Welcome 
My A500 is my only car, and I haven't regretted not getting the SS kit on mine. From what I had (MG ZR - so similar to your Corsa) to the Abarth at 21, I found was a good move, as the power difference wasn't stupidly different, but enough to give me an adrenaline rush 
(I did get the TMC box over a year ago though *shh*)
Now that I've had it nearly three years, and my insurance finally went down to what I would call "normal", I'm now thinking of possible mod's as have a little more spare money 
Ah looks as though I'm in a similar situation to you three years ago. How is the A500 to use everyday?
Yeah I guess the sensible thing to do would be to get a standard A500 as the insurance is reasonable and then as that goes down, add the bits and bobs as I wish. Just out of interest did you get the car on finance?
The Abarth I would say is a good car for everyday use, unless you do big shops, as sometimes that can get a tad tricky lol I would say standard now, then you can add as and when you like
I did get it on finance, the HP I believe, as didn't like the idea of not owning it at the end of the term. It worked out to about £250pm, so not bad. If you choose that route, make sure you get all the t&c's, as I didn't at first, and then found out that there's an admin fee that has to be paid within two weeks of your last payment. So just bear that in mind
