General What car did you sell to buy your 500 and why

[FerryScoob]

I sold my MG ZT-T cdti for the 500 as it was a bit to big for using in the town for work. I did have a Smart For2 cdi but the wife got a new job and now she uses the Smart.
I do miss the MG it's a great car.

 

[arorat]

there is no accounting for taste fella and wasn't ecpecting to feel the love on a fiat forum, but i guess you just got lucky with the bsn 500 or your wife chose it

fortunately i dont have to look at them when i drive them, yes not the best lookers agreed but not the reason why i bought them, drive well without the c#ck factor and residuals are superb and a lot of fun

no need to defend yourself Audis are excellent cars, love the back end of the Scirocco, the front needs to be meaner.

A bit lighthearted... looking at the pictures Maxi posted, he has pulled a fringing rabbit out of the hat.

 

[multispoke]

there is no accounting for taste fella and wasn't ecpecting to feel the love on a fiat forum, but i guess you just got lucky with the bsn 500 or your wife chose it

fortunately i dont have to look at them when i drive them, yes not the best lookers agreed but not the reason why i bought them, drive well without the c#ck factor and residuals are superb and a lot of fun

I drove a car with the ***k factor (a 323i) and enjoyed it because it was rear wheel drive & had a sweet engine (it was my late mum’s – she bought it nearly new with me in mind). It was traded for a 500 after I had it for 8 years. I can empathise with attachment.
I have found the Fiat Forum very friendly (only a recent member) and whilst some comments can be a bit direct there are balanced with some very helpful inputs and contributions along with the bit of banter. As they say ‘no pun intended’.
There is an appreciation of other makes of cars (look at the re-actions of RUI’s gracefully photographed TT). On the subject of BNW 500 – I recently picked a ‘new’ funk white 500 & on seeing it knew that I would be happy with it and more importantly my wife would be ecstatic with it. Residuals – although an issue – are not as important as the joy of driving it. I would imagine that Maxi picked the BNW 500 himself and he need exactly what he was buying.

 

[Shagghie]

I sold a 93 Corrado SLC ... and one of the finest examples of one you've ever seen, too.... EVERY SINGLE PART under the hood was brand new OEM, with only 7k miles on it. 3.0 liter bottom end, and other performance mods made the car extremely fast....and it handled a DREAM.

And yet.... no regrets.

 

[alfatastic]

I got rid of one of these 2 cars ( see sig) for my 500 (had all three for 4 days), can you guess which one (metro is not mine)

 

[multispoke]

I got rid of one of these 2 cars ( see sig) for my 500 (had all three for 4 days), can you guess which one (metro is not mine)

Had to be the white alfa in the middle. There would only be room for one white car .

 

[stu0710]

I got rid of one of these 2 cars ( see sig) for my 500 (had all three for 4 days), can you guess which one (metro is not mine)

From your sig I'm guessing that it is indeed the white Alfa in the middle as its neither a Fiat 500 1.2 Pop or a 1972 Alfa Romeo GT Junior!

 

[RUI]

I got rid of this to buy my 500

OK no I didn't...but I did take the photo.

 

[alfatastic]

Correct, loved the 155 over my 12 year ownership, but the windscreen wipers started to break monthly and being made from Unobtainable, it was time to find a new car, when I found out the new 500 had the over the roof strip as an option, the decision was made. Still miss the 155 daily though. After a 4 month Lay up the Junior is at last quenching my Alfa needs again though so I believe I have a very good claim to a good 2 car household.

 

[multispoke]

Correct, loved the 155 over my 12 year ownership, but the windscreen wipers started to break monthly and being made from Unobtainable, it was time to find a new car, when I found out the new 500 had the over the roof strip as an option, the decision was made. Still miss the 155 daily though. After a 4 month Lay up the Junior is at last quenching my Alfa needs again though so I believe I have a very good claim to a good 2 car household.

Well at least the 1.2 pop can carry a roof rack so you can keep your partner happy when you get that IKEA self assembly wardrobe. You wouldn't want to put marks on the roof of the 'Junior'. I've kept an old Marea weekend so I could get a 500 with a glass roof - that's not exactly the mindset for cutting costs !

