[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

If you can spend Abarth money, why not put in a little more and get the Honda City. Hands down the best NA motor there is in the segment. I hear it is a hoot to drive too.

The reason I say this is the words "Abarth" and "Family Car" don't quite fit the bill. You may have other ideas:-).

my feelings towards Maruti are the same as they are towards modern day Honda. Unless you spend import car amount of money, you seem to get a very flimsy car. Even big Hyundai's like the Creta and Elantra were considered but in the end it was concluded that all you get with those cars is more interior space at a huge premium. Believe me this car was never on the radar itself. Even the salesman was surprised when I told him that it will primarily be used by my mom and will replace the Wagonr as the familys small car. I will detail the whole selection process in a few weeks time when we finalize a deal. I suppose this is what happens after living with a Kizashi and then buying a Forester as my daily driver

Originally Posted by sandeepmohan

Inter cooler. FM Keroo and PatchyBoy documented this extensively. Forget an Abarth, the normal T Jet motor in the Linea changes character with just an IC swap. It seems they have used the same diesel mjd IC for the T Jet motor and this starves the engine of cool air. I can't find Keroo's thread sharing the same.

Do note that none of this is a problem if you do blasts down the highway. The IC gets heat soaked only when you do back to back drag runs and continuous red lining. I have experienced this on my car with just one hard run and on a very hot day. Felt as if the turbo had gone into self protect mode.

thanks this is some particularly useful information I myself was quite surprised by how small the stock intercooler looked but never thought much of it because I assumed the company knew what it was doing. Will see how things go this car is primarily going to be used as the familys daily runabout I will not be driving it most of the time so it will only rarely have to call upon its Abarth-ness.

Originally Posted by Waspune

@Ishaanlan : Bro why don't you look for a 2018 fresh car out from the factory. Not saying that the 2017 car would be bad but if you intend to keep her for long why not get a fresh car! Do note nothing has changed in the abarth in the last one year.

we can easily afford the 2018 car reason I am tempted to go with the 2017 one which they have in stock is because it is black. I love the black and if not for these discounts, it would be impossible to convince mom and dad to go for a black car

Originally Posted by Waspune

Regarding the touchscreen it's the same unit you would find across the current fiats. It's tiny and laggy but quite legible under sunlight.

Fiat isn't providing extended warranty for the past 2+ years. Also in the extended warranty not a lot is covered. Moreover, if you are planning for some mods then 3 year warranty window will do just fine.

great to hear that sunlight legibility is good atleast because from the looks of it it seemed very cheap. Thing is like I mentioned, I have bought and almost completed restoring a Subaru Forester as my daily driver this car is simply meant to be the family workhorse no mods as such are planned so extended warranty would actually be preferable.

Originally Posted by blackwasp

Few pointers that may help you.

Your relationship with the car will depend solely on the the competency of the mechanic. That being said, if you stand with your cars when servicing, have basic knowledge about the components etc. and how a car is serviced, you should be OK.

• The car is strictly a four seater on longer journeys.
• FE varies from 10 in the city to 14-16 on the highways. ~Pedal to the metal will see it go down to single digits.
• GC is not much of a concern. Despite being lower that the regular Puntos, it doesn't scrap anywhere
• Absolutely no storage space inside the car. You can barely put in one 1L bottle and a couple of smaller bottles.

I am familiar with standing around at service bays watching work being done on cars, problem is I might be getting a job in a different city soon and may not always have the time for this.

Our family is very familiar with petrol cars as all of our cars have been petrol only we are a strict non-diesel and non-3cyl motor family. Mileage is well within what we expect it to be, I didn't find the suspension to be that hard either I found it to be pleasantly compliant yet firm and far less jarring over bad ruts in the road than say a VW. I would call it composed and while my mom and dad are not car enthusiasts, having raised me they have learnt to appreciate composure over the soft bouncy stuff.

