New used car

[Larry P.]

A lightly used 2012 Fiat 500 sport, had it three week now. Great little car. Fun to drive good gas milage.

[Garret]

Cool!

I have yet to try one. I've long been a Fiat fan, so I think I might like it. The BMW Mini hugely disappointed me, so my last little European car hope is the 500. Now if we could only get it with a clean turbo diesel here in the states.....

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

You know what FIAT stands for right?

[Garret]

You know what FIAT stands for right?

As a proud fiat owner, I can come up with Fix It Again Tony & First Italian Attempt at Technology. Got others?

Fix Or Repair Daily, Found On Road Dead, Garage Man's Companion, Another Useless Deutsche Invention, Drips Oil, Drops Grease Everywhere, Merciless Garbage, Virtually Worthless, pretty much pick a brand (though the longer names are tougher).

[Vince Brennan]

A 2012 (to me!) hardly qualifies for the term "used car"...(Yes, I KNOW it really does, but...)... My first car (1974) was a '69 Saab 94 V4 coupe (with a wonderful 2" x 10" stained and varnished Walnut bumper, multi-coloured fenders and doors and a stork's main pinon on the radio antenna (did naught for the reception but there's just a certain "je ne sais quoi" that appends to such a display...)
The next monster was an Austin Healy 3000 MKIII E/O which taught me that British auto makers have absolutely NO FECKKIN' REGARD for the driver comfort of their owner/operators. Simply the most impossible automobile to drive comfortably in ANY season:

• In the Summer, it was FAR too hot in the cockpit. No matter the top down and windows dropped, there was little if ANY air circulation as reached your feet and legs!
• In Fall, the leaves accumulated in the driver's compartment at an incredible rate... you still had the heating problem on the legs, although the cooler days made it less of a problem as the temps dropped...
• Winter! My favourite time of year! Drop the top, wind a Battle Of Britain scarf around your neck along with a Churchill Boiler suit (of which I had four.. one in white worn with a red Breast kerchief) and scoot along at a high rate of spped in snow or sleet, dumbfounding your fellow motorists as well as garnering several admiring "Young Things" who would follow you FF the freeway and chat you up as you refueled at the Servie...

Dear (whatever Deity you may wish to insert to conform to your own beliefs), Those were DEFINITELY the days!


My current car is a 2001 Hyundai Tiburon. No too bad a vehicle and a decent gas mileage considering it was never meant to be loaded with an entire display setup and stock. (Those who have seen me at WBS or other venues will appreciate just how much that is)

My main problem with small cars like that (no matter their 'hotness' factor) is that one does NOT "drive" them, one "WEARS" them.

Still: I've been offered a 2009 Jetta Diesel and have turned it down in favour of this automotive "French Letter". It's just so satisfying to go past someone on the freeway at 80+ and THEN shift into fifth...

(more later)

V

[purri]

Fabricca Italiani Automobili Torino?

[leikec]

Sure wish I could buy a new Fiat 128 coupe nowadays--one of the best cars I've ever owned, and way ahead of it's time....

Jeff C

[Larry P.]

To my lifestyle now this is what a car truly should be. Small, efficient with just enough sportiness to be fun to drive. Gas milage is terrific, rated for 38 on the highway but really more like 40 to 41. I miss my old Nissan 4wd but I really can't justify a pickup any more. Eventually I might get a beater 4wd for towing but not for a while. For a small car the 500 is surprisingly comfortable. My one worry is all of the electronic luxuries the car has. They're really cool now but I worry about ten years from now. Time will tell.

[leikec]

To my lifestyle now this is what a car truly should be. Small, efficient with just enough sportiness to be fun to drive. Gas milage is terrific, rated for 38 on the highway but really more like 40 to 41. I miss my old Nissan 4wd but I really can't justify a pickup any more. Eventually I might get a beater 4wd for towing but not for a while. For a small car the 500 is surprisingly comfortable. My one worry is all of the electronic luxuries the car has. They're really cool now but I worry about ten years from now. Time will tell.

I think timing is everything with a car like this--drive it for 5, 6, or 7 years, and then sell it while it still has some resale value. Somebody else can deal with fixing all of those electronic gizmos on a high mileage used car....

Jeff C

[JimD]

As a teenager I learned to drive on a Fiat 124 coupe.

[Gerarddm]

My 1981 Fiat Spider 2000 was reliable from the day I bought it until the day I sold it.

Considered a MINI Clubman recently, decided I needed more storage capacity and bought a 2009 Jetta TDI Sportwagen. Absurdly great mileage ( 36 city, 41 highway ), corners well, looks good, extended platinum factory 70,000 mile warranty.

[goodbasil]

FWIW I learned to drive on a Massey Harris tractor.
As for new cars I bought a Honda Odyssey on Monday. Not new though, but I think I did well.