xxaarraa

I passed one today on the highway and it looked sharp! I had a Hertz rental spec base 500 a few weeks ago on a business trip and it was surprisingly peppy! Had the auto box though, not the stick.

Anyone here drive the Abarth? Curious what it's like.

MIKESV8

are you in So Cal? you probably passed my buddy if that's the case. he has a white 500 for sale.

xxaarraa

No Boston. I was having a weak moment and wanted to go test drive one yesterday, but luckily, there wasn't a single one within 200 miles of me! phew!

Quicktwinturbo

Smartcar > abarf

Nachtsturm

A mini cooper S is a much better vehicle. Especially in JCW flavor.

You thought the base was peppy? I found it rather slow.

xxaarraa

Have to respectfully disagree on mini being a better vehicle. Italian cars have a zing and charm about them that minis or VWs or whatever else dont. Evaluating small tiny cars such as that on horsepower or room or other conventional factors is beside the point (afterall 160HP versus 140HP is equally irrelevant). Small cars need to be charming and have a personality and the 500 (and Abarth in particular) has a lot more of it than other ones. Again, just my opinion.

W203Ramos

to me abarth had an image of this old pic that i attatched..... not the current one. it is however charming in a cute way, like a giant skittle with racing stickers, but far from menacing. just my 2 cents.

Nachtsturm

If all you care about is zing and charm, then I guess you may have a point from your perspective.

However, if you would like to include, performance, build quality, ride, reliability, custom-ability, and comfort. Yes, the Mini Cooper is the better vehicle.

You don't find this zingy?

FrankW

i've seen quite a few 500 in person. they are not bad looking, but I would prefer the JCW Cooper S.

xxaarraa

Honestly, I don't. If you showed me a picture of the original mini from the 60s/70s, I may feel differently. But I don't care for a BMW-ized cutie car with moderate performance credentials. That's just me.

Don;t get me wrong, I am not saying the Abarth is zingy. It's probably a dog, but I am saying it's got character and charm that a stupid *** mini doesn't. For me and for some people.

Miniac

To each his own I love my Mini and hate the 500 c*mbuble car.

Nachtsturm

Agreed. Mini > 500.

Nice mini.

fxschneider

500 Abarth? It's what Michael Shumacher uses as his daily driver, that should tell you something about how it drives!

Miniac

He advertises for Fiat so of course he'll drive one.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...Q0l3kJyIblA1kw

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...H0uYmlPM772Vng

as long as they pay him