Fiat Seicento (1998 - 2004) : POLE STAR
Monday October 23
Models Covered: 3dr hatchback, [900, 1100cc, S, Mia SX, Active, Sound, Sporting and Citymatic]
BY ANDY ENRIGHT
Mention the Fiat Seicento and most people will think of cheeky city cars, the kind of runabouts you see nipping in and out of Turin streets, other drivers chuckling as the spiritual successor to the old Fiat 500 jinks through a tiny gap and into a parking space little bigger than a Quattro Stagioni pizza. The reality is somewhat different, as like its predecessor, the Cinquecento, the Seicento is manufactured in Poland. If the concept of zipping through the streets of Tychy and stopping off for a plate of steamed cabbage doesnt hold the same appeal, the same cant be said of the Seicento. It has taken everything good about the Cinquecento and attempted to ditch its flaws.
Seicentos are often bought as second or third cars and often show low mileages, yet their inherent role as city cars means they will often have worked harder to clock up those miles than a larger car equivalent. As a cheaper and cheekier alternative to a Volkswagen Lupo or Ford Ka, the Seicento holds a lot of appeal. Forza Fiat as they say in Poland.
As can be expected of a car which retailed for as little as £4,990, the Seicento is hardly laden with standard equipment, and the S model lists amongst its standard features black bumpers and a rear wash/wipe, a five speed gearbox and an immobiliser Think basic to avoid disappointment. The interiors are bright and spacious, carrying over the low waistline and airy feel of the Cinquecento. The SX model is fitted with a manual sunroof and attractive wheel trims as well as side rubbing strips and a more powerful heater, but the body coloured bumpers and door mirrors make it appear a classier proposition than the S. The Citymatic offers similar levels of trim to the SX.
The Sporting is the most popular model and is fitted with an 1100cc engine, alloy wheels, front fog lights and interior upgrades which include sports seats, a leather steering wheel plus the option of radio/cassette or CD player. A pert rev counter pops out of the dash in a centrally mounted position. Options for the Sporting include air conditioning and an aggressive Abarth sports kit. Metallic paint in either dark or steel grey was an option, but most buyers opted for the signal colours of Starter Red, Black or the eyeball searing Broom Yellow.
Due to its perceived better quality, Seicentos have held their value better in relative terms than the Cinquecento. A base model S on a 98 S plate can be found for £1,300, rising to £1,500 for a 99 V plate example. The slightly better specified SX trim level will command a £150 price premium over the basic S model. The Citymatic cars are worth around £100 less than their SX counterparts, many buyers being suspicious of the novel gearchange arrangement.
The asking price for a 98 S plate Sporting with 49,000 miles showing on the clock should be around £1,500, but dont offer over £2,100 for a low mileage 2002 51-plate car. Insurance is a bargain basement Group 1 for the S, Citymatic and SX models and a hardly wallet busting Group 3 for the Sporting.
The Seicento is too new for any significant faults to emerge, and the major complaint of Cinquecento owners, namely that the interior trim tended to snap off on cold mornings, seems to have been addressed with a higher quality interior. It may be worth checking the top hose of the engine, as this was a weak point of the mechanically similar Cinquecento. Also check for accident damage, as Seicentos were often bought as post L-test first cars and may have suffered the odd knock during their lives.
(approx based on a Seicento SX) Fiat dealers wont be lining their pockets from the proceeds of Seicento spares. Its a cheap car and its good to see correspondingly reasonably priced parts. A clutch assembly is £70, an exhaust system £137, and front brake pads £25. A replacement starter motor retails for £53 and a new alternator will set you back to the tune of £64.
If you were expecting the Seicento to be fun in town and catastrophic on a motorway, a charge levelled at the Cinquecento, you may be in for a surprise. As part of its drive to imbue the Seicento with a big car, better quality feel, refinement at speed is much improved. Owners graduating from Cinquecentos will no longer need to yell at passengers above 60mph. In non-Sporting guise, the handling and acceleration of the Seicento lags slightly behind class rivals such as the Ka and Arosa, and it is genuinely worth going after the more popular Sporting model.
This is fitted with a front anti-roll bar which helps to negate some of the impending capsize sensation of the smaller engined cars. With just 54bhp on tap, the Sporting is never going to be especially quick, yet the subjective feeling is of frantic acceleration amid lurid wheelspin. Subtle - no, fun - most definitely.
The Fiat Seicento is overflowing with the sort of cheeky joie de vivre that a car in this class needs. Spend slightly more and opt for the larger engined Sporting model and it is a guarantee of inexpensive fun. The Italian feel may only be skin deep, but the Seicento is definitely a buon mercato as they say in
laser light for cyclists (MarkP) 
