Couldn't Wait, Bought A New Car..

[zelio]

Please keep us posted about the Fiat. I've always liked them, but know no one with "real world" experience on one.

I drove one in the late 1950s. I believe it was also a Fiat 500 but you can trust me when I say that new one looks a lot fancier. In fact, it looks like a Cadillac compared to the old Fiat 500. Z

 

[bowers baldwin]

Please keep us posted about the Fiat. I've always liked them, but know no one with "real world" experience on one.

Well I can give you my first impressions, the car was $14,850 ($18,350 window sticker)
It has most of the nice features (pwr windows/locks/heated mirrors/blu tooth), manual with hill assist (my wife actually has an interest in driving it), 16" wheels, the dash is all display (no mechanical gauges), the radio plays am/fm/cd/blu tooth from my cell phone and usb memory stick.

the good:
did I mention 36.4 mpg combined?
parks easily in most shoe boxes (I keep it under my desk at work like a puppy)
go-kart handling (until you get to the edge and then it wallows a bit)
the front seating area is big enough for humans
the 'cute' factor

the odd:
window buttons in the center column
the shifter is a bit high
the turn signals are LOUD!, you wont leave them on by mistake
the shift light (in eco mode) comes on at 2K, that means at 31mph it wants me in 5th!
the gas gauge takes 20 minutes to notice a fill-up

the bad:
blind spot on the drivers side, they have a parabolic side mirror that comes in handy
the back seat is not for humans
no spare tire
short wheelbase makes it a bit twitchy on the highway, doesn't feel unsafe, but it keeps you engaged
if I loose a key it's $200 to replace

I'll post more when I get past 1000 miles, it's still in the break-in period so I haven't really beat on it yet.

 

[Craig]

You must drive down hill a lot.

2002 Chevrolet Cavalier 4 cyl, 2.2 L, Manual 5-spd, Regular Gasoline

22
City

25
Combined

30
Highway

I drive with my tac. I try very hard when accelerating not to go over 2,000 rpms and I go the speed limit. Try it for one tank, no matter what you drive it will help.

 

[bowers baldwin]

I drive with my tac. I try very hard when accelerating not to go over 2,000 rpms and I go the speed limit. Try it for one tank, no matter what you drive it will help.

Yea, like I had posted, there is a shift light in econo mode that goes off at 2K, I am up to 36.9 MPG average.
but in 50 miles or so I'll be past the break-in period and I plan to hit the sport button and beat on it. We will see what the drop off is when I am done hyper-mile driving.