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Re: Saab perception Posted by Notnoel [Email]  (#23) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Notnoel) on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:06:52
In Reply to: Re: Saab perception, turbosaab  [Profile/Gallery]
, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:12:40
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I am very happy Fiat is back in this country. The Fiat 500 is one of the most popular cars in Europe, and a recent cabby in Rome pointed to a small diecast of his 500 glue to the dash of his Citroen cab and bragged about what a great car it is.
I had two fiat124 spiders (a 1978 and a 1977)that I drove for a combined total of almost 300,000 miles. The were fun to drive, had magnificent lines, were unique an a real head turner - perfect for a single guy. Many of the same attributes that my C900T vert shares (except it seats 4 people which conforms to my curretn married with kids status).
I loved these cars, but there were certain nightmare aspects: they have weak transmissions - kept blowing out the 3rd gear synchros; I think I put 5 used transmissions in between the two cars and could change them like spark plugs.
A previous comment that they were ill suited for the American market is spot on. They were among the first to have rubber timing belts that required a change out at 75,000 miles. Fortunately for me that made for a ready supply of inexpensive used transmissions (never paid more than $250) - virtually every spider in the boneyard had the heads pulled and had 80-85,000 miles on the speedo. Americans wer too stupid to do the required maintenance, and Fiat engineers didn't think to recess the valves until the 1980 upgrade from 1800CC to 2000cc. Other than that the engines were bulletproof. With a performance carb, headers and an ANSA exhaust it was a spirited ride, up to the point the tranny would blow (much like my current C900T).
The rust issue is another major weak spot - I still have scars on my hands from taking the rust out when I restored the last one of these I owned (and it had been Ziebarted when new by the original owner). The Italians live in a semi-arid country, and are lousy metallurgists. The inner and outer fenders (or the welds)were apparently incompatible, so that when welded together, there was electron flow across the weld; another way to say that scientifically is that the entire beautiful Pinin-Farina chassis was the cathodic protection for the inner fender; or more simply, that the fenders would rust from the inside out. Unfortunately, this also occurred at the front shock towers, leading to a potential for instability in the front suspension. Fixed that too, but it did not present a real structural problem until the car had 160,000, and most other cars of that vintage were long in the grave by that time.
I guess what I'm saying is that while these were trouble in a couple of major ways, other aspects still lead to a devoted following (and I clearly have a screw loose somewhere, myself). But the way people who swore by there completely POS American cars from the 70s would drop the "fix it again Tony" line, was also a testament to their near total automotive ignorance. At least the Fiat typically went out dramatically (at 80,000 miles when the owner didn't change the timing belt) rather than falling apart slowly between 80,000 and a 100,000 miles (remember the Chrysler K-cars?).
By now, the "fix it again Tony" jokesters are all over 60, and the 20-something target market for the 500 is unlikely to listen to them anyway. Best of Luck, Fiat;I've got a lot more respect for your brand than GM had for Saab.
, Mon, 12 Sep 2011 19:05:41
, Thu, 15 Sep 2011 18:21:27, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 07:15:58, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 09:12:40, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:30:54, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:06:52 <-- Viewing This Message, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:50:01, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:57:51
, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:04:04, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 20:23:39, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:06:07, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:08:43, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 12:19:34, Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:08:12
, Mon, 12 Sep 2011 17:38:46
, Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:32:04, Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:44:23
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