First Impressions

[Fiat500USA]

pdxplm wrote

Took my first test drive of a Sport Manual.  We got to the lot and there must have been 8 Red PE's sitting there.  

First impressions, wow, an amazing car!  Waiting for the Sales person for the test drive, walking around the car, the details were phenomenal.  Everything seemed very tight and well put together.  The manual sport did have the Auto Temp control, so it is an option!!!

Now for the test drive...took me awhile to get used to the gas/clutch.  Seems like the little bugger wanted to GO!  Jumped on the freeway and definitely had some good pickup!

No real road noise per say, manual was definitely one of the best I have driven, the car was very solid!

Sales people were great too, no pressure, just the car sells itself.

Hi pdxplm,welcome to the forum.

Thanks for the report. The 500 is definitely a peppy car. Makes you want to just DRIVE!

[sjmst]

Got mine!  499. Drove out to Fiat of Westbury with my son in my 81 Fiat Spider. I was about his age when I bought the Spider new.
The 500 is of course a nice car. Fun. Only drove a bit, will have a better review shortly. Dealer didn't do anything to make the delivery special at all. No car cover. In fact, took them over an hour and a half to get the car to me. Also, Fiat did not send front license plate brackets, as they did not realize that New York State needed front plates. Quite understandable; who could have guessed what the laws are in a tiny little backwater like New York state? So I secured my front plate with zip ties. They meant well, though.
And I did get a manual!

All in all SOOO nice to finally have my car!  

[JustWilliam]

 Thanks for your impressions of a Lounge model- I've been really curious to hear what a the cars feel like with 15" wheels and standard suspension. I'm really leaning towards ordering a Pop at this point.

 Color is another matter entirely- this is amazingly great pallet from which to choose. I think I'll need to view them all in the metal.

  Does anyone know when an updated configurator will go online? Has anyone custom ordered a 500 in a studio yet? I'm eager to see a wider choice of interior/exterior color combinations, as well as individual options available outside of a "package" or model choice.

  My biggest worry is that FIAT will follow American and Asian brands that deny "upmarket" options to those who are devoted to manual transmissions.

  Thanks to all you PE owners and other early adopters for sharing your experiences and impressions. You people are fantastic!

  Peace,
  William
     

[fredfrey]

Great news Sam!  Too bad about the uneventful delivery. Perhaps they did not have the special car cover instock to do the unveiling?  So you're they guy with the FIAT licence plate!

[PE#454]

sjmst wrote

Got mine!....All in all SOOO nice to finally have my car!  

Congrats, Sam!

So--how do you feel about the red?

[Alvon Elrod]

Please let me know how you got a manual --  I assume that you are speaking of a printed owner's manual, warranty, etc.  I've been told that they are not available yet (Fiat customer service line).

If you're talking about a manual transmission, then I'm puzzled, since they are all manual (the PE's).

Alvon

[sjmst]

PE#454 wrote

sjmst wrote

Got mine!....All in all SOOO nice to finally have my car!  

Congrats, Sam!

So--how do you feel about the red?

Nice. It is a proper red. Not "orangey." BUT, I'd also be happy with gray or white!

[sjmst]

Alvon Elrod wrote

Please let me know how you got a manual --  I assume that you are speaking of a printed owner's manual, warranty, etc.  I've been told that they are not available yet (Fiat customer service line).

If you're talking about a manual transmission, then I'm puzzled, since they are all manual (the PE's).

Alvon

Hey Alvon. Right, a printed owners manual...a real manual in a binder and a DVD too. It was just there with the car!

[sjmst]

fredfrey wrote

Great news Sam!  Too bad about the uneventful delivery. Perhaps they did not have the special car cover instock to do the unveiling?  So you're they guy with the FIAT licence plate!

  Oh yeah, I copped that for my Spider last year.  

Now I have to replace the fugly NY orange plate with a vanity plate. The vanity plates are in white, and orange looks awful against the red car.


Will give a better report on the car when I can. Crazy busy week.

[Giallo Edizione]

fredfrey wrote

If you're into smooth rides... you're going to HATE the abarth.

Oh I didn;t say necessarily I needed a smooth ride. Abarth won't hurt me. My 03 MINI was pretty tricked out and the '68 MINI rode like a stone ( you could tell filter tip from regulars) and I was just fine.

What I meant to convey was its a nice ride and anyone who thinks they are sold on a Sport owes it to themselves to drive a Pop 5 speed or Lounge automatic before finalizing their purchase. They are that different and could be eye-opening for some.

[Gavin]

I would buy a lounge in a second if it came with a stick.

