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Fiat Dealers?
- Thread starter FourT2Infinity
- Start date
tuxumino
Purrfect
Ha... Love them 510s!! But I bet my '72 Toyota Sprinter with a 2TG motor or even my '74 Celica with the 18RG motor would take you...
Yeah, Old Skool baby...
my 510 had a SSS 1800 wih a 200sx 5 speed, my buddies 72 Sillycar had the 18rg, he was the better driver, I still beat him all the time. He finally grenaded the 18rg chasing me in marin. I'm hoping to build up a 74 merc capri but the car seems to attract cops even when broke down.
Ol' Gravy Leg
That's my Jam!
I always wanted to shoe-horn a small block into one of those.
FourT2Infinity
Registered
Asphaultnaut
Own the Mess You've Made!
21/20 mpg for a 4-cyl?
I hope you're talking spirited driving, not the EPA numbers. Because otherwise that's piss-poor.
supposed to be 20/29 lol
that's almost the same as the tiny Fiat gets and the Fiat generates a lot less horsepower and uses no boost.
FourT2Infinity
Registered
I just Yelped a number of Fiat dealers in the Bay Area (Berkley/Fremont/Concord etc). Every dealer had good comments, but the bad comments were incredibly scary - to the point were it discourages me from even looking at a new car!! Holy CRAP. I hate buying cars and I hate car dealerships more. But do you know what I hate even worse? Car Salesmen!! Even if they no longer wear plaid suits with wide ties and white shoes... they're still a bunch of shady characters with ill intentions out to swindle you.
I'll go to Concord tomorrow (crappy Yelp review) and try my luck. Hopefully, my wife and I don't encounter anything that'll give us a sick feeling after we test drive the Abarth. Our last new car - her 2012 Mitsu Outlander Sport - was purchased from a dealer in Concord and they were very nice. So maybe we'll be ok.
Car buying should NOT be this way... Stressful.
I'll go to Concord tomorrow (crappy Yelp review) and try my luck. Hopefully, my wife and I don't encounter anything that'll give us a sick feeling after we test drive the Abarth. Our last new car - her 2012 Mitsu Outlander Sport - was purchased from a dealer in Concord and they were very nice. So maybe we'll be ok.
Car buying should NOT be this way... Stressful.
TheRobSJ
May lose 10mm sockets if distracted
You will if you're tall. Granted I'm almost 6'4" but I fit in the Mini Cooper just fine. The Fiat 500/Abarth? I had to stick my head through the open sunroof to not be touching the roof.
Cycle61
What the shit is this...
Caddywumpus
4N631
Do share details...
In a nut shell... we have the car you want for a price you agree too... it will be here tomorrow... ok, tomorrows tomorrow, ok it won't be exactly the shade of black you wanted... and by tomorrow we meant 4 tomorrows from now and by color we mean the external and internal colors are what you specifically stated you didn't want... you still want the car? That is close to what happened at the Sac Fiat dealer.
I myself likes the cars and think the Abarth would be a blast.
Mickey_D100
Scares Children
I just Yelped a number of Fiat dealers in the Bay Area (Berkley/Fremont/Concord etc). Every dealer had good comments, but the bad comments were incredibly scary - to the point were it discourages me from even looking at a new car!! Holy CRAP. I hate buying cars and I hate car dealerships more. But do you know what I hate even worse? Car Salesmen!! Even if they no longer wear plaid suits with wide ties and white shoes... they're still a bunch of shady characters with ill intentions out to swindle you.
I'll go to Concord tomorrow (crappy Yelp review) and try my luck. Hopefully, my wife and I don't encounter anything that'll give us a sick feeling after we test drive the Abarth. Our last new car - her 2012 Mitsu Outlander Sport - was purchased from a dealer in Concord and they were very nice. So maybe we'll be ok.
Car buying should NOT be this way... Stressful.
Honestly if you feel this way check out the Costco auto buying program somebody recommended earlier. I didn't end up buying a car at that time so I didn't go all the way, but I had a great experience with it in dealing with the designated contact, from all the searching of inventory all over California for exactly the car with exactly the options to the pricing structure - you deal with a rep at a local dealer who's designated by Costco and who does all of the Costco buying for that area, and who knows that with those deals at least there's very little funny business - they are selling you a car for a fixed amount over invoice (including fixed prices on any accessories you're into), no muss, no fuss. It's not the best deal you could possibly get if you haggled the crap out of them, but it'll be a good solid fair deal for you and will significantly cut down on the BS and negotiating.
