Spied in the classifieds

Abarth, Alpina, Ferrari, Jag

You can get into a 2014/63reg Ford Fiesta 1.6 Ecoboost ST with 45,000 miles from a main dealer for £2500 more but if £5000 is your lot, then 50% more dough isn’t on the cards. So the Abarth 500 it is but don’t look so down because it’s a real hoot and may even inspire you to one day trade up to the rip-roaring, spine-jarring Abarth 595 1.4 T-jet Competizione. (A 2014/14-reg one with 60,000 miles is around £8000.) But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. The 500 we clocked is a 2009/59-reg 1.4 T-jet manual with 69,000 miles, full service history and lots of extras. It looks good in white, too, especially with those Abarth decals and 16in alloy wheels.

The car’s upright stance and tall seating position aren’t ideal in a sporty car but that doesn’t stop the little Abarth being driven con brio. Fortunately, pilots tend to be of the middle-aged variety who look after their stuff. Even so, in the case of our example, it’d be nice to see oil changes have been done every 9000 miles and that it has had a new timing belt. After dipping the oil and checking its level and colour, inspect the water pump outlet for leaks.

Now fire up the engine and check the power steering warning light goes out. (If it doesn’t, the body control unit may be at fault.) Back at the engine bay, listen for unusual noises that may be a loose air inlet pipe attachment bolt. On the test drive, feel for the clutch pedal being slow to return. It’s likely to be a weak return spring and the only cure is a new pedal assembly. Not much to worry about, is it?