FIAT SEICENTO Hatchback 1998‑2004

I bought Seicento 4 years ago from 1st owner with a mileage of 24000. Since then only what I exchanged were: new clutch, tyres and wipers. Apart normal MOT service I didn't have to repair anything in it. Seicento is a small car but enough for me. I used it only to pick up my son to/from school and shopping as we have another, bigger car for pleasure. Definitely not family car! Running costs... so.. so (45mpg). Tax £135 and 1st group insurance. No PAS so it hard to bend while parking.

I bought this car as I was looking for a little run-a-bout in which my daughter and son could learn to drive. In this , it has behaved itself most admirably, as well as being the family run-a-bout..

You wouldn't choose to travel vast motorway journeys in this little car but anything less, it does the job well, even cruises at 70mph on its 899cc engine.

Cheap, to buy and run, reliable, practical and responds well to the driver. Quite remarkable!

I bought my car around insurance quotes, however each time i put my key in the ignition she (Fiona) starts first time. Verry cheep to run, my only complaint is the washer jet does'n like to work in the cold weather. Will be a sad day when I get a new car.

The ratings above may seem high but for a first car this is up there. If you don't have mommy and daddy paying for it it's a cheap nice looking car that drives well . I've driven mine all over the place with a fare few miles under my belt an not alot of expense for the ride.

Great first car :-)

Seicento is a very nice little car, very economical (insurance, fuel) and surprisingly quick considering the engine size/power. it is also roomy enough for 4 people even though it doesnt look like it. its size is ideal for the city being extremely easy to park it anywhere and when you drop the seats it has a good amount of space to transfer more stuff. i was really surprised from the performance of the engine even with four people the car was pulling with no hesitation even on uphill streets. the information you get from the steering wheel is very good and it has a slightly heavy feeling. the gearbox was pretty good as well having the first 3 gears short helping the agility within the city.

the quality of the cabin is not so good though and it has very plastic-like feel. also the suspension was kind of stiff and there was a lot of road noise in the cabin. the pedals have very small size and they are very close to each other making the use of them a bit tricky. i only had to change tyres to the car and i had to order the new tyres due to not common tyre size (the guy said the tyre size is too small and they dont have it in stock. i asked to all major tyre-fitting companies and i got the same reply) so it took some time to get it done.

overall though it was a great city car and very fun to drive. i would recommend it to anyone especially to those who enjoy driving. great fun for low maintenance costs!

Ok its daft, fun, can't corner at speeds n has problems with long steep hills when carrying passengers.

Its been the greatest car ever for me, its done the big long journeys and the trips to work. Its tiny but it can take me, child, large dog and a weeks camping gear. The only failing it ever had was the wiper motor broke during the last winter due to the snow.

Anyone over 6ft will have probelms getting in/out of the car and you will become an expert in packing after driving it.

I've had the greatest adventures and fun with this car and its cheap to run, reliable, easy to park and will be the only car in a muddy field to get out without a tow, what more does anyone want. :)

THIS IS A GREAT WEE CAR, I BOUGHT IT 5 YEARS AGO AND IT HAS BEEN VERY RELIABLE FOR ME, EVEN IN THE REALLY BAD WINTER WHEN THE SNOW WAS BAD IT NEVER LET ME DOWN.

I SPEND £20 A MONTH ON PETROL AND THAT GETS ME TO WORK AND HOME.

I WOULD WELCOME ANY INSPECTION ON THIS CAR.

This little car has served me really well! I have put on 35,000 miles in 2.5 years of enjoyable and economical driving.

Alright, I had to spend a few quid on bits and pieces that get worn out on an 8 year old car with 70,000 miles on the clock, but it paid for itself in fuel savings alone versus driving around on my own in the family 4x4!

It really whizzes along and is very agile, and for such a small engine it is amazingly flexible, pulling away and with a wide power band that makes it so easy to drive.

Selling it on now - I shall miss it but it will give a few more years of pleasure to the new owner.

The Fiat Seicento is not to be taken too seriously as it is basically a big go kart, so If you want a family car or you are looking for something with a bit of power don't buy this car. Only buy if you need an economical car to go to work and back in, because that is the only area it excells in.

The pros:

The Seicento is economical on stop start journeys due to its light weight (I averaged about 35-40 mpg). The handiling is good and you can make quick, sharp turns.

The cons:

The car is not very fast and it takes a long time to get up to 70mph on the motorway, and once you lose your speed you have to start all over again. I had to take mine to the garage a lot due to the windscreen wiper motor developing a fault.(My husband fixed it in the end!) There is a mysterious banging noise that is extremley annoying on long journeys. There is also not a lot of legroom in the back and you have move the chair all the way fowards for the people in the back to get some decent legroom. (Thats fine for me because im short anyway!) Whenever it rained water come in through the sunroof which is inconvinient.

Summary:

Overall I think that if you want a bit of a laugh , or decent mpg on stop start journeys get the Seicento, otherwise don't bother.

My first car, and for a student I could ask no better! Surprisingly spacious for such a small car, plenty of boot space for my needs, and enough legroom to accommodate a 6 footer such as myself. A pleasure to drive as well, smooth transmission, light clutch and response brakes and throttle. Ridiculously easy to park. The sunroof is also a major plus! If I had but one qualm it would be that I'm too tall for any passenger sitting behind me to be remotely comfortable... but that's more my fault than that of the car! All in all, a brilliant buy, and highly recommended.