Fiat Seicento Sporting Arbarth 98S (Fiat Seicento Sporting 3dr)

Member Name: lukemartin

Product:	Fiat Seicento Sporting 3dr
Date:	14/08/01 (2663 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Esay Parking, Fuel Consumption, Nippy In Town

Disadvantages: Poor service at FIAT dealership, Only 2 Wiper Speeds, Lacks top end power

Being one of the oldest models on the road, some of my comments and niggles with this car have already been sorted out by the manufacturer, but still if your buying second hand, you’ll know what to look out for.

My overall view of this car is that it is a fantastic little runner, and being previously a cinquecento SX driver this was a relatively big leap forward. The most noticeable difference for me at first was the punch from the 1108cc Engine which produces 54Bhp as standard. I feel now that I know this car inside out having owned it from new (3 years), and it still brings a smile to my face, especially in town where you’re always guaranteed to get a look from someone.

I would say that the Arbarth Body Kit and Alloys are a must for the sporting model, as it adds so much to the aggressive looks and prowess of the car. I am also hoping as an owner that these will have helped the car retain its value when it comes to resale.

The reason I first purchased the car as a young driver, was because of it’s sporty looks, cheap insurance and great value for money. It originally came as standard with Single CD Player, Central Locking, Sunroof and Electric Windows. The new Seicento now comes with driver’s airbag and power steering as standard, which were sadly lacking on the earlier models. I was comfortable in the car when I first test drove it, and was sold on it straight away, although if I get much taller (6ft) I will be struggling to get my knees under the steering column, and already get complaints from any passenger that has to sit behind me with the drivers seat fully back.

I regularly cruise along the motorway at 80mph in my Seicento, and I would say that it is comfortable to drive for 1-2 hours. It does 0-62mph in 13.5 seconds, and the fuel consumption is excellent at 35mpg in the City and about 50mpg Extra Urban. I would say that from the 35 Litre fuel tank I average between 250-280 miles. The fuel consumpt
ion is sometimes affected by the fun factor of the central rev counter which can be very fun and sometimes requires a little self control :o)

Having owned my current Seicento for 3 years I can pick a few faults with it including; there are only 2 wiper speeds, rattles from the rev counter and dash facia, pedals are very close together, the brakes are quite poor at times and my handbrake has had to be adjusted several times as it seems to become loose and I don’t want my little baby to roll away. The only other thing is that the boot is quite dire an can't fit my mums shopping in. Not a problem for me as I installed some ICE in their instead, so mum's shopping rides home on the rear seats!

I would recommend the Seicento sporting to any young to middle aged driver that is looking for a fun sporty looking car at a bargain price, although the resale value of the car is not particularly high. I think that is down to the fact that it is a FIAT. The only real problems I have had with the car have been down to the FIAT dealership, so be careful when buying from one. They charge quite highly for servicing (hence I have had 2 services at a ford garage with FIAT parts) and the after sales service that I received from the dealership was a;sp very poor indeed. I assume that for anyone not interested so much in the looks would be just as happy with a seicento s or sx, as these also now come with the 1108cc engine as standard.

Happy Driving!

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