 

[multispoke]

I got rid of this to buy my 500
...
OK no I didn't...but I did take the photo.

Could you explain in real lay man terms - what kind of shutter speed would I need - I might be able to tweek a near idiot digital camera or would I really need a professional camera to get the blurred effect of the background. Great sensation of apparent speed from the picture.

P.S. Your TT still sets the bar as the best car out there that was traded for a 500.

 

[alfatastic]

Well at least the 1.2 pop can carry a roof rack so you can keep your partner happy when you get that IKEA self assembly wardrobe. You wouldn't want to put marks on the roof of the 'Junior'. I've kept an old Marea weekend so I could get a 500 with a glass roof - that's not exactly the mindset for cutting costs !

Luckily Single so no need to buy furniture, I have a chair and cupboard. Funily enough the Junior is the only car in the entire Family we have a roofrack for as it has guttering as did most old cars and means my Dads 1970's rack that he had for his various fords should still fit, should be easy to get things on, as for washing purposes I can clean entire roof without walking to other side of car (car is lower than a TT)

 

[arorat]

Could you explain in real lay man terms - what kind of shutter speed would I need - I might be able to tweek a near idiot digital camera or would I really need a professional camera to get the blurred effect of the background. Great sensation of apparent speed from the picture.

P.S. Your TT still sets the bar as the best car out there that was traded for a 500.

The "forward motion" of the camera on the car in front captures blurred effect on the sides (not the background as background becomes static to a degree) you used a fast shutter speed to keep the sharpness / contrast in the back and avoid camera shake - i would take a good guess at 500/s or even 1000/s !!

If the camera was on dampers then could use a lower speed and have all aspects blurred except car as same motion.

My guess is : Manual, 1000/s, 5.6 (as not a sunny day), 28mm

Do I get 10/10 ?

 

[RUI]

Could you explain in real lay man terms - what kind of shutter speed would I need - I might be able to tweek a near idiot digital camera or would I really need a professional camera to get the blurred effect of the background. Great sensation of apparent speed from the picture.

Its not just the camera you need a wide angle lens at about £500 for a cheap one, some ND filters £100, Manfrotto suction pumps x2 £400, Manfrotto magic arm £200, Manfrotto superclamps x4 £200, Carbon fiber rig pole or aluminium £300.
Then you need photoshop £900 and know how to use it. and all that is useless if you have no idea how to set it all up.
I do a full day workshop showing how to do this but it only covers the basics.

here is it before photoshop.

 

[RUI]

The "forward motion" of the camera on the car in front captures blurred effect on the sides (not the background as background becomes static to a degree) you used a fast shutter speed to keep the sharpness / contrast in the back and avoid camera shake - i would take a good guess at 500/s or even 1000/s !!

If the camera was on dampers then could use a lower speed and have all aspects blurred except car as same motion.

My guess is : Manual, 1000/s, 5.6 (as not a sunny day), 28mm

Do I get 10/10 ?

No very very very wrong.
The car is going 2mph it is a 6 sec exposure at 10mm with 2x nd8 filters

0/10...sorry

 

[306maxi]

The "forward motion" of the camera on the car in front captures blurred effect on the sides (not the background as background becomes static to a degree) you used a fast shutter speed to keep the sharpness / contrast in the back and avoid camera shake - i would take a good guess at 500/s or even 1000/s !!

If the camera was on dampers then could use a lower speed and have all aspects blurred except car as same motion.

My guess is : Manual, 1000/s, 5.6 (as not a sunny day), 28mm

Do I get 10/10 ?

I would guess a far slower shutter speed.

This is one I took at 1/60th or 1/90th of a second

 

[RUI]

wrong again, see the previos page for an explanation

 

[306maxi]

wrong again, see the previos page for an explanation

Thanks Tis always interesting to see how photographers "cheat"

 

[RUI]

Cheating is the only way to get a perfect photo and thats what customers want.

 

[RobinPJ]

Absolutely fascinating.

I wondered if it was slow (mph I mean) but I had never guessed the camera was attached to the vehicle being photographed.

I assumed you had a particlarly well trained greyhound. (Well I'm no more wrong than the other guesses.)