If you’re the sort of person who loves buying new-to-you toys, now’s not a bad time to buy a cheap car before the potential effects of tariffs have a chance to be felt in the car market. However, what do you buy? While cheap cars have returned since 2020, it feels like some of the pickings are getting worse. Well, if you’re looking for a reasonably priced daily driver that’ll never be boring, what about a Fiat 500 Abarth?
Sure, it’s not the fastest, roomiest, most economical, or most practical car you can buy for the money, but it’s a great commuter that’s overflowing with character, a hot hatch with a weird driving position that doesn’t feel like you’re driving a barstool. In short, it’s a riot, and you can now pick one up for cheap.
What Are We Looking At?
It’s hard to believe it’s been 18 years since Fiat decided to revive the retro style of the classic 500, but time flies. The recipe was simple: Chop down a Fiat Panda, drape it in retro-cute bodywork and trim, and sell it as a reasonably priced but fashion-forward small car. Unsurprisingly, the new 500 was such a hit, it picked up more than 20 awards, sold more than 2.5 million units, and is actually still being made in Algeria.
Of course, hot hatchbacks are a time-honored tradition, so Fiat’s Abarth subsidiary quickly took a shining to the car, turbocharging Fiat’s 1.4-liter inline-four, fitting sport suspension, and adding all the racy cosmetics you’d want. In Esseesse trim, it made a stout 160 horsepower, and that’s the tune it would carry across the Atlantic for 2012, so long as you hit the sport button to unlock the full potential of this adorable sport compact.
As you’d expect, once the press got its hands on the U.S.-spec 500 Abarth, they adored it. Although it didn’t serve up neck-snapping acceleration—figure a zero-to-60 mph dash just under the seven-second mark—or huge refinement, Fiat’s pocket rocket offered all the sensations and involvement you’d want in a hot hatch. In the words of Car And Driver:
Despite a pronounced forward weight bias—64/36 front to rear, according to Fiat—the Abarth attacks corners like a terrier working a roomful of rats, and cornering can be managed with the throttle. A little feathering puts the front wheels precisely on the apex, and with the traction control completely shut down (there are three levels of intervention), it’s not difficult to induce some easily managed oversteer.
Oh, and did I mention that not only did the 500 Abarth have actual steering feedback, its soundtrack was positively riotous? The blat from the free-flowing exhaust setup gave it immense personality, even when you weren’t on the ragged edge. It’s a machine that makes the commute entertaining, and now you can pick one up for cheap.
How Much Are We Talking?
While late low-mileage examples in rare colors, especially convertible models, still pull solid prices, early examples are now downright cheap. Take a look at this red-on-black 2013 example that just sold on Cars & Bids for a mere $6,000 with 104,200 miles on the clock. Okay, it might have a hit on its Carfax, but it’s also a southern car with regular service history, so it should be a fine daily driver.
Want a more loaded model? This 2013 Fiat 500 Abarth sold on Cars & Bids in February for a reasonable $7,100, and it’s loaded. I’m talking the forged white alloy wheels, the red leather interior, the sunroof, the Beats audio system. Alright, so this example does have some mods like a CEA short shifter and an aftermarket Android-based head unit, the body’s not cosmetically perfect, and there’s some pretty serious carpet wear under the floor mat, but with a clean Carfax, a reasonable 104,800 miles on the clock, it seems worth a punt, yeah?
Oh, and if you don’t want to wait for the right auction to pop up, you’ll likely be able to get a 500 Abarth even cheaper from the used car classifieds. This 2012 model’s up for sale in Florida for a mere $4,900, and while it may have 111,865 miles on the clock and be missing its center caps, it also has a clean Carfax.
What Can Possibly Go Wrong With A Fiat 500 Abarth?
North American examples of the Fiat 500 Abarth used something called the MultiAir system, which uses oil pressure to control timing and lift, and that system has a cheap filter that should ideally be changed every 60,000 miles as a preventative measure. For examples hovering around 100,000 miles with plenty of oil changes under their belt, changing this filter screen ASAP might be good enough. However, if basic maintenance is neglected, the Multiair system can become a headache with debris in the oil wreaking havoc. Also, the stock diverter valves are a bit fragile, so owners tend to upgrade to the GFB DV+ diverter valve for between $140 and $160 in parts.
Still, aside from those caveats, these cars appear to be largely good. The two main failure points relate to interior door handles and the wiring to the hatch. The latter can be repaired with quality crimp connectors, while the former isn’t a huge deal. In addition, difficulty filling up with gas can be fixed by gently hitting the fuel pump assembly with a hammer. Like any turbocharged car, boost leaks can develop over time, but turbocharger failure seems rare, and the five-speed manual transmission appears to be quite reliable. If you’re okay with iffy interior bits, then a well-maintained Fiat 500 Abarth shouldn’t be much harder to run than a normal car.
Should You Buy A Fiat 500 Abarth?
If you need to carry rear seat passengers on the regular or do a ton of freeway mileage, the size and ride quality of the 500 Abarth probably aren’t for you. However, if neither of those issues are concerns for your use, absolutely, go out and buy one that comes with solid maintenance records. These cars are little balls of fun that hold up surprisingly well, they’ll make you smile, and they’ll offer all the passion of a more expensive Italian performance car on a budget you can actually afford.
Top graphic image: Cars & Bids; Abarth via Amazon
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I test drove one in about 2015, I was looking for something more nimble for autocross than the e39 M5 I was driving at the time. It was definitely nimble but I was distinctly disappointed in the acceleration, as I was high on torque from the M5. I ended up buying a 2013 MINI S with a bunch of JCW and GP upgrades. The MINI was excellent in all ways except two, the exhaust didn’t sound amazing like the Abarth and the sound system was crap due to the factory rear seat delete meaning it had no rear speakers. I still think of picking up an Abarth from time to time, though the build quality does have me question that idea.
