Fiat 500 advice and info?

Printable View

Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

3rd June 2011, 22:14
Firstgear

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel

That said when I was little, my parents carried myself and my 2 older brothers around in a little Honda Civic.

I remember squeezing into the back (and I mean behind the back seat, under the rear window) of my parents Bug/Beetle with my younger sister. My older siblings shared the back seat.
3rd June 2011, 22:17
odykas

Hold on. Alfa is set to return to N. America soon ;)
3rd June 2011, 22:39
GridGirl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel

But I think people choose to take loads of crap with :) You can fit a pushchair in the back of the 500, the rear seats on most of them are 50:50 splits so you can put larger stuff in that way. I'll admit you won't be doing any cross continent journeys with a child in the back, but for shopping journeys and days out it's fine. I admit if it was an only car then you'd definitely need something bigger. That said when I was little, my parents carried myself and my 2 older brothers around in a little Honda Civic.

Its not that you can't have kids and a 500 it's most likely that you just can't be bothered with the hastle especially if you have a limited number of car seats that you need to swap between vehicles. My nieces are 4 and 18 months and I always find it much more of a hassle faffing around with the car seats in the back of my fester compared to when you put them in the other half's 5 door car. Thats all before you try and get the kids in and out of the said car seats. :p :s
3rd June 2011, 23:09
Daniel

Quote:

Originally Posted by odykas

Hold on. Alfa is set to return to N. America soon ;)

Yes, and how many times before has Alfa been returning to the US before? ;)

I think I trust Bernie more than I trust Sergio :D

I hear what you're saying GG, if you've got a 5 door car you're not going to faff about with the 3 door car. I just find it silly that someone would buy a 3 door car and then goes and sells it and take the depreciation hit just because of the hassle. But then again I'm just tight :p
3rd June 2011, 23:27
ioan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel

But I think people choose to take loads of crap with :) You can fit a pushchair in the back of the 500, the rear seats on most of them are 50:50 splits so you can put larger stuff in that way. I'll admit you won't be doing any cross continent journeys with a child in the back, but for shopping journeys and days out it's fine. I admit if it was an only car then you'd definitely need something bigger. That said when I was little, my parents carried myself and my 2 older brothers around in a little Honda Civic.

Where do you put the kids if you need to fold the rear seat to put in the stroller?
I've no kids but few years back I used to keep company to a friend of mine when he was taking the kids for a days journey and believe me a Fiat 500 is useless for 2 adults and 2 kids plus some stuff.
3rd June 2011, 23:28
ioan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firstgear

I remember squeezing into the back (and I mean behind the back seat, under the rear window) of my parents Bug/Beetle with my younger sister. My older siblings shared the back seat.

:eek:
3rd June 2011, 23:42
Daniel

Quote:

Originally Posted by ioan

Where do you put the kids if you need to fold the rear seat to put in the stroller?
I've no kids but few years back I used to keep company to a friend of mine when he was taking the kids for a days journey and believe me a Fiat 500 is useless for 2 adults and 2 kids plus some stuff.

Of course in that situation a city car really isn't practical. I'm sure you could jam a stroller in somewhere but it would just be silly.

I'm not against big cars at all :)
4th June 2011, 01:30
airshifter

Quote:

Originally Posted by schmenke

That's all well and good airshifter, but still doesn't explain the need to use one of those brutes as a daily driver for someone who works in downtown office building :mark: .

I think most of that has to do with cheap gas. Even with the recent price hikes, gas is cheap here in the US. Rather than own two vehicles, most will commute in a large vehicle especially if they need the room/towing/hauling on occasion.

We have three vehicles and two drivers, so we can have the size/comfort/safety of the larger ones when needed and keep a third commuter that gets decent MPG. But all three have long been paid for so it made sense to keep the smaller car. If we could only afford to keep two, I'd likely have to get rid of the small one. When I need a truck I really need a truck so that would stay. The other is a mid sized SUV and the gas penalty would be worth it on trips and such vs the small car.
4th June 2011, 01:35
airshifter

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel

I would be really interested to see what someone like yourself or airshifter thought of the 500 as people from North America so if you do see one in a dealership do pop in and have a peek.

