Seconda Edizione

[Mike S]

Move along folks, nothing special here at all.

The delay now is the wait for the Prima badges to be replaced with Seconda badges.

[MrJones]

Yes!

The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at Fiat (and the left hand isn't even doing anything!).

I am definitely passing on my Prima, and now am not too likely to buy a 500 anytime soon. I'm looking at a Mini or a Golf TDI (drove one the other day--it's pretty fun. Not as fun as the 500....)

[sjmst]

MrJones wrote

Yes!

The left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at Fiat (and the left hand isn't even doing anything!).

I am definitely passing on my Prima, and now am not too likely to buy a 500 anytime soon. I'm looking at a Mini or a Golf TDI (drove one the other day--it's pretty fun. Not as fun as the 500....)

I understand but don't spite yourself. Fiat's f ups notwithstanding, this should be one helluva car.

[MrJones]

sjmst wrote

I understand but don't spite yourself. Fiat's f ups notwithstanding, this should be one helluva car.

No doubt this is a great little car. I hope it does well, but if early "f ups," as you put it, are any indication, I'm not so sure it will. I may come back around to Fiat when (if) things smooth out for them. They are an established brand but are operating like version 1.0 right now.

Hindsight as it is, maybe these should have been called "speciale edizione" instead of Prima?

[Jeff]

Sign me up for the Terzo Edizione...I bet I'll get mine first :)

[Jim McKenzie]

I now wonder if Fiat didn't make a huge mistake with the "Prima" part of the "Prima Edizione" badging.  

In hindsight it appears that they should have named it "Edizione speciale" or special edition instead...there wouldn't be the bitterness some are starting to feel or have felt for a while.

I also wonder how many would have still ordered them as special edition badged "thank you's" if they knew they'd get them the same time as the regular cars.  Likely less but I think all of them would have still been sold.

In the end, these 500 (1000) cars are still pretty special.  They just are not arriving first.

A year from now, will that matter much?  Or will people not forget?

[MrJones]

They are only truly special because they have some fabric stitching, badges, and hmmm.... I guess that's all.
Looking at it mathematically, Fiat claims there are over 500K combinations possible on the new 500s, so pretty much every car can be unique--which actually makes the Primas less special because there are 1000 of them!

For me it's not about the car, but the car company. Is this just the tip of the iceberg in terms of customer relations, etc.? I'm sure they'll get it worked out, but I can't afford the time/money to wait for them to take the training wheels off.

BTW, is the 50K vehicle goal for just the 500, or is that for all models combined (500C, Abarth, EV)?

[Mike S]

I didn't care what it was as long as it was the fastest way to get one.

I would prefer not having the numbers and the badge and I would prefer a body colored dash.

So, yes we've been had.

[sam500]

I agree with you Sam. I understand that people are frustrated, and have a right to be frustrated, but this is the final stretch, and I'm definitely hanging in there. Restaurants usually have what I believe is called a "soft launch or opening," essentially a few weeks to iron out the kinks before everything runs smoothly. This = many frustrated people, many faux pas, many comped meals. I think it'll be very much the same with FIAT (minus the comped meals). We are early adopters, and they are trying to do quite a bit to make this a pleasant experience for us. Now, before I get my head bitten off (and I know I will), I am very aware that many of these "good intentions" have not translated particularly well, if at all. We have had to put up with quite a bit. It's unfortunate. Call me crazy, but I happen to like Laura Soave and her team. I think their heart is in the right place. They have also managed to impress quite a few people (most have not even heard of this forum), and created a fantastic product for the US, which I believe will sell quite well, and appeal to quite a few people.

Back to Sam's point: this is a great car, and hopefully, with some time, this will be a great company. They are introducing a new philosophy of salesmanship, and owner experience, an attempt that I find quite admirable. Like many of us have pointed out many times before, there are quite a few problems with this at the moment. Many dealers that just don't get it, many people that don't quite understand what the brand's about. Even people working for FIAT that just don't get it. I think they eventually will.

Everyone here has the right to do as they please. To drop their Prima reservations, or attack them, the brand, and their efforts. To dismiss it all as a poorly executed stunt. However, I wanted to post this for those out there still hopeful, and still excited about FIAT's return to the states.

sjmst wrote

I understand but don't spite yourself. Fiat's f ups notwithstanding, this should be one helluva car.

[Mike S]

Our Primas are being held up so why couldn't the non Primas be held up too? When all of the Primas got delivered they could release the rest. We would not be the only ones with a 500 for long but just a short claim to fame for being loyal.

There was no reason for this mistake to happen. They are still holding our cars. Hold the rest now. Give us a little bit of dignity.

[Giallo Edizione]

Mike S wrote

Our Primas are being held up so why couldn't the non Primas be held up too? When all of the Primas got delivered they could release the rest. We would not be the only ones with a 500 for long but just a short claim to fame for being loyal.

There was no reason for this mistake to happen. They are still holding our cars. Hold the rest now. Give us a little bit of dignity.

My dealer is doing exactly that. They have sold signs on several cars on the showroom floor and told the buyers they can't be delivered till all the PE's are delivered. No sign of the PE's however....So now everyone is pissed off. Great solution. ( ah, just see my other rant)

[sketch]

A month from now it's not gonna matter at all.  We'll have our cars.  Who got what first will be completely irrelevant.

[Jeff]

Under promise...over deliver

[5*(10)^2]

sketch wrote

A month from now it's not gonna matter at all.  We'll have our cars.  Who got what first will be completely irrelevant.

Well put, sketch.

[Mike S]

Life is best when driven.

Some of us want it before we die.

[prima 109]

well put Mike S.

[sketch]

I don't plan on dying anytime soon.

[prima 109]

Niether do I, just sayin.

[sjmst]

Jeff wrote

Under promise...over deliver

+1