At least the Abarth you are looking at has 16" wheels. 17s are pretty rough in Ohio, would hate them in the upper Midwest on roads with even more winter damage.
At least the Abarth you are looking at has 16" wheels. 17s are pretty rough in Ohio, would hate them in the upper Midwest on roads with even more winter damage.
In reply to eastsidemav:
Call me weird but I greatly prefer the style of the Abarth 16's too.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Abarth we had around the office. It was a mean, feisty little guy. That said, I'm also a fan of the Mazda 2--- much less so of the standard Fiesta. The "deuce" is fun and engaging....especially for such an inexpensive car.
The Fiesta should be as fun as the Mazda, but it's not. The shift linkage feels sloppier, the steering less direct. It's just not as much of a drivers car. Now the FiST is a different story.
In reply to Joe Gearin:
I don't know what it is about the 2, but it's virtually impossible to find a manual Touring around here. Manual Sports are everywhere, but a 2011+ car without cruise control? Ridiculous.
I hear you on the Fiesta. A 2016 with the new Sync 3 infotainment would be the "practical" choice but they just don't do a whole lot for me either.
SlickDizzy wrote: In reply to eastsidemav: Call me weird but I greatly prefer the style of the Abarth 16's too.
I like the way my 17s look, but I really want more tire sidewall with all the potholes around here.
E36 M3 I can't read thread BC busy. But I was abarth shopping and could drop some knowledge.
Are you not in va? I had a line on a better red abarth here in Raleigh at the dealership. They were trying to give it away to me. Its awesome but I wanted a 500turbo.
edit - NVM I agree with the sentiment that 16" > 17" for DD and this abarth has the bigger wheels. Shoot me a PM and i'll give you my phone number, I can talk you out of the Abarth haha.
The Abarth is worth the price difference from the basic turbo.....the abarth's only problem is the fact that the FiST exists. 
I found the Abarth farty and obnoxious, seats uncomfortable, and harsh ride. It would be an amazing weekend sweetheart, because that's about as long as I'd be able to tolerate it. Let the business week go by and by Saturday I'd be ready all over again to enjoy it. But I just couldn't have it every day. I found the 500T very comfortable and fast. To each his own though!
FiST felt like it had less driver / passenger interior space than the Fiat 500T. Also FiST is still expensive right? It's like in the category where other cars that are not a hot hatch start popping up.
If I had a real work commute I'd by neither. I work from home and just zoom around the city / town for shop trips in the 500T and it works out amazingly. Although there's a member here that DD his Mazda 2 like 150miles? You just have to consider what type of driver you are.
Mazda 2 is my favorite car I never drove.
Joe,
What was your take on the FiST? They have me interested for a fun all around dd. I've rented the Mazda 2 a few times. I enjoyed the hell out of it, spirituality similar to the NA. But like the NA, I'm not sure I'd want to drive it 125 miles per day. A bit buzzy, and call me soft but if I'm spending 3 hours a day in my car, I want a few more creature comforts.
In reply to Klayfish:
I am not Joe, but..... I wish it were a 3 door, as I hate the small doors on hatchbacks, but I love the handling, braking, and interior layout. Drivetrain is better than adequate, but not otherworldly due to the short gearing. Damn fine little car, and I've been bouncing back and forth on if I want one(especially since white IS an option for '16's) and a 2.3T s550.
I lack the inner angel/devil and have a practical/impractical subconscious. 
Fiesta STs are awesome! I spent some time with one on sticky tires with a few bolt-ins (Cobb and a downpipe, IIRC), and actually told the guy "call me when you're ready to sell." Really might be the perfect daily.
HappyAndy wrote: Negotiate by email? I haven't done it because I don't buy from dealers, but I hear this is a pretty successful method. Let them know that's the only car that you're interested in* and that you're bringing your own financing or cash. *Don't sound desperate for that car, but don't let them think they can offer some other POS for the price you are negotiating for.
email worked for me. i found the truck i wanted at 15,500 listed price. i told them i would be a buyer if they could get near 13 out the door, and they came back at 13,500 all in rolling out the parking lot. that's right where i wanted to be. i used the autotrader chat and dealt with a salesperson, then dealt with him via email over the next couple days.
Looks like Fiesta ST is still close to $20k. I'd rather be in a Ecoboost mustang for a DD.
Really though. I dunno if you can compare a $19k Fiesta ST to a $14k Abarth, that's a bit delta. Fiesta has the extra doors but driver, passenger, and back seats are cramped.
New the FiST is around $20k, but some low mileage 2014s are on the market for around $16k.
I'm trying to get out as close to $10k as possible, with $15k OTD as the absolute maximum. That's part of the appeal of the Turbo (and also why I wish I could find a dang 2 locally, or a used Fit that isn't selling for the MSRP of a brand new one).
