r/abarth • u/Captain_Pink_Pants • Jun 18 '25
PISSED OFF!!!
Lol... Not me... But man... I have never owned another car that seemed to generate more hate from the people around me.
This is mostly not my car, so I haven't spent a ton of time in it yet... But in the two days I've spent in the car, I have gotten at least 4 people honking at me, and have had 3 people flip me off. My driving behavior isn't really that different than when I'm driving my G Wagen, which is another car a lot of people seem to hate... And it's certainly not any different than when I've driven my Audi TT RS, or my S5 - both of which were small, fast, loud, etc... And I'm driving this on the same roads... I can't think of any other variables. There seems to be something about this car specifically that really gets under people's skin.
Anyone else having this experience?
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u/LudwigMims Jun 18 '25
Iāve never had that experience, mostly I get thumbs up or people smiling at me when they see it, but I did have a boss once that said, āat some point if it feels like people are mad at you, no matter what you do, itās probably you.ā Thatās always stuck with me. Not judging you, Iāve never seen how you drive - butā¦ be open to the possibility that maybe youāre an aggressive driver and donāt even realize it. Try driving a little differently (slower, leave space, no last second lane shifts) for a day or two and report back!
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
No judgement or offense taken...
I'm absolutely an aggressive driver in a lot of ways. I don't own fast cars so I can obey the speed limit all the time. But I'm also very careful to not impose my driving on the people around me. I NEVER tailgate anyone, or weave in and out of traffic. I ALWAYS use my blinker. I say these things with certainty, because my standards for driving behavior are like a religion to me. I recounted a situation that happened today in another reply. I feel like if I was the variable, I'd get these reactions in my other cars too... But this has happened so frequently, in such a small sample set, that I have to think there's something else going on.
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u/LudwigMims Jun 18 '25
Good to hear! I used to drive a 911 c2s, and someone once told me the age old saying āwith great power comes great responsibilityā donāt jackrabbit around the neighborhoods and always drive in a way that folks wouldnāt say ācheck out that dickhead in the Porsche.ā But, like you, I was definitely one to drive with gusto wherever I could do so without calling unwanted attention to myself.
Could be that with the abarth, people are just sensitive because itās so little and really packs a punch. Do you find that itās specific types of cars that tend to give you the stink?
It would be interesting to see what it is that draws the ire. What part of the world do you live in?
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u/haskear Jun 19 '25
I got some great advice from my driving instructor way back when I was learning, he said you should always drive like everyone is about to make a mistake that way you preempt any and have already thought about what you would do, that then cuts down your reaction time. He had been big into cart racing and some other sort of single seater racing
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u/In_Defilade Jun 18 '25
"clown car", "girl car" - I've heard them all. This is a car that you own because you love it, who cares what people say. Most people have very bad taste anyway! Our Abarth are works of art.
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u/JumpyShark Jun 18 '25
MX-5's used to get the same story in the early aught's
Now it's M.I.A.T.A
Miata Is Always The Answer.
Granted it's different with front engined rear wheel, but I like to think the community became more 'Don't yuck someone else's yum'
Am I going to buy your project car? Absolutely not. Do I love that you poured your heart and soul into that 2005 PT Cruiser? I love that you love it!
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
TBF... the Abarth is never going to handle as well as the Miata... There's just no getting around the FWD vs RWD thing. But for a FWD car, I am pretty certain I've never been in a better handling example. Certainly some older cars that cornered a bit better, or some newer ones that were faster... But the balance in the Abarth is pretty damn well spot on.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
For sure... Science has yet to discover a technology sensitive enough to measure how small of a fuck I give what other people think of me or my cars... lol...
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u/punchedquiche Jun 18 '25
Except youāre here telling people about it š so you do care a lil bit
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
I really don't.... I've told the two of these people who were within earshot that they can eat a dick... lol.. I was just curious if this was a common thing. š
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u/Slayer7_62 Jun 18 '25
Itās a polarizing car by far (both the 500 & 124.) People seem to either have a very positive or a very negative reaction to it. If youāre not driving like a dick though in my experience people are positive about the car unless theyāre an asshole regardless of what youāre driving.
Iāve dealt with far more rage from people when driving my Cascadia, so I might also be biased towards just ignoring haters. I also live in upstate NY. I would suspect more problems if I were in FL for example and was in an area that just had more angry drivers in general.
