Apart from a Works or GP, they are trash.

No they're not. I thrashed my ex's Aunties Cooper S for a weekend, and found it to be anything but trash. With T/C turned off, it handled beautifully, and lit the tyres up nicely. Got up to 200k (124mph) quickly and then it braked back to legal speed very quickly.

Not the most practical car in the world, or as attractive as the original (in my opinion) but still a great car.

Certain things you get wrong, Oli and this is one of them.
Si is right mate, they are good cars.

i would doubt the veracity of your statement there noxide...anyone who has driven any variation of the new mini cannot for one minute claim them to be rubbish cars...too big, too cutesy styled, badly packaged..yup, yup, yup..all those things and more..but they are very, very good to drive.....

Aye, just as many people hated the Ford KA when it appeared, because of the shape, but it was always very good to drive.
It has been one of my favourite rental holiday cars.

There have always been better options out there for the same money.

A Focus ST can be had for 15k new if you look in the right places. I know which I'd rather have!

Different market, really.

(I'd rather have a used Evo 320 for that money too!)

quote:

Originally posted by Knockside:
There have always been better options out there for the same money.

A Focus ST can be had for 15k new if you look in the right places. I know which I'd rather have!

id find that a hard decison to make, a well specced cooper s or a focus st.....both great entertainers, one with a more charecterful engine, one with more individualistic styling...both properly quick, both sublime handlers....

You'll wait until 2018 and get them both!



One at a time, a week apart!

500 looks cheap next to a Mini but expensive for a retro styled Panda.

It'll be interesting to see if they hold their value, or will Fiat need to start teir usual discounting after the initial hype?

I wonder if the 500 has suffered from Fiat's historical RHD gremlins? There's a lot of comment in motoring circles that LHD Fiats, particularly Punto's, find them better drives than their RHD counterparts. Havent experienced it myself but it's quite well documented. Perhaps the initial glowing 500 reviews were all LHD......

Once the hype machine has died down, the smart money will buy the base model £7,900 1.2 Pop, in solid factory white, possibly with an Italian tricolour roof and bonnet stripe, the Blue&Me phone kit and the lovely ‘Vintage’ hubcaps at £70 a set. That price is right for this sort of car, it cheerful and should be equally cheap. Not that I've been seriously looking of course.....