2013 Fiat 500 Abarth owners, please check in at the front desk

bentwrench wrote: You youngsters never knew or saw the past crap foisted on the US public in the form of Fiat autos. It seems that they were not designed to be operated over 35mph or in temps over 70°F or even parked in the sun. Obtaining parts was a nightmare and caused financial ruin. I owned more than one and had the displeasure of working on more than a few. Such a foul taste was left in my mouth that the memories and pain are still close at hand. The stench left by the brand was such that a generation of ignats had to pass for the memory of fail to fade. Perhaps the brand has raised the bar, but the fail was so great that I remain unconvinced and reserve judgment. So complete was the fail that I will not consider embracing the brand for at least a generation of good. I fully expect that time frame will fall beyond my lifespan.

My experience was the complete opposite. If they are maintained correctly, which most Fiat dealers did not do, they would run forever. You also had to overcome the factory emission systems put on them at the time, as there were never really designed to have them. Rust was a different story, but almost everything rusted back then.

Like I said, my experience was very different, and I've had more than a dozen, plus another couple of dozen Alfa Romeos. Compared to say my BMW and Porsche experiences, the Fiats were like driving a Civic.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: Where are you guys finding the Abarth at 16-18k!? They are still asking 23k minimum around here even though they have a lot full of them (17 just sitting there).

I posted a link above; the '14s are near MSRP, but the '13s are getting the big discounts.

Huh, my Dad bought a Strada new in 1980 and loved it until the cat plugged up and took out the headgasket. Fiat fixed it under warranty and my Mom drove it all over the country until the mid-90's when it finally died on the way back from Utah.

She replaced it with a Colt with the dual-stick, it started rusting almost as soon as she hit the Oregon coast, but it was better in the Utah snow than her husband's Accord, both on snow tires. Might be that she's a better driver though, but I digress.

Then again, when my folks were married, Dad always had British sportscars (which Mom used to ferry us kids around in before the 3rd kid and the Strada arrived) so that might be why the Fiat was considered so much better than his Triumph, Sprite or MGB-GT.

My older brother had a CVCC, it was pretty fun until the headgasket went and the replacement didn't last very long either (stupid stretch bolts).

I emailed to schedule a test drive. They called then emailed, both times saying the rebates end tomorrow. I replied to the email that Saturday was the earliest I could make it, and if the price carried over into March then give me a call.

Really, when March 1rst rolls around and the same 5-7 cars are sitting on the lot, then what?

I'd bet the rebates will continue

Likely the rebate dates are set by the manufacturer, not the dealer. There isnt enough margin for the dealer to offer 6k off without manufacturer support.

You bastids have me looking at these things now...

racerdave600 wrote:

bentwrench wrote: You youngsters never knew or saw the past crap foisted on the US public in the form of Fiat autos. It seems that they were not designed to be operated over 35mph or in temps over 70°F or even parked in the sun. Obtaining parts was a nightmare and caused financial ruin. I owned more than one and had the displeasure of working on more than a few. Such a foul taste was left in my mouth that the memories and pain are still close at hand. The stench left by the brand was such that a generation of ignats had to pass for the memory of fail to fade. Perhaps the brand has raised the bar, but the fail was so great that I remain unconvinced and reserve judgment. So complete was the fail that I will not consider embracing the brand for at least a generation of good. I fully expect that time frame will fall beyond my lifespan.

My experience was the complete opposite. If they are maintained correctly, which most Fiat dealers did not do, they would run forever. You also had to overcome the factory emission systems put on them at the time, as there were never really designed to have them. Rust was a different story, but almost everything rusted back then. Like I said, my experience was very different, and I've had more than a dozen, plus another couple of dozen Alfa Romeos. Compared to say my BMW and Porsche experiences, the Fiats were like driving a Civic.

Agreeing with everyone else here. I owned 128s, 850s, 124s, 2000s, and a few lancias from the Fiat era. All were great cars, when maintained. Their bigger downfall was they were too advanced for their time. You are talking about cars that were getting overhead cams, 4 wheel disk brakes, 5 speed transmissions when drums, pushrods and 3 speeds were still the standard. They weren't complicated, but no one took the time to get to know them. They developed a reputation because bubba's service center where dad always took his chevy had no idea with to do with this "ferrin'" car. Loved em enough to take the vow that if they came back to these shores I'd own another and now I do. If I have any concerns at all with the car it's that Chrysler is involved in the manufacturing.

An example of service issues. On an X1/9, if you drain the coolant, you have to jack the front of the car up and there is a bleeder cap on top of the radiator. If you don't do this, the car will overheat and the head gasket will go. I saw this more than once. Valves also have to be adjusted with shims, and how many people really did that? The list goes on and on. My Fiat 600D was extremely reliable, if not very fast.

racerdave600 wrote: An example of service issues. On an X1/9, if you drain the coolant, you have to jack the front of the car up and there is a bleeder cap on top of the radiator. If you don't do this, the car will overheat and the head gasket will go. I saw this more than once. Valves also have to be adjusted with shims, and how many people really did that? The list goes on and on. My Fiat 600D was extremely reliable, if not very fast.

I have 10-20 lbs of shims....Im ready for anything :) I believe some watercooled VWs used the same arrangement.

