Now this is an instrument cluster I could really get used to...

It's in the new 2012 Fiat 500 which is selling like hotcakes here...

Peter,
Is the Fiat going to be more reliable than they used to be? I have heard we are going to be able to get them here eventually but ...

I do not plan to "upgrade" from my E-30 for a long time. When one already has the chariot of the gods, one need not even frequent the showrooms.

Bob in Lake Havasu

Since Fiat is now 'associated' with Chrysler, I can only assume the quality and reliability will be worse than it was before

As the somewhat abivalent owner of a PT Cruiser, all I can say is if Chrysler is behind Fiat, the odds are 50-50 the car will crap out on the test drive. And everything at the certified Chrysler repair facility is pretty simple. You just multiply $800 by an integer. My wife just had to have a PT Cruiser. She thought they were so cute.


alan

Fiat had a nasty reputation, mostly due to cars they sold at the 80's, early 90's.
I don't have one myself, but people over here are more content with them than they used to.

The Fiat 500 came out very well, it has been a success!
It's a shame such a great design doesn't have much more new technology...
Fiat is developing a new twin cylinder air cooled compact engine, to power the small car range and the hybrids to come...

JP

Well then I hope your wife didn't have to have you...

I drove the 500 with the twinair two cylinder 900cc turbocharged engine (watercooled!), it was actually a nice little thing. Sounds a bit like a twostroke moped, very much fun to rev it (but that affects the fuel consumption), quick enough around town and on the occasional highway.

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Archeo-peteriX
Since Fiat is now 'associated' with Chrysler, I can only assume the quality and reliability will be worse than it was before

Well, the "Bmw"," mini cooper" is a Chrysler product made in Brazil and they are pretty reliable the newer ones anyhow.

Of course there's nothing Bmw about the mini pisses me off they carry the badge though