Aixam 500 SL 479 cc

Good evening, my name is Elisabetta Rosato, and I am 68 years old, currently living in Florence. I am looking for a vehicle that has access in the city centre, as I received a salty fine after entering the city centre, not knowing that my vehicle was not permitted to transit in designated areas because it is not electric. I was extremely disappointed because my vehicle organisation did not finance my fine. I need a car that is appropriate for my age, modern, and slow, as I have delayed reflexes and I do not want to crash and get hurt. I am writing this review because my niece has a quadricycle, and talked to me about Aixam. Would Aixam satisfy my needs?

brought a 55 plate aixam silver and it was in the garage more than on the road what a bag of crap!!!

THESE FRENCH PLASTIC MICRO THINGS , CAN NOT BE WORKED ON AS AIXAM DO NOT DO A WORKSHOP MANUAL. FOR THEM . WHATS THAT ALL ABOUT .

just like going back to the 60s when i had bubble cars great fun.i bought one for 200 pounds with the back side panel smashed beyond repair cut the debri away and glued a second hand panel in cost 30 pounds

Don't expect a car !! it is not . Well , not that we are used to in the UK .In France you can drive this without passing a driving test and it is sometimes designated a moped car .

Going at 60 mph will just ask for trouble with bits breaking up quickly.

We keep this little car at 30 mph and very very rarely squeeze it up to 40 mph with 2 passengers . It can take four people around town though it will be best if the two back seat passengers are small and already good friends .

The back seats fold down very simply changing the area from an optimistic 2 seat bench to a very decent boot . We used to put our lawn mower in the back with plenty space left .

We find the car will do typically 70mpg ish around town with 90 being our best.In Winter 60 mpg ish is more likely .

Our 9 year old car sailed through its MOT and feel confident that this is because we keep an eye on the speed .Remember it is a 'moped car'

The engine noise will certainly get you noticed.People will turn round expecting a large van or even their bus but it is just the diesel chugging away .

A good service should get rid of the majority of the dashboard shake when stationary but it will still rattle and the noise inside is still like nothing you will have heard before in a modern car .It is far from unbearable though .

Parts are expensive but getting commoner , check online auction sites , Cheapest new tyre i found was 48 pounds

The cars are extremely simple to fix and people with modest skill have stripped the gear box and refurbished them at home !!

The gearbox lets this car down and will be the most expensive thing that goes .Get it checked regularly and put more oil in the gearbox than the instruction book suggests .

We actually like this car . It is easy to drive . The gears , one , are simple .Stick it forward to go forward and back to go back .It is like driving a dodgem . it should go the same speed forward as it does backwards , if you should want to try it !

This quadricyle is like a VERY basic car , though ours has electric windows and central locking .My biggest gripe is the expense of it new and the gear box problems though we havent had any problems and we are 22,000 miles .If a big company made these cars it would give poor folk like me a grat product very cheap !!

It goes (slowly), keeps the rain off but it is expenive new and waiting for gearbox problems diminishes the satisfaction of getting a great mpg.

total load of rubbish,had 2 of these and 2 micro cars.i have a motorbike licence and not a car licence so after years of robin reliant driving thought i would upgrade to four wheels,,brought a 53 plate aixam gold and it was in the garage more than on the road,parts are sooooo expensive and a full service was £174 tyres alone are 65 pound and thats if you can get them,,its very hard to get parts for them and they mostly have to come from abroad,when staionary the dash shakes like its about to fall off and it does that on all of them,,brought a brand new one on a 04 plate next and that was has bad,i thought that these cars where gonna be more of a car than a reliant,how wrong i was,so under powered so noisy and so dam expensive,i have since gone back to reliants and thank the lord i did,thay are pityful

I had one of thease Aixam 500 SL 479 cc cars about 3 years ago and loved it.

Great little car to own.

The Aixam 500SL is a fantastic little runaround for short distances at low-ish speeds ie. school run, shopping, taking the kids to the park etc. Not for dual carriageways or motorways where average speeds exceed 50mph as you will be overtaken by everyone and cause a hazard. The one I bought had £1,600 worth of work needed on it as just about everything was on its last legs. Beware when buying secondhand and make sure you source a local garage that knows how to service and repair these cars as they are NON STANDARD.

when i brought my Aixam 500 SL City Car it seemed like a good deal -

good m.p.g, you can drive on a motorcycle licence, as I did not drive to far the lack of top speed did not matter and there are no hills where I live - then I woke up. I have averaged 6000 miles a year, belts have been changed, drive shafts, engine mounts, exhaust pipes, brake calipers - the list goes on and the prices for parts are high ie will not supply caliper seal for a few pence but you must buy a complete brake assembley - keep to your relient or bike - I wish I had.

The real beauty of the Aixam 500 is that it can be driven on a full motorcycle licence. Maintenance is minimal and a quick wash only is needed to keep the vehicle clean and no polishing is needed.

Due to the size of the engine, the top speed is just over 60 MPH and performance is adequate for non-motorway roads and more than adequate for 'local' runs. This is NOT a motorway cruiser!

On a long run, about 110 MPG can be achieved even when driven foot down. Stiff hills around the 1 in 6 or 7 variety will limit the speed to about 30 to 35 MPH with a passenger aboard.

The rear seats are more suited to children as the leg-room is restricted. The back-rest can be folded forward and the parcel shelf removed to provide a decent luggage space. There isn't much space when the rear seat is in use but is adequate for the average shopping trip.

Plenty of room for the driver and front passenger and the automatic transmission makes for a relaxing drive as does the electrically operated windows. The noise level inside the car is a lot higher than normal but can be counteracted by turning the stereo up!

Treated as an extremely economical local or semi-local runabout that can be driven on a motorbike licence, this car is unbeatable. It probably sealed the fate of the Robin Reliant.