Lease ending, keep or get Abarth

[davis449]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

if you want something "entertaining"....do NOT get a GTI....they are boring as fuck. have driven many...owned an A3 2.0T (same thing).....it's not even really a 'hot hatch'...GTIs these days more like mini-Luxury cars....catering to regular drivers as a 'fun option' while not being fun at all, really.

I have found the EXACT opposite from the MKV on up. They are PLENTY of fun to drive. I will agree they have lost a bit of their "hot hatchness" through the MKVI and MKVII, but it's still there and LOADS better than a damn Fiat and definitely still a "Hot Hatch". IDC how "mean" the exhaust sounds, the 500, in any form, still a hair dresser's car...the list of cars in that category I would get before an Abarth is long. That said, if it came down to a Mini Cooper and an Abarth...I think I would go with Option C: Suicide. I don't know about yours, but my A3 was badass.

[Fifty3bags]

I believe @ilikebmxbikes has one beside his 1M3

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by davis449

I have found the EXACT opposite from the MKV on up. They are PLENTY of fun to drive. I will agree they have lost a bit of their "hot hatchness" through the MKVI and MKVII, but it's still there and LOADS better than a damn Fiat and definitely still a "Hot Hatch". IDC how "mean" the exhaust sounds, the 500, in any form, still a hair dresser's car...the list of cars in that category I would get before an Abarth is long. That said, if it came down to a Mini Cooper and an Abarth...I think I would go with Option C: Suicide. I don't know about yours, but my A3 was badass.

i mean A3s and GTIs can be modified and tuned very easily...but honestly i've been down that road before with the MK1 TT and while it's fun----it doesn't change the fact that it results in most people trying endlessly to 'mod' a 'non-sports' car into a sports car. For me, that never seems to really satisfy in the same way as having a more potent package out of the box. Granted i'm not saying an Abarth or a Cooper is a 'sports car' out of the box....they are definitely NOT....however they are more spirited out of the box than a GTI/A3, imo...

The A3 was a fine car....but it was very sane and very boring. Not really exciting in any particular way. Was yours heavily modded? The best thing about the A3 was that after driving it for 2 years as a heavy commuter car....i promised myself i would NEVER EVER buy another boring commuter car again. Now i do the same commute in a 1M----so that promise worked

[the1andonly]

Ive had two mini coopers and while great cars they have gotten a bit watered down lately. Ive driven the GTI and its very soft and disconnected. The Abarth is raw in a way the first generation new coopers Ss were. If you havent driven one no amount of explanation from me will matter. It drives and sounds fantastic. And the rawness and unrefined nature only lends itself to the experience. Im not looking at a 135 because its not about speed,my 128 looks identical and honestly I prefer the NA inline 6 to the turbo in the 1 series. The turbo in the Abarth has a slight lag, then builds power instantly, again it feels more like a quirk than a fault. The back seats have the same room as our 1, the front arguably have more.

This isnt a bash 1 series thread, I adore the 1 series. thats what makes it so hard to even consider letting it go. But I cant help everytime I walk to the garage and see both cars in front of me, ive been taking the Abarth everytine. My girl has it most of the time and I want my own

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by the1andonly

Ill be honest, and I have the BMW PE Exhaust on my 128, the exhaust on the Abarth is nothing short of amazing. Its not even CLOSE in terms of sound and tone. The Abarth pops, burbles, backfires and on full acceleration sounds nothing short of bad ass. Its renowned for having the best stock exhaust of any car from the factory short of a few obvious ones. The 128 might be better at alot of things, the exhaust is def not one of them. I urge you all to go test one this weekend, its worth it.

the 135 with a PPK2 kit and a PE will outburble, outcrack, and outbackfire any Abarth....easily. Perhaps your 128 can't do it....but the 135 definitely can. You should also remember you are driving an Abarth convertible which is going to allow more sound in than a coupe...

[Cope]

I love the abarth, but my biggest grip is seat height adjustments, the one my brother and I looked at had none for the passenger which I find annoying.

[Spannerhead]

Originally Posted by the1andonly

Ive had two mini coopers and while great cars they have gotten a bit watered down lately. Ive driven the GTI and its very soft and disconnected. The Abarth is raw in a way the first generation new coopers Ss were. If you havent driven one no amount of explanation from me will matter. It drives and sounds fantastic. And the rawness and unrefined nature only lends itself to the experience. Im not looking at a 135 because its not about speed,my 128 looks identical and honestly I prefer the NA inline 6 to the turbo in the 1 series. The turbo in the Abarth has a slight lag, then builds power instantly, again it feels more like a quirk than a fault. The back seats have the same room as our 1, the front arguably have more.

This isnt a bash 1 series thread, I adore the 1 series. thats what makes it so hard to even consider letting it go. But I cant help everytime I walk to the garage and see both cars in front of me, ive been taking the Abarth everytine. My girl has it most of the time and I want my own

Sounds like you've got your mind made up! Get the Abarth and post pics; we'd love to see it---seriously.

[NYHoustonman]

Originally Posted by IEDEI

the 135 with a PPK2 kit and a PE will outburble, outcrack, and outbackfire any Abarth....easily. Perhaps your 128 can't do it....but the 135 definitely can. You should also remember you are driving an Abarth convertible which is going to allow more sound in than a coupe...

