FIAT BUY IN (too bad for Chrysler)

vtdog · **Joined:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 11:27 am **Posts:** 640

My experience with Fiat, both as a previous owner of a Spider in the early 70s and renter of current products in Europe was/is less than good. Seems to me that any "small car technology" they acquire from Fiat will be less than useful and will underwhelm the American public. They probably should just fold Chrysler except for Jeep which could make it on its own as a "niche" vehicle.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/busin ... f=business

retmil46 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 20, 2009 2:22 pm

Agreed, if Fiat was the only one they could persuade to make a deal with them.... :roll:

jinstall · **Posted:** Wed Jan 21, 2009 11:49 pm

Well Cerberus is cleaning house, my friend just got axed on Friday, all but 15 kept their jobs in the Frankfurt office.

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:48 am

100% FIAT technology made in Yugoslavia and then screwed up even more with Bean Counters who cut corners by buying sub standard materials.

blake1827 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:15 pm

I dunno about you but move over Electric/Diesel Mini Cooper, and Honda Diesel's, and the missing VW TDI Rabbit....

I want this Fiat 500 Diesel: http://www.500bydiesel.com/

review: http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/car-reviews/ca ... 05405.html
"Indeed, the 75bhp 1.3-litre 16v Multijet diesel engine fitted to the 500 is so good that it rather overshadows the otherwise excellent pair of petrol powerplants"
"The Multijet diesel version will average over 65mpg, with the 1.2-litre petrol unit not far behind on around 50mpg."

tonycrd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:26 pm

'The agreement will allow Chrysler to use Fiat’s technology and vehicle platforms to build more fuel-efficient, small and midsize cars at its factories and sell them in North America'.

FIAT also ownes FERRARI and ALFA ROMEO, they do know how to design a car. Forget the Yugo and the bad quality of years gone by. FIAT's are pretty good.

Taking the 70's spider as an example of what FIAT stands for is like saying that all new FORD's suck because the '58 Edsel was so ugly.

So I suppose they'll build some pretty looking cars for the US market.

Small example: Alfa Romeo Brera ( also available with a diesel

)

And FIAT only got in for 35% so they are not taking over everything Chrysler and stop production on their JEEP models ( like GM wanted! :evil:

)

DDom · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:49 pm

I so wanted a Cinquecento during my youth!! (30 some years back) Funky and cool like the Cooper Mini of that day but with probably less road handling abilities. But in recent years the 500 has been somewhat ecoboxlike. Cousins have owned a few (Italy). reminded me of a Yugo. :roll:

But this new one looks very nice indeed! Maybe Fiat has done some suspension tuning for handling?? Right price in US and I'm all in! :wink:

tonycrd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:16 pm

Yeah, they did upgrade it to 2009 standards...and moved the engine from the rear to the front. Just like VW did in the New Beetle.

Have you seen this one?:shock:

ATXKJ · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:25 pm

I realize FIAT has some good designs - but I still remember them rusting out in 2-3 years.

Spain may not be a good test of that - but Germany was.

Does anyone know if they fixed it?

leone75 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2009 3:45 pm

In my experience Fiat can make good diesel engines the 2.4 5 cylinder in the current Alfa Romeos is an excellent engine
Fiat also own New Holland Tractors and they seem to be doing well in europe

Wobbly · **Posted:** Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:04 pm

A old joke is that FIAT means Fix It Again, Tony.

tonycrd · **Posted:** Fri Jan 23, 2009 1:14 pm

ATXKJ wrote:

I realize FIAT has some good designs - but I still remember them rusting out in 2-3 years.

Spain may not be a good test of that - but Germany was.

Does anyone know if they fixed it?

They fixed that in the early 90's, they started using better treated steel + paint processes.

I know Spain isn't a good reference country, in my defense I spend the first 32 years of my life in Holland, living close to Amsterdam. And over there it rains always and they use lots of salt in the winter. The 80´s VW's and BMW's rusted just as bad as the FIAT's.

I don't want to push FIAT down your throat, if you don't like them you don't like them.

Fiat Grande Punto (one of their smaller models)

For some reason that nose makes me think of a Ferrari... :wink:

Wobbly wrote:

A old joke is that FIAT means Fix It Again, Tony.

Funny, I worked for them for about 5 years....

And I was also thinking, maybe now parts prices for JEEP will go down a bit in Europe.

vtdog · **Joined:** Fri Sep 30, 2005 11:27 am **Posts:** 640

Looks like its going to be the blind leading the cripple:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/200 ... titialskip

warp2diesel · **Posted:** Fri Jan 23, 2009 7:08 pm

vtdog wrote:

Looks like its going to be the blind leading the cripple:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/200 ... titialskip

I know of blind who were more visionary than the Idiots involved in the Fiat Chrysler Merger and handicap who could run away from this stupid deal faster than these idiots. It is bad enough we have to bail out a bunch of hedge fund orators who would be better at speculating on pork bellies in the Middle East (yep, they don't eat pork over there) than running a car company, but bailing out Chrysler to hand it over to Fiat. How disgusting :!:

kdlewis1975 · **Posted:** Fri Jan 23, 2009 7:46 pm

Well...you never know. They might surprise us. Considering that pretty much every auto company is feeling pain, it's hard to hold Fiat to a higher standard than everyone else. They can't do any worse than Daimler. Pre-Daimler, Chrysler was in pretty good shape.

FIAT BUY IN (too bad for Chrysler)

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