Car Shopping...

[cyrus buelton]

My cousin had a "K" car that ran for like 400k.


Of course it was the ugliest car known to man, was awful to drive, but the sucker lasted for some reason.

[muskrat]

we had a Fuego and Uno in Venezuela and it lasted for what seems EVER! Maybe the ones shipped here sucked but Fiats are everywhere in South America and believe me the roads suck.

[Popeye the Sailor]

weren't Fiat's historically unreliable?

So were Ducatis, yet you still bought one.

[cyrus buelton]

So were Ducatis, yet you still bought one.

My 1999 Monster has only had one issue: the starter died in 2010.

Other than that........18k carefree miles.

Sure, might not be a lot of miles for those of you in year round riding or lots of free time, but my bike has been maintenance free outside of a few valve adjustments and belts.

I wouldn't call that "unreliable"

It has never left me stranded.

Now my 2004 S4r has left me stranded twice............I ran out of gas twice 

[Popeye the Sailor]

My 1999 Monster has only had one issue: the starter died in 2010.

Other than that........18k carefree miles.

Sure, might not be a lot of miles for those of you in year round riding or lots of free time, but my bike has been maintenance free outside of a few valve adjustments and belts.

I wouldn't call that "unreliable"

It has never left me stranded.

Now my 2004 S4r has left me stranded twice............I ran out of gas twice 

Were unreliable. Were. Past tense. Historically. Notoriously. Used to be. No longer are. Prior to now.

I could go on.

[cyrus buelton]

Were unreliable. Were. Past tense. Historically. Notoriously. Used to be. No longer are. Prior to now.

I could go on.

Depends on how long ago you define "unreliable" is.

my bike is 11 years old.

If we are talking 80's.........maybe Duc's were. I have no idea.

[Popeye the Sailor]

Depends on how long ago you define "unreliable" is.

my bike is 11 years old.

If we are talking 80's.........maybe Duc's were. I have no idea.

"Historical" implies you know.....more than 11 years to me.

[cyrus buelton]

 

My ex-girlfriend in colleges Dad had a MG.


I am not sure that thing ever ran more than a month or two before it broke again.


Now that is unreliable.

[muskrat]

So were Ducatis, yet you still bought one.

only after Texas Pacific Group got them back on track. 

[redxblack]

Fiat changed hands a few years ago and have been doing great things. Did you happen to catch the top gear episode when they were looking for the best small car? In the end, they decided based on popularity that all three of them were wrong because they completely forgot about the fiat 500.

http://www.topgear.com/uk/fiat/500


And yes, Fiat had a bad name from their last try to sell cars in the US. I sincerely don't see a repeat on the horizon with their QC issues resolved and Americans being far more interested in smaller cars than in prior decades.

[duccarlos]

I sincerely don't see a repeat on the horizon with their QC issues resolved and Americans being far more interested in smaller cars than in prior decades.

You mean more lack of interest in SUV's. Most people still buy sedans.

[ducatiz]

And yes, Fiat had a bad name from their last try to sell cars in the US. I sincerely don't see a repeat on the horizon with their QC issues resolved and Americans being far more interested in smaller cars than in prior decades.

my feeling about Fiat's 80's foray into the US is that American car owners (IN GENERAL) treat their cars like shit and know nothing about maintenance, as opposed to European drivers who pay heavy taxes on cars and want to keep them running.  Plus, it's my understanding (esp in Germany) that very minor maintenance issues will fail inspection.

[Howie]

I worked on Fiats in the '70s.  At that time in Europe Fiats were... ummm...not very good, but a good buy for the buck, er, lira.  In some ways Fiats were well engineered, perhaps to well engineered.  By that, I mean many components were designed well enough to handle the job but not much more.  Fiats coming into the US were a little heavier due to our safety standards.  Remember the huge bumpers of  '74?  Door side beams?  A little added weight?  Shortened life of wheel bearings, struts, cv joints.  Raised suspension to meet US bumper height standards didn't help either. 

The US emissions package left a lot to be desired too, though this could be fixed by some desmogging, carb work and distributor recurving.  Then there was the problem of delivering a strange Italian car for a price we would pay, for example, a safety recall of Fiat 128s for premature structural rust because US models were not undercoated.

Many European manufacturers suffered similar problems due to the cost and difficulty of meeting US specs.  Off hand Alfa Romeo, Citroen, Renault, MG and Peugeot are a fewcome to mind.

my feeling about Fiat's 80's foray into the US is that American car owners (IN GENERAL) treat their cars like shit and know nothing about maintenance, as opposed to European drivers who pay heavy taxes on cars and want to keep them running.  Plus, it's my understanding (esp in Germany) that very minor maintenance issues will fail inspection.

Very true, also true of some dealers.

[ducatiz]

The US emissions package left a lot to be desired too, though this could be fixed by some desmogging, carb work and distributor recurving.  Then there was the problem of delivering a strange Italian car for a price we would pay, for example, a safety recall of Fiat 128s for premature structural rust because US models were not undercoated.

When I was a teen, our neighbor had an X1/9 which he meticulously maintained.  He did a lot of modification to the car, and I think he removed a bunch of stuff.  By coincidence or design, he was Italian (not jersey shore type, real off the boat from Parma).. 

He took almost every hose off the engine, which back then seemed crazy to me, but now i realize he took off all the smog crap (almost all CARB stuff).  I don't know what else he did, but that car was awesome.  I still want one.  Maybe after I finish the GTV.

[Howie]

When I was a teen, our neighbor had an X1/9 which he meticulously maintained.  He did a lot of modification to the car, and I think he removed a bunch of stuff.  By coincidence or design, he was Italian (not jersey shore type, real off the boat from Parma).. 

He took almost every hose off the engine, which back then seemed crazy to me, but now i realize he took off all the smog crap (almost all CARB stuff).  I don't know what else he did, but that car was awesome.  I still want one.  Maybe after I finish the GTV.

A freind of mine still has one.  Beetle slow, but it handles great and is more fun than a barrel of monkeys.