Gavin

[Gavin]

sjmst wrote

Got mine!  499. Drove out to Fiat of Westbury with my son in my 81 Fiat Spider. I was about his age when I bought the Spider new.
The 500 is of course a nice car. Fun. Only drove a bit, will have a better review shortly. Dealer didn't do anything to make the delivery special at all. No car cover.

All in all SOOO nice to finally have my car!  

Well I did get the cover on my delivery.



Sadly I could not talk Matt into letting me keep the cover :)  He had to take it back to Austin with him on the plane...I told him he could just accidentally "forget" it and that I would give it a good home.

Gavin

[Giallo Edizione]

sjmst wrote

fredfrey wrote

Great news Sam!  Too bad about the uneventful delivery. Perhaps they did not have the special car cover instock to do the unveiling?  So you're they guy with the FIAT licence plate!

  Oh yeah, I copped that for my Spider last year.  

Now I have to replace the fugly NY orange plate with a vanity plate. The vanity plates are in white, and orange looks awful against the red car.


Will give a better report on the car when I can. Crazy busy week.

Congrats Sam!  You look good with that car. If you end up mostly driving the 500, well I know of a very good potention home for the Spider.

[Alvon Elrod]

Sam,
Was the printed manual something put out by Fiat, or was it something that the dealer put together with  printed copies of pages from the DVD that were 3-hole-punched and put in a binder?  Please send me a photo if you get a chance -- thanks!


Alvon
[e-mail]

[sjmst]

The real deal. Like a manual you'd get if you bought a Jeep. In a nice folder. Will send a pic. Sam.

--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

 

From: Alvon Elrod [via Fiat 500 USA Forum] [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 04:22 PM
To: Germana, Sam
Subject: Re: First Impressions
 

Sam,
Was the printed manual something put out by Fiat, or was it something that the dealer put together with  printed copies of pages from the DVD that were 3-hole-punched and put in a binder?  Please send me a photo if you get a chance -- thanks!


Alvon
[hidden email]

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[Giallo Edizione]

You sure its not the start-up abridged manual that we got in our cars. I have a manual in the folder in the glove box, but its just a short-form with some of the basics so you can make it home alive from the dealer with the radio on.

[Alvon Elrod]

Sam,

Thanks for sending the photo.  The picture is of the 'User's guide', which is indeed fairly useful, but is a far cry from the information needed in an owner's manual for this car.  A word of warning:  most, but not all of the information provided in the User's guide is correct and applicable to our cars -- some of the info you will find to be different than your car.  The DVD does a better job of providing more complete information about the car, though it is somewhat jumbled and redundant in providing the same information in more than one place.  It is not useful when sitting in the car, unless you have a way to read the DVD in your car, and even then, I would much prefer an organized printed version to flip through.  I have tried to obtain the printed version from FIAT, per the instructions in the user's manual, but have not been able to make any headway yet.



Alvon

[sjmst]

Ah I see. Thanks, I didn't know! Sam.

--------------------------
Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

 

From: Alvon Elrod [via Fiat 500 USA Forum] [mailto:[hidden email]]
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 07:04 PM
To: Germana, Sam
Subject: Re: First Impressions
 

Sam,

Thanks for sending the photo.  The picture is of the 'User's guide', which is indeed fairly useful, but is a far cry from the information needed in an owner's manual for this car.  A word of warning:  most, but not all of the information provided in the User's guide is correct and applicable to our cars -- some of the info you will find to be different than your car.  The DVD does a better job of providing more complete information about the car, though it is somewhat jumbled and redundant in providing the same information in more than one place.  It is not useful when sitting in the car, unless you have a way to read the DVD in your car, and even then, I would much prefer an organized printed version to flip through.  I have tried to obtain the printed version from FIAT, per the instructions in the user's manual, but have not been able to make any headway yet.



Alvon

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[sjmst]

Busy day today, and next couple of days, but here is my quick report.

Drove the car 250 miles today, my first full day with the car (Like I said, I was busy)



PROS

Silky smooth engine, clutch, shifter.

Everything feels top quality.

All works as it should. No defects.

Plenty of pep. Fun to drive

Handles great. MUCH better than you could imagine looking at it.



CONS

It looks even smaller than I recall.

The ride on the highway is a bit choppy.

I drove a euro Lounge and it was smoother. I guess that's the tradeoff in comfort in getting the Sport version?

I have to get used to that.



-Nice car.

[sjmst]

My Prima Fiat Spider is a life long keeper!

BTW, anyone know if the Fiat logo in the center of the steering wheel has clear plastic film over it...like the interior prima badges? I can't tell.