Abarth 500 vs Fiat 500 S

The other half is thinking of trading a Fiat 500S 1.2 against a Abarth 500. Has already test drove one and loved it. It was the standard 135bhp version.

Any thoughts what to check on a 3 to 4 year old Abarth 500 with circa 30k to 50k on the clock?

I've had my 500 abarth for 2 years now and in that time all I've replaced was a front wishbone. Oh sorry and 2 rear wheel bearings. Though it is an early 2009 model and now on 76k I think.

The firmer ride than the 500 so that probably is the difference.

Anyways they're great to drive as I'm sure you other half has found

Thanks Rosso for your input. She bought a red Abarth 500 last week from Parks of Hamilton with the full belts / waterpump change thrown into the deal. Came with a spare set of alloys with winter tyres.

To late to offer purchase advice.. but

Rear wheel bearings, seems to eat them for lunch
Rear shocks, specifically the top bushings, again, eats them
If you can get rubber caps for the front strut tops as they collect water, it sits and rusts.
Get under it at very least once a year, they have a nack of holding road mud, rubbish in the sills, rear wheel arches and other not so fun places, in a few years rust is going to be a BIG issue with these abarths.
Map it, the 135 is disappointing, the best thing we did was put a bombardier exhaust and remap the car.

Other than that, the boot lid has a nack of chopping the loom in half, and the brakes are underpowered for a remapped cars, upgrade and service the rear calipers at least once a year as they are crap and like to get stuck.

Lots of neg in the above post but ours was pretty much as easy to live with as any fiat 500 apart from a tiny fuel tank and the turning circle of a tank....

The brakes are poor - remapped or not. I tracked mine and, with “racing” degrees of braking, there was nothing after a lap of Blyton.

If the rear are similar to the MiTo (which they may very well be), I can agree that they get stuck. My MiTo was shocking for that.

Thanks for your comments and advice. Unlikely to be remapped, as came from 69bhp to now 135bhp, so she happy with the power. No knocks of clunks in suspension, struts top mounts front have caps, under them like new. Brakes front and rear have been upgraded, why, we do not know. It’s been garaged during its life. Spare wheels with winter tyres was a bonus. Ride on 17” wheels not too bad. Turning circle interesting, just like a Coop. Previous female owner chopped it in for a Maserati Gran Turismo.

the cloverleaf handled much much more abuse, I think they actually put the coupes breaks to shame (size wise) with the 4 pot brembos

It wouldn't happen to be yellow would it?

There was a really messed up spec yellow one floating about lately, looked like a comp but had the wrong Engine,seats ect