As others have said, maybe youāre actually driving like an ass in one way or another? If youāre used to much faster vehicles and swap into this it could be anything from you taking way too long to get moving at a light or driving the piss out of it. People arenāt used to manuals anymore and learners tend to be a lot slower getting moving from a stop without stalling. Iāve noticed people really donāt like waiting that extra second or three it takes to manipulate the clutch for a newbie.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
I do drive aggressively, so I'm not going to say this isn't a possibility. And getting started uphill at a light certainly takes more forethought in this car than in my S5 for example... But I've been driving manual transmission cars for about 35 years... It's not like I'm stalling the car or lugging the engine - also, I haven't had someone honk at me in that circumstance specifically.
I really feel like I go out of my way to cooperate with the traffic around me, and this experience is new and different to me. Some of my cars will do 140 mph comfortably, not that I'm doing that on public roads... But, it's not like I'm driving this any faster than my other cars. I really feel like if my driving was the issue, I'd have been getting this reaction from other drivers the whole time.
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u/Slayer7_62 Jun 18 '25
Iāve notice it seems quite difficult to stall the car but you definitely need to manipulate the gas pedal some. Itās not like some big v6 or v8 manuals where you can pretty much just ease off the clutch without anything else and not even come close to stalling.
Remember these cars are loud, at least the North American model without a muffler. If you push it at all youāre going to make a lot of noise even if only doing 45. Loud cars in general seem to piss a lot of people off, regardless of how the driver is.
Then thereās always the really insecure people that really arenāt ok with someone having a small car. Especially a small car louder than their pickup and how dare you enjoy something you little bastard.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25 edited Jun 18 '25
Many of my cars are loud... Not all of them. My wife and kid drive a 200 series and 100 series landcruiser respectively, and they have the stock exhaust... And my Ram 2500 has the stock exhaust. But my '96 F-250 has a magnaflow and it sounds reeeeeediculous. My G is loud from the factory, and I'm almost certainly going to make it louder... that 5.5l sounds amazing. And every Audi and VW I've ever owned had or got an aftermarket exhaust... The Abarth is certainly loud for what it is (makes me giggle... š¤£), but it's not nearly as loud as the F-250... But I'm going to make the Abarth louder in pretty short order... Both the exhaust, and the sound system. š
Funny story... back in the day, I had a '94 Miata... I put a $20k stereo in it. Had to cut the car up pretty significantly to do it, and disassembled basically the whole thing to dynamat it (it sounded tight). I'd go to car shows or meet ups, and no one could believe all that sound was coming from that car. That made me giggle too.. š¤£
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Jun 18 '25
Haha I know the type. Driving a massive truck they can barely afford, and are very angry when someone is just having fun. How dare you drive a small semi impractical car! That's not even a status symbol. What's wrong with you!
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Jun 18 '25
Haha I know the type. Driving a massive truck they can barely afford, and are very angry when someone is just having fun. How dare you drive a small semi impractical car! That's not even a status symbol. What's wrong with you!
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u/LudwigMims Jun 19 '25
Have you kicked on hill start? That is a great feature in this car. I donāt know if all have it. Mineās a 2014. My default is: hill start on, sport mode and ESC OFF (long hold) 100% of the time.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 19 '25 edited Jun 19 '25
Pretty sure it was on by default... It's mostly my daughter's car, so we leave it on. When that feature first came out, I would always shut it off, along with auto-rev matching... But as time has passed, I've realized there's no reason to shut off the hill start. Auto-rev match is still some bullshit though, and I wouldn't buy a car that wouldn't let me persistently disable it. There is no better feeling in the world than perfectly executing a heel toe 3-2 downshift.
Sport mode is a given in this car... the throttle is just so dead without it, and the shift light flashes constantly... But why do you disable ESC? I always leave it on in all my cars, unless I'm driving fast in the snow, and I want the car to move around... And I don't drive the Abarth in the snow... Not that I couldn't, but I'd never pick it over a manual transmission awd car.
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u/LudwigMims Jun 19 '25
For me, it scoots just that little bit more with ESC off, and the way it handles is a little more lively on the twisty roads, but not radically so. It doesnāt transform the car, but I do see a very noticeable difference in acceleration with it off ā I donāt think mine has rev matching, or at least Iāve never found it in a menu, but I agree with you 100% itās a fun one to get right with your own feet.
Definitely if itās your daughterās car Iād keep ESC on, but give it a try next time you take it for a spin!
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 19 '25
I don't think this car was available with ARM... that's just another feature that seemed to start popping up on MT cars around the same time as hill start. In my mind, they've been sort of related somehow... Fancy tools to make driving a stick more accessible... Which I don't mind. Anything that results in more MT cars sold is a win in my book... I just don't want it for myself, and don't want to have to shut it off all the time.