Maybe. There's something about unmuffled exhaust noises/pops, though, and that's not something you'd get from the mods you've mentioned alone.

[Ed P]

You might want to wait a week and see the new 4th-generation MX-5 also. My previous car was an MX-5, and it was wonderful (current 3rd-generation). In fact, my criteria for the next car was "RWD, small, and handling like my MX-5"... which is why I now drive a BMW 135i M-Sport.

[the1andonly]

Originally Posted by Spannerhead

Sounds like you've got your mind made up! Get the Abarth and post pics; we'd love to see it---seriously.

My mind is far from being made up

[ilikebmxbikes]

Some photos of my abarth

[zx10guy]

I guess I'm getting old. I don't get the over emphasis on loud, crackles, and pops. If you want that, there's an easy fix. Just punch a hole in your muffler.

[the1andonly]

Originally Posted by ilikebmxbikes

Some photos of my abarth

Looks great! Nice wheels and color.

The car doesn't pop and bang like a ricer sort of way. Its in a way that just sounds great. Its hard to explain. For example when I start it in a garage it sounds like one of those huge Dodge Ram Hemi trucks, and thats just idling.

[Overpar56]

How about a Smart Car and pipe in some fake M engine noise like they do with the 2014 M3 and M4.

[the1andonly]

Originally Posted by Overpar56

How about a Smart Car and pipe in some fake M engine noise like they do with the 2014 M3 and M4.

The smart car sucks. It drives terrible. Engine has zero power and the transmission, auto only, its the worst transmission Ive ever used, ever...

Besides size cars are night and day....

[inFamousKicks]

I'd say get whatever makes you happiest. I'd keep the 1, but that's besides the point.

[ilikebmxbikes]

I have an Abarth in addition to my BMW and I love it.

I do not see the Abarth as a competitor of the 1series in anyway and should never be compared as such. They both have very different purposes and appeal.

The Abarth is just a really fun cool practical daily driver. I enjoy running errands with it in the city, I can throw the dogs in it and due to its size it is super easy to park and zip around in traffic. The abarth is pretty good on MPG and I have worked several jobs out of it using it as a crew car. Despite its small size, you can fit a fair amount of gear in it with the back seats down and the shape of the car lends itself well to mounting camera gear to act as a chase car.

The abarth it not a super fast car by any means but it never feels slow.The abarth is 160hp/170lb ftlbs vs a regular fiat 500 at 100hp/100ftlbs. Both cars weigh around 2500lbs.

A lot of my friends were skeptical of me buying an Abarth but I can say after everyone of them drove it, they all agreed it is really fun to drive. Many argue driving a slow car fast is more fun than driving a fast car slow and the Abarth exemplifies that ideal. You can really push the thing regularly driving it where my other toys would put me in jail.

If you are considering one I would get a low to zero option one with a 6 speed. No sunroof. If you want to buy it to modify, that market is huge and parts are dirt cheap compared to bmw parts and they surprisingly have a lot of cool things you can do to them.

Originally Posted by Cope

I love the abarth, but my biggest grip is seat height adjustments, the one my brother and I looked at had none for the passenger which I find annoying.

SAME - while not a deal breaker by any means for me that would be the first thing I would imropove.

[ilikebmxbikes]

Originally Posted by EvenEsteban

Nothing like ours. Compare for yourself. May not be apples to apples comparison, but you get the picture. Listen to the Abarth video at about 1:07 to about 1:30 and tell me that doesn't sound like an unbalanced washing machine banging away in the rinse cycle. It may get a little better but I repeat, nothing like ours.

My abarth sounds nothing like that video. The Abarth for what it is, sounds amazing in person. Exhaust videos never will capture truly what a car sounds like. Microphone quality, distance from microphone to subject, manual vs auto gain control, as well as just other general settings on the recording device will greatly effect the quality of the recording.

[Fume]

Originally Posted by the1andonly

Ive had two mini coopers and while great cars they have gotten a bit watered down lately. Ive driven the GTI and its very soft and disconnected. The Abarth is raw in a way the first generation new coopers Ss were. If you havent driven one no amount of explanation from me will matter. It drives and sounds fantastic. And the rawness and unrefined nature only lends itself to the experience. Im not looking at a 135 because its not about speed,my 128 looks identical and honestly I prefer the NA inline 6 to the turbo in the 1 series. The turbo in the Abarth has a slight lag, then builds power instantly, again it feels more like a quirk than a fault. The back seats have the same room as our 1, the front arguably have more.

This isnt a bash 1 series thread, I adore the 1 series. thats what makes it so hard to even consider letting it go. But I cant help everytime I walk to the garage and see both cars in front of me, ive been taking the Abarth everytine. My girl has it most of the time and I want my own

From this post, it seems like you really want the Abarth so I say go and do it . We can give arguments either way but ultimately, as a car enthusiast, choosing a car is about getting the car that you really enjoy driving. Everything else is secondary.

[TheCaptain]

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/fiat/500

Fiat has a poor rating for small overlap crash test.

[ptack]

Ask Frank @achtungE30 , he bought an Abarth and sold his 135i.

[Esteban]

Originally Posted by TheCaptain

http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/vehicle/v/fiat/500

Fiat has a poor rating for small overlap crash test.

That Fiat really gets f'd up in that crash. So do the crash test dummies. I wouldn't want to get in a wreck with one.