Thoughts on Abarth?

wearymicrobe wrote:

Alan Cesar wrote:

110 in second gear is getting old fast So a even a GT mustang would not really be a lot of fun.

Wow. First-world problems indeed.

Not a problem so much as an observation. Ton's of fun on the track, real life with crappy roads makes for less fun. It has a purpose just not a DD.

Just to be clear: I'm not passing judgment. Merely an observation. None of my family in Brazil understood it when I started doing LeMons racing. Down there, any car that runs would never be so expendable.

And, duh, you mentioned having an iQ. My bad. You already know how awful they are.

Just wondering what are you getting for fuel economy?

Donebrokeit wrote: Just wondering what are you getting for fuel economy?

31mpg if I am lucky. It has dipped down to 29mpg on a few tanks.

You really have to flog the car to get it up to speed. But it spends most of its life at around 45mph on the freeway.

If you have a open freeway and you keep your speed at 65mph you can get maybe 36 on a perfect day.

Plus the gas tank is like 6.5 gallons.

wearymicrobe said: Weather is so nice I could go back to driving something like a early SL or pagoda or even another 356 coupe.

Ummm...wait... a 356 coupe is an option for you?

Well then, end of conversation as far as I'm concerned. I'd love to be able to drive one of those as my DD. Of course I'd love to just have one period.

I have no input on the Fiat. Good luck though.

I haven't driven the Abarth but the regular 500 is a lot of fun to drive in my opinion.

I got one of the very first Abarths sold last year and love it. I added some Magneti Marelli gear and the thing flies now. The great thing is I can turn it all off and go back to stock if I want to save gas. Fun little cars with a wicked attitude.

True, they are not for everyone though. I had a Mustang GT before this and don't regret it one bit.

How's the Abarth when cruising at 75-80?

ReverendDexter wrote: How's the Abarth when cruising at 75-80?

In what respect? I drive 140ish miles a day mostly highway at 75-80. Fuel economy is about 32-34 at that pace (skewing more toward the 32 on most weeks)

The drive is good, its not twitchy on the highway like some other smaller cars. Even at 80 you are just a pedal smash away from passing anything you want to. Its comfy, road noise isn't terrible and that lovely exhaust note does not drone at speed so its nice in that respect as well.

I drove it back to back with the Focus ST and FRS/BRZ twins. It's cute, sounds great but sure doesn't have the same laser-sharp tossability as the others. Overall fun, but I'd take one of the twins any day.

What about a Sonic RS? If you want tamer than the Abarth but with a little more practicallity it sounds like a decent package.

Nooooooo... horrible car. If Justin Beiber was a car, he'd be the Sonic RS.

All I know about them is that they have quite possibly the best-sounding stock exhaust of any car under about $50k....

In reply to poopshovel:

Sounds like somebody had a bad day.

wearymicrobe wrote: ... I want tiny simple and tossable.

You want a midget racer!

Sorry...

Alan Cesar wrote: In reply to poopshovel: Sounds like somebody had a bad day.

I totally have a case of the Thursdays. I edited out the angry part.

Lesley wrote: Nooooooo... horrible car. If Justin Beiber was a car, he'd be the Sonic RS.

hardly a horrible car.

the twins bore me, though

Lesley wrote: Nooooooo... horrible car. If Justin Beiber was a car, he'd be the Sonic RS.

Curious on the hate? Is it purely on principal or on looks? ~140hp, six speed, disc brakes. It gets decent reviews as a warm hatch. Or is it just because it is not the 180hp SS Chevy really needs to make?

So test drove the Abarth. Its actually kind of nice. It is not a complete package though, and it kind of wallows in the turns which is odd for how stiff it feels. Seemed to cut power in 1st and 2nd as well when I was trying to give it full gas which might be a "feature".

It is super cheap though for what it is at least by the lease numbers I got. Its definitely not as good as the focus but the focus is kind of boring. Need to sleep on it a bit, I have a week of travel starting Sunday and not exactly sure I want to deal with this on the day before I leave.

I drove the Sonic RS, it's bland and boring. I'd take the Mazda2 over it any day.

Yah, I felt the same about the Abarth - sounded great, it's cute... but it's not as athletic on the track as I thought it would be.

wearymicrobe wrote: I want tiny simple and tossable. Something that I can step on the gas and not be in the triple digits in 5 seconds. My scion IQ is so not cutting it for me and will be set to a relative who needs 70hp so she does not drive like a maniac. That leaves me with a 640+hp 9 mpg daily driver and almost 4.75$ a gallon gas. Its that or I break down and lease something silly again like a new beetle convertible which I actually really like.

Well , keeping you in the same brand and so you don't have to memorize the name of a new salesperson, have you considered the FRS?

While I wont put my personal reputation on the line vouching for their quality, the FRS has never failed to be anything but enjoyable while driving.

To be fair to the Twins, I bought hot off the press and that might account for some of the minor E36 M3 I have had go wrong.

What the car has going for it is what it does not have: Weight. Oh, and RWD that is entertaining BEFORE "certain death velocity" is achieved. I think we are going to see a lot of crashed ones, but the drivers will be around to tell the tales.

I'd also agree with trying to get a test drive in a Toybaru... it's a comfortable little GT car that is more precise and handles quicker than a miata yet being so settled and well mannered at the same time. Drive one hard and you should understand why everybody loves it. Drive it 'normally' and in daily traffic and it still puts a smile on your face and is really enjoyable.

They are just not as easy to get/find as most other vehicles right now...

In reply to BrettM:

Very Nice

What were the lease numbers they were quoting on the Abarth?

ccrelan wrote: What were the lease numbers they were quoting on the Abarth?

900$ down, 319 a month not counting tax. 12K miles a year 36 months.

Not a bad deal for a 24K list car. What is a kind of odd is that I think I might like the standard sport car a bit more then the Abarth. It is a simpler car is some respects and has enough power to not feel unsafe on the road.

I was quoted 199 a month with no out of pocket on the sport. 24 months 10K miles.