Which Fiat 500 should I buy?

I’m a 25 year old female about to buy a Fiat 500 for work. My commute is about 50 miles each way on the M56, so fairly flat ground. Originally I was considering the TwinAir engine, but I was concerned about the poor mpg, although its appeal is the turbo engine, which I imagine will be better for motorway driving. Any advice is appreciated, looking at buying a used 2012-ish model.

Asked on 18 February 2014 by kstate

Answered by Honest John
In theory the 500 Multijet diesel should be brilliant for this, but DPF and timing chain problems have taken the shine off. FIAT is just about to announce a refreshed range of 500s, so they might get the more powerful 105PS Twinair from the 500L and MiTo.

My own 500 has been 100% reliable over six years, but some other people have not been so fortunate. The full list of what can go wrong is in www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar

Don't discount a Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost 125. May not look as good as a 500, but huge fun. And then there's the Mazda 2 1.3TS2, nearing the end of its model life but good looking and a great drive.
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