A few people over on the fiat forum I post on have a child or two and don't have any problems with space, but a few people who've had a newborn have gone the typical route and bought an articulated lorry to carry them and their 2kg bag of flour sized child :p

IMO very few people in the US market will even consider a car that small. The SMART sold ok for a couple of years and then sales tanked. People over here just want a larger car for the most part. Not to say that a 100 HP car can't make a decent commuter over here, but most people will pay the gas penalty for more size and/or more power.
4th June 2011, 09:40
Mark

The majority of cars in the UK have less than 100bhp!
4th June 2011, 10:23
Daniel

Quote:

Originally Posted by airshifter

IMO very few people in the US market will even consider a car that small. The SMART sold ok for a couple of years and then sales tanked. People over here just want a larger car for the most part. Not to say that a 100 HP car can't make a decent commuter over here, but most people will pay the gas penalty for more size and/or more power.

I tend to agree if we're talking about the US where you have larger distances to cover and cheaper fuel. Back in Australia I happily drove something which was probably only doing 20 or 30 mpg at most :)
4th June 2011, 12:07
Rollo

Quote:

Originally Posted by ioan

Where do you put the kids if you need to fold the rear seat to put in the stroller?
I've no kids but few years back I used to keep company to a friend of mine when he was taking the kids for a days journey and believe me a Fiat 500 is useless for 2 adults and 2 kids plus some stuff.

On a number of occasions, we took four adults their luggage from Sydney to Melbourne (830km) or Sydney to Brisbane (929km) to watch football and cricket matches.
A stroller though is a harder prospect to carry around, but you could probably manage it if you put some roof racks on the car.
4th June 2011, 12:21
Iain

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daniel

Of course in that situation a city car really isn't practical. I'm sure you could jam a stroller in somewhere but it would just be silly.

I'm not against big cars at all :)

I'm amazed at the amount of crap parents drag around these days. I keep reading on the Seat forum: "We're having our first baby, I'll need to get rid of my Leon and buy a Zafira/Picasso/Scenic!!". If a 5 door hatch that's basically a Golf isn't big enough for you, then I shudder to think how much junk you have.

When I was a baby my dad had the original Mini Clubman estate and I'm told it managed to get to a caravan site in Rhyl with three adults, a baby, highchair, pram and other associated baby stuff with room to spare!
4th June 2011, 12:43
Daniel

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iain

I'm amazed at the amount of crap parents drag around these days. I keep reading on the Seat forum: "We're having our first baby, I'll need to get rid of my Leon and buy a Zafira/Picasso/Scenic!!". If a 5 door hatch that's basically a Golf isn't big enough for you, then I shudder to think how much junk you have.

When I was a baby my dad had the original Mini Clubman estate and I'm told it managed to get to a caravan site in Rhyl with three adults, a baby, highchair, pram and other associated baby stuff with room to spare!

Exactly. But these days you look in the window of a mothercare store and there's just so much crap in there.

The thing that gets me is the poor planning that some people show. Why buy a Fiat 500 or a Leon or some car you feel will be too small to carry a child around in if you're thinking of having a child? If like Ioan you like to have space then get an Espace now rather than having to get an Espace but also pay the depreciation on a smaller car :mark:
4th June 2011, 12:46
odykas

Quote:

Originally Posted by airshifter

Not to say that a 100 HP car can't make a decent commuter over here, but most people will pay the gas penalty for more size and/or more power.

The speed limit in US is 70-80 mph.
Any car with 100HP can do that easily, provided that the car is not a 2+ ton monstrosity.
4th June 2011, 13:16
donKey jote

Quote:

Originally Posted by Firstgear

I remember squeezing into the back (and I mean behind the back seat, under the rear window) of my parents Bug/Beetle with my younger sister. My older siblings shared the back seat.

I remember when I was younger doing the same on our yearly trips from Spain to the UK. Except we had to first dig out a space in between all the tea, marmite, cadbury's, lego, lime juice, ribena, and everything else we stocked up on. When not in the dig-out, I used to squeeze in between the front seats to get a better view of the drive, obviously without a seat belt.
When I was a baby I was apparently put in a basket in the back of my dad's 1800S for the trips from Turkey to England. :p

The world has certainly moved on in the last 40 years or so. :crazy:
4th June 2011, 13:19
donKey jote

Quote:

Originally Posted by ioan

:eek:

heck you can fit 19 people in a 5-seater car if you really try. :laugh:
4th June 2011, 13:19
markabilly

Quote:

Originally Posted by donKey jote

I remember when I was younger doing the same on our yearly trips from Spain to the UK. Except we had to first dig out a space in between all the tea, marmite, cadbury's, lego, lime juice, ribena, and everything else we stocked up on. When not in the dig-out, I used to squeeze in between the front seats to get a better view of the drive, obviously without a seat belt.
When I was a baby I was apparently put in a basket in the back of my dad's 1800S for the trips from Turkey to England. :p

The world has certainly moved on in the last 40 years or so. :crazy:

i dont remember owning no 1800S
4th June 2011, 15:56
airshifter

Quote:

Originally Posted by odykas

The speed limit in US is 70-80 mph.
Any car with 100HP can do that easily, provided that the car is not a 2+ ton monstrosity.