I had one for a few years. The shifter was sloppy, it left me stranded multiple times due to Multiair issues until the dealer replaced the whole assembly under warranty, the shifter was kinda sloppy, and the ride in the rear was rough.. but driving it around and hearing that angry exhaust honestly papered over all of the flaws. Practical, too – good gas mileage and could carry a surprisingly large amount of stuff, especially with the seats folded down.
If it weren’t for reliability concerns I’d drive that
I seriously regret not buying one of these new back in 2016 or so when the dealers were giving them away. Like 16k-17k out the door with tax.
Just looked on Carvana and they are still going for 15-16k for low mile 16-17 model years. Too much $$$ at Carvana.
But this one of these cars I cast a sideways glance at buying used. Its a hoon-mobile, like a DSM, a manual Civic, Toyota 86/BR-Z, 350z, Infiniti G35, WRX, a Mitsu Evo, etc. All of them are owned by juvenile meatheads in their 20s who beat the hell out of them, crash them, are too broke to maintain them.
Its not an old man’s performance car like a v8 Camaro, Corvette, Mustang or Challenger, where you can easily find nice, well cared for examples.
Do a diligent search like I did until you find one with a stack of receipts and a responsible owner who’s moving on to something larger because family or whatever. And be glad it’s not you buying something boring and baby-approved. They’re out there.
Oh I know, looking at 4th gen fbodies back in the day you looked at so much junk before you found a good one in my budget. Plenty of $20,000 plus garage queens, plenty of beat to shit ones, almost nothing in between
I looked for over 6 months last time I bought one back in 2011. I suspect a similar thing trying to find an Abarth. Nice ones are still out there for maybe a couple more years before they are all dogs. Just you gonna need to really dig, be paitent, and be willing to travel
You make a compelling argument Thomas. 😉 That black one for $7,100. (plus another 5% for Cars and Bids, plus shipping, plus tax/title/reg, so probably a lot closer to $10K all-in looks particularly choice.
this was going to be my next new used car, except I got a mad hair and bought a new Maverick instead..
honestly, having lost $80 000 in my 401k since the beginning of the year, think I’ll just buy one of these and have some fun before we die..
I’ve been booting around in a 2015 for five years now. Really fun little car – it’s “unrefined” nature is really one of its features. Mine has been totally reliable with its only quirks being from the 2015-specific “Blue&Me” Bluetooth/voice recognition system — which is actually a rebranded Microsoft Sync (think Ford Sync) system. I’ve just hardwired an Echo Auto into it to get around that nonsense.
“In addition, difficulty filling up with gas can be fixed by gently hitting the fuel pump assembly with a hammer.”
God, I love Italian engineering.
they are a great deal for a little city runabout! i owned a 2012 Abarth for 6 years and from a drivetrain and functionality standpoint it was dead reliable….until it threw a rod through the block and died a fiery death when the oil hit the turbo.
that said, i would consider owning one again. sure i replaced the door handles twice each, and had to deal with the rear hatch wiring, but the damned car was a riot. slow car fast and all that. like driving a torquey little go-kart with big crackles and pops from the exhaust. it was also surprisingly practical since it’s a hatchback. you won’t get anyone over 5’2″ in the backseat comfortably, but it was fine for my kids while they were younger.
i nabbed my 2012 with 56K on it in 2018 for a dirt cheap $7300 out the door. the interior smelled like cigars, but it had a clean carfax. it died in Feb 2024 with 89K on it.
i love the 2018 Wrangler JL i replaced it with for so many reasons, but i miss the little coupe.
I love the little Abarths; the first time I saw one in person, a guy was pulling out of a parking lot and I couldn’t believe the noise it was making. They seem like a lot of fun. Best badge in the industry maybe, too.
Test drove one of the 2013 models last year around Springtime and it was by far the most fun I’ve had, even at low speeds and getting to grips with it. Been looking at 2016 models since those still have about 160HP before they started dropping the power to 158 or so towards the end of its run, always wanted it in bright yellow.
These aren’t as fun as they’re made out to be, and whatever fun factor they have wears off fast.
My mom has one. We were all thrilled with it at first. I haven’t cared for it in a long time.
The exhaust is fun at full throttle but then it drones at a very annoying frequency no matter what speed you maintain. The steering position is hilariously wrong. The gearbox is vague. The ride is jittery and crashy and those big wheels make the turning radius awful.
At the limit, it understeers and pogos its way down the road in a really unpleasant manner.
Things start to improve when you consider this car for what it is. It’s a joke. Jokes are funny. Putting this engine with this level of turbo lag in a city hatchback never meant to handle it is funny. But the car is still a joke.
On a set of Pilot Sport tires my Abarth takes off ramps at speeds that break laws of physics. A Fiat Madness ecu largely cured the turbo lag but there really wasn’t that much to begin with. The ride is perfectly tuned for such a small car especially if you have grippy summer tires. If yours pogos or is crashy, something else is wrong.
But on the question of steering wheel position, what was the factory thinking? The vague shifting can be cured with updated bushings, but I’m no fan of the steering wheel’s odd Italian placement. Despite that, I love mine. Carving up traffic in an absurdly small Abarth doesn’t feel antisocial compared to driving our Corvette the same way. I love it for its faults and brio.
There is no better bang for the buck. I bought a new one in 2017, and stupidly sold it when I needed the money. Cried as it went down the driveway. Finally replaced it with a mint 2019 in 2023. This one will never leave!
I’m with you 100% and that’s why my Abarth has been in my driveway for nearly a decade now. This makes the negative opinion written by Ppnw an hour ahead of yours quite the outlier. I love the car despite its faults, and I’ve owned some world-class sports cars in my day.