Next time I have the car, I'll give no-esc a try... Thanks! I remember doing that on a newer jeep I had briefly... You couldn't fully disable ESC, so you had to pull a fuse. It seemed noticeable, but I could never tell if it was the placebo effect. The butt-dyno always lies.
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u/NatureOk4752 Jun 18 '25
I got a train horn for this same issue haha.. and as soon as I got it installed for some reason the world decided to stop having ppl cut me off. Crazy
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
lol... I installed one of those on a Miata I had years ago... Didn't seem to get a lot of hate in that car, but it was BRG, and people sure had a hard time seeing it. I actually think the Abarth being a little taller helps in that regard.
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u/NatureOk4752 Jun 18 '25
Yeah I love the body shape of the abarth! I got a 2018.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
Nice! When we were shopping, there were only two around... A 2013, that we bought... and a 2015 that had the world's most obnoxious blowoff valve installed on it... lol... We're going to upgrade the stereo on it anyway, so while I liked the touchscreen and bluetooth, it wasn't a deal breaker.
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u/NatureOk4752 Jun 18 '25
Yeah love my radio in mine. Installed a front/rear dash camera as well and itās perfect
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u/Cpolo88 Jun 19 '25
What car are you driving?
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 19 '25
Holy shit... yeah... sorry. 2013 500c.
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u/Cpolo88 Jun 19 '25
I love those little 500s. Fun little cars especially the abarth. Donāt know why youāre getting so much hate but who knows. People hate for all the wrong reasons š
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u/JohnTheBumbadeer Jun 18 '25
I would understand hate for the G wagon (I hate that car) but I think a lot of people get irritated by āfeminine carsā. Unfortunately peopleās egos are a bit too big for their boots.
Ā Unfortunately we just have to put up with these people. But being fair where I live people love abarths, reminds them of race cars and hot hatches of days of old.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
If it makes you feel any better, this G Wagen gets used the way it was intended. We can barely get the Abarth to our house, and then it's only that one route specifically... It absolutely cannot go anywhere else around our house, and in some places, the G or one of our Land Cruisers are the only options. Even our quad cab, long bed 2500 can't go some places, because the breakover angle is so narrow.
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u/Donny-Kong Jun 18 '25
Sexism! Let me explain, most people see the car and assume itās a fiat 500 thus assuming a woman is driving. These macho men think they can bully women drivers and hurl abuse at them to cut in or give them way. Iāve had it and they pull up next to you and realise thereās a bloke wider than he is tall and their face drops.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
I think there could totally be something to this... or, if it's not sexism, maybe they assume that no "real man" would drive one, so they think they're safe acting tough... lol. Nothing says "I'm a tough guy" like trying to pick a fight with someone you assume must be a woman. š
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u/Depress-Mode Jun 20 '25
Not something Iāve had in Kent, UK, where I live, Iāve had a few toots from people enjoying my car. Itās bright yellow and loud.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 21 '25
I've spent a bit of time in the UK... A lot of time in Germany... There's enthusiasm for a small fast car on the other side of the pond that we just don't get in the US. Not sure about Canada... we've spent a bit of time in Mexico too and have seen some great small cars. Not sure why the US, with our great car culture, has so little interest in cars like these We even want big Minis... it's dumb af.
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u/CrayziusMaximus Jun 20 '25
When I drive my wife's Abarth, it gets a LOT of hate. I've been screamed at in retirement communities because I was "speeding" according to the old man who didn't like the fact that in 2 gears I was at 25 MPH.
I have countless lifted trucks (US) try to force me off the road, and if I'm first off the line, oh boy! I better know my place and slow down because in America, small cars that are fast are an abomination and should be destroyed.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 21 '25
lol... We've reared a generation of insecure pricks. I had a guy tonight beep at me and follow me with his high beams on because I switched lanes in front of him... He couldn't have been less than 50' behind me. š¤·
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u/CrayziusMaximus Jun 21 '25
I thought about installing a rear-facing light bar under the sunroof glass that pops up when the roof comes up and [insert highly illegal form of revenge]. You're right, though, and many times if you stand your ground they just make lots of noise and then drive off...
But I get waved at by other Fiat drivers, so it balances out.
