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u/CloudsTasteGeometric

Image 1 — Update: I pulled the trigger on a 2016 500 Abarth! I absolutely LOVE this car, let me gush about it:
Image 2 — Update: I pulled the trigger on a 2016 500 Abarth! I absolutely LOVE this car, let me gush about it:
▲ 187 r/abarth+1 crossposts

Update: I pulled the trigger on a 2016 500 Abarth! I absolutely LOVE this car, let me gush about it:

Hey all - I did it! Got myself a 2016 500 Abarth! Single owner, great condition, not too many miles, and a phenomenal price. Thank you all SO much for your input as I made this decision - you guys rock. So let me gush about this car because I’ve never been this happy with a vehicle purchase in my life:

- Holy COW does this thing have personality! The look, the size, the stance. Everything about it feels utterly unique. A little cute, a little exotic, a little aggressive, and unlike anything else on the road. It’s an unabashedly silly car, which I love about it.

- The SOUND! I knew this car sounded good but I didn’t think it would be THIS amazing! The grunting exhaust as I shift gears rivals that of my old Supra (a high bar) and I can’t stop laughing as I hear the whooshing of the turbo.

- The performance! Yes, it’s less powerful than my last car, but this thing is QUICK. Very torquey and just plain FUN. More importantly, I get to use ALL of the power and squeeze out EVERY gear with glee. It’s a car that begs me to go all out and permits me to without launching myself into a tree (or a speeding ticket.)

- The handling! This is a FWD car and it’s one of the best handling cars I’ve ever driven! Probably tied with my FRS (but this is much more torquey and punchy.) It grips and hugs turns insanely well, and most importantly: I feel CONNECTED to the car and the road while I drive it. My Supra, by contrast, felt a little numb and disconnected. And I couldn’t chuck it into corners like I can with the Abarth (I’d immediately spin out with its squirrelly back and - while the Abarth simply wants to play and play.) I feel where every inch of the car is sitting at every moment. It is confidence inspiring, no need to shy away from its limits.

- It’s just a good, economical fit. I am saving $800/mo coming from my Supra and having MORE FUN doing it! As a FWD hatchback it is more practical - and despite being six and a half feet tall I fit much better in this than my Supra or my FRS. I might get a steering wheel extension so I can more comfortably drive with the seat all the way back, but even stock it’s just fine once I get my seating position right. Oh! And my fuel economy doubled, even when I’m driving it like a rally car.

How on earth did I trade in a bloody SUPRA for this and wind up having MORE FUN in my Abarth?! This car feels like an auto enthusiast cheat code. Most fun car I’ve ever driven. Now my only worry is being able to find another one to replace this with whenever it does die: because I can’t see myself going back.

This car is a GIFT. I just LOVE it!

u/CloudsTasteGeometric — 5 days ago
▲ 2 r/abarth

Hey all - I'm following up from my previous post and am hoping you kind folks can help weigh in. Apologies in advance if this is long, but you guys were so nice with my post earlier!

Over the past week I've gone from "considering an Abarth" to "deciding to buy an Abarth (almost)," but still have some questions and thoughts. I suppose my chief concerns would be:

  • Is getting a 500 Abarth viable for me?
  • This is a "downgrade" - do you think I'll regret it?

I use the term "downgrade" very loosely as I am utterly charmed by the vehicle and have heard nothing but wonderful things about it. But I really want to be "sure," ya know? I'm coming from a MKV Supra and my primary motivation is to save money, but the Abarth seems more like "my kind of car," too - in that I've always loved small cars, cars with character, driving "slow car fast" not "fast car slow." From my EH Civic to my Scion FRS - honestly as much as I love the Supra, it was a bit of an impulse buy (long story), and while I CAN afford it, $1,000/mo is *lot* for a car. My rationale is that if I can get a car that still puts a smile on my face, and get an extra $700/mo to drop into an investment account...why wouldn't I?

I've considered Turbo Beetles, Minis, GTIs, or even another BRZ - but the Abarth 500 is the only one that really "speaks to me." Also, the ease of ingress/egress is a concern (not for me, but if I have to drive one of my elderly parents around.) Here is a breakdown of more specific questions:

  1. Is this car viable for tall drivers? I like small cars - and from the research I've done there ARE some owners as tall as me who love theirs - but I am VERY tall (six and a half feet.) I barely fit in my Supra and I barely fit in my FRS before that - it sounds like the Abarth 500 is more accommodating than either of those - but its still a tight fit. Any experience as a taller driver? I don't mind a tight fit: I'm used to it, but some assurance that its even an option would help?

