Abarth owners? Still out there?

Around this time last year GRM was all a-buzz about the car. Sounded like it was "almost" the new answer. Then it died off.

I still have mine, ~15k miles (garaged a bit over the winter when it was 4F and snow) just over a year. I know eastsidemav still has his. Who else? (I haven't looked to see if they're rebating as heavy this year as last.)

Yup, still have mine and love driving it, but there is some trepidation. I'm taking it in for service today, because there are early signs of wheel bearing failure, possibly both rear wheel bearings. I've caught it early enough that I'm worried the dealer will blow me off, which is not good, since in just over a month I've got a 5000 to 6000 mile road trip planned.

If they can't, or won't fix this before I leave, I could be out almost a grand for a rental car instead, which might have me looking for a new car.

I would love one. That seems like the one that I would keep forever in nearly stock condition. I'd love to be the 66yo dude thirty years from now still driving around a minty fresh Abarth. Maybe someday.

The Fiesta ST happened. While not as timeless as the abarth will end up being, the fiesta is a better vehicle.

In reply to yamaha:

I like the Fiesta ST, and if I could have gotten one with the options I wanted, I was ready to pay a few thousand more than I did for the Abarth. However, it would have cost more than I wanted to pay at the time, and would have involved having it driven several hundred miles by a sales guy before I ever got to touch it.

I've grown to really love how small the Abarth is, makes it really easy to park, and deal with tight situations in general. Of course, I have a minivan for when I need to haul cargo. If not for that, the Fiesta (or Focus) would have made more sense.

Some friends of mine have one and love it. It sounds nasty and other than a wheel falling off on the interstate I don't think it's given them any problems.

When I thought my SAAB was gong to be totaled it was at the top of my list but my car got fixed so no Abarth for me yet.

KyAllroad wrote: Some friends of mine have one and love it. It sounds nasty and other than a wheel falling off on the interstate I don't think it's given them any problems.

KyAllroad wrote: Some friends of mine have one and love it. It sounds nasty and other than a wheel falling off on the interstate I don't think it's given them any problems.

Say whut?

Got lucky. Tires were cupping, dealer rotated them, and sound is significantly diminished. Will have to remember what uneven wear on rubber band tires sounds like for the future. I suspect my old dealer did not do the tire rotation when they claimed they did.

Love affair with the Abarth continues

Abarth has panache- ST Fiesta doesn't from where I sit. That bark from the Fiat is intoxicating. Never driven one. Afraid I'd by out $20k if I did.

The big deals are gone near me, I was looking last week.

KyAllroad wrote: Some friends of mine have one and love it. It sounds nasty and other than a wheel falling off on the interstate I don't think it's given them any problems.

Wut.

I am still loving my '15. The fancy pants dashboard just told me I need my first oil change. 6500 miles now since I bought it 12/12/14.

yamaha wrote: The Fiesta ST happened. While not as timeless as the abarth will end up being, the fiesta is a better vehicle.

I saw how cheap Sonic RSs are, and how easy it is to tweak the PCM for more power, and how they have sane gearing (geared for fun and not meeting some benchmark), and then I saw one on the street when I was headed to the most recent WOR RallyCross and said oooh, I gotta get me one of these.

It was not that moment, the moment where it felt more right to buy a new dispos-a-car than to maintain something older and cooler, that I felt old. No, that moment came when I checked online to see if the RS had heated seats.

It does, for the record.

KyAllroad wrote: Some friends of mine have one and love it. It sounds nasty and other than a wheel falling off on the interstate I don't think it's given them any problems.

Kinda seems like a BIG problem though.

Nothing to see here. Wheels take themselves off all the time.

I've not driven a Sonic RS, but I have driven an LT Hatchback with the 1.4T/6speed. Very different car than an Abarth. It'd have to be a lot cheaper for me to consider it. Not to mention, I have this phobia about modifying a car that is under warranty.

Now, to buy a Sonic RS used cheaply, and crank the boost up to within an inch of its life, yeah, I'd consider that.

I didn't care about the heated seats when I was looking last year. But the mornings it's been below 30F here lately, until the heater kicks in? Yeah, I'm kinda liking them.

My girlfriend very cares for the heated seats. And the seat heaters in the Fiat are weak sauce compared to the butt roasters in the MINI. Those had three positions and I couldn't take the highest for more than a few minutes. These single-setting heaters are... adequate...

First post here, but I've been lurking for quite a while. I bought an Abarth back in November, and they were doing pretty good discounts then. I could have bought a FiST, but I honestly just did not like it nearly as much. And, for a bigger car, it feels even smaller inside than the Abarth.

Anyway, I love the car. It's a blast, and very practical in Chicago. I even took it on a 5,500 mile trip over Christmas time, out to Phoenix and then to LA for some canyon runs. Other than less than stellar gas mileage at 85mph, it was a great trip. The car fits like a glove, and I'm not a small guy at 5'11 and about 250.

The best thing about it though, is that it still hasn't become 'just' a car. It always puts a smile on my face, and i'm always excited to drive it. Looking forward to fiat on the dragon in a few weeks.

In reply to WizardDog:

I'll be there as well!

Probably not many black with white wheels (it was courtesy of the dealer swapping the black one's off to another car for another purchaser before me, and I said leave the white one's) and I have a matte black vinyl scorpion on the hood. Also put one of Abarth's quotes on the windshield "Small but wicked".

A photo posted by Jamie (@wizarddog96) on Dec 22, 2014 at 7:37am PST

Here's mine, hopefully the picture shows up. It's a stripper model, no stripes, no sunroof, and the nice 16 inch wheels.

The dragon should be fun!

*Edit: well, that didn't work.

Okay my brain perked up at "dragon" because in three weeks I'll drive brappy down to Deal's Gap Rotary Rally... funny that there'd be a Fiat meet there at nearly the same time.

I still have mine, creeping up on 60k rather rapidly. It's been a wonderful trouble free experience. Might be selling/trading soon for other reasons but I have no problems with the car. As far as it being the new "answer" I'd take one over the answer any day, and thats after owning 5 miatas.