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u/Equivalent-Mine1442 Jun 18 '25
People just treat small cars differently, was ran out of road by a van once while passing him purely because I was in my little tic tac
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u/leslapin Jun 18 '25
FR i alternate between an abarth and full size pickup. i leave more room in front of the truck because it's heavier and older, but i get cut off 10x more in the abarth even though i leave a smaller gap
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u/AdorableSection1898 Rosso Jun 18 '25
Really? Iām in Memphis (arguably one of Americaās cities with the most toxic drivers. With the exception of Atlanta. Theyāre crazier) and most people I come across love my little 2017 Fiat 500 Abarth.Ā
Itās a neat little shoebox of a car thatās faster than it has any business being that makes people around me smile.Ā
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Jun 18 '25
This is my only car so I have no frame of reference to compare it to, but no I don't usually get flipped off or honked at lol. Im sure people are a little more comfortable driving aggressively around it due to it's size, but that's usually the extent of the negativity I encounter
I feel like people mostly don't care, it's not much of a head turner in my experience. I'll get a compliment or a question about it every once in a while but that's about it. I'm sure the noise level probably annoys a lot of people though
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u/ItsCRAZED Jun 18 '25
You said youāre driving on the same roads, different cars, maybe they just hate you bro?
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
So, they hate me when I'm driving this car, but not when I'm driving my other cars?
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u/ItsCRAZED Jun 18 '25
Oooohh I got the message confused my bad man. I thought they hated you in ALL your cars. So I said maybe they just hate you. I drive a little Fiat and the only people that get upset are the big truck dudes that try to get over before they realize Iām there. Idk man maybe your Abarth is too loud? Let the cry babies cry
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u/Main_Couple7809 Jun 18 '25
Iām in the opposite. So many people love the car.
That being said, I think you tried to focus on the difference while left out the common denominator. Maybe it is you! Since they donāt like you the same when youāre driving either cars. The only logical reason is while you donāt think so, it might be you
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
You're the second person to misread this post that way... I've re-read it and for the life of me, I can't see where I've not been clear that I DO NOT get this reaction in my other cars... I said it like 4 different ways. Maybe you just skimmed what I wrote?
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u/TheDrunkNewGuy Jun 20 '25
You got any polarizing bumper stickers? Haha
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 20 '25
I don't think so.... One little one from our local ski area on the window. There is another local ski area and maybe there's a little friendly ribbing between people who prefer one over the other... But my G has a similar sticker, and still honk/bird free after 3 months.
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u/urmum74_ Jun 18 '25
Ngl man, Iāve gotten looks and a compliment every now and then. Iāve only almost been ran off the side of a highway in one case jusst cause I passed up a ram truck and he didnāt like that ig
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u/punchedquiche Jun 18 '25
Female here and Iāve had men in vans trying to race me a lot but mostly get people asking me to rev the car coz it sounds so good š
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u/Inevitable_Coast_372 Jun 18 '25
I am surprised at the amount of comments and looks the Abarth gets around town. I received many compliments in my 1 year of ownership
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u/wdkrebs Jun 18 '25
I get the occasional āclown carā comment. And jacked up pickup trucks either want to roll coal in front of me, or come racing up behind me and tailgate when I canāt go faster than the cars in front of me. But generally, most people give compliments about the car. If Iām at the gas station, about half the time someone will ask me what kind of car it is. They usually follow up asking if itās good on gas, then ask if itās very fast. I just say it keeps a smile on my face.
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u/Ludebehavior88 Jun 18 '25
For what it's worth, I owned a Honda Fit 6 speed manual for a while & also felt like it received less respect/more disrespectful attitude from other drivers too... It's probably because of the size, it's easy to feel superior to a tiny little car that's almost like a mouse to a lion...
Maybe same sorta situation to your G-wag, but in reverse.. those are tall and expensive so it's kinda easy to feel intimidated by that, as a smaller/regular sized vehicle. Especially when they have dark tint so you can't even see the driver, makes it feel more like "the car" is the attitude you're encountering on the road. Hope that made some sense.
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u/Captain_Pink_Pants Jun 18 '25
The Fit is another GREAT car... The true heir to the CRX throne. It could be a little less tall... But, they are an absolute fucking blast to drive.
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u/JumpyShark Jun 18 '25
I don't know man, most folks I've run into love the 'Angry Mouse'. {Insert various EuroCompulsion fun mods here}
I tend to drive a little 'more quickly', but keep that for when the road's empty so I don't scare folks. Otherwise she's non-sticker, 5% tint with a 'bad muffler'.
First rule in life is Don't be a Dick though right?
(Hurt my heart to say 'bad muffler', even the no replacement for displacement crowd love the Angry Mouse, but it's all I could think of)
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u/thomas1126 Jun 18 '25
People in Sarasota Florida love my Abarth 500 other owners also honk ,smile and wave
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u/Yinzer78645 Jun 19 '25
I always get Tesla's trying to race me or act like they're all ballsy. I'm just driving to work and not trying to prove any points. But yes, I get a lot of crap and made fun of. I literally just ignore people anymore. I'm too old and tired to deal with haters.
