[wahip66]

I'll start by saying that I LOVE my Abarth. I did some research before buying, comparing it to various other fun vehicles in and around it's price range, ($10k last year) and found no real comparison. Beyond the obvious Mini Cooper S, I even looked at a Honda Beat, Suzuki Cappuccino, an Autozam, Porsche 914 and a nice, (but neglected) Lotus Europa. The Cooper forum is chock full of horror stories about pristine example that self-destruct in short order and the Honda, Cappuccino & Autozam, while great fun... are just too small for my old bones and need for occasional interstate cruising.
One car I had missed in my earlier research though, was the mid-90s Fiat Barchetta. I had a ride in one the other day and was really impressed. Only slightly smaller than a Miata, but with twice the character. This one had a nice Borla exhaust that really snarled and plenty of torque from the 1.8L motor. Not for sale though, but there are others. So now the conundrum. I can sell my 2012 Abarth with 35k miles for close to what a 25 yr old Barchetta would cost to import, but I suspect the Abarth will be increasing in value faster than the Barchetta. Or do I just scrap the whole idea, because there may never be a car more fun and reliable than the Abarth?

 

[J.B.]

Wrong. Considering that you are in the US, Barchetta, once imported and registered, will always be rarer and demand premium. Also, unless you keep your Abarth for a long time to come, and in pristine condition, the value will not increase in the short term. As a matter of fact, used car market that went through inflation is now beginning to settle. If you are looking at short term gain, sell now.
Oh, while at it, don’t forget Fiat Coupé, too!

 

[Clean500]

My 2019 Abarth has 1052 miles on the ODO as of 04/10/2022 . Keeping it for the collectability. It's actually the VERY last Abarth sold off a dealer lot in North America.... In-service date is 11/20/20, Still under factory warranty till 2024 or 50k miles. Not for sale...

 

[smark]

Sell now, there is a shortage of used cars out there. Used cars are getting top dollar prices. A Abarth will maybe be a collector item 15-20 years from now.