Thinking about trading in the CR-Z for a Fiat 500 Abarth, thoughts?

Keep the Honda. Sure, the Fiat stirs the senses, but you can't beat the Honda's reliability.



Broadcasting from an undisclosed location.
 
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:
 
SYMAWD said:
Actually, Prii built after November 2013 now get an Acceptable rating.
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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.
 
RMM, I appreciate your European input for sure but the Mini is a no go, had an 07 R56 and it was the biggest POS ever, even when I had to turn it in there were still issues with the frozen throttle issue, I even received a recall or two yrs after I didn't have it anymore. In 3 yrs and 63k on the clock nothing but issues but I did love how it made me feel and always put a smile on face, I'd like to have that again. I guess I'm the niche buyer, having had the Mini, the current CR-Z, even had a Crossfire, no issues with that car either, I still like that car no matter what was written and said about it. Was it perfect, no but the styling was sharp as hell and had M-B bits were it counted and in my 2 yrs of owning it no issues other than 2 recalls for the foglights, LOL!

I will find out something tomorrow and I'll let you guys know, thanks for the input here!

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I like the blond in the tv add the one who says the Italian are comming
 
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.
 
Coopers ST said:
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.
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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.
 
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.
 
Klasse Act said:
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.
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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.
 
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
 
I've seen that kit Random as I'm a member of the CR-Z forum but if I had the extra cash I'd put it down on my current car or put it down on the Abarth. As far as the Fiesta ST goes I like it too, a lot, especially with those Recaros but that car is too new to think about right now for sure.

I'm a firm neliever in the addage "everything happens for a living".

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I just went through the whole hot hatch debate this fall and came out the other side with a GTI.

I looked briefly at the Abarth, and the Focus ST. I drove the ST and the GTI on the same day. I took a second look at the Abarth with my daughter at the local auto show and was shocked by the poor quality of the parts. While it looked good, poking and proding the interior revealed cheap feeling, hollow, hard plastic parts everywhere. I don't see anything on that car holding up for the long haul. I like the car and the idea behind it, I just couldn't go for the execution. My daughter is a semi-car gal, and she picked up on the same issues immediatly and walked away crushed as she had her heart set on that being the first car she would buy herself. Also consider that car a two-seater. The rear seats are decoration, and with them up the cargo space is almost nil.

On to the Focus ST and GTI. The ST is a power monster and puts it down well. It also handles very well. However, there were a host of little things that when added up, killed it for me. The ergonomics just were not quite right... the center console was a long reach and the shifter was too far over to the center. The interior as a whole, like other Focus' I've driven just felt a little cramped. To get the options I'd want, it required the package with the Recaro seats, yet I found them very uncomfortable. I have a long, broad torso (5'9" about 185), so the bolsters were too tight and the tilted head rest was never in the right place. I felt like I was constantly tilting my head forward and shrugging my shoulders while in the car. I also found the road and wind noise to be more than I wanted in a daily driver that makes road trips.

Climbing in the GTI everything felt perfect and everything was where it belonged. To me, everything I touched seemed a higher quality than the Ford, and light years ahead of the Fiat. I'll miss the 50hp the ST has over the GTI, but it has more than enough to put a smile on my face.

In all honesty, if I could have fit in the seats I could have forgiven many of Ford's shortfalls based on the price and there is a strong possibility, I'd be driving the Ford today.
 
To save time and hassle I called the salesman I was told to see via a mutual friend and talked to him about the situation. I told him I was calling him to save us both time and he told me to then send him an email with detailed info on my car, I also included some pics. I'm pretty sure its not going to work out but I tried and this will be the last time I try and do something this, atleast I've got a reliable car that I've made more unique than others out there and one that has GREAT paint!

Just waiting for the call or the email to confirm it, thanks to everyone for their input, I appreciate it!

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Desertnate said:
I took a second look at the Abarth with my daughter at the local auto show and was shocked by the poor quality of the parts. While it looked good, poking and proding the interior revealed cheap feeling, hollow, hard plastic parts everywhere. I don't see anything on that car holding up for the long haul. I like the car and the idea behind it, I just couldn't go for the execution.
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That's exactly what i thought when i test drove the Abarth. Absolutely horrible. It's worse than most american car interiors of 5-10 years ago. And if it's that bad, it's really bad!
 
anonymoususer said:
That's exactly what i thought when i test drove the Abarth. Absolutely horrible. It's worse than most american car interiors of 5-10 years ago. And if it's that bad, it's really bad!
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Really? I had no issues with the Abarth's interior. It felt like a slightly upscale Chrysler which isn't necessarily a bad thing anymore. I loved the car, but I don't think I'd ever buy one.

The worst interior was probably a 2012 Corvette. When I started the car, it felt like the interior would rattle apart.
 
randomevent said:
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.
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This! No more Lamborghini payments on a budget priced car!
 
Desertnate said:
Climbing in the GTI everything felt perfect and everything was where it belonged. To me, everything I touched seemed a higher quality than the Ford, and light years ahead of the Fiat. I'll miss the 50hp the ST has over the GTI, but it has more than enough to put a smile on my face.
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While I ended up with the Fiesta ST, the GTI will always be my favorite hatch. I agree with everything you're saying about it. The MkV and MkVI are what I consider to be the "mature" hot hatch. It's a very refined car at a very attractive price.

My wife also agrees; she has a MkVI GTI. :laughing:
 
Keep the Honda CR-Z. Those are nice cars. With a little TLC you can look cleaner than any fiat ever could.

Had to post this picture of a CR-Z that stood out at a car show last year. Thing was literally perfect and my preference isn't Honda. ;)

1891178_263176517183452_27721820_n.jpg
 
kirkatizer said:
Keep the Honda CR-Z. Those are nice cars. With a little TLC you can look cleaner than any fiat ever could.

Had to post this picture of a CR-Z that stood out at a car show last year. Thing was literally perfect and my preference isn't Honda. ;)

1891178_263176517183452_27721820_n.jpg
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Well I'm 44 years old and would never have my CR-Z looking like that, the color, yes but the stance, HELL NO! You can't drive something like that around here and I drive my car day in, day out, a true DD. Same with those "rubber band" tires stretched out, its all for looks, does me NO good at all. I just wonder how long this phase is going to last but to each their own. I will say though that I love the color, reminds me of the Polestar Volvo's, really like that....alot!

Hey Derek, just lookin' and the 12' is out of the picture due to it being 2 years old,well to the bank anyways.
 
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