Got a reply to my email:

"Hi Jerry,

I would hope there would be rebates available in March. As of now we have not been informed of what March's incentives will be. As a dealership we will do everything we can to give you the best value on a new FIAT.

Thanks,..."

SWMBO suggested scheduling a test drive anyway on Saturday, I have to at least see if I even like it lol. Then he might know the March deals by then, and if not maybe honor the February deal. So that's what I did, take it for a spin on Saturday before a friend's Mardi Gras party that night since she lives close to the dealership (it's in Cincy, I'm in Dayton). Just waiting for his reply.

Maybe we'll run into each other out there. If I have time, I may take the Fit to carmax for an appraisal, then hit a few lots for test drives this Saturday.

Pro tip: if you aren't there early, don't try to leave the automall from the main entrance. It's best to cut down the side road between the Mazda and Honda dealers, there's usually less of a wait at the intersection with the main road.

Narrowed down to 3 cars at 3 different dealers. Got out the door prices from 2, both about 1-1.5hrs away. Best is $21.9k out the door with upgraded wheels and sunroof. Meeting the local guy today, if he can't beat that that might be the winner.

And each of the 3 is a different color. I like them all.

Sweet - looks like you are going to be getting a new toy soon!

Did you test drive anything else, or just the Abarth? I'm beginning to regret test driving a wide range of cars...

Did you check TrueCar.com to see how your negotiated price stacks up? Given they have to pay TrueCar for the lead, I have always been able to beat that price.

In reply to Flight Service:

"Your Estimated TrueCar Dealer Price is 23.37% below MSRP. This is a great price." It ended up almost exactly the same. $22305 out the door with 2.65%, $308/month. Upgrade wheels, Beats audio, Comfort/Convenience package, stripe, sunroof...

Awesome looking ride!!! Congrats!

That looks great with the white wheels. I havenMt seen that combo yet.

Saw it on IG, good deal! I'm still really curious about them.

Black/red owner checking in!

In reply to AbarthOnly:

We can always use more. I still haven't seen many Abarths locally, maybe 2-3 since I bought mine in March. And except the one where the guy was too busy with his phone to even see me, the others have been when I'm driving Subarust anyway.

bentwrench wrote: You youngsters never knew or saw the past crap foisted on the US public in the form of toyota autos. It seems that they were not designed to be operated over 35mph or in temps over 70°F or even parked in the sun. Obtaining parts was a nightmare and caused financial ruin. I owned one and had the displeasure of working on the unmitigated pile of bat E36 M3 once it was out of warranty and things went wrong, which they did, all the time. Such a foul taste was left in my mouth that the memories and pain are still close at hand. So great was the fail, that I would consider a a cheap Porsche or old Alfa way before a toyota. The stench left by the brand was such that a generation of ignats had to pass for the memory of fail to fade. Perhaps the brand has raised the bar, but the fail was so great that I remain unconvinced and reserve judgment. So complete was the fail that I will not consider embracing the brand for at least a generation of good. I fully expect that time frame will fall beyond my lifespan.

Yeah, that about sums up my feelings.

But on to Abarth's, man they are cool, just too small. There's one here at work and I pause when I see it being driven, such a cool exhaust note.

bentwrench wrote: You youngsters never knew or saw the past crap foisted on the US public in the form of Fiat autos. It seems that they were not designed to be operated over 35mph or in temps over 70°F or even parked in the sun. Obtaining parts was a nightmare and caused financial ruin. I owned more than one and had the displeasure of working on more than a few. Such a foul taste was left in my mouth that the memories and pain are still close at hand. So great was the fail, that I would consider a Renault or Citroen way before a Fiat. The stench left by the brand was such that a generation of ignats had to pass for the memory of fail to fade. Perhaps the brand has raised the bar, but the fail was so great that I remain unconvinced and reserve judgment. So complete was the fail that I will not consider embracing the brand for at least a generation of good. I fully expect that time frame will fall beyond my lifespan.

Huh. My parents bought a Strada 4-door brand new in 1980. Headgasket was replaced under warranty due to a plugged cat. Dad set TTOD at a wet and extremely tight autocross with it. Mom drove it daily around town, to/from the Oregon Coast, to/from Utah several times, etc. It finally died on her in the mid-nineties on the way home from Utah and she replaced it with a Plymouth Champ.

I've known many local folks with Fiat X-1/9's along the West Coast that still drive them daily and I even owned one briefly. Great little cars.

The wife and I are going to go test drive a 500L at some point to replace her 01 Highlander.

The biggest issue with the cars was simply that no one expected to have to maintain them. Sure rust was a problem, not that Detroit was exactly sitting pretty there either (Vega anyone?) but the drivetrains were damned robust, EFI was stupidly simple, especially compared to the exploded carburetor nonsense that was Bosch MFI or the mostly useless TBI crap that Detroit was using.

I love my 2013 ABARTH

Jerry wrote: In reply to AbarthOnly: We can always use more. I still haven't seen many Abarths locally, maybe 2-3 since I bought mine in March. And except the one where the guy was too busy with his phone to even see me, the others have been when I'm driving Subarust anyway.

I'm in OHIO too!