Snow buildup in the wheel wells

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Thanks. Member SailDesign sold his Yaris and bought the Fiat. Someone (moi? Can't remember) asked him the same question and his experience = pretty much the same as yours. I wanted to know if multiple people = similar results. I'm thinking way down the line (after I have retired my Yaris as a DD and have purchased a new car...probably a Prius C Two) when my Yaris is at the point where yaris9876 is now will I....A. Pay someone to do what yaris9876 is doing...B. Try to do it myself as a 'learning project'....C. Look for a 2011 5-speed manual 3 door Yaris with low miles...or.... now I'm thinking if I decide on letter C, what do I do if I can't find a 2011 (or other year) low mileage 5-speed 3-door? A New 5-speed manual Fiat 500 might be an alternative (Northside Fiat is now physically between the two Toyota dealerships I have patronized...all three now along I-45), but I don't know if I can get over how much their being involved with Chrysler p***** me off.

a lot of clutch issues going on with the 500 manuals. oh, and the service experienced by most of us has been abysmal, since most fiat studios actually use the CJDR dealership for service. im still not sure if fiat branded cars will survive here. they somehow managed to introduce a new, larger 5 door model (the 500L) and will actually sell less cars this year than last year (even though there were more dealers in place along with the new model). that is a problem.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by roxy1

a lot of clutch issues going on with the 500 manuals. oh, and the service experienced by most of us has been abysmal, since most fiat studios actually use the CJDR dealership for service. im still not sure if fiat branded cars will survive here. they somehow managed to introduce a new, larger 5 door model (the 500L) and will actually sell less cars this year than last year (even though there were more dealers in place along with the new model). that is a problem.

Good to know. Northside Fiat opened in the 'Woodlands Waterway' area.....a strange place to put a car dealership. The area has Class A office buildings, restaurants, mid rise condos, apartments, retail, a Marriott, etc. Lots of foot traffic, but not necessarily people thinking about buying a car. They tried several different things to 'get attention', but then made the decision to build a 'studio' () across I-45 from where the new Exxon Mobil campus (new North American HQ and likely eventual World HQ) is being built. The new World HQ of SWE (Southwestern Energy) will front on that side of I-45, near the edge of the Exxon Mobil campus. The Grand Parkway (which will be the longest beltway around any city in the world) will cross I-45 in this area, and the Hardy Toll Road also ends about 1 mile away. Lots of CAR traffic...with plenty stopped at stoplights...at least twice a day . This seems like a logical place for a relocation. Time will tell. Per your info above, I checked the service part of their website. They had a service department at the original studio location, and that service department has moved to the new location. I like the size and the interior of both the base MINI and the Fiat 500, but from what I understand the MINI is an 'also ran' re MPG .

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by roxy1

a lot of clutch issues going on with the 500 manuals. oh, and the service experienced by most of us has been abysmal, since most fiat studios actually use the CJDR dealership for service. im still not sure if fiat branded cars will survive here. they somehow managed to introduce a new, larger 5 door model (the 500L) and will actually sell less cars this year than last year (even though there were more dealers in place along with the new model). that is a problem.

Yup! Fiat service goes from awful to perfect, depending on the studio/dealer and their closeness to a Chrysler dealer. The ones with a dedicated service dept are apparently MUCH better than the ones attached to a CJD place. Like mine.
Only had the oil changed once so farm, so no real experience of the service, but there is a guy n the Fiat forums who is paid by Fiat to help dissatisfied customers. He is VERY patient, and gets things done. Dealer being a pain? He'll call them and set them straight.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

Yup! Fiat service goes from awful to perfect, depending on the studio/dealer and their closeness to a Chrysler dealer. The ones with a dedicated service dept are apparently MUCH better than the ones attached to a CJD place. Like mine.
Only had the oil changed once so farm, so no real experience of the service, but there is a guy n the Fiat forums who is paid by Fiat to help dissatisfied customers. He is VERY patient, and gets things done. Dealer being a pain? He'll call them and set them straight.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

Yup! Fiat service goes from awful to perfect, depending on the studio/dealer and their closeness to a Chrysler dealer. The ones with a dedicated service dept are apparently MUCH better than the ones attached to a CJD place. Like mine.
Only had the oil changed once so farm, so no real experience of the service, but there is a guy n the Fiat forums who is paid by Fiat to help dissatisfied customers. He is VERY patient, and gets things done. Dealer being a pain? He'll call them and set them straight.

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/01/f...illion-no-ipo/

Announced the day after the last of our posts 13 through 20 (about Fiat in the U.S.) on this thread.

[roxy1]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

http://www.autoblog.com/2014/01/01/f...illion-no-ipo/

Announced the day after the last of our posts 13 through 20 (about Fiat in the U.S.) on this thread.

that was pretty much the way most of us expected it to go.