2005
Manual
33.6 mpg
Tax: £335
Mileage: 32,000
Petrol
The Fiat Barchetta has never been a popular sight on British roads, largely due to the fact that it is only available in left-hand drive form. Look beyond this and you'll see a capable, attractively styled and well-engineered little roadster that's more practical than many of its competitors. Based on proven Fiat Punto mechanicals, the Barchetta is also quite reasonable to run. With the explosion in popularity of affordable roadsters, the Barchetta was somewhat steamrollered in the sales charts by the Mazda MX5, Rover MGF and BMW Z3, and has possibly suffered due to the fact that it shuns the 'purist' rear-wheel drive layout; its power going to the front wheels instead. The market that the Fiat has aimed for is more bar society than pure sports and it fills this niche quite well. A used Barchetta makes an interesting buy, and may cost less than you think.
The Barchetta is a car that deserves to sell more than it has. If Fiat had backed it properly and sanctioned a proper right-hand drive model, it would undoubtedly be as popular as the Mazda MX-5, BMW Z3 or Rover MGF. As it is, it's something of an oddity, bought by those who are willing to put up with left-hand drive in order to benefit from its exclusivity. To write the Barchetta off as a trendy curio would be a shame. It is practical (for a roadster), reliable, quick, pretty and cheap. It also possesses more of that infectious joie de vivre than any of its rivals, and is guaranteed to put a smile on your face as wide as the first time your passenger tries to get into the driver's seat. Get a good one you'll realise why the Barchetta has long been the trade's favourite little secret. First you'll have to find one though.
Borrow £6,000 with £1,000 deposit over 48 months with a representative APR of 18.1%, monthly payment would be £172.36, with a total cost of credit of £2,273.28 and a total amount payable of £9,273.28.