Opened Fiat Dealers

[rabbitsINmilk]

Brown's Fiat of Patchogue Long Island, NY is open with a mostly finished studio and a black sport marketing demo that we are test driving the balls off of. I must say the car is ridiciously fun to drive. Also 10:00am this sunday March 6th 2011, we are having the local Alfa and Fiat club comming down with their classics and we will be test driving the car all day, not to mention free refreshments as well. If your in the area and the weather holds up come on down all are welcome. If it rains you can still come by but I doubt the classics will be around and that means the food will be out of the window as well lol.  Email me if you need more information.  j.gillen(at)gmail.com

--
Jason

[Giallo Edizione]

This email just in from my local dealer in Peabody, MA just north of Boston:



Good Evening!
 
We have EXCITING NEWS!
 
Our FIAT Studio will be opening tomorrow!   We do have a marketing vehicle available to view and are expecting inventory available early next week for test drive.  
 
We will be taking orders off our incoming inventory and have over 50 FIAT 500's scheduled to arrive prior to the end of the month.
 
Please feel free to stop by and take a look at this great car.   We are open from 9am until 6pm tomorrow and Saturday as well was from Noon until 5pm on Sunday.
 
We look forward to seeing you soon.
 
 
Very best,
Patrick
 
 
Patrick Afthim
Sales Manager
Kelly FIAT
978-774-2600
[e-mail]

[Jim McKenzie]

Holy Crap!    Wonderful news (except for PE owners of course).   I know Peabody well, having grown up (?) in Braintree  (Graduated from Thayer Academy) , Canton, Marshfield and Falmouth.

Good for you, have fun!

[Fiat500USA]

rabbitsINmilk wrote

Brown's Fiat of Patchogue Long Island, NY is open with a mostly finished studio and a black sport marketing demo that we are test driving the balls off of. I must say the car is ridiciously fun to drive. Also 10:00am this sunday March 6th 2011, we are having the local Alfa and Fiat club comming down with their classics and we will be test driving the car all day, not to mention free refreshments as well. If your in the area and the weather holds up come on down all are welcome. If it rains you can still come by but I doubt the classics will be around and that means the food will be out of the window as well lol.  Email me if you need more information.  j.gillen(at)gmail.com

--
Jason

Hi Jason, welcome to the Forum! Sounds like an awesome time.  Good luck to you and everyone at Browns!

[littlejohn]

Hello, been reading this board for weeks, figured I'd join in.  I like reading all the comments, good stuff.

I work down the road from Criswell Fiat, Gaithersburg, MD.  They of course have had demo for a while now.  Today I received an email telling me others cars are on the way, most spoken for, but asking me if I knew anyone else with my passion for the 500?, etc.  I was PM 299, but got my deposit back...unsure of continued employment, new car payment, etc...I hated to cancel, but am enjoying seeing the Pics posted here, and conversation...

I'm sure with my dealer being up and running I probably would have had my PM by now or any day, that's the worst part of it.  It's been a month or so since they called to start the process for delivery, had to tell them no go.

I guess the plan was the PMs would come in before the other inventory?, but that's not happening, as others have pointed out, and I feel for those of you so far from dealers...and there are just so few dealers open?   BTW, about dealers, there was another dealer near my home, that signed on, was listed as being chosen...the word on the street is that when they worked the numbers, there was just not enough profit in it for them to move on the idea, building the studio, getting only a limited number off cars per month to sell, etc...so they bailed.  I see no evidence that any Studio is being built, so.  Same thing could be happening to other proposed sites/dealers as well?  Too bad...it's a neat car, I drove by the Criswell shop just today and spotted their orange demo.

Well, I'll keep admiring from afar as I haven't had the heart to go test drive the Demo since I'm no longer #299.  Who knows, maybe an Abarth later if things improve, never know, gas doesn't seem to be getting any cheaper.  Thanks for listening/reading.

[Fiat500USA]

Hi littlejohn,

Welcome to the forum!  Sorry you had to cancel your order. There are pros and cons with the PE.  The good news is when you get your 500/Abarth, you'll be able to order it exactly the way you want it.

