Cruze more solid and comfortable? I ll have to admit I haven t sat in one, but I ve rented Fiat 500

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My retired mother has come to the conclusion that she needs a 2nd car. Currently she has a 06 Trailblazer that she keeps in mint condition, and despite carnival cruise ships web cams having issues with the headlights going out automatically, and a lengthy dealing with GM, it s been a good vehicle (and to GM s credit, carnival cruise ships web cams we think they finally found and fixed the problem with little expense to her). She loves her Trailblazer and it s perfect for running up to our homestead in WV. But it s the only car she has, and when it was in the shop recently it left her with a sub-par loaner she couldn t drive very far. When I lived at home, I lent my parents a vehicle out of my own fleet when they needed.
My father made it several months after I moved away before he bought a 2nd car (which was my old PT Cruiser). My mother carnival cruise ships web cams has held out for 4 years, but now she has come into a little bit of money and has come to the realization that;
2. She likes her Trailblazer a lot, and wants it to last a long time as midsize true SUV s are nearly dead. She d like to save it for trips back and forth to WV and split the miles with another carnival cruise ships web cams vehicle for running around town. I commit to the same strategy with my 06 Liberty CRD and have proven it s a great way to make a vehicle last longer. This was always common carnival cruise ships web cams sense to me, but most people seemed pretty dumbfounded on why I owned so many cars. Other family members are starting to see the light too.
She doesn t need anything carnival cruise ships web cams fancy, carnival cruise ships web cams or really practical. Just something to run to the store, go see her friends across town in, and the typical putting around retirees do. She doesn t want another GM product carnival cruise ships web cams after being left on mountain roads at night with no headlights; more times I care to mention. In fact, she doesn t really like any new cars; but the Fiat 500 has caught her eye. So, being I m a mechanic by profession and have a degree carnival cruise ships web cams in this stuff I get asked all the time what I think. Well, I work on heavy trucks and have never seen a Fiat 500 mechanically, nor do I know anybody that has ever worked on one, owned one, etc. So I m reaching out to the community here.
Maybe it s that they re too new. I ve always thought of picking up one, probably used, when our 12 Mustang is paid off and figured by then a few of them should of made it through their life cycle. But at this point, I haven t heard of anything bad. We looked them up online carnival cruise ships web cams and she ll probably go with a base model, even a manual transmission. Maybe the turbo model if the base is just too slow (which is a possibility for her). I think she s too used to her big SUV to feel comfortable in a small car again, but we ll see how a test drive goes. But before we get that far, I d like to know, how are these cars holding up?
What s the word out there? carnival cruise ships web cams Are they safe? If nothing else, I figure a comment section from the B B would shine some light on the subject. This will probably be the last car she ever purchases, so it needs to last with her Trailblazer. I d see her putting around 5,000miles a year on it, and it needs to probably last a good 15-20 years. Her main residence carnival cruise ships web cams never really sees snow, so salt/rusting isn t a concern.
As expected with a foreign brand re-entering the US car biz, the first year of the FIAT 500 was plagued (hat tip to TrueDelta) with more problems than newer models.  I suspect it has less to do with the car, more about Chrysler dealerships ramping up their training, tools, parts, carnival cruise ships web cams etc. for an eye-talian job they ve never seen before much less worked on.
There s little doubt that today s FIAT isn t what left us back in 1983.  And the delta between a bad car back then and a bad one now is different: carnival cruise ships web cams the variance in quality today could easily be statistically insignificant. But would I want a FIAT for 15-20 years?  Nope.
I have doubts as to the future long term cost/availability of aftermarket support, availability of qualified repair shops, or the longevity of FIAT USA.  Buy a more mainstream brand, it s just a safer bet. I d change my tune if she was keeping it for the duration of the warranty period, for sure.
Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you're in a hurry but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.
A lot of things that catch your eye make for better for short term relationships vs. long term. The Fiat 500 would be a great car to keep under a cheap lease, but a long term relationship (in remote West Virgina, no less) is probably not a good plan.
I m trying to imagine the circumstances carnival cruise ships web cams your mother drives in (rural, urban, suburban, etc.) But at 5K miles per year? You could almost buy her a 20-year old Corolla, ensure that it s mechanically sound and have her drive that around for very little carnival cruise ships web cams money.
