General How many miles have you done?

[306maxi]

I was looking on fuelly and noticed that of the 137k tracked miles that 2009 500's have done, mine has done 27,679 of those which is more than 20% of the tracked miles done by 2009 500's. To be fair 100% of my miles have been tracked on fuelly so I'm sure some of the others have done a fair few miles too.

Anyhoo I was thinking that i must be doing rather above average mileage as it works out to be about 13k miles per year.

When did you get your 500? How many miles have you done? What problems have you had? and how many more miles do you intend on doing before you trade it in?

Got ours on July 16th 2009
It's done about 27,800 miles now
Only problems we've had were the breather pipe going twice as it does on most 1.2's and the one way valve in the washer pump letting water through the front jets when you spray the rear, hardly getting-rid-of-car-because-it's-unreliable stuff
It's going to go till it pops its clogs which I would guess would be a long long time, I'd be disappointed if it didn't make it to 150k miles without major issues.

Still on its original discs, pads and tyres so other than servicing and keeping it full of fuel it's been bloody cheap to run

 

[RUI]

Oct 2009 and I have done 12,000.
I will keep it until I get bored of it.

 

[loveshandbags]

When did you get your 500?
How many miles have you done?
What problems have you had? and
how many more miles do you intend on doing before you trade it in?

Used as a Main car along with a Marea weekender ; OH has a Mito MJ
'08 Sport 1.4
Feb 2010 34K
Sold Mar 2011 with 40K - 6K covered
Rear shocks replaced - totally knackered
Squealing rear discs - sorted with cleaning and de-glazing the pads

'09 Lounge 1.4
Mar 2010 4.5K
Covered 2K
Rear shocks need replacing but still 'work' except for a little rattle
Squealing rear discs - sorted (ditto)

Option 1. Buy an Abarth 500 (possibly 2012 but it could happen earlier)
Option 2. Keep the car and modify for extra performance e.g. manifold
Option 3. Keep it as a companion for the A500. - only kidding - the OH might get it.

 

[blitz7287]

Had my since Jan 2011 done 2870 miles now and only problems ive had is the heater fan pipe came off and it had a fault with its onboard computer saying the airbags were faulty when they weren't apart from that its all good.

 

[Super Uwe]

Purchased ours in Dec 2009 and have done just short of 19k.

So far no mechanical problems whatsoever, even the washers or breather pipe haven't failed yet! Fingers crossed it'll stay that way, no doubt I've fated it now....

Can't fault the car really, it is cheap to tax, cheap to insure (£350 fully comp for me and the wife) and it is both fun to drive and economical. Trip A currently states 58.1 mpg for the last 2700 miles, in money terms I have found that we have been doing approx 80-85 miles per tenner of petrol. With 19k on the clock the car will sit in fifth gear in a lot more scenarios now, so that helps to keep consumption down.

The only downside (as I have indicated on another thread) is the ride quality and body roll when cornering above 30mph. Having driven both a 60 plate 500 and a new KA, you can really tell the difference with the older versions. Of course you just get used to what you have, but it would be nice to have a better ride

 

[306maxi]

The only downside (as I have indicated on another thread) is the ride quality and body roll when cornering above 30mph. Having driven both a 60 plate 500 and a new KA, you can really tell the difference with the older versions. Of course you just get used to what you have, but it would be nice to have a better ride

Definitely. My new commute involves a few dual carriageway offramps and you can feel the poor front right corner being loaded up and of course there is the adverse effect of the springs being too stiff for the dampers which kills comfort as you say. I might go for something just as uncomfortable, but at least it'll handle properly

 

[blitz7287]

Definitely. My new commute involves a few dual carriageway offramps and you can feel the poor front right corner being loaded up and of course there is the adverse effect of the springs being too stiff for the dampers which kills comfort as you say. I might go for something just as uncomfortable, but at least it'll handle properly

Are the older 500's really that different to the newer ones, i've been in a 59 plate 1.2 and it didnt feel any different to my 60 plate one.

 

[306maxi]

Are the older 500's really that different to the newer ones, i've been in a 59 plate 1.2 and it didnt feel any different to my 60 plate one.

Some 59 plate cars might have had the new suspension depending on build date.

 

[Super Uwe]

Are the older 500's really that different to the newer ones, i've been in a 59 plate 1.2 and it didnt feel any different to my 60 plate one.

You might well have been in a 59 plate one that was built after December 2009, in which case it probably does have the improved suspension/anti-roll bar.

There is quite a big difference in my opinion, it's not dangerous by any means but there is a significant improvement in the newer models. As I said though, if you're used to a certain ride comfort level then you won't notice it. It's only when you try newer models that the difference becomes evident.

 

[306maxi]

You might well have been in a 59 plate one that was built after December 2009, in which case it probably does have the improved suspension/anti-roll bar.

There is quite a big difference in my opinion, it's not dangerous by any means but there is a significant improvement in the newer models. As I said though, if you're used to a certain ride comfort level then you won't notice it. It's only when you try newer models that the difference becomes evident.