There are a few dark horse candidates: CR-Zs have depreciated HARD and the weirdness factor is appealing, so I intend to drive one if nothing else. I greatly prefer wagons to sedans in every circumstance, but might have to try on a turbo/manual Dart or Cruze to see if they're agreeable at all. The Sonic LTZ is great on paper, but the styling is too much for me; I'd try one, though.
Anything else I might want to consider? I have no interest in the numbed-down also-rans like the Yaris or Versa, the Veloster is just god-awful horrid to look at IMO, and the Forte5 SX turbo I actually like is priced pretty high while returning crap fuel economy.
Holy crap, CR-Zs are getting cheap. Like, sub-$10k cheap.
If the BMW goes soon I might run after this.
how tall are you? i'm 6' even and the steering wheel of the cruze could not go up high enough to not rub my legs the whole time. inlaws had one, hated it. didn't care for the gear spacing either on the manual.
the fiat on the other hand, fit like a glove.
In reply to patgizz:
6'2" with a 34" inseam...so my long spindly legs sound like they wouldn't be a good fit for the Cruze. 
The CR-Z is dirt cheap, but is there anything "fun" about it?
I loved the Sonic LTZ, I had actually made a deal to buy one for under $10k. I backed out because I decided it wasn't the right timing for me, and the cargo hold was a bit smaller than I wanted.
In reply to Klayfish:
The reviews I've read on the CR-Z say that it's an excellent chassis that fell victim to Honda's unwillingness to give it a more fitting engine. I'm reserving judgment until I drive one, but it might actually suit my needs quite well, especially with a big old sway bar out back. Always liked momentum cars anyway.
Klayfish wrote: Joe, What was your take on the FiST? They have me interested for a fun all around dd. I've rented the Mazda 2 a few times. I enjoyed the hell out of it, spirituality similar to the NA. But like the NA, I'm not sure I'd want to drive it 125 miles per day. A bit buzzy, and call me soft but if I'm spending 3 hours a day in my car, I want a few more creature comforts.
The FiST I drove was tuned by Mueller Motorwerks, and making much more power than stock. Because of this it had quite a bit of torque steer, but was still a lot of fun to drive. I prefer the more simple, less cluttered interior of the Mazda 2, but the FiST is worth a look.
I was disappointed with the shifting feel in the Fiesta-- no where as direct as the Mazda 2, and tactile inputs are a big deal for me.
I actually prefer the driving experience of the Abarth to the FiST, but the Ford is a much more practical choice. The dashboard of the Ford looks and feels like it was designed on Mars....the Abarth is very eyetalian--- for better and for worse.
The Abarth has an attitude the other cars can't match. It always wants to go...to start trouble....it goads you to drive enthusiastically. I can see how it may get tiring over the long haul.......but I think I could take it. It also has maybe the best exhaust note out of any new 4cyl car. (Alfa 4C included) The exhaust alone made me giggle repeatedly. The FiST doesn't sound like anything....a vacuum maybe.
All three ( Mazda 2, FiST and Abarth) are fun little buggers. You really can't lose with any of them. I have a soft spot for the Mazda 2. It's slow, but you can feel the lineage to the NA Miata. The others are faster, flashier, and of course more expensive....but the "deuce" draws my minimalist side.......it reminds me of a simple Japanese car from the 80s. It has everything you need (barely) and nothing more. More power would be nice......but then you wouldn't have the need to wring the wee out of the car on each shift--- which is part of the appeal.
I test drove a CRZ, didn't even make it out of the dealership parking lot. Told the guy I didn't want to waste his time any further. I don't like the harvesting feel.
Interesting video on the Mazda 2 vs Fiat 500 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7QQj6c8kto "Fiat 500 is built for fun with a little bit of logic, Mazda 2 is build for logic with a little bit of fun"
My 2013 500T was $11,800. It had all the options; climate control, sunroof, beats, leather interior / trim. Still under manufactures warranty.
Getting into a fun, new, and reliable car for $11k-14k is really doable. You just gotta decide how much fun vs how much practicality you want. It's a give / take.
So, how would you guys approach this? The 2 is the car that logically makes the most sense, and I would jump at a green manual Touring for the right price. There is one locally, but it's just absurdly overpriced. I found the exact same car with significantly less miles in Ohio for almost $4k less.
Local overpriced 2 Fairly priced 2 in Ohio
I really want the one in Ohio but a fly & drive would be very difficult right now with my schedule, and then I have to deal with tax, title and licensing in a different state which seems like a total pain in the ass. How can I try and get the local dealer to come down?
Have you seen that green color in real life? It's berkeleying awesome. I think even that $8.8k one is over priced, the pricing floor is about to fall out on these and the will align right up with the yaris etc. Since it's a econobox with Mazda steering, cancelled model, no skyactiv, etc. I saw some listed in my area for $11-12k. That local overpriced one probably not worth spending time with, it way overpriced and has 60k miles without a single service record.
As an alternative to Fly and Drive - it costed me $350 to trailer my Fiat 500T. Fly and drive was more $$ after I added up the plane ticket, food, and gas.
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