i'm thinking about selling both of my Crossfires and buying a fiat 500 abarth or a 500 sport turbo and using it as a daily driver. it would completely replace my Crossfires as i already have a Jeep and have been using my Crossfire as a daily driver but having a 9 year old has made it difficult. we're always hauling stuff around and even his little scooter has be taken apart to get it in and out of the trunk. i really like my roadster but i don't have a garage to store them in and feel really bad leaving them sit outside all the time. i kinda look at the fiat as a vehicle that is not so significant and is't a big deal if it weathers over the years. i'm also really missing driving a manual.

anyone have a abarth and think daily driving one would be just as enjoyable as daily driving a roadster? BTW i'm not interested in getting the cabrio fiat, hard top only.

 

From what I have heard the 500s are more trouble than they are worth.
Do a complete study of their problems.

 

should have mentioned that i am a Fiat tech and am not worried about problems, just over all ownership, day to day life with one.

 

So you are a genuine Fix It Again Tony.
Just kidding.😀

 

They really don't have many issues. We are a pretty large dealer and other than the stupid arm rests breaking off all the time or the occasional misfire cause of a bad plug they are good vehicles.

 

Hello DualSportDad,
I've owned my little "go-cart on steroids" since late '16. The only issues I've had were a bad radiator cap leak and a front strut issue, which the dealer took care of even though I purchased elsewhere. I modified the back by taking out the seat and turned it into a micro-mini panel wagon. It's been great on really long hauls, like from OKC to Mount Rushmore. Throw everything in the back and go....especially with the "sport mode" turned on!
BTW, I was not overly impressed with the Perilli's, they didn't even last 12K miles. You might want to look at other options.
Hope this helps...
smallfry

 

Thank you for the insight. After looking a bit and dealers wanting what I thought was way too much for what they had on hand ($7500 for a turbo sport with 85000 miles, etc) I came across a fairly clean trade in 2013 Dodge dart 1.4 turbo (160hp) with a 6 speed manual trans. It weights 800lbs more but I added a magnetti merreli tuner and pedal commander along with a intake so she should be just over 200hp now.

The car is very nice for what it is, it has the unconnected 8.4" radio with nav, auto dimming rear view mirror, and auto headlamps, none of the abarths had. The wear on the interior is next to nothing as well. The car has high mileage 153k and needed a timing belt job and new tires among other things but I got the car for 1/4 of what the abarth would have cost me. This car has a sport exhaust stock as well and sounds like a abarth just muffled a bit. I have to say I'm happy I found the little dart and went with it over the abarth.

 

Alex, I was almost the same just no kids,, mine is i go to the track all the time and need something ,incase the crossfire breaks, so i found a car that i know and have parts for ,,a mercedes C320 wagon the engine tranny and rear and rear suspension are the same as a limited crossfire, in fact a lot of the part inside, under the hood also interchange. I found mine for under 5000 it is a 2002 c320 wagon, when i got it in 2018 it had 58000 miles ,, now it has 89000 only one thing went wrong a crank sensor, and same P/N as crossfire so i had one in my tool box. in fact we ,wife and I, are useing it now, we are stay at home in Melbourne fl,, our Fusion and the crossfire are in ft Lauderdale i didn't think we would be gone this long so i left both car batteries connected, hope i don't have to buy new batteries when i get home jim

 

I didn't know they made a c320 wagon, what a neat car.

I didn't know you didn't go back to ft. Launderdale. I will be at Mark's tomorrow picking up the car.

 

From what I remember reading somewhere, the last series of Dodge Vipers used the instrument cluster from the Dodge Dart!!

 

geesh i hope not, it's a pretty bland cluster. i swapped it out for a tft display cluster. i doubt the viper has the tft, i'll have to pay attention next time i'm working on one.

here's stock vs TFT.