Glam, slam, jam

 Fiat is known as a one-car marque in the motor trade. That’s because its one volume seller is the 500. The rest of the range is rather hard work to shift. The Trade rule, although not my experience, is that you only stand a 50/50 chance of getting a good one.

Assuming your needs are catered for by the 500, but you don’t fancy the gamble, there is another option. The Vauxhall ADAM was created from a cut-down Corsa (which itself utilised a Fiat platform). Built in Germany at a consistent 1000 units per week regardless of demand for the duration of production, the ADAM remains a very good buy.

They are one of the most reliable, refined and well-built small cars out there.

Indeed, it’s one of those rare cars where the reduction in utility in exchange for style resulted in a car significantly better than the donor car (think Freelander vs Evoque). All ADAMS came with a 4-cylinder engine, no 3-pot buzz. Jam, Glam and Slam were essentially the same, bar some odd colour options crabbed from MINI. There was also a hot ‘S’ model which is worth seeking out, as well as a faux SUV ‘Rocks’ which isn’t (think Rover Streetwise).

One option was a roof lining with little illuminated stars (LEDS) set into the material. This was a cute extra which counted only Rolls-royce as a rival in the novelty stakes.

One of the more bizarre warranty claims I processed for the ADAM was when there was a safety recall for a universal joint in the steering column. This particular car had been filled with balloons as it was an 18th birthday present, and some of the balloons were lost as the fitter craned his neck to replace the part in question. Given the household had three Vauxhalls, and this was a somewhat embarrassing recall, the decision was made to press for a goodwill claim for the lost balloons, which – credit to Vauxhall – was honoured. It speaks volumes that I can’t think of another issue with the ADAM.

A colleague of mine recently bought a main dealer part-ex in mint condition (they all seem to be well cared for) at £5250 – which was a steal given it required no prep. What’s more, due to their reliable nature, he can price it at a tight margin as he knows there will be no warranty come back, something which none of us can do with the equivalent Fiat.

‘Built in Germany at a consistant 1000 units per week regardless of demand for the duration of production, the ADAM remains a very good buy.’