In the meantime, stick around and hang out with us!

-Chris

[littlejohn]

Thanks Chris, the MD/DC area, with so many future dealers, I'm lucky, I'll be seeing all the different styles/colors tooling around town...taking my wife by Criswell today to take a peek at the demo, if it isn't out on a test drive.

I'm hoping the dealers don't try to pop a $5K premium, or something, on the Abarths when they arrive...that would be a bummer.

On the PE:

I had no problem with the way the Prima was rolled out.  Fiat and dealer made contact with me on all fronts, maybe more so than others PEers, because I had a dealer that was almost opened.

The one thing I do wish Fiat had done, if they could have made the planets align for this addition, and would have made the car "really" special, would have been to drop in the 135hp engine, along with the other standard PE items.

I wish they would option that, or make it standard on the Sport in the future?
Don't need any other changes to the Sport, keep the 16" wheels, all the rest, love it.

I like Laura from the interviews I've seen.  Launching a new venture such as this one is no easy task to say the least.  
From the recent PM photos posted, I like the way the vehicle turned out.  I'm sure those who get their will love them.      

[sjmst]

rabbitsINmilk wrote

Brown's Fiat of Patchogue Long Island, NY is open with a mostly finished studio and a black sport marketing demo that we are test driving the balls off of. I must say the car is ridiciously fun to drive. Also 10:00am this sunday March 6th 2011, we are having the local Alfa and Fiat club comming down with their classics and we will be test driving the car all day, not to mention free refreshments as well. If your in the area and the weather holds up come on down all are welcome. If it rains you can still come by but I doubt the classics will be around and that means the food will be out of the window as well lol.  Email me if you need more information.  j.gillen(at)gmail.com

--

My son just test drove that car yesterday, Great dealer. My son's car is a 95 BMW 5 series 5 speed, so that's his point of reference:

"The pics aren't great I was a tad too excited about the car itself....it just makes you happy being around it. It's cute but sporty & can perform but is a laugh too...I got in my car after driving the FIAT and its amazing how different it is...my clutch felt like it was made of granite. The suspension was made of solid steel and it was louder than a saturn 5 rocket...which it also felt as fast as...it makes my car feel like a race car...but having stepped out of my car and directly into the 500 the Fiat didn't feel slow or gutless or soft or anything negative...it just felt spot on, except for the super light clutch (I like stiff clutches). It really is such a different driving experience than what I'm used to. But all the same...it absolutely pleased me..yeah I like cars that are low, loud and stiff..but I could honestly hop in a 500 and be totally happy...it's an outstandingly good car and right now I wouldn't spend money on anything else.
MG approved"
Jason

[ciddyguy]

sjmst wrote

rabbitsINmilk wrote

Brown's Fiat of Patchogue Long Island, NY is open with a mostly finished studio and a black sport marketing demo that we are test driving the balls off of. I must say the car is ridiciously fun to drive. Also 10:00am this sunday March 6th 2011, we are having the local Alfa and Fiat club comming down with their classics and we will be test driving the car all day, not to mention free refreshments as well. If your in the area and the weather holds up come on down all are welcome. If it rains you can still come by but I doubt the classics will be around and that means the food will be out of the window as well lol.  Email me if you need more information.  j.gillen(at)gmail.com

--

My son just test drove that car yesterday, Great dealer. My son's car is a 95 BMW 5 series 5 speed, so that's his point of reference:

"The pics aren't great I was a tad too excited about the car itself....it just makes you happy being around it. It's cute but sporty & can perform but is a laugh too...I got in my car after driving the FIAT and its amazing how different it is...my clutch felt like it was made of granite. The suspension was made of solid steel and it was louder than a saturn 5 rocket...which it also felt as fast as...it makes my car feel like a race car...but having stepped out of my car and directly into the 500 the Fiat didn't feel slow or gutless or soft or anything negative...it just felt spot on, except for the super light clutch (I like stiff clutches). It really is such a different driving experience than what I'm used to. But all the same...it absolutely pleased me..yeah I like cars that are low, loud and stiff..but I could honestly hop in a 500 and be totally happy...it's an outstandingly good car and right now I wouldn't spend money on anything else.
MG approved"
Jason

