seriously wrong with the transmission.

:tease:
 
I would have chosen a manual and a louder color, but HEY it's a great little car nonetheless. Congrats!
Also, good on you for thinking of trackdays.
 
DanRoM said:
Well, it's a 500, but at least the right 500 (read: not the XL or one of the other abominations they slap the badge on). :D
And open roof is always good.

Is this actually bigger than the Beetle though?

Seriously, nice little car, I hope it serves you well. :)
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Nah the thw beetle is parked about one car length behind it because it makes it easier to move them out of the driveway. But yeah with those two it's still a decent amount of room because they are both rather small

MWF said:
Nice choice but while I'm no mechanic those pictures show that there is something seriously wrong with the transmission.

:tease:
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Redliner said:
I would have chosen a manual and a louder color, but HEY it's a great little car nonetheless. Congrats!
Also, good on you for thinking of trackdays.
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This was the only one available in the state. Like seriously. And I had to drive 50 miles to pick it up. I would absolutely have gone for red or something with the premium sound system if I could have picked (and honestly after the beetle the soft top Worried Me) and at least tried out the manual. But this one is still fine. It needs something stripes though. I also kind of want to buy an small abarth decal and a small beetle decal and put them on the other car because I think that is funny. I also thought this was funny:

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I did not leave it there though because I assume people would take it as "lol idiot thinks beetles can be abarths" when it is me making fun of my poor slow car. I also tried to stick the vw badge from the front of the bug on the fiat but it wouldnt stay for shape reasons.

Honestly the transmission on it is shockingly well programmed so I don't mind too much... except for the fact the tiptronic mode on it and the beetle are reversed so up means upshift on the bug but it's DOWN on the fiat. So I have to pick one to be able to shift well and unfortunately that's a no brainer between a new car with a highly optimized transmission that manages to hit both fast and fuel efficiency well, and an old car with one of the first versions of a shiftable transmission that wasn't optimized for anything from what I can tell.

Also you can still whack it around like a manual even when not using that mode due to the way it is shaped and that is pretty enjoyable. My town is like 20% road works right now so I appreciate not having to deal with a clutch then... that being said if the beetle's transmission dies I am going to try for a manual swap because FUCK is that a shit transmission.
 
Trust you to try and piss all over someone's bonfire.
 
What a great noise those little cars make!
 
prizrak said:
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Sir my last car was a beetle what car were you expecting me to buy lmao. :p

I am in remission rn but at any moment my health could take a turn for the worst and I end up back in the wheelchair so I am not particularly focused on worrying about the future.

Plus most of the trade offs for the abarth get covered by the fact the beetle still drives (backup car if something goes wrong + way better in the snow). The beetle has always been junk but having 2 severely ill owners kept the mileage low, 30,000 miles on a 03 model. Now the milage is split between two cars. I did think this through and off my experience with the bug I am probably the idea owner for such a car. Someone who can't put too many miles on but drives cars until they fall apart.

Between my bug and moms pt cruiser (traded in at 46k) I am very aware this was not the responsible choice but you know what? I spent my whole life being responsible. I crippled myself overworking myself for a degree I didn't want that there were no jobs for anyway when I should have dropped out of school to be a mechanic.

But for now
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I think a microbus would be even scarier on the highway ?

But yeah while I am doing better ?Apparently doctors don't care about evidence and test results and a huge amount of them still brush me off. So if anything happened to my insurance or my drs moved I'd be in a lot of trouble. And they keep cutting social security. And the out of pocket expenses are a lot because doctors are on this awful holistic kick in response to the painkiller scare so they would rather you have weed and acupuncture.

Given the current state of the world it's not a bad time to live like there's no tommorrow. Some time in like 2017 I just sort of snapped and was like "if you ruin your life you can always just die later!" And went nuts. Bought the car. Went to a bunch of concerts. Did a slutty cosplay at anime boston last month.


The planet is falling apart and do is society. The news says I am a totalled car, hey bitch, my bug is still running isn't it? Totalled means it is expensive to repair, not bad or worthless.

I do not fear death, only surcharges.
 
I fully approve of both car choices ?

katwalk said:
Honestly the transmission on it is shockingly well programmed so I don't mind too much...
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One question about the 500's autobox - does the US market not get the big jerk of a robomanual we get over here?
All 500Cs I've driven had that 5-speed robomanual, and about the last property I'd give it would be "well programmed" :tease:
 
narf said:
I fully approve of both car choices ?



One question about the 500's autobox - does the US market not get the big jerk of a robomanual we get over here?
All 500Cs I've driven had that 5-speed robomanual, and about the last property I'd give it would be "well programmed" :tease:
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Ok fine GOOD IN COMPARISON TO EVERY OTHER ONE I have tried. (The one in mom's subaru is also awful) I unfortunately have not had much chance to drive manuals because there are so few here.

Also tbh I would not want to buy a manual while being really out of practice with them because I wouldn't be able to tell if the car sucked or I did ?

Der Stig said:
The real question is- does it make the farty noises on overrun?
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No but I am kind of glad sometimes like, I drive around to play pokemon go a lot and most of the stuff for it is in cemeteries and it is PROBABLY disrespectful to interupt funerals with the noise

Anyway here is the actual verification pic

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It's weird seeing you without blue hair.
You pulled off the cosplay nicely. Well done!
 
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