  2. How old can I go? Can it eat miles? Abarths seem very cheap to me, coming from a Supra, but there aren't a lot of options near me, either. There's a 2019 with 34K miles I'm considering, but it would still be a long drive to get it (almost 3 hours.) An attractive 2016 with 74K miles is quite a bit closer - but I'm nervous if that is too old? Both are single owner and in seemingly good condition. I'd like basic infotainment (lame, I know) and the knowledge that I could daily it and realistically put 10K-15K miles on it per year? I maintain my cars well and have a high income, so budgeting for maintenance isn't an issue...but I don't want something that's going to need gobs of serious maintenance just a few months into ownership.

  3. Anyone who has gone from a more powerful sports car to a 500 Abarth: is it still a fun and exciting drive for you? Or is it more of a compromise? Financial compromise is apart of the package, truthfully, but some assurances that its still a fun car for a true enthusiast would help ease my decision. I like driving on twisty back roads for fun often (I don't track them, though) - and I don't need a lot of power to have fun, but it would be a big shift. Rather than my Supra - using my 1st Gen Automatic Scion FRS as a baseline - is the Abarth 500 in the same ballpark in terms of speed and fun?

  4. Comfort an amenities. Do the armrests hold up? How are the squeaks, rattles, ride, and sound system? I hear they're fairly rough - and I don't expect Supra levels of refinement or anything. Again: using my FRS as a baseline (also known to have rattles, a rough ride, and a mediocre sound system) - would you say the Abarth is about on par with that? If so: awesome. But if its a *serious* downgrade in terms of those little 'comfort' features (from an FRS, not the Supra) it'd be good to know.

  5. Can it handle at least a little snow? I've driven Supras and FRS's in my midwestern winters - and I can't imagine its worse that either of those, being FWD, but they're also VERY light. I work remotely so I can (and am used to) staying home on REALLY bad snow days - so this isn't a dealbreaker, but it'd be great to have a feel for it.

Thanks again in advance for any input you might have. If I do this, I'll probably do it soon: and provide updates! The Abarth 500 seems perfect on paper between its price/savings and the fact that it genuinely DOES excite me as a potential enthusiast daily - but before going for a test drive and signing the paperwork, it'd be good to have just a little more insight.

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u/CloudsTasteGeometric — 10 days ago
▲ 16 r/abarth

Hoping you fine folks can weigh in.

I just can't get the Abarth out of my head - I'm seriously considering switching from my current sports car to an Abarth - but it would be a radical shift, and I wouldn't want to regret the decision (though I'm still just toying with the idea.)

I have a MKV Supra right now. I love it. The look, the size, the stance, the feel, the handling. But its expensive (I can afford it, but that doesn't make it cheap) and for as much as I adore my Supra, it absolutely has more power than I need. Then, of all things, I look at the Abarth, which appears to be:

  • A great value (even after factoring in maintenance, amazing smiles per dollar.)
  • Dripping with character (I just love how it looks, I've always liked funky small cars.)
  • Amazing exhaust note (sounds like a monster, looks like a luxury goblin in car form.)
  • Allegedly a total blast to drive (I still haven't gotten behind the wheel of one.)

Truth be told: I don't want an Abarth *instead* of my Supra. I want one *in addition to* my Supra. But I'm not in a position to keep/own/store two vehicles. The Supra is incredible - but every month I make my payment I think about how easy it would be to just dump $600/mo into an investment account if I drove something less extravagant (I make plenty of money and my 401K is fine, so I don't "need" to do this, but some days it feels a bit wasteful not to - that's my Dutch blood showing.)

I've always loved quirky small cars. Like my first car: a 95 Civic EH. Or my old Scion FRS. In a way my Supra is a quirky small car - just with infinite torque that is lots of fun but not often that usable. Some parts of the Abarth concern me: reliability (though its cheap to buy and I could budget plenty for repairs), viability on long road trips (can this city car comfortably eat miles - I like to drive long back road distances for leisure), lack of infotainment/navigation (can't believe this is a concern but I've gotten used to a screen), and whether the power will disappoint me (I had fun in low powered cars before but my Supra has spoiled me rotten.)

I feel like I'd love the Abarth, but if that love outweighs the regret from losing my Supra: I don't know if I'd be happy with the decision. But I LOVE everything about the Abarth!

Which leaves us at the question: have you switched from a more high performance vehicle to the Abarth? Was it worth it, in your eyes? Do you miss your old vehicle or are you satisfied with your Abarth?

reddit.com
u/CloudsTasteGeometric — 17 days ago