Around where I live speed limits are even lower. We don't even hit 65 MPH speed limits until we get 30 or so miles from here. And I do realize that a small 100 HP car is capable of doing these speeds for either a commuter or for longer trips. I've got a 100HP sedan that can easily take a couple of adults and kids on an all day trip, the limiting factor being trunk space.

But we don't take it on trips, we take the SUV which is larger, quieter, more powerful, safer, etc. In my case the largest single factor is safety. With all the larger vehicles on the road over here the chances of being flattened are much greater in the smaller car.

My point was that most in the US won't even consider a 100HP car, even if it was to be used only as a commuter.
4th June 2011, 16:36
Mark

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iain

I'm amazed at the amount of crap parents drag around these days. I keep reading on the Seat forum: "We're having our first baby, I'll need to get rid of my Leon and buy a Zafira/Picasso/Scenic!!". If a 5 door hatch that's basically a Golf isn't big enough for you, then I shudder to think how much junk you have.

When I was a baby my dad had the original Mini Clubman estate and I'm told it managed to get to a caravan site in Rhyl with three adults, a baby, highchair, pram and other associated baby stuff with room to spare!

Most of my childhood my Dad had a Fiesta (about the size of the present day Ka) three door.

We went everywhere in that and on holidays all over the UK and France too. We even went to Scotland with me, Mum, Dad, Grandma and Aunty and we managed!
4th June 2011, 17:13
GridGirl

I remember my mum having a MK1 fiesta with no seatbelts in the back. A car seat for a four year old and one for an 18 month old leaves no room in the back of my fiesta. It would be a tight squeeze with only one car seat and two adults in the back. I wouldn't fancy going to the corner shop let alone on a trip to Scotland. :s :p
4th June 2011, 20:08
ioan

Quote:

Originally Posted by donKey jote

heck you can fit 19 people in a 5-seater car if you really try. :laugh:

Ouch!
I wonder how the hell did they get so far.
4th June 2011, 20:16
donKey jote

Quote:

Originally Posted by ioan

Ouch!
I wonder how the hell did they get so far.

yeah, they should have taken a mini-van (was it an Espace? :p ) latest: May 31st :laugh:
4th June 2011, 21:09
ioan

Quote:

Originally Posted by donKey jote

yeah, they should have taken a mini-van (was it an Espace? :p ) latest: May 31st :laugh:

It would have been very hard to have 22 in an S-Max! :p

I reckon next they will try 25 in a Fiat 500! ;)
4th June 2011, 21:46
donKey jote

Quote:

Originally Posted by ioan

I reckon next they will try 25 in a Fiat 500! ;)

/* Daniel: well it's certainly big enough, so long as you have another car */ ;)
4th June 2011, 22:54
Daniel

Quote:

Originally Posted by donKey jote

/* Daniel: well it's certainly big enough, so long as you have another car */ ;)

Well I think if you cut the 20 odd people into chunks then you could fit them all in 2 500's :D
4th June 2011, 23:10
odykas

Who said you cannot fit 22 people in a 500? ;)

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...dLimousine.jpg
4th June 2011, 23:11
Daniel

Quote:

Originally Posted by odykas

Who said you cannot fit 22 people in a 500? ;)

http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h1...dLimousine.jpg

I forgot to mention, if you're up for a bit of Marchionne bashing feel free to sign up on Italiaspeed forum (Powered by Invision Power Board) ;)
5th June 2011, 08:56
odykas

No more Marchionne bashing please, I've had more than enough :p :

Go Sergio :blackeye:
11th June 2011, 21:08
Eki

Here's something for Daniel. A Fiat 500 computer mouse:

Mulletoi.com verkkokauppa - Fiat 500 tietokonehiiri

Show 40 post(s) from this thread on one page

All times are GMT +1. The time now is 03:04.