The chinky..drive till you've had enough, do it again an hour later. (Fiat Cinquecento)

Member Name: madmax

Product:	Fiat Cinquecento
Date:	28/10/00 (871 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: cheap to buy and run

Disadvantages: build quality / no power steering

Just like your favourite chinese you can't take another bite but after half an hours rest you start to fancy another mouthful.

Thats what driving one of these little cars is like, combine it with a grin factor of 10 and the frugality of scrooge and wahey !!

We have had a couple of these cars, the first one was an sx ...electric windows and central locking (dire performance as standard) but the star buy was a sporting version...a hansome cheeky broom yellow chap with sports seats, tints and alloys which could be driven to the point of total lunacy without the driver ever feeling as though they had undergone a near death experience ( passengers not so lucky).

The steering is like a go kart, positive and with masses of feel, you really know whats happening when those low profile pirelli's are warmed up. on the downside unlike the more refined seicento the chinky never had power steering so parking is like a game of tug o war but you wont even notice because after a few hours driving your bum will be numb from the unbelievably harsh ride (it's an italian thing...bubble cars, vespas, fiats, all designed to be without user comfort but all serve their purpose wonderfuly and with style even after years of neglect and abuse)

Cheap to buy and cheaper to run with a load of aftermarket accessories that you can now buy and just bolt on direct from any hot car mag they are very popular with the "younger" driver as well as the second car set.

Only buy with full service history and preferably from a houshold where it was genuinly a second car preferably used by the geriatric gardener or nanny to drive them to church on Sunday's because any one else will have thrashed it to within an inch of its life every time they started the engine....wonderful

They can be extremly tempremental, they hate the British winter and our road salt, they visibly start to crumble on contact with the above so buy a power wa
sher and use it !!

Standard Italian build quality ensures limited lifespan no matter what you do, enjoy one while you can ...they wont be around forever !!!!

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