FIAT CINQUECENTO SX 3dr (1993)

Lovely fun runabout car, sad that it hasn't got long left

I remember seeing Jeremy Clarkson reviewing the Cinquecento, he had a yellow one and he said it was the most fun you could have with something yellow other than a banana lol.. well it is loads of fun to drive and I'll be sad to see it go, but we reckon the gearbox is about to die (after 80 thousand miles, which isn't bad at all) and it won't be economical to repair it after that.

It is brilliant and nippy, lovely small dimensions so you can wiggle it in and out of traffic. Parking is just a doddle, so simple. It's also fabulously cheap to run. These days it's especially good to have a car that needs so little fuel in it. I'll definitely be looking out for that in my next car.

The space inside is pretty good for what it is, although my dad complains there's nowhere to put his arms. It's nice and tall, he's 6 foot 4 and he fits in ok. The seats are quite comfy too, although there is really only space for four people. It's also a bit like there are some wasted spaces inside. The car could have made more use of the space around the gear stick for example, for holding spots; and the dash board is pretty useful for keeping anything on. I've only noticed that when I've been in friends' more modern cars, but it does bug me a bit now. The glove box also doesn't have a door on it, just a bucket really, so you can't keep a stereo in it or anything valuable.

Down sides include its performance on motorways. For a car with such a diddy engine it does ok, and it can actually get up above 90 miles an hour! But it can't help but struggle a bit - and it's v noisy as well, not very nice to be doing long trips in. I've got headaches before from that noise.

Apart from the gearbox going now, it's had not that many problems. The radiator was the most expensive job I think. It had a starter motor problem a few years ago, and things like tyres and exhaust here and there, oh and some electrical thing with the central locking.

I think I would buy one again but there probably aren't many about now that are under 70 thousand miles or so (which I'd say is about the end of the road for these little babies). If you do find one though you could do a lot worse for a good fun reliable runaround :)