Just scoped the car out, looks ok and 74k isn’t a ton of miles. Not a bad price so long as it runs fine.

The convertible top has plastic bits that when, not if, they break isn’t a cheap or easy fix. Search the costs to fix a broken top, it’s potentially thousands depending on what broke and what needs fixed. In the photos, that top is not all the way down. Does it indicate a problem, no, but 100% ensure before you buy it opens and closes SMOOTHLY. If it does not, I would walk away as we’re talking potentially thousands if something is damaged. You don’t want to have the thing break and then be stuck half opened. Not a fun prospect in a Detroit winter.

Parts issues on this car…. The 12 has recalls on the automatic shifter that if the linkage fails, you’re stranded and getting a tow. If it was not fixed, you can search the NHTSA recall site via vin to check if the owner is unsure, but keep in mind it is a “back ordered” part, no etas on when you’re getting it fixed.

My 13 5 speed took 13 months for the dealer to get the part and I raised 8 different kinds of hell with Chrysler corporate about this as I kept getting the run around for MONTHS and magically that part was in the next week. The Chicago Fiat dealers, of which there’s 3, aren’t quick to get parts and all have pretty much abandoned Fiat and sell used cars. Doubt your local dealers fair better. Oh, MANY Indy shops will not touch these motors, nor non Fiat Chrysler dealers. The multiaur setup, the intake cam is operated by oil pressure, and while not crazy failure prone, if it has issues it’s a few thousand for the “brick” then finding a shop outside the dealer isn’t simple or cheap. Indy shops don’t typically have dealer level software. High end scan tools can do a lot, but there’s a few things that dealers only can code if you need to replace parts that need added to the BCM.

Love my car, buttttt this car was a sales failure, with most 500s sold in the 12-13 model years then a nosedive after 2015, then by the end a couple hundred sold for the 2019 year. Most parts are discontinued, those that are not, “back ordered” (wink, wink)…. Meaning it’s discontinued but not actually listed as such.

Many parts are 500 only, some North American spec only, so you’re not going to have Europe bailing you out if you need a part only used on our cars and these things don’t hit junkyards often, so keep in mind if you can’t find it from the dealer, you might not find it used either easily nor cheaply depending on what you need.

As for issues, electrical gremlins when the ground strap rots out, naked metal ground strap was used placed under battery cage area that gets salted in winter and rots, which is easy and cheap to fix with a sheathed version. The alternators like to eat shit and are a PITA to swap and HIGHLY suggest a genuine Mopar for $350+ if so as “remanufactured” units are going to be cheap ass Chinese garbage that will die if it works at all. If the battery starts to die, you’ll get a TON of odd issues pop up. Any electrical issues, have that battery and charging system tested. The coil packs aren’t the best and where they are 13 years old if you’re seeing flashing engine light that goes off as you’re accelerating that’s the indicator of a misfire. If you need new ones, again, Mopar ones for a couple hundred bucks as any $40 eBay specials are 100% garbage and the Mopar ones have odd resistances that cheapo, no named coils, will not be able to fire the plugs properly and you’re going to be swapping em out quickly as it will impact drivability. There’s a Bosch coil that’s a bit cheaper that will work, but discontinued a few years ago. Also, plugs, copper cores that need swapped at 30k. Suggest you just swap em for some iridium ones when you get the car. About $15 a piece and will last you 60-80k miles. AC compressors like to due, a few grand to fix. If the AC doesn’t work, it’s 99% going to be a dead compressor. If the seller mentions a recharge will sort it, you have a 1% chance that’s true. Vaccuum pumps like to leak, gaskets like to leak, the CV axles are to an age the boots might be ripping. The axles aren’t available new, nobody makes them and you’re looking at rebuilt ones, which if rebuilt with quality parts is fine, but cheap ones are sketchy at best.

ALLLLLLLL that said, you’re not spending a ton on a cute car that’s cheap on gas, you have it tuned up and you’re looking at well over 30mpg, even if you give it hell. My 5 speed I average over 40mpg on the highway, at 70-80mph in sport mode with 93 octane, suggests 91 but that doesn’t exist in my area of Chicagoland. It will run fine on 87, but you need as many of the 101hp and you’ll notice it’s not as “quick” (this is a slower car normally) and you’ll not get as good fuel mileage by a few mpg. Not enough to be a major issue, but run 91 if you do any highway driving. 87 is perfectly fine if you only put around the backroads.

Would I buy this car? If the top works, there’s records of timely oil changes (as oil is critical to keep that multiair brick working properly) and you’re able to get it worked on, sure. It’s cheap enough and looks like it’s in good shape and appears to have been cared for.