Hi folks. Thought I'd do the decent thing and post my first thread on the Intro section before asking some questions on the Abarth 500 forum elsewhere.

I'm new here and really looking forward to collecting my Abarth in the next few days and learning all about it in person, and also reading members thoughts on the forum too.

I've obviously had a test drive, but can't wait to get behind the wheel on my own and really get to know the car and how it drives. On the test drive I knew that it had so much potential, but you know what it's like when you drive somebody else's car, you have to take it steady, plus stupidly I did the test drive in flip flops !.

I'm also secretly really looking forward to having a small hot hatch again. I love small nimble cars especially hot hatches. When I was young I bought an old original Mk1 Golf GTI that was about 12 years old, it was awesome fun. I should never have sold it. I'm kind of excited about having a small hatch like that again. You can't beat the thrill in a good hot hatch. They're a bargain in terms of smiles per mile driving. I've also had 2x Mini Copper S (supercharged, not turbo ones) which were great fun but very thirsty for such a small car, an Audi A3 (beautifully built, but terrible suspension and dull to drive) and then a BMW M3 (awesome car, but sadly it had to go to make way for an X5 family car family wagon).

However, to my delight we've discovered we need a second car and can't manage with one ! So after a couple of days consideration / research I decided the best option would be the Abarth 500. Mini was the other option, but they are just far too expensive nowadays for what they are, plus they are everywhere too and starting to look a bit comical. With that naff 4x4 thing and the clubman van / estate they've brought out too many variants and it's starting to look a bit ridiculous. Also I was shocked when I went to the dealers that they are no longer "mini" either in terms of size or price. The Works S in the showroom was priced at £34k !!. Crazy money.

Anyway, decision made, I've decided nothing else really came close to the Abarth 500 after doing a bit of research and a test drive. It's great looking, fun to drive, terrific value for money I'm just hoping it holds together ok after having german cars all these years I'm nervous about build quality and rattles and squeaks. Do they hold together ok ?

Also before I go could anybody please point me in the right direction to learn more about the iphone5 (I assume there is a thread no doubt !) and connecting it to the car bluetooth and playing music etc. it's a 12 plate so I discovered I don't need the adapter, is that correct?

Looking forward to being a part of the forum, and hopefully contributing as my knowledge grows. 

Welcome.

I'll second the comments above.  6 of 10 of my cars owned to date have either been Fiats or Alfas.  All were bullet proof for me and never let me down.


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

Hi guys. and thanks for the reassuring comments about reliability and the welcome. Nice to hear positive feedback on the reliability front. Sorry to hear about your Golf, it sounds like you've had some terrible luck. I hope it was all covered under warranty?

For the iPhone what lead do I use to connect it to the car (the charger cable?), or will it stream music by bluetooth. I don't have the manual in front of me yet to read up on this and wanted to get the correct lead this week so I have music for the journey home when I collect the car. Is there a good thread on this you know of?

GTMartin thanks very much indeed for the advice on the iphone connection. All sounds very simple and straightforward.

Also thanks for the manuals link. Much appreciated.

This seems like a great forum. I've been on a few before for previous cars, but this one seems the most active to me. Great stuff guys. 

Yeah must have had about 10k under warranty 

I give it to VW on that front

And you will find you are now a member of an exclusive club and own a rare and exclusive car 

Wow 10k under warranty ! Thats shocking.

You're right about an exclusive club, not too many Abarths about. Like I said Minis are everywhere now. Nice to have something a bit more unique. However it's that bit harder to find a nice used Abarth as there is so much less choice. I think I have though, fingers crossed.......... I'll find out in a few days !!

Welcome to the forums  That's quite a collection of cars you have had in your time!

Yes, it's great being in a more exclusive little club than a Mini or a Golf.
I've been out driving alot recently and find myself eying up all the 500's driving along, and 99/100 the reaction is 'nope, it's a Fiat'. It's always great to see another Abarth 500 driving about instead 

Will get a picture up as soon as I hit 5 posts !

Welcome to the forums  That's quite a collection of cars you have had in your time!

Yes, it's great being in a more exclusive little club than a Mini or a Golf.
I've been out driving alot recently and find myself eying up all the 500's driving along, and 99/100 the reaction is 'nope, it's a Fiat'. It's always great to see another Abarth 500 driving about instead 

Thanks.