Best of luck! I'd have an Abarth in my driveway if they made it in an Auto (wife wants it as her fun car but only if it's auto). Fortunately, they're talking like they're gonna bring it in Auto for 2014, so I'm hopeful - it'd be better than nothing!
slydrite
On a brake
Yup and they're underpowered and tiny inside. Speedo very hard to read with just a glance.
Cute, but that's it.
FourT2Infinity
Registered
Pond scum. How do they think anyone would tolerate that?? I'm gonna try Roseville as they list the car equipped as I want it...FourT2Infinity
Registered
I mentioned that to my wife - we're Costco members - but weren't aware of that service. Sounds like a great option! We're test driving some cars today & maybe we'll purchase through Costco once we decide the Abarth is what we want.
Thanks again...
FourT2Infinity
Registered
Update: Finally drove one this weekend: Black, non-sunroof, cloth seats, 17" forged wheels.
Ok, at first, the Abarth felt, well... unremarkable (something one would expect from a 1.4 liter motor) as my foot headed south quick on the accelerator pedal. I thought, "this has 160 hp??" and was prepared to continue being underwhelmed. Then, I remembered to push "Sport" on the dash in front of me... and BOOM, like a prizefighter in his zone, the little Mexitalian was completely transformed. It went from mild-mannered Clark Kent, to Super Fiat in the push of a flimsy button (more on quality later). Apparently, torque went from 160 to 170 lb/ft but the sum of the transformation was certainly more than a simple 10 lb/ft delta. In "Sport" mode, I was chirping the front tire every time I shifted up to second - I mean every single time... and could likely do it in third if I tried. The Abarth was really fun to drive this way - you could not drive it slow. On the short freeway test, it held its own at 80 mph and had no problems keeping up & passing. Brakes were a little grabby, but probably just need a little break in for the pads - otherwise great stoppers. Suspension was compliant and sporty (not super stiff), but I felt some body roll on more aggressive corners. The Abarth would benefit greatly by swapping a set of Neu-F (Neuspeed) springs (Eibach and H&R also have applications). For track use, I'd opt for Konis with larger front/rear sway bars. The 17" Abarth wheels are forged and look phenomenal - very O.Z. like. These are a mandatory upgrade option if you were considering this car. So with regard to the Abarth's driving fun-factor - it's up there... WAY up there.
On quality: The Mexican-made, Chrysler-owned, Fiat-branded Italian is a really handsome car (I'm not calling it "cute"). On the outside, it looks very tidy & precise - all seams line up as they should and materials seems top notch. Optional 17" forged Abarth wheels, as mentioned above, are extremely good looking - specially in the dark anthracite versus the white. So from the outside, everything is as it should be. Move along, nothing to see here. Now, the interior... The leather seats (upgrade option in the showroom car) are very nice. The well-stitched, high-back seats offer very good side support and look very classy/sport with the red stitching. The flat-bottom, leather wrapped steering wheel is equally sporty/classy. The two things that concerned me most (my wife actually pointed these out as I was too distracted as I laughed all the way through the test drive) were the plastic-feel of the dash fascia (red or white accented part of the dash board in the respective-colored exterior) and the very flimsy plastic, chrome-look door handles. These two pieces felt pretty cheap. Even the "Sport", hazard, buttons were a little suspect in their long-term durability. But if the car keeps me laughing hysterically as my foot continues hitting the laughing gas pedal, all can be forgiven.
Overall, for a fully-loaded, kick-ass-fun-to-drive, little Italian... the Abarth is a steal at $26K. And if I purchase the car through the Costco Auto Purchase Program and save some $$$, I can opt for those suspension upgrades I mentioned and a couple of trackdays with the local WRX club.