That was my feelings as well about the car although I'm actually looking forward to a lighter clutch as driving in rush hour with a heavy, stiff clutch isn't fun and before the truck I drove 2 80's era Hondas with cable clutches and had a blast driving both cars but will say, the 83 Civic beat out the 88 Accord due to it being smaller, lighter and more agile but both were fun to drive and the clutch was not as fatiguing as the one in the truck.

[AgentP]

I went to the Downtown LA Village dealership today.  There were about 5 or 6 on the 3rd floor and they are all Sport versions in the color Silver metallic (one was a grey) - very boring.  There was one salesman (Mitch) there (that I saw) and he told me that they are accepting orders for anyone who wants to build their own car right now ($500 deposit and 45-60 days to deliver).   While I was there, I met a guy, about 6'3," (not a member of this forum) who is one of the first 500 PE orders and he is waiting for the delivery of his car.  He sat in one of cars with sun roof (they all had sunroofs) and adjusted the seat a bit. He said although he would like a bit more headroom, he seemed to think it was acceptable.  The demonstrator is not available this weekend (it is in the shop getting some decals or something) but will be back on Monday.  The salesman said I would not require an appointment to test drive on Monday.  He said they will not mark the price up above the MSRP at this dealership. He didn't seem to know what the financing terms were to be, but thought you could get somewhere between 2.99% and 4% if you had excellent credit.  The 6'3" guy says he has excellent credit and was quoted 4% from Wells Fargo.   He said that they had a waiting list of about 70 people.  I think these were the people that signed up for the PE version.  He says he was told that if they sell the ones they are getting in, they will get in another 20 (this was not really clear to me what he meant by that). But you could just order one with what you want so I don't see the big deal about this.  I asked him about the additional fees above MSRP to buy the car - he told me to figure on about 10%.  I live in Los Angeles and checked out that website http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/what-fees-should-you-pay.html and I got the idea that fees would be lower than that.  

 I was wondering if anyone has any idea what happens if we buy one of these cars and something is wrong with it and needs mechanical repair - have they been training mechanics to work on them?  I mean, they barely got the dealerships open and are training the sales people about the cars (ie, I felt I knew more than the sales person about the car).  Are mechanics standing by if there's a need?  I know the car has been in production in Europe for 3 years, but we need dealership mechanics and the car was supposedly modified for USA market.  Any thoughts?

[sketch]

The service personnel had to go through a training process. The one and only thing my dealer is certain of is that he is fully able to service the car.

[Giallo Edizione]

Any modern competently trained mechanic can repair any car. Provided they have the software that can diagnose the car and parts to replace the failed part. The latter is going to be the problem I see if  these 500's break in the wrong way during the next few months.

Reminds me of my first new FIAT in 1974. It spent more time in the shop than in my driveway-mostly waiting for common parts from Italy. That is, after they ran out of spares they would "borrow" from other peoples cars and unsold new cars. Assuming I didn't get a "wall job." And the dealers did not have modern or competent or trained mechanics.

If this worries you, run. Run fast and don't look back.

For me this is a toy, not a primary vehicle. At least not initially. So I am not too worried. Besided, MA has a lemon law and if they can't fix it within a certain period of time, FIAT has to replace the car.

I saw your other question about the bezel. Upon the Great Enlightenment, we came to find that they are body color except for the Prima Edizione model, which is liquid graphite.

[AgentP]

Thanks for posting back about the bezel!  Yaaaay!!!!  However, the ones that were in the studio - they all had this grey/graphite dash and those aren't PEs.... i'm not that detail oriented - should have shot pics today - when I go back on Monday I am going to shoot some pics of the dashes - all they had was grey/silver grey color cars and it could very well be that the dash was grey - but for some reason I'm thinking what I saw was graphite on those models - the interiors where two-tone only (no white) of black - black headliner and black insets on the upholstery.  I planned to order the Pop version either with the black on black seats or with the white/black seats.