Whilst I wouldn't come out and say that it's dangerous per se, it does have the potential to kick the rear end out if you hit a bump mid corner and my car is rather squirrelly if I'm braking hard which is disconcerting. I think a hamfisted driver could probably find themselves off the road if they're not careful enough.

 

[Super Uwe]

Whilst I wouldn't come out and say that it's dangerous per se, it does have the potential to kick the rear end out if you hit a bump mid corner and my car is rather squirrelly if I'm braking hard which is disconcerting. I think a hamfisted driver could probably find themselves off the road if they're not careful enough.

Actually I'd agree with that! There's a fair few numpties round this way who drive like complete and utter tools....methinks they could indeed fall into said hamfisted driver category...

 

[mjsmke]

Picked up mine 02/01/2011 - so far done 3400 miles
I usually only do 6000 miles a year.

Only issues were the noisy clutch which was resolved with a hydraulic damper at 200 miles, and a loud dashboard rattle which ill be working on this afternoon. (Thanks to RUI's video i now know how to get the dash off )

Ill probably trade it in when its 3-4 years old. (I already want an Abarth Esseesse!)

 

[loveshandbags]

Picked up mine 02/01/2011 - so far done 3400 miles
I usually only do 6000 miles a year.

Only issues were the noisy clutch which was resolved with a hydraulic damper at 200 miles, and a loud dashboard rattle which ill be working on this afternoon. (Thanks to RUI's video i now know how to get the dash off )

Ill probably trade it in when its 3-4 years old. (I already want an Abarth Esseesse!)

I wonder what price petrol will be then ? I reckon in 3-4 years I will be looking for an Electric powered timeless shaped 500 with a solar roof panel in place of the Glass roof.

 

[blitz7287]

I wonder what price petrol will be then ? I reckon in 3-4 years I will be looking for an Electric powered timeless shaped 500 with a solar roof panel in place of the Glass roof.

Probably £2 a litre i had to stop at a service station yesterday as id misplanned how much fuel id use and it was £1.49.9 robbing bastards

 

[mjsmke]

I wonder what price petrol will be then ? I reckon in 3-4 years I will be looking for an Electric powered timeless shaped 500 with a solar roof panel in place of the Glass roof.

If the price of petrol goes up high enough to dramatically lower the demand for thirstier petrol cars, i wonder if the initial cost of the car will go up or down? It could go up due to dealers selling less and needing the money, or it could go down do to them being desperate for sales.

 

[pearce_jj]

It is already..

A while ago I was looking at 2nd hand market and some motors were working out so the overall cost of owning them for 3-years/36k were about equal regardless of engine. I.e. otherwise similar 1.9TDi Octavia vs. 1.8T (petrol). For example completely at random, a couple of BMWs (trade sales, both autos) on autotrader right now:

525D, 2004/54, 25,000 miles, £11k (@40mpg 36k will cost £5.6k)
530i, 2004/54, 29,000, £9k (@30mpg 36k will cost c.£7.6k)

 

[306maxi]

It is already..

A while ago I was looking at 2nd hand market and some motors were working out so the overall cost of owning them for 3-years/36k were about equal regardless of engine. I.e. otherwise similar 1.9TDi Octavia vs. 1.8T (petrol). For example completely at random, a couple of BMWs (trade sales, both autos) on autotrader right now:

525D, 2004/54, 25,000 miles, £11k (@40mpg 36k will cost £5.6k)
530i, 2004/54, 29,000, £9k (@30mpg 36k will cost c.£7.6k)

Exactly. It's not necessarily the cost of fuel, it's the % of your income that it takes to fuel up a car.

 

[rallycinq]

Feb 29th 2008 got multijet sport, did 45k, sold in April 2011, replaced by TA by diesel now done 7099 miles.

Replaced dampers on the multijet and had an injector go down.

No issues with the TA yet, except bluetooth is a bit iffy.

Cheers

D

 

[jrkitching]

.

Exactly. It's not necessarily the cost of fuel, it's the % of your income that it takes to fuel up a car.

Which is one reason why running costs have a much greater effect on the value of secondhand cars than new ones. Folks paying £40k+ for the latest superfast wonderwagon (sorry if my pricing is a little out of date) likely don't care about the fuel cost, as it's still a drop in the ocean compared to the annual depreciation/excise duty/insurance, and still only a relatively small percentage of their disposable income.

Someone taking home £1000 pm will likely be buying an older car, and fuel will be the single biggest item in their motoring budget.

So in 10 years time, that £40k wonderwagon could easily be worth less than my 10yr old Panda. And its 1st yr depreciation will easily be way more than I paid for it outright.

In general, the cheaper & more economical the car, the more sense it makes to buy it new.

 

[fifi77]

Got my 1.2 Lounge at the beginning of April, I've done 3326 miles so far. My commute is probably about 9500 miles a year, so I planned for the car doing approximately 12000 miles per year. It's nice to have low mileage, but I bought the car to drive it, so I could potentially have 36000 miles on it after 3 years (more than likely a fair bit less than that). I may trade in after 3 years or I might keep it. All depends how reliable it is up until that point.

No problems with the car so far apart from cosmetic things - a scrape and two small dents - none of which were my fault . Oh, and the windscreen wipers I guess. They're just a crap design.