[S2!!!]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

my feelings towards Maruti are the same as they are towards modern day Honda. Unless you spend import car amount of money, you seem to get a very flimsy car. Even big Hyundai's like the Creta and Elantra were considered but in the end it was concluded that all you get with those cars is more interior space at a huge premium. Believe me this car was never on the radar itself. Even the salesman was surprised when I told him that it will primarily be used by my mom and will replace the Wagonr as the familys small car. I will detail the whole selection process in a few weeks time when we finalize a deal. I suppose this is what happens after living with a Kizashi and then buying a Forester as my daily driver

I wish you well with your Abarth purchase, but do reconsider. It isn't a car that's easy to drive and isn't something very practical to replace a car like a Wagon R. It's easy to be impressed by the superb 145hp engine or the tank-like build but I hope your mother has driven the Abarth enough and is fine with all its quirks. Do consider a Hyundai i20 Active or a Ford EcoSport petrols, keeping all the preconceived notions aside, as these will really be much better than an Abarth to live with on a daily basis.

If you still get the Abarth, welcome to the club. It's a phenomenal car to drive and has been very reliable, at least for me. I use it as my daily drive and it brings a huge smile to my face each time I drive it.

[IshaanIan]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

I wish you well with your Abarth purchase, but do reconsider. It isn't a car that's easy to drive and isn't something very practical to replace a car like a Wagon R. It's easy to be impressed by the superb 145hp engine or the tank-like build but I hope your mother has driven the Abarth enough and is fine with all its quirks. Do consider a Hyundai i20 Active or a Ford EcoSport petrols, keeping all the preconceived notions aside, as these will really be much better than an Abarth to live with on a daily basis.

As I mentioned earlier, lot of cars were considered and over 4 weeks of time has been spent in test drives. Initially the requirement chosen by Dad and I was for a Petrol Automatic.

We started off with the Tiago loved the value for money package that it posed but hated the 3cyl. The the C2 segment sedans were considered. Vento and Rapid knocked out due to the central console constantly scraping against left leg, Ciaz and City were knocked out due to their build, Yaris was knocked out due to its terrible rear seat headroom which was totally unexpected leaving us very miffed.

Then Ford Figo and Ecosport were looked at. The Figo 1.5 DCT impressed however the reliability of powershift transmission left us a bit unsure. Ecosport worked perfectly well except that it lacked grunt on the highway for effortless overtakes must be due to the silly 3cyl dragon series engines being used. It is excusable for the Tiago being a 6.5 lac rupee car but for Ecosport? No way was that acceptable.

We then moved on to the Creta and while it was uninspiring, it did do most things if not excellently, at least properly. However we were not feeling any sense of occasion with the Creta which is something we expected to feel after the prospect of spending 17 lacs on a car.

Eventually Mom expressed her discomfort with driving an automatic and then manual Brio was considered. While the Brio was mostly good, the need to rev the guts out of its motor and the flimsy looking seats made us a little unsure about it.

Eventually Dad suggested the Abarth. We were all quite surprised; Dad, I, Mom, and the Salesman the testdrive car was a lot different from what I remember it to be like from few years ago. The steering was not scary feather light like most modern cars, but it was still much lighter than the Kizashi's steering at low speeds, clutch also felt far lighter than I remembered and was much lighter than the Forester's clutch. Infact these two elements were what surprised me the most since my memory of the clutch and steering were very different. The suspension was excellent, low-end torque delivery we all found to be a boon, seat comfort, easy ingress/egress and the ability to connect phones via bluetooth made us all feel, "what more do you need?" We are a very simple family and we all believe that if we spend over 10 lacs on a car, no compromises should be made.

Brio and Tiago and the likes were all excusable but cars like the Ecosport and Creta did not deliver what we expected. The Abarth Punto was the only car which did everything asked of it while also remaining an exciting prospect to own (something the Creta failed to impress with). The cost of the car being just about 10 lacs and still towards the lower end of our budget makes us feel a certain sense of relief also as we were beginning to feel very worried about maybe having to lower expectations and make compromises even if we spent 16-18lacs. Maybe it is the fact that they have driven and appreciated the Kizashi and the Forester, but trust me, Abarth Punto was not even recommended by me, yet this is now the winner for us.

