greg g Posted January 20, 2009 Report Posted January 20, 2009 The news scroll along the bottom of the TV news this AM included a line that announced FIAT has agreed in principle to purchas as much as 55% interest in Chrysler. And we all thought the Daimler deal was nuts. So know you might be able to Go to your Dodge store and buy a Ferrari, a Alfa Romao, or a Lancia. The story said that one of the main tenants of the deal would be the Engine and Drive train expertise of Fiat. So i guess this meand no more Hyundai engines in the Avengers. Could this be the new Caliber??? Fix It Again Tony...... Quote
Niel Hoback Posted January 20, 2009 Report Posted January 20, 2009 According to Yahoo news this morning, Fiat will buy 35% of Chrysler. I hear a faint spinning noise in the ground. Quote
Don Coatney Posted January 20, 2009 Report Posted January 20, 2009 I once owned a Fiat in the early 70's. I forget the year but I paid about $250.00 for it. It ran good and drove like an oversized go kart. It was fun to speed around corners in that car. After a month or so the thermostat failed. I went to a Fiat dealer for a new one (not available at NAPA) and the cost was around forty five bucks. In those days a replacement thermostat for an american car was about three bucks. Is this the future of Crashler? Quote
Rodney Bullock Posted January 20, 2009 Report Posted January 20, 2009 I had a Fiat 850, I think it was a 60 something it was a gift from my uncle who just got back from Germany. I drove it on the farm for years(15 with no lic,) The timing belt went out. I parked it under an apple tree and listened to the radio for months. It had a 4 in the floor, motor in the rear. Bright red. After the battery was dead my Grandma had it towed to the junk yard. Quote
Oldguy48 Posted January 20, 2009 Report Posted January 20, 2009 We had a 1977 Fiat 128 sedan that we purchased new. At first, it was a great little car. Cornered like it was on rails, great gas mileage, and a real blast to drive. Alas, after a couple years, repairs became more frequent, parts were getting hard to get, and it's reliability was uncertain. I'm sure their quality is much better now. Quote
greg g Posted January 20, 2009 Author Report Posted January 20, 2009 When we were in Ireland a few years ago there were lots of Fiats in the road, along with Renaults, Citrons and Peugots. All those brands once had a presence here, all have disappeared. Most because they did not have the parts and service support. The Fiat is the entry level car in most of Europe, and the Fiat Panda, has replaced the Yugo and Trabant as the punchline in most automotive jokes. Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted January 20, 2009 Report Posted January 20, 2009 the only FIAT I ever owned was a 1925 4 door Fiat Gran Tourismo Quote
John Mulders Posted January 20, 2009 Report Posted January 20, 2009 My first car was based on the Fiat 500. With my 6'4" frame it was a tight fit (we also called it my backpack). Lots of fun with it though http://www.imcdb.org/images/163/720.jpg Fiats have become much better quality , the ones mentioned (850, 128 etc) all had major rust problems as well. Quote
Olddaddy Posted January 21, 2009 Report Posted January 21, 2009 OK, Devil's Advocate here, I love Fiats! They had a totally Italian feel to them, nice looking, not too serious in terms of functionality, chicks loved them, great little cars. I'd buy a 500 or 600 right now today, but then I'm an old fart. I'd rather see Fiat as part owner than GM!! or Ford!! or the US Government!!! Italia Forever! Quote
Brendan D25 Posted January 21, 2009 Report Posted January 21, 2009 I never had a Fiat but one of my old girlfriends had a Fiat 850. Very easy to push the front seats out to make more room in the back. Quote
brian hood Posted January 21, 2009 Report Posted January 21, 2009 Does anyone remember that scary movie, "Pet Cemetary?" The story was when something died, they would bury it in this certain cemetary. It would come back to life, but it was never the same. Hopefully, Fiat is not Chrysler's pet cemetary. Brian Quote
greg g Posted January 21, 2009 Author Report Posted January 21, 2009 Financially Independant Arrivederci Troubles........... Quote
grey beard Posted January 21, 2009 Report Posted January 21, 2009 Did y'all know that the noise no one heard a few years back was when Fiat purchased Case IH and Ford New Holland farm machinery companies? It's now called CNH Corp, and they have been busy downsizing both companies for the past few years. I live at New Holland and the company recently closed their Belleville, PA assembly plant and offices. In Racine, WI, a lot of the Case plants and warehouses have been closed. Mebby downsizing is the only kind of business we will see much of in the forseeable future. Quote