[CaliberSRT4]

AgentP wrote

I went to the Downtown LA Village dealership today.  There were about 5 or 6 on the 3rd floor and they are all Sport versions in the color Silver metallic (one was a grey) - very boring.  There was one salesman (Mitch) there (that I saw) and he told me that they are accepting orders for anyone who wants to build their own car right now ($500 deposit and 45-60 days to deliver).   While I was there, I met a guy, about 6'3," (not a member of this forum) who is one of the first 500 PE orders and he is waiting for the delivery of his car.  He sat in one of cars with sun roof (they all had sunroofs) and adjusted the seat a bit. He said although he would like a bit more headroom, he seemed to think it was acceptable.  The demonstrator is not available this weekend (it is in the shop getting some decals or something) but will be back on Monday.  The salesman said I would not require an appointment to test drive on Monday.  He said they will not mark the price up above the MSRP at this dealership. He didn't seem to know what the financing terms were to be, but thought you could get somewhere between 2.99% and 4% if you had excellent credit.  The 6'3" guy says he has excellent credit and was quoted 4% from Wells Fargo.   He said that they had a waiting list of about 70 people.  I think these were the people that signed up for the PE version.  He says he was told that if they sell the ones they are getting in, they will get in another 20 (this was not really clear to me what he meant by that). But you could just order one with what you want so I don't see the big deal about this.  I asked him about the additional fees above MSRP to buy the car - he told me to figure on about 10%.  I live in Los Angeles and checked out that website http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/what-fees-should-you-pay.html and I got the idea that fees would be lower than that.  

 I was wondering if anyone has any idea what happens if we buy one of these cars and something is wrong with it and needs mechanical repair - have they been training mechanics to work on them?  I mean, they barely got the dealerships open and are training the sales people about the cars (ie, I felt I knew more than the sales person about the car).  Are mechanics standing by if there's a need?  I know the car has been in production in Europe for 3 years, but we need dealership mechanics and the car was supposedly modified for USA market.  Any thoughts?

10% sounds about right for CA. Most of that is sales tax, and then some extra for license fees. Doc fee limit is $55 in California as well, so they can't get extra money from you with that.

If you have a nearby dealership, maintenance on your car should be no issue. You have 3 years of included maintenance and unlimited roadside assistance. Mechanics are already trained and are required for the dealership to be open for business. The dealer won't sell you a car they can't service.

[ciddyguy]

AgentP wrote

I went to the Downtown LA Village dealership today.  There were about 5 or 6 on the 3rd floor and they are all Sport versions in the color Silver metallic (one was a grey) - very boring.  There was one salesman (Mitch) there (that I saw) and he told me that they are accepting orders for anyone who wants to build their own car right now ($500 deposit and 45-60 days to deliver).   While I was there, I met a guy, about 6'3," (not a member of this forum) who is one of the first 500 PE orders and he is waiting for the delivery of his car.  He sat in one of cars with sun roof (they all had sunroofs) and adjusted the seat a bit. He said although he would like a bit more headroom, he seemed to think it was acceptable.  The demonstrator is not available this weekend (it is in the shop getting some decals or something) but will be back on Monday.  The salesman said I would not require an appointment to test drive on Monday.  He said they will not mark the price up above the MSRP at this dealership. He didn't seem to know what the financing terms were to be, but thought you could get somewhere between 2.99% and 4% if you had excellent credit.  The 6'3" guy says he has excellent credit and was quoted 4% from Wells Fargo.   He said that they had a waiting list of about 70 people.  I think these were the people that signed up for the PE version.  He says he was told that if they sell the ones they are getting in, they will get in another 20 (this was not really clear to me what he meant by that). But you could just order one with what you want so I don't see the big deal about this.  I asked him about the additional fees above MSRP to buy the car - he told me to figure on about 10%.  I live in Los Angeles and checked out that website http://www.edmunds.com/car-buying/what-fees-should-you-pay.html and I got the idea that fees would be lower than that.  

