Lots of miss-information out there and people who may or may not actually owned one over a long term period. You should avoid a 2012-2013 models in general and keep to 2015 and newer, as they improved many many components through TSB or recalls. Most weak points are the following:
- Lower ball joints, which require you to replace control arm
- Door handles will fail, the hinge is faulty and cheap to buy on amazon for 15$, dealer will only replace the whole part
- Bump stops on pre-2015 models are noisy in cold weather
- intermediate steering shaft on pre 2014 models can be defective
- bits of trim and interior pieces can be fragile
- starter on pre 2014 models are prone to fail, part is hard to access and requires more labor than your more conventional 4cyl car
- paint is thin, make sure its well protected or rust proofed
- light bulbs burn out frequently, cheap fix
- unfortunately requires synthetic oil and premium gasoline
- contrary to popular belief, the electrics are solid, from personal experience and others I know, they seldomly throw codes, check engine lights or act up
The Turbo and Abarth models are overall more satisfying to drive and own. The problem with them is that most of these cars were bought as cheap second hand commuters and owners neglected them. You will find that theyre either extremely well cared for or pure junk when shopping on the used market. There's still some deals out there to be had.
Make sure you find a well taken care model, which shouldnt be too hard seeing many of them are still owned by older people and put money aside for suspension components if youre doing mostly city driving, the short wheelbase and crappy roads give the car a hard time.
Hope that helps!