[neoonwheels]

Follow up on my post:

1. The 2015 Abarth is with Company and not dealer. So dealer will have to order that car explicitly.
2. Dealer has offered me 10.25L OTR including insurance (Comprehensive) after a bit of haggle. Without insurance I am promised 9.87L as final cost.

The only fly in the ointment is that the car is 2015 manufactured and sitting at FIAT factory since then. The only color option I have is White. Is it a good deal?

[carwatcher]

I don't think it should be such BIG a problem as its made out to be.

GTO once mentioned that Fiat is known for selling almost 3 year old manufactured cars as they don't manufacture regularly.

On Carwale, I am seeing one Duster and one Polo which are 2015 manufactured and on top of it both are Diesels.

https://www.carwale.com/renault-cars...versionid=3986
https://www.carwale.com/volkswagen-c...versionid=3555

We have many ownership reports mentioning almost two year old manufactured cars. I myself bought my T-Jet plus that was manufactured almost 9-10 months back. Till date I haven't faced any issue whatsoever.

Hope I calmed your nerves.

I would say you negotiate little hard by not contacting them frequently and let them chase you. But at the same time it may not happen as they know that the person who has enquired about a Fiat or Abarth would have done his homework.

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Follow up on my post:

1. The 2015 Abarth is with Company and not dealer. So dealer will have to order that car explicitly.
2. Dealer has offered me 10.25L OTR including insurance (Comprehensive) after a bit of haggle. Without insurance I am promised 9.87L as final cost.

The only fly in the ointment is that the car is 2015 manufactured and sitting at FIAT factory since then. The only color option I have is White. Is it a good deal?

[thedragula]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Follow up on my post:

1. The 2015 Abarth is with Company and not dealer. So dealer will have to order that car explicitly.
2. Dealer has offered me 10.25L OTR including insurance (Comprehensive) after a bit of haggle. Without insurance I am promised 9.87L as final cost.

The only fly in the ointment is that the car is 2015 manufactured and sitting at FIAT factory since then. The only color option I have is White. Is it a good deal?

You can get the insurance for a new car at about 25k if you get independent quotes. Dealerships offer insurance at a cost of approx 35-40k.

A car sitting since 2015 in the yard is a bit risky because FIAT at Ranjangaon does not have a covered warehouse. Its in the open. Which means it would have endured months of sun and heavy rains. The rubber could have hardened, the tyres could have developed flat spots, the battery would have weakened. I would say you should push for further discounts as you are in effect purchasing a 2015 car in 2017 and the effect that has on resale (yes, I know FIAT and resale in the same sentence don't sound right).

Also, ask for the VIN to see which month of 2015 it was manufactured. Considering its launch, it should be post Aug 2015.

[sultanofswing]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

As I heard, there are only 60 odd (All white) Abarths left with FIAT. Production is stopped since some months now so its as good as out of production car now. I dont know whether it will resume or not.

Holy god this is a travesty. I mean Fiat is used to low numbers but clearly they are getting single figure sales on this one.

To go out of production in just over a year is insane for such a wonderful car.
But before I launch into eulogies, is there any way to confirm if this is actually true?

[neoonwheels]

Originally Posted by sultanofswing

Holy god this is a travesty. I mean Fiat is used to low numbers but clearly they are getting single figure sales on this one.

To go out of production in just over a year is insane for such a wonderful car.
But before I launch into eulogies, is there any way to confirm if this is actually true?

Dealer refused on delivery of a Black Abarth saying they dont have any car in that color with FIAT (Not even at dealer warehouse). Dealer was clueless about when the production would resume.

Knowing FIAT, I dont think dealer was bluffing. My only concern is, if I say NO to the 2015 car, I dont know if Abarth will ever be produced going ahead . All the insider info I have got is, JEEP has become primary focus in company now.

[Williams_f1]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Dealer refused on delivery of a Black Abarth saying they dont have any car in that color with FIAT (Not even at dealer warehouse). Dealer was clueless about when the production would resume.

Knowing FIAT, I dont think dealer was bluffing. My only concern is, if I say NO to the 2015 car, I dont know if Abarth will ever be produced going ahead . All the insider info I have got is, JEEP has become primary focus in company now.