 I was wondering if anyone has any idea what happens if we buy one of these cars and something is wrong with it and needs mechanical repair - have they been training mechanics to work on them?  I mean, they barely got the dealerships open and are training the sales people about the cars (ie, I felt I knew more than the sales person about the car).  Are mechanics standing by if there's a need?  I know the car has been in production in Europe for 3 years, but we need dealership mechanics and the car was supposedly modified for USA market.  Any thoughts?

I wouldn't worry too much as Fiat is not the same as they were 35-40 years ago and they obviously seem to be wanting to do things right, and they have Chrysler to assist when needed in some areas. I think personally, both will survive, probably better than GM but only time will tell though.

Seems that with Marchionne at the helm, they've done much good things since he took over in 2004 or so to not feel too worried about it.

And as others have said, mechanics and sales people have had to get trained to service these cars right. That was the issue with Fiat years ago, poor dealer service, lack of dealer support etc was what did them in at the time.

From the word in Europe in general, generally good cars these days, reasonably reliable and decent service/repair when needed.

And they offer a 4 year bumper to bumper warranty and a 36K or 3 year maintenance program that's free for all new Fiats so they have confidence in their product. And remember this, most cars today are much more reliable than their counterparts of 30+ years ago anyway so that in and of itself is something to think about.

[Fiat500USA]

Hi AgentP, welcome to the forum!

Thanks for your report. Service training took place before sales training, and is a big priority with Fiat (if it wasn't, they would have just shipped the cars to any Chrysler dealer to deliver).

Each dealer has to make a huge $$$$ initial monthly parts order.  I won't say the exact amount, but roughly, you could buy a couple of 500s for that amount.

That doesn't include the other huge $$$$ amount for service tools.
 
Everyone is committed to making it a success. The car is also relatively simple, so I'm optimistic.

[RacerRon]

My local Fiat manager said that a group of their mechanics went to Tennessee for extensive service training on the Fiat 500.

[sjmst]

I am buying the car as my daily driver. I have a 100 mile round trip commute from Long Island to NJ every day.
I drive through Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. I will drive in sunshine, rain, snow and sleet, in 100 degree and 18 degree weather. I have no doubts this car will serve me well. When it needs service and repair, I have no doubt the parts and know how to fix it will be available.

I drive the hell out of my cars, but I also take very good care of them. After 80,000 miles, the car will still look pretty much like new.

[Giallo Edizione]

Gavin wrote

Seems that so far Fiat is only making the Sport...at least for the Demos and for the PE. I'm sure they will be making Pops and Lounges, but they are going Sport so far...wonder how that will affect test rides...too many people can't ride a stick in the US.

Let us know when El Paso gets their demo...I've heard nothing from the Albuquerque dealer...I could drive down to El Paso for a test ride...only about 265 miles (vs 5 miles if Albuquerque gets it all together...)

Gavin

My dealer in Boston area said they are expecting a couple of Pops in this month's distribution along with a couple of Sport automatics. Nothing on Lounge.

[ciddyguy]

sjmst wrote

I am buying the car as my daily driver. I have a 100 mile round trip commute from Long Island to NJ every day.
I drive through Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens. I will drive in sunshine, rain, snow and sleet, in 100 degree and 18 degree weather. I have no doubts this car will serve me well. When it needs service and repair, I have no doubt the parts and know how to fix it will be available.

I drive the hell out of my cars, but I also take very good care of them. After 80,000 miles, the car will still look pretty much like new.

Yep, same here, but not in NY though, out in Seattle and its environs instead but yes, my only set of wheels as I'm replacing a 19 YO Ford Ranger with lots and lots of miles on it for something smaller, more sippy in gas etc (although the truck's mileage is good for a small truck so I can't complain there but at 232K on it, yeah, it's getting a tad long in the tooth).

Therefore I have no qualms about the car's potential longevity and all that and I think it'll be fairly to very reliable too, as most cars are these days.