fiat seicento sporting Abarth advise.

[25v6turbo]

A friend of mine is looking at buying one of these,hes young so has to keep the engine size etc low,and he likes these but only in Abarth form.

Any tips etc on buying one,i know about the keys and rust etc,and its not quick etc,but he not after a fast motor at his age.Insurance and MPG etc are his main worries,from what he tells me he has decent folding to buy a nice one aswell.

[Cavcraft]

*Advice.

 

 

 

I don't think they rust too badly to be fair.

[25v6turbo]

Sorry!

Not much rust,thats a good start,they are very flimsy though,but i guess thats to be expected at the price they are.

Found a few for about £800 so cheap enough,turns out he doesn,t want red but wants the webasto/electric sunroof if possible.

[HH-R]

They're cheap as chips now and it's easy to find say a 1.1 SX with mega low miles, low owners and FSH for well under a grand. The Sportings/Shumackers/Abarths can suffer from "EBAY MODZ ON A 10P BUDGET". I've always fancied one (though I prefer the look of the Cinq), in fact they were really cheap when I was looking at buying my 2nd car in 2009 ish so I've nearly had a few over the years.

 

They fold up like a cardboard box in any sort of collision, but they are essentially a reskinned car that was designed in the 1980s from bits of 1970s cars.

 

The smaller 899cc engine is an ancient pushrod boat anchor, the 1.1 is the FIRE which means fairly good fuel economy, I've never seen less than 45 MPG from a 1.2 FIRE and the Sei will be a bit lighter than a mk2 Punto/Panda. The 1.2 can be fond of a head gasket, but this didn't seem to stretch to the 1.1 as much. They're nice enough, smooth engines.

 

I'm not kidding, expect EVERYTHING electrical to be broken. It practically is on my 09 car, and the Sei is from before Fiat supposedly got their act together. Wiper linkages and motors are a weak point on most of their small cars.

 

The cloth on the seats will probably be wrecked and/or looked piss stained. They all do that, sir. I bet they're pretty fun to drive though!

[Inspector Morose]

Don't think the Abarth ever had a Webasto roof, only the glass cassette version. Do check for rust on rear inner wheel arches (rear seat belt mounts are a favourite) and back of sills. Clutch cables go with amazing regularity on the 1.1s and are a bit of a pain to replace.

 

Build quality varied from car to car. Some were wonderful and never rotted or gave a hint of trouble and some rotted like a two year old Ford Ka and were happier at the side of the road instead of driving along it. No pattern to it really.

 

I love them and have had the full set of cinqs and Siecentos. Not quick but fun to drive, economical, cheap to insure and cheap to run if you get a good 'un. An ideal first car.

[Spiny Norman]

Nothing useful to contribute, but they must be pretty easy cars to appraise, no? Either it goes OK or it doesn't, and what few electric bits there are on it can't take more than 5 minutes to check.
Always fancied one, still would.

[Matt]

Build quality varied from car to car. Some were wonderful and never rotted or gave a hint of trouble and some rotted like a two year old Ford Ka and were happier at the side of the road instead of driving along it. No pattern to it really.

 

Isn't this true of most/all Italian cars?

[Inspector Morose]

But they were built in Poland.

[Noel Tidybeard]

if a sei is same as a cinq the seating position is shocking- i always felt like i was sat on a booster cushion

[cort16]

We suffered at the hands of these for nearly 10 years. Mrs c bought a 900cc Mia new and had it for 7 years until it got clonked outside the house. She then went out and bought another one but this time a 1.1sx, which she had for another 3 years. . Don't ever do the 900 cc it's an ancient pushrod job with 7 bhp . 1.1 is quite spritely and the same engine in an sx as it is in a sporting other than what ever chavy mods have been added .

 

Handbrake never works and is pita to replace.. Access to the engine for fan belts etc had to be done through an access panel the size of a yoghurt pot. (Ask the as guy who tried to change our alternator belt on the roadside ). There was a major recall for leaky fuel tanks and they really all did leak so check it's been replaced.

 

They're pretty cheerful little things but they can be suit awkward to work on. They also have tiny peddles. Clowns need not apply .

[PiperCub]

Isn't the Abarth version by definition going to be pricy for a youngster to insure?

[The Moog]

Had a normal 1.1 ,which replaced the frankly shit seats for sporting ones which had support.

 

Ragged it for a while, feel great as could flat out round roundabouts. Gave it to my aunty who finally moved it on at 120k. She did mega miles including London to wales a fair few times.

 

Uncle cut hole in passenger side dash to change stuff including about 3 clutch cables.

 

Mpg was awesome. As stated above fun to drive can fit 4 (at a push). Cheap as chips but unlikely to have been looked after

[nigel bickle]

I'm recommissioning a lil £150 cinq sporting, when I can find time. It seems to be a fun lil cardboard box. Seems pretty well made, with minimal rot( rear belts, one side).

Although poorly maintained by impecunious yoof, the mileage is so low it's all retrievable, and at very low cost.

I've inly driven it a dozen miles, but it feels light fun, easy to drive. Kinda modern day 850 min.

 

I'd guess the sie is pretty similar. Small , frugal , fun but safety zone free. If it's a regular runner, buy some spanners, a manual, & accumulate consumables.

[Guest Lord Sward]

As mentioned above, working on them can be tight; clutch cables are a nightmare for example.

[garethj]

For a more modern version, have a look at a Suzuki Ignis Sport

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-Ignis-Sport-2004-04-Reg-Yellow-1990-/221435523191?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item338e95f077

 

[UmBongo]

Advice?

 

Do not buy.

[Jazoli]

For a more modern version, have a look at a Suzuki Ignis Sport

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Suzuki-Ignis-Sport-2004-04-Reg-Yellow-1990-/221435523191?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item338e95f077

 

A million times better than a flaky fiat

[25v6turbo]

Thanks for the input,very interesting,seems like they are not all doom and gloom,i,ve had a few cinq sportings and rememember the clutch cables being a pain.

I spotted this for him,exactly what he wants and with the electric webasto but the other end of the country.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fiat-seicento-sporting-abarth-/271611019475?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3f3d4740d3

[cort16]

That does look like a good one. Plenty of us up in Scotchland if you want someone to have a gander at it. Flights are cheap and you shouldn't need much fuel to get it home

[fordperv]

Put a good set of tyres on it and even though they don't have the best power it will be a hoot to drive on the twisties

[25v6turbo]

Theres a MICHAEL SCHUMACHER version aswell,but it looks alot like an Abarth model but with different badges,think it has ABS as standard,but reading up on tht it appears its crap and plays up,also only in yellow/red.

[Jim Bell]

The "abarth" is just a Sporting with pieces of plastic and stickers attached. There was no engine or suspension upgrades on the Abarth version.

 

I'd rather eat human shit than own one. K11 1.3 is 10 times the car. And cheaper to insure. And not a FIAT.

[pompei]

I'm not sure if this applies to the Seicentos but the Cinquecento Sporting rimz were an unusual size and there were/are only a few manufacturers who produced tyres (which were not cheap).  

 

That yellow Sei in the ad you posted looks to me about as good as you'll get.

[DVee8]

This is on the blue £375

http://retrorides.proboards.com/thread/171111/2001-seicento-sporting-375ono-redditch#.VB2SCWM6K_I

[Felly Magic]

Locally there are 2 in peoples driveways smashed up, and haven't moved for months even though the damage on both looks fairly superficial, I suspect underneath they are all bent and twisted. Both are bloody yellow too