Overview & Reviews

Fiat is one of the earliest and grandest names in automobiles, dating from the establishment of Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino ("FIAT") in 1899. During the early years, its racing cars were the envy of every nation. Later on, the Fiat Topolino ("Little Mouse") was as famous as the Volkswagen KDF (subsequently known as the "Beetle") in the 1930s and '40s. The 1950s saw Fiat put much of Italy on wheels with the hugely popular 500, sparking the "Italian Miracle," a renaissance of European consumer products.

Sadly, the company's fortunes in the United States were mixed. Here, the Fiat 1500 won over a fair share of enthusiasts in the mid-'60s, and the early-'70s saw the Fiat 850 (Spider and Coupe) become popular among college students. Yet the Pininfarina-designed Fiat 124 sports car did the most to keep the Fiat image alive in America, as cars like the front-wheel-drive 128 and midengine X1/9 ultimately failed. Even Lancia, Fiat's premium brand, withered quickly after an introduction in the mid-'70s. Ultimately, Fiat's poor reputation for quality and its inability to cope with ever more stringent emissions regulations led the Italian company to pull out of the U.S. market altogether in 1984.

In 2000, General Motors acquired a stake in Fiat as part of a joint venture to create a new generation of small, affordable cars for Europe. GM's financial troubles led to the unraveling of this agreement in 2005, but Fiat had invested the GM money wisely in new air emissions technology. When the bankruptcy of Chrysler took place in 2008, Fiat saw an opportunity to return to the U.S. In 2009, Fiat acquired a controlling interest in Chrysler.

The Fiat 500, debuting for 2012, was the first of Fiat's new generation of cars to come stateside. Staying true to its lineage, the new 500 is very small, nimble and stylish. In addition to the 500 coupe, there are also the 500 convertible and hot-rod 500 Abarth to further tempt those looking for a small car with plenty of personality. More recently, Fiat has expanded its lineup with the fully electric 500e and the family-friendly, four-door 500L.

User Reviews:

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  Dont buy a Fiat - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Sue G - February 17 - 6:52 am

  Dont buy a Fiat because they dont stand behind their products!!!!! I purchased a used 2012 Fiat Pop May of 2014. In June of 2014 it needed a new purge valve solenoid and had a rotted transmission ground strap. The vehicle at that time had 54,274 miles on it. It had to go to the dealership in Johnston RI to be repaired. In December 2015 I had to replace a broken motor mount. My mechanic also stated that the control arm needs to be replaced. He called the dealership in Johnston RI and was told the parts on the 2012 control arm had been replaced with what the 2013 Fiat has because of poor engineering and that we would have to buy 2 lower ball joints, axles and knuckle bearings. The cost 1,800 not including labor. He asked if it was a recall and was told it was not. They advised him that if the vehicle was still under warranty and under 60,000 miles they would cover it. My anger comes from that vehicle would have been covered had the dealership done the right thing when the car was there in 2014. They knew at that time those parts were faulty. January I broke down and needed to be towed because of the Alternator and battery. February I need a thermostat, sensor and housing. What next???? I called Fiat to complain and all they could say over and over again “The cost of parts denied and the vehicle is out of warranty””!!!! Im not asking about reimbursement on all the other repairs. They just need to do the right thing and stand behind the faulty parts when they knew it was an issue. Not to mention you can only get the parts from the dealership and they are rude and difficult to deal with. The cost I just shelled out for the alternator 389.70 and battery 155.69. Total for that repair with labor 741.98. I purchased the vehicle for 9,000 after my trade in. I am so angry I just want to get rid of this vehicle but can’t. I still owe 6,000 on it and when I looked up the Kelly blue book the car is worth 3,000. All I want is for them to repair this control arm issue with no cost to me and they won’t!!!!! Learn from me and before you buy do lots of research. The parts are very expensive and the dealership and customer service are sneaky and very rude to deal with.

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  Bad experience - 2014 Fiat 500L
  By Amaury Esterellas - May 11 - 3:19 pm

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  Fiat 500C - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Jerry - February 17 - 11:26 pm

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  Looks arent everything - 2012 Fiat 500
  By Abigail - January 5 - 6:02 am

  I bought this car used at two years old with 24,000 miles. The car runs well and has not given me any engine trouble thus far. The problem with this car is that it is cheaply made. For example the first to happen was that the plastic hubcaps broke off and rolled away while I was driving it and all in a short period of time from one another. The rear view mirror started wobbling and bobbing while I was driving. Weve now had to rig it to stay still. I wont touch it in fear that it will brake. The armrest has zip ties holding it in place. The "leather" thing to the shifter is not attached to the base anymore. And the worst thing is that the front vents to the air conditioner do not work anymore. It is like theyre blocked. We have that rigged, as well, to have some air conditioning considering we live in the desert. To add to the vents not working the instrumentation for the air conditioning is faulty and now only has a choice of 2 speeds (1 and 3) and off. I cannot wait to get rid of this vehicle, but I will be upside down on it when I trade it in because what I owe is more than what it is worth.