| Product: |
Fiat Cinquecento |
| Date: |
21/02/03 (4935 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Cheeky character
Disadvantages: Minimal, see text
See that little yellow car up there at the top, that's mine. Well actually it is one very much like it! We are retired, at least HE is and we, that is both of us, decided that we really didn't need two cars. So I sold my little Citroen AX, which I'd had from new, (and bought a rather splendid Grandfather clock!), and he sold his Seat, which he'd had from new and WE bought a Toyota. You may have read my opinion on this car. It is a good, comfortable and easy to drive car, but it wasn't mine...........
The rather cheeky little yellow Cinquecento sports IS MINE! You could say I came upon it almost by accident.
I have a part-time job at the university and I overheard one woman say to another that she had put her car on the net, but had received no takers. I said was she open to offers? She said that she was, because it was probably priced a little high because of all the extras. (You must remember that I had seen this little yellow Easter chick hopping round the car park for some time!).......... A couple of days later it was MINE!
So what, exactly, have I bought? It is 1997 Cinquecento Sports 1.1, with alloy wheels, stainless steel exhaust, (which is guaranteed for life!), a standard immobiliser, tinted electric windows AND a little leather covered steering wheel, which is removable and can only be reattached with its own unique calibration. This means that if someone wants to pinch the car they will have no steering wheel. This is a new concept to me. No ugly steering locks, just remove the whole thing! The mileage is good too at only 43,000.
Fiat have been creating cars with character for over one hundred years. The Cinquecento, (you almost need to be an owner to get that mouthful out right, I keep practising!), anyway as I was saying, the Cinquecento 900 and 900SX were introduced in the June of 1993. It wasn't until the January of 1995 that the 1.1 Sporting model was introduced along with body coloured bump
e
rs and mirrors, (all yellow in my case!), alloy wheels with low profile tyres, five gears, sports seats, electric front windows and central locking. A sunroof was optional, (I don't have one of those!). The next month VIN security window etching became standard on all models.
This 3-door hatchback is a nippy little car to drive, although having got used to power steering I find it a little heavy. Although the brakes are quite positive they are not as tight as the Toyota and this has needed a little adjustment in my driving! The brochure describes the Sporting model as having extra performance and sexier looks, which I guess it has, being sleeker! (Forget the yellow!!..........I love it!)
Its exact measurements are height 56.1 inches, width 58.5 inches and length 127 inches. So you can see it's only a wee car. The surprising amount of interior space is probably because of its tall shape and the wheel-at-each corner chassis design (Where are wheels normally?) The front seat frames are specially shaped to allow more leg room for the 'back-seat' drivers. The back seats will fold right down to give 28.6 cu. foot boot space but there is only about 6 cu. foot with them up as seats.
The actual engine size is 1108 with a 54 BHP. It cruises happily at 70 MPH but will go up to 93MPH. AND it does 0-60 in 13.8 seconds. Now this may not suit the boy racer but that's not bad for a very economical little run-around. It is a comfortable ride with plenty of head and leg room, (and I'm 5 foot 8 inches). Perhaps I could criticise the foot pedals, though. They are a bit close together and if I find my size eights a bit restricting. I suspect that someone with larger feet MIGHT find difficulty. There seems to be no place to put the left foot during clutch usage.
This little car is quite deceiving it can accommodate five people. It has three seat belts in the back. The seat belts are all bright red. Imagine that, bright r
ed seat-belts,
the upholstery is a much quieter dark grey with a couple of thin red stripes, though. The carpeting is also a nice sensible dark grey! On this model the gear stick is covered with leather! (Grrrrh I love it!) and the seats recline and move backwards and forwards without difficulty.
It is economically quite sound. It will do about 60 miles per gallon at a constant 56 MPH and 37.7 miles to the gallon on the urban cycle. Oh yes, it has a single point fuel injection and all I know about that is that they are not referring to the petrol hole on the side! As with all the Fiats I have come across the petrol cap does seem a bit difficult to master. It isn't a BIG deal one gets used to it! In case you should come across any little perforations of the body work due to corrosion, it is covered by an 8 year anti-perforation warranty.
I think that this car is top value for the money paid. I have the full service history, which, of course, is a good idea when purchasing a second-hand car. The car should be serviced every 9,000 miles or yearly, which ever comes first. The cost of the spare parts is not exorbitant. An oil filter will put you back under £7, spark plugs under £15 and a new cam belt about £10.50. Insurance wise although the Cinquecento S and SX are only a grade 2 the sporting does warrant a grade 3, but I can live with that.
Although it has side impact protection beams a driver's airbag is optional. (Although 'they' say it is not an option with my dinky little steering wheel!) The dashboard, they call it fascia now, steps away to give the front passengers more room. The fascia seems a little busy behind the steering wheel, with speedometer, rev counter, petrol and temperature gauges all crammed into quite a small space. The controls, to the left of the driver, are all very easy to see and adjust, though.
What more can I say? I have tried to be totally impartial but I just love it! Oh! Another thin
g, with this little car being slightly taller than average AND yellow, (there aren't many yellow ones around!), wherever one may park it in a car park it can easily be seen! One big snag is that if you want one it will have to be a second hand one because the Cinquecento has been discontinued, probably because no-one could say it, and you will now have to buy Seicento, much easier to say!
As soon as I had picked up my little car I took it to my daughter to show it off! My granddaughter had the temerity to say, "Cool shape, shame about the colour"......... She's only eleven, what does she know?
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