Ownership Verified: Retro Future: FIAT 500 for the Girlfriend

PelicanHazard

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 22, 2008
Messages
2,507
Location
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Car(s)
'13 Dart, '03 Ranger, '20 390 Duke, '22 K16GTL
Let's get the proof out of the way first:

Yegbq07.jpg


What we have here is a 2013 FIAT 500 Pop, Verde Azzurro exterior color with gray and ivory interior, alloy wheels, and automatic transmission.

Y55GipS.jpg


This car is in my name, but is being entirely funded by the girlfriend. She's paying the loan and giving me money to cover the insurance, as both are under my name. We're doing it this way because her credit is shit and she's never held a license before (long story short, her parents are assholes) but she's quickly approaching the time when buses will no longer be enough. She's in grad school for an education degree and will have to take classes and student teach in areas buses do not reach and is out of the way for us to carpool. This car will therefore be for her to learn on, get a license on, and then use to commute to class and work. Whenever we're going out to the city for a night, I'll be driving it instead of the Dart as well. Hence why I'm counting it as my second car. (It basically relegates the Dart to my commuting machine and for extended highway or large-cargo journeys.)

It also makes my Dart look rather big in comparison. Here's the one time we've been able to park them together on our street:

jyGil00.jpg


Her eventual goal once her credit is more stable and she gets some years of experience driving is to buy the FIAT off of me. Until then, it's mine and will have this thread updated whenever necessary. Here's to a long and prosperous life with us!
 
I still love this little car.
Congrats!
 
I have driven one of those and they are cracking little cars. Great choice! Bastard to keep clean though in that colour. ;)
 
I've never seen a 500 with smaller plates than euro-spec before, looks kind of strange to me. Also the photos keep making me want to polish my glasses, I think the camera lens needs cleaning. :p
 
I have driven one of those and they are cracking little cars. Great choice! Bastard to keep clean though in that colour. ;)

Yeah, we're discovering this. It rained yesterday and the paint is showing all the places the raindrops dried out. Should be fun.

I've never seen a 500 with smaller plates than euro-spec before, looks kind of strange to me. Also the photos keep making me want to polish my glasses, I think the camera lens needs cleaning. :p

Quite likely; couldn't grab my DSLR so I took the photos with my phone. I rarely clean it.
 
I like it too!

A manual to learn to drive on as well, good to see for those of us here in manual land.

What are the differences between the Mexican and the Euro built FIAT 500s?

A lot of 500s were sold here when they were first launched, since then probably Minis have out numbered them. Dunno why, unlikely to be the price, knowing BMW.

Enjoy the 500.

:smile:
 
A manual to learn to drive on as well, good to see for those of us here in manual land.

...it's an automatic. Note the lack of shift pattern on the knob.

She's not against manuals, but since she's never driven, she wanted to focus solely on navigating a car on the road and let the computer shift for her. If she develops enough confidence to learn, she's open to learning on my Dart.

What are the differences between the Mexican and the Euro built FIAT 500s?

Aside from obvious regulatory differences like amber reflectors, and the differing trim options, Toluca-built 500s have additional cross bracing in the front to pass US crash test requirements. This means the engine bay is now too tight to include the 6-speed manual from Euro 500s and manual 500s in the States are limited to the 5-speed. Also, as typical for US cars, we have a different engine; in place of the diesel and gas TwinAir options, we get a 1.4L MultiAir.
 
Aaand not even one week later I've given the car its first scratch. Backed straight into a pole I didn't pay attention to because I was overly concerned with hitting my Dart trying to parallel park in front of it. Girlfriend got really upset as she knows all our friends will think it her fault regardless of what I say and give her shit about it :(
 
Can it be fixed without too major paint job? Also I recommend parking sensors to prevent this happening again...
 
It actually turned out to be pretty minor and easily concealed. The prominent "scratch" I initially saw was bits of the pole that got stuck to the bumper and were wiped away this morning. There's still some blemish in the paint, but much less noticeable unless you know where it is.

As for the parking sensors, I don't think they can be easily retrofit on this car, but it's small enough that better situational awareness should cover it. I just wasn't focused on anything but not hitting my Dart last night.
 
Practicing my necromancy on this post to give an update:

The car is no longer legally mine. Ownership was transfered to the girlfriend, who moved across the country two years ago and we've since ended the relationship. The car is still going strong, the only major work it's required is the replacement of a wheel bearing and the thermostat earlier this year. As she now lives in Washington state it sees far less snow and salt, too, so it may live quite a while yet.
 
Practicing my necromancy on this post to give an update:

The car is no longer legally mine. Ownership was transfered to the girlfriend, who moved across the country two years ago and we've since ended the relationship. The car is still going strong, the only major work it's required is the replacement of a wheel bearing and the thermostat earlier this year. As she now lives in Washington state it sees far less snow and salt, too, so it may live quite a while yet.
So now you can offically mark this as "someone Else's Problem." :)
 
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