Hi,

I too had inquired about the Abarth from Sky Moto, the factory has 15 2015 cars left, all white. I think you are getting a good deal, whenever new Abarths are produced, there won't be such discounts, they might touch 12 something. Also these cars were produced towards the end of 2015, so till December'16 they were a year old and now three months into 2017 they are two years old??!! Yes there can be issues with cars standing for sometime, talk to the dealer if you can check the car out in person or at the factory, Ranjangaon ain't far if the dealer feels he will be left with old car incase you back out, if everything checks out proper and they are giving you a Three year warranty, you are pretty much good to go!

If you want an Abarth, now is the time.

Thanks,

[Rameshdude]

Hello all,
Even I am considering to purchase an Abarth punto. My concerns are
1) would there be a dealer support ,as these fiat dealers are being taken over by Jeep
2) will there be any shortage of spare parts, as there are no production?
3) have you considered the resale of the car.
4) what is the price they have offered for the car?
Thanks in advance
Ramesh

[Durango Dude]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Follow up on my post:

1. The 2015 Abarth is with Company and not dealer. So dealer will have to order that car explicitly.
2. Dealer has offered me 10.25L OTR including insurance (Comprehensive) after a bit of haggle. Without insurance I am promised 9.87L as final cost.

The only fly in the ointment is that the car is 2015 manufactured and sitting at FIAT factory since then. The only color option I have is White. Is it a good deal?

As good as getting a 'used' car. You need to haggle for more. Do you have any idea as to the month of manufacture?

[hemanth.anand]

Originally Posted by Rameshdude

Hello all,
Even I am considering to purchase an Abarth punto. My concerns are
1) would there be a dealer support ,as these fiat dealers are being taken over by Jeep
2) will there be any shortage of spare parts, as there are no production?
3) have you considered the resale of the car.
4) what is the price they have offered for the car?
Thanks in advance
Ramesh

1) It's all being converted to multibrand FCA dealerships with Jeep, Abarth and Fiat cars selling together. Kochi and Bangalore would be last to close down if at all that happens. I don't see any cause for worry on this front unless you want to keep the car for more than 10 years may be

2)Spare parts scenario will remain same IMO. As long as the dealerships don't close down, nothing to worry. And as long as Maruti Suzuki continues with Fiat Engines, nothing to worry.

3)Resale will be low for any fiat. you should know this. if you plan to sell it within 3 years, it will be a sizeable loss. Fiat cars are for keeping for many many years.

4) I recently sold my 6+ year old punto. ~5.5Lakhs was the purchase price and ~2 lakhs was the selling price

If you want a MT performance hatch, nothing comes close to this. Period.

[S2!!!]

Originally Posted by neoonwheels

Knowing FIAT, I dont think dealer was bluffing. My only concern is, if I say NO to the 2015 car, I dont know if Abarth will ever be produced going ahead .

I hope I'm not too late to answer to your query. Cross-posting from a different thread:

Originally Posted by S2!!!

For all those who have their eyes on the white 2015 Abarth Punto, the max discount available is approximately 1.7L i.e. 11.46L on-road Mumbai (-) 1.70L = Rs 9.76L.

Before you get excited and jump out of your seat to head to the Fiat showroom, please realize that it's a 2015 manufactured unit of a model that's not received a very favorable response from the market. It'll be a depreciation disaster at the time of resale as its already 2 years old, even before it leaves the showroom. I'm only interested to take the plunge if I'm getting compensated for the depreciation hit upfront. Some might call this price a steal, but in my opinion at least a lakh more off is a good deal.

[shourya_lahiri]

Hello all !
Since this is an "Official Review" thread, although the topic has swayed into another territory now , still I think this would be a good platform to share my experience as a lot of people will invariably refer to this thread, for info on the Abarth Punto. Having said that I leave it on the moderators to decide and put my post in other threads, as need may be.
Coming to the point, a year ago when I was ready to get my first car, I was literally day dreaming of this car, but was repelled due to the poor after sales service history of the company. Finally I settled for the figo 1.5 TDCi, and I am having much fun. A couple of days back when I received a call with a man on the other end claiming to be calling from Fiat, I thought its just another customary call to lure in buyers. I told him clearly how I have settled for a figo and will not in any way buy another car, as of now. But to my amazement this guy was hell bent just to come over to the showroom and give the cars a twist. Apparently they have come up with a new showroom by the name CELICA AUTOMOBILES. Upon further digging what I found out was that Fiat, apparently, has realized their mistakes and are taking desperate measures to bring up their sore image of not providing adequate aftersales. Something Ford has come back on and how! I struck the iron and asked if he could arrange for the Abarth Punto.