james curl Posted January 21, 2009 Report Posted January 21, 2009 Doesn't Fiat stand for_Fix _It _Again _Tony? Quote
Frank Elder Posted January 22, 2009 Report Posted January 22, 2009 FIAT, Future Intrepid, and trucks:eek: Quote
RobertKB Posted January 22, 2009 Report Posted January 22, 2009 Without help, Chrysler is probably going to die as it is on life support now. Fiat could be a whole different ball game than the merger with Daimler. Without help our Mopars of all kinds may all become orphans like Plymouth and Desoto. The merger just has to be done properly, unlike Daimler-Chrysler. Quote
Dennis Hemingway Posted January 22, 2009 Report Posted January 22, 2009 With some of the vehicles going retro maybe we can get Fiat to bring back the Fiat 500 Topolino and put the Dodge Hemi in it. :eek: Dennis:cool: Quote
Young Ed Posted January 22, 2009 Report Posted January 22, 2009 They should make a decent sized car with a hemi v6. That would be sweet. Just hack 2 cylinders off like my 3.9l v6. BTW Dennis where did you get a pic of a MN car? Quote
Dennis Hemingway Posted January 22, 2009 Report Posted January 22, 2009 BTW Dennis where did you get a pic of a MN car? Internet. Dennis:cool: Quote
B-Watson Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 Without help, Chrysler is probably going to die as it is on life support now. Fiat could be a whole different ball game than the merger with Daimler. Without help our Mopars of all kinds may all become orphans like Plymouth and Desoto. The merger just has to be done properly, unlike Daimler-Chrysler. Fiat has the smaller cars that Chrysler needs to survive. A merger with GM or Ford would have meant certain death as their problems are the same as Chrysler's - no small vehicles. (Which rather ironic given the product mix their European subsidiaries offer.) Chrysler had relations, of sort, with Fiat back in the 1960's. Simca (Chrysler acquired a 25% interest in 1957-58) was started in 1936 to build Fiat cars for the French market. In 1963 the firm was reorganized with the auto division separated under Chrysler control and Fiat keeping an interest in the non-auto portion. A merger with Renault-Nissan (larger and more stable than Fiat) would have been preferable, but at least there is hope for Chrysler now. Quote
Fireball Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 What's the root cause for all the Giants collapsing? Quote
greg g Posted January 23, 2009 Author Report Posted January 23, 2009 Too much inventory of vehicles wrong for the times, heavy over head expenses for pensions ans health insurance. Glacially slow response to market needs. Not to mention executive greed and excess. Private planes, expensive junkets, relieance on subsidies instead of innovation, quality control issues, and oversaturating the system with leasing. Depreciation, currently I could go to a dealer and buy a 2009 Chevy Malibu with most of the toys for just north of 20k. If I financed the car with no money down or no trade, my loan would probably cost me 24 K unless they have a 0% deal going on, which for 6 years would cost me 320 a month. After a year I would have paid 3480 and had a balance of 18K. Or I can go to the used car specialist down the street, buy the same car a year old car with 12 to 20K miles for 13K or less, for about 275 a month. If I bought a similar Honda, or Toyota, the car would still be worth about 18K and I would not be upside down in my loan owing more than the car is worth from the 50 cents on the dollar of initial depreciation. Keep the car three or 4 years, and you are continually adding you unpaid balance to the new car, as you can never sell an Dodge or Chevy or Ford for what you owe on it. American car dealers have made a science out of selling cars to people who can't afford them by stretching payments, or putting unreasonable residual values on cars at the end of leases. So essentially, they are victims of their own sales strategies. Quote
Fireball Posted January 23, 2009 Report Posted January 23, 2009 Thanks greg for this very describive and down to earth (easy to understand) explanation. Makes sence and at the same time makes me sad kind off. Quote
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