That said I agree with Sajeev, the delta between bad cars and good cars now is very small. She could buy a 500 and probably have virtually no issues with it. Would I put my mother in a car like that? Sure. FWIW, my mother s Hondas weren t always mechanically perfect (and both were purchased new), but servicing was never an issue. But Honda s service network was pretty well established 20 years ago.
If she likes it, she should get one. For the tiny amount of mileage she will do with the thing, carnival cruise ships web cams I have a hard time imagining huge issues. Plus, if the 500 is a stinker, she has the Tibby to fall back on
Then again, unless she has a passion for driving as many cars as possible, a 2nd car for someone who drives 5,000 miles a year, because she MAY need a car if her primary car is unavailable due to servicing, is committing financial suicide she get a rental compact for as little as $10 a day for the theoretical 2 or 3 days a year she may need such backup wheels in such an event: That s $30 to $40 versus $16,000 to $20,000.
Cruze more solid and comfortable? I ll have to admit I haven t sat in one, but I ve rented Fiat 500 s. I m 6 3 and pushing 270 pounds, and the only comfort gripe I ve had with the Fiat is the transmission shifter bothering my right leg, but that happens to me with many cars. The seats, carnival cruise ships web cams on the other hand, are great for long drives, and in terms of solidity they did not appear to me to be chintzy at all, on the contrary.
I m fairly certain the availability of GM coil packs and alternators in mountainous WV is no different than the availability of whatever part the 500 s weak-link proves to be. Go to Advance Auto Parts, order the part PDQ get it the next morning.
It s going to be the same song and dance for her if the Trailblazer or any other car needs a part. Parts and service availability in WV will be just as easy to find for the Fiat as service/parts for any other b-car. The mechanic will chuckle, make a comment about it being too small/new/foreign. He ll dive in and repair it all the same.
If your Mother can afford purchasing another car to make her current SUV last longer she can afford to rent a car for her trips. She can also afford the hotel room, the inconvenience and the increased shipping charges for next-day service carnival cruise ships web cams if she chooses to have an uncommon/unreliable car.
Any long term review that I ve read has been very favorable with regards to maintenance requirements and costs. In fact, if I remember correctly, It has one of the lowest costs for ongoing maintenance in Europe. I would think it would be a very good choice for Mrs. AMC_CJ. In fact, she might get a great deal of enjoyment and satisfaction from its unique style and ride. (And some thrills if she gets the turbo)
Corolla or Impreza then I guess. Most of the other small cars are going to be a little more loud and tight. Even the Forte and Elantra, though you can get those with hatcbacks, which can be handy for puttering. :)
I suppose you could have her look at one of the cheaper Mazda3 i trims with the 2.0L, they re about as upscale inside as the Cruze but she might not like the drive, it s not really for puttering. At all. ;)
We rented one for a week vacation in los angeles. Besides its neat/cute/quirky factor, I don t think I would want to own one. I didn t care much for the driver carnival cruise ships web cams controls (steering wheel, hvac, etc) and the driving position was uncomfortable for me. The console where the shifter protrudes from was very uncomfortable against the side of my leg. It doesn t handle half bad but the base auto has lousy pickup and sounds like it hates doing so if you give it the boot.
Since I sent this in, she s cooled down on the idea some, but still realizes she could really use a 2nd car. The 2nd car probably wouldn t be going to WV itself, but be used for the city driving carnival cruise ships web cams back home.
Reason I asked this, is because I just didn t know. It s new, foreign, carnival cruise ships web cams small but not really that cheap. It has a lot of appeal, but I couldn t seem to catch wind of anything reliability or mechanical wise on these things. I think though, carnival cruise ships web cams after some thought, and considering the price difference, a Chevy Spark or Sonic might be a better overall buy.
I m kind of hoping for the 3cyl to make it in the Spark for myself. I found the Spark to have about the same roomy-for-a-tiny car interior as the Fiat 500 (which is something I can t say for the Fiesta) but would be about 25% cheaper than the Fiat, and probably easier and cheaper to maintain to boot. I have to admit, since I wrote this and seeing a Spark up close and getting carnival cruise ships web cams in one, it really surprised me, but the lack luster powertrain options are pretty blah .
According to the Consumer Reports 2013 Annual Auto issue, the 500 has average reliabi