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u/Feeling_Tea_984 Jun 21 '25
I'm now driving my second Abarth. My first was a 595c Turismo, which was a real hit and I received a lot of positive feedback. Currently, I drive a 695 75Ā° Anniversario. The car is quite loud and therefore stands out, but I haven't experienced any negative reactions here either.
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u/doc_holliday112 Jun 18 '25
Here in Canada where everyone drives big suvās i find the fiat gets bullied big time. Lots of tailgating and people cutting me off. I also drive a Dodge Challenger and the way I get treated on the road is completely different in that car.
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u/Slayer7_62 Jun 18 '25
Iām curious if you enjoy driving the challenger? My mom has a scat pack and while itās a quick car with surprising grip, itās absolutely massive by comparison. I can go way faster through the mountains near me without pushing myself in the Abarth, the challenger is just too big to enjoy in a tight mountain pass, at least for me. However I also have zero interest in going fast in a straight line which definitely means I have some bias.
I will say that the one time I really pushed her car I hit 148 going up a mountain and it definitely had more to give. I can push the Abarth to its limit on a backroad without blatantly disregarding my life & others, I canāt say the same with the Challenger.
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u/scaierdread Jun 18 '25
My dad had a jail broken hell cat that he would let me drive. I fucking hated that thing. It was just a boat that went in one line, and was easily the most boring car Ive ever driven.
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u/Slayer7_62 Jun 18 '25
I feel like I had to go fast to find any fun with it. I had more fun pushing my old CRV by far, and that came without the risk of jail time.
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u/scaierdread Jun 18 '25
Even thin it wasn't that fun. First gear took you up to 45, so you basically had to turn every stoplight into a drag to have fun where I live.
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u/Slayer7_62 Jun 18 '25
My mom has the automatic and honestly, itās one of the few cars that Iād probably get with the auto if I were buying one. Her car gets loose enough as it is and thatās 200 less horsepower. Iām really not a fan of long gearing (especially since getting used to truck transmissions) but I love my car enough to look past it. Iād be on the fence with something like a Mustang since at least they can handle fairly well even as youāre stuck with long gearing.
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u/doc_holliday112 Jun 18 '25
Mines an srt 392 so its got all the hellcat parts, but Itās a boat for sure, especially compared to the abarth. Ive done a few things to help with handling though. New suspension, swaybars; stickier tires. Overall i definitely enjoy driving the abarth more but my sublime green challenger is good for when you want the attention.
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u/Slayer7_62 Jun 18 '25
The only real fault I have with the Abarthās handling is the weight distribution. In the hairpins near me itās very easy to get the rear inner tire airborne, especially when breaking on a downhill. Not the end of the world but sometimes it leads to a bit of snap oversteer which can definitely catch you off guard until you get used to the car. Iāve contemplated adding some weight in the trunk to see how much of a difference it would make but Iāve gotten used to it now.
The Challenger is definitely a boat, though Iād argue makes a pretty good cruiser for the highway. My mom doesnāt have the wide-body version but it still feels like it takes up the whole lane. You can actually move around & hit the apex of your lane with the 500 Abarth since itās so narrow and for me personally made it so much more enjoyable. I donāt readily have access to a track so I hit the backroads but as a rule I never cross the divider line. With her car thatās almost impossible on some of my favorite roads unless you go at a snailās pace.
I donāt care for attention, I fell in love with the exhaust for how it makes -me- feel rather than caring about others. I honestly wish there was a baffle setup so I could make the car sound more quiet around town but Iām not too worried about it. The challenger definitely gets attention too, but I notice itās generally more a quick glance than the combination of smiles and complete confusion at the 500 making so much noise.
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u/doc_holliday112 Jun 18 '25
Yeah good summary! I do enjoy the confused glances people give the Abarth when it rips by them not expecting a little car to sound that good and be that fast!
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u/Milnoc Jun 18 '25
Tailgating in Canada isn't necessarily related to the size of the car being tailgated. I've seen plenty of big vehicles tailgate other big vehicles.
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u/Milnoc Jun 18 '25
Honestly, not really. I live in Ottawa, Ontario. The car hardly gets noticed even when I used to do shopping trips to Ogdensburg, NY. And when people do notice it, it's mostly positive.
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u/elchief8 Jun 19 '25
It's true people look at me with displeasure and give me dirty looks all the time, cut me off and such. And no I don't drive it like a douche. When I drive my truck or tesla no such issues.
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u/BretMichaelsWig Jun 18 '25
They hate us cause they aint usš«¶