A week later I was there.
Abarth Punto was also there.

So without further ado, I took the car out for a spin.
And quite a spin it was !
I will be very precise and to the point here with my impressions.

1) Build - Superb. There are no two ways about it. The fit and finish of every thing in that car was just amazing. the attention to detail, the quality of rubber, foam, plastic, leather, the doors, the seats, nothing in there could have asked of anything more.
2) Ride - Amazing. its just amazing how quick the car picks up pace. The low end torque on that thing is unbelievable. You can go to higher revs if your heart desires so but how smoothly the engine can handle itself at low, very low, rpms is just amazing. Power delivery is instant and the suspension set up is so mature that one cannot make out what speeds you are doing. Plus the wider tyres are icing on the cake. The chassis holds its composure honestly, and without any drama.
3) Gear shift and braking - As expected, beautiful. gears are slotted right, slick. brakes are carefully calibrated to not be catchy, inspite of having all discs, and ABS, the weight to the brake pedal is just right. Something the figo misses out on (ABS ones are devoid of feel)

Now everything seems fine right? Now I dare venture into the 'not so good' territory. If you are intricate and fussy about your driving, the following only one major thing will bug you.

Seating position - Now how did this happen the way you sit will just not encourage you to drive the car like it should be driven. Even if the car is lower than the standard Punto, you are not close to the ground and infact raised. the steering is ..well..odd (did any one else feel this, or its just me?) . I mean its great, it is stiff, sporty, accurate, but it seems to be looking somewhere else, talking with someone else ! It should be on your lap, ready to be cuddled. Coming to the next thing, its the clutch, seems to be travelling forever ! why pray?

Only if Fiat could have got the seating position right, one would have kept money for speeding tickets everytime he/she closed the doors on this thing.
Nevertheless, a fantastic machine, a disciplined monster, for someone who would want a perfect blend of luxury, sophistication as well as weekends full of tyre burning fun. But for outright hardcore speedsters, I think,that one should look somewhere else.

On a closing note, I would request people to think again if they had, just like me, turned away from Fiat for their after sales horror. Seems they are quite serious now regarding this. I even have an invitation waiting to visit their new workshop so that I 'can see for myself' how the story is changing.


N.B The drawbacks are way way too minor and are completely my personal opinion. I am sure experts as well as other tbhp members can happily disagree and that will be accepted with gratitude.

Thats it from me on the majestic Abarth Punto, a true legend of its era.
Cheers

[bharath79]

Are they still making the Abarth Punto. I thought they were clearing 2015 stocks. Any information which year this car might belong to?

[shourya_lahiri]

Originally Posted by bharath79

Are they still making the Abarth Punto. I thought they were clearing 2015 stocks. Any information which year this car might belong to?

Extremely sorry, for regarding this I do not have an idea, neither did I ask the sales representative. As far as thia car, in the pic, is concerned, I dont believe it is a 2015 make. Cause the odo read 500 odd kms..

[nkrishnap]

Currently they are concentrating only on the Jeep Compass and the assembly line is being upgraded. Hence very few Punto Evos are assembled on the spare line. June 2017 onwards the production should go live as per the information from my birdies.

They should atleast make the Abarth Punto on made to order basis. Genuine would certainly not mind this.

[bharath79]

Originally Posted by nkrishnap

Currently they are concentrating only on the Jeep Compass and the assembly line is being upgraded. Hence very few Punto Evos are assembled on the spare line. June 2017 onwards the production should go live as per the information from my birdies.

They should atleast make the Abarth Punto on made to order basis. Genuine would certainly not mind this.

I agree that this could at least be available as made to order. Such an awesome car this one!!!

Too bad I cannot own two cars at the same time.

Regards
Bharath