Ok, at first, the Abarth felt, well... unremarkable (something one would expect from a 1.4 liter motor) as my foot headed south quick on the accelerator pedal. I thought, "this has 160 hp??" and was prepared to continue being underwhelmed. Then, I remembered to push "Sport" on the dash in front of me... and BOOM, like a prizefighter in his zone, the little Mexitalian was completely transformed. It went from mild-mannered Clark Kent, to Super Fiat in the push of a flimsy button (more on quality later). Apparently, torque went from 160 to 170 lb/ft but the sum of the transformation was certainly more than a simple 10 lb/ft delta. In "Sport" mode, I was chirping the front tire every time I shifted up to second - I mean every single time... and could likely do it in third if I tried. The Abarth was really fun to drive this way - you could not drive it slow. On the short freeway test, it held its own at 80 mph and had no problems keeping up & passing. Brakes were a little grabby, but probably just need a little break in for the pads - otherwise great stoppers. Suspension was compliant and sporty (not super stiff), but I felt some body roll on more aggressive corners. The Abarth would benefit greatly by swapping a set of Neu-F (Neuspeed) springs (Eibach and H&R also have applications). For track use, I'd opt for Konis with larger front/rear sway bars. The 17" Abarth wheels are forged and look phenomenal - very O.Z. like. These are a mandatory upgrade option if you were considering this car. So with regard to the Abarth's driving fun-factor - it's up there... WAY up there.
On quality: The Mexican-made, Chrysler-owned, Fiat-branded Italian is a really handsome car (I'm not calling it "cute"). On the outside, it looks very tidy & precise - all seams line up as they should and materials seems top notch. Optional 17" forged Abarth wheels, as mentioned above, are extremely good looking - specially in the dark anthracite versus the white. So from the outside, everything is as it should be. Move along, nothing to see here. Now, the interior... The leather seats (upgrade option in the showroom car) are very nice. The well-stitched, high-back seats offer very good side support and look very classy/sport with the red stitching. The flat-bottom, leather wrapped steering wheel is equally sporty/classy. The two things that concerned me most (my wife actually pointed these out as I was too distracted as I laughed all the way through the test drive) were the plastic-feel of the dash fascia (red or white accented part of the dash board in the respective-colored exterior) and the very flimsy plastic, chrome-look door handles. These two pieces felt pretty cheap. Even the "Sport", hazard, buttons were a little suspect in their long-term durability. But if the car keeps me laughing hysterically as my foot continues hitting the laughing gas pedal, all can be forgiven.
Overall, for a fully-loaded, kick-ass-fun-to-drive, little Italian... the Abarth is a steal at $26K. And if I purchase the car through the Costco Auto Purchase Program and save some $$$, I can opt for those suspension upgrades I mentioned and a couple of trackdays with the local WRX club.
Caddywumpus
4N631
Hecho en Mexico?
Ill pass... Cool car otherwise.
Ill pass... Cool car otherwise.
TheRobSJ
May lose 10mm sockets if distracted
$26k?! Seems like a lot for such a small car.
You can get a Ford Focus ST with every option for that kind of money and it has an absolute shit ton more power than the Fiat.
And just for shits and giggles, I looked up some prices for a car that's caught my fancy recently, a Mini Paceman. Loaded up with options you can hit $40k!!! Ok, it doesn't strike my fancy as much anymore.
You can get a Ford Focus ST with every option for that kind of money and it has an absolute shit ton more power than the Fiat.
And just for shits and giggles, I looked up some prices for a car that's caught my fancy recently, a Mini Paceman. Loaded up with options you can hit $40k!!! Ok, it doesn't strike my fancy as much anymore.
AbsolutEnduser
bike r
nice to hear about the Fiat.
I was also severely discouraged by prices when I discovered that a new VW GTI with top-options is 30k without even dealer markup.. and that is NOT the VW Golf R version.
I am discouraged by dealer markups btw. GL
p.s. women probably buy the non-Abarth version of the FIAT in 98% of the cases..
I was also severely discouraged by prices when I discovered that a new VW GTI with top-options is 30k without even dealer markup.. and that is NOT the VW Golf R version.
I am discouraged by dealer markups btw. GL
p.s. women probably buy the non-Abarth version of the FIAT in 98% of the cases..
For something spiffy like an Abarth I would go w/ a car broker like hammerauto. A few hundred $$ and they'll search the entire state of CA and get you a better price than you can haggle...at worst an equal price w/o all of those hours wasted. I did this with my 2004 mazda 6. Sent them what I wanted, car was ready in 2 days at their place. Sign papers and done. I used costco for our new 2012 mazda 6 since I was buying in Oct (vs May w/ the car broker).