Re: Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?
Being European, I think I can add something to this debate:
- in the first place, you must consider that the Fiat 500 Abarth was launched here in Europe in 2008: six years have passed and that's a lot with the innovation pace nowadays;
- Fiat is not know for its reliability: it is not like it was in the 70's and 80's (Fix It Again Tony or, in German, Fehler In Allen Teilen) but it still hasn't got the standards of other brands. Curiously enough my mother had several Fiats in those dreaded decades and they never gave her ANY problems;
- For DDs, I prefer Japanese or German. But, they aren't trouble free either: my wife has had several Golfs and in one of them she had to change two turbochargers and one supercharger before selling and replacing it. On the other hand, I still have the first car I bought new after getting my driver's license – a 1992 Honda Civic VTI (160 hp). Never gave me any headaches – just the normal maintenance program and nothing else (it is now 22 years old, still stock, and has only covered 80,000 km ≈ 50,000 miles);
- the original Mini was a true POS, reliability-wise. BMW acknowledged it and improved it a lot and the troubles you had are, most certainly, not present in the current model;
- the 500 Abarth is a very nice car. It has some drawbacks like its driving position (too high), the fact that it is a two seater (forget the places in the back), the not so great feed-back it gives the driver (the Mini is superior in this aspect) but it is fun to drive and it is prone to customization (you can easily upgrade to the Esseesse version – I think Richard Hammond owned one for some time). It also has a lot more character than your current Honda: you will feel great when you hear its engine every time you start it...
Well, if I were you I would buy a Mini JCW...Happy shopping! :xyxthumbs:
Re: Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
SYMAWD
Actually, Prii built after November 2013 now get an Acceptable rating.
They also reduced the width of the brake pedal from 6.01 to 3.43 inches after Nov 2013. Please defer to my previous post. :laughing: They are both great vehicles. I just prefer something not offered with optional satin interior (i.e. no coffin required).
I keed, I keed.
Re: Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?
I like the blond in the tv add the one who says the Italian are comming
Re: Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?
I would look at a Focus ST. Bigger car, more power, and no silly markups like the Fiesta ST. If you can find a leftover 13 you should be able to get a fully loaded ST3 with moonroof for under $25K. A ST2 should be had for $22K or less.
Re: Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Coopers ST
I would look at a Focus ST. Bigger car, more power, and no silly markups like the Fiesta ST. If you can find a leftover 13 you should be able to get a fully loaded ST3 with moonroof for under $25K. A ST2 should be had for $22K or less.
I would suggest an ST as well. I only have the SE with a modest set of options but I love that car. It handles so well for stock, is fun to drive and its nicely equipped. I could only imagine how much more fun the ST is to drive.
Re: Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?
Fiat has a horrible interior, it's way over priced, and driving position is weird. I don't know about now-a-days but Italians were NOT known for reliability. The only thing good about that car is the exhaust note, but any turbo 4 cylinder will make that kind of noise if you take off the muffler like what they did on the Abarth. Keep the Honda or if you must get a sporty car, get another MINI Cooper S or a VW GTI or R. The new 2014 Honda Fit looks promising if you're looking for versatility and something kinda fun.
Re: Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Klasse Act
Now if this doesn't work out I'll be waiting another year and looking at the Fiesta ST on the used car market, heard the car is more "edgy" than the Focus ST is and speaking of those, been hearing some "engine issues" with them but I drove one of those and my God is that a nice ride, love the Recaros and it feels as quick as the MS3 for sure.
Never driven the Fiesta ST, but do have a Focus ST. Not sure what engine issues you are hearing about. I am on a Focus ST forum and really not reading about any trouble. There is a motor mount issue though. If you shift hard from 1-2 and 2-3 at 5,000+ RPM something shifts and hits the firewall. Hits hard, hard enough that you look back to see what part fell off the car. Knowing that, there is a TSB out and if your car does this they will fix it for free. I had the fix and have not had any issue since. There is also no visible damage or paint issue on the firewall that I can see. That is the only issue I have had with my car.
And yes it has the killer Recarro seats in it.
Re: Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?
I tend to try and look at things financially... so I'm going to say that if you're already upside down on your CR-Z, then I would recommend NOT getting the Abarth. If it was me, it wouldn't be a choice between reliability and passion. It would be a choice of, what is financially feasible? I would never consider buying a new car if I was upside down on my current car.
Now if you're in a YOLO sort of mood, I'm going to recommend getting an ST as well. I have the Fiesta ST, and I love it! I feel it is a much more proper hot hatch than the Abarth could ever be.
If you want your CR-Z to be more fun, have you checked out the HPD turbo kit that Honda is doing for the 2014 CR-Z? All CR-Z's can be fitted with this kit which is supposedly going to have a factory warranty.
Honda CR-Z HPD Street Performance Concept Quick Drive - Motor Trend
Honda Performance Development to Offer Supercharger and Chassis Kit for CR-Z Hybrid ? News ? Car and Driver | Car and Driver Blog