[Waspune]

Just a FYI @Ishaanlan bro. Fiat had manufactured 14 abarths( 7 each in white and black) in 2018 out of which 2 of them have been booked recently that you can find in the recent comments.

Being a Fiat I am quite sure that a black variant would be available. You can check with them.
Cheers!

[keroo1099]

@Ishaanlan, just do a really detailed PDI and especially look at all the trim. Quite a few chaps who have bought Linea's last year have got shafted on a cheaper roof-liner than what was promised.

Also look out for rust on allen bolt's that hold up the front hood and door hinges.

Good luck with the purchase.

[IshaanIan]

Lot of people warning me against the car stating parts availability and general Fiat brand concerns. What do the owners have to say about this? I was under the impression that by now Fiat would have sorted out all such issues especially after the split up with Tata.

[Biraj]

Haven't read the subsequent posts so don't know if these have been answered. Here's my take.

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Will check on that what would you reckon the ideal discount would be for a june car vs a november/december car?

Difficult to put a figure. The discount depends on your ability to negotiate and dealer's capacity to hold the inventory.

Warehouse. How would you say this would affect its value?

A car in the warehouse will be exposed to the elements (weather) so check for the rubber parts (wipers) and also the condition of the paint. Also check for rusts thoroughly. There will be rust on the rotors but don't worry about that. It will go away after a couple of drives. On the other hand, the one in the dealership is exposed to customers who just don't care so there can be wear on the switchgear and door handles. Look for wear in either scenario and decide for a resolution i.e. replace or discount.

What is RSA? When I enquired about extended warranty, I was told that I have to purchase that at the service center. I was in a rush at the time so did not ask any further questions so I was not given a quote on extended warranty and what period of extended warranty I can opt for.

RSA - Roadside assistance. Very important with a Fiat as you will not find dealers everywhere. Negotiate for the extended warranty to be included in the discount. Even otherwise do take it for the maximum tenure available.

Are you talking about wearable components? Or are you saying that the car might be so unreliable that I need to look into the cost of other major components as well? The Abarth Punto is the only Fiat under consideration everything else feels under-powered, so if you could elaborate on your bad experiences with the t-jet motor, that would be very helpful

The engine and the car overall is very reliable. No problem with the reliability. What I mean is that the parts (rotors, brake pads, spark-plugs, etc) are 2-5 times more expensive than that of Punto MJD or non-Tjet petrol. Most slow-moving parts are not kept in stock so are procured on order. It can take anywhere from 3-7 days for the procurement. I am currently waiting for the AC compressor and it has been more than three days and it's nowhere in sight.

Punto Abarth is an excellent car and offers tremendous value for money but it will need a lot of dedication to own and maintain. I have had some issues witht he FASS recently but I still love my Linea Tjet. Brain says I should sell it but the heart never permits. It's that sort of a car. It's a heart decision so don't try to look for reasons on why to buy it. Just go ahead and get it if your heart is set on it.

PS: Owning a Fiat improves one's networking skills because you will always be on the lookout for a reliable FNG or source for spare parts.

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Lot of people warning me against the car stating parts availability and general Fiat brand concerns. What do the owners have to say about this? I was under the impression that by now Fiat would have sorted out all such issues especially after the split up with Tata.

Parts take 3-7 days depending on rarity. Eg. the main fuel line took about a week max. to come for me. Abarth stickers took 2-3 days, cosmetic bits like mirror caps, fog lamp surrounds take 3-5 days.

All other running parts eg. disc brakes, pads, clutch kit, oil, spark plugs etc needed for periodic maintenance are always in stock. Like I said earlier, it's not that you have no manufacturer support and for a once a year service, does it really matter? Stick with the manufacturer recommendations and you won't have an issue anytime soon. The only thing that could go wrong is incase of rat bites (happened to me), body work (my left rear door was replaced when a truck brushed it, still door came in 2-3 days), etc. Heck, even the flywheel came earlier than expected when it was changed under warranty for me. Also, since the number of Fiat owners is less, you tend to develop nice contacts. A very senior person in Fiat is in one of our local groups - (btw he's a Fiatian first), sometimes escalation to him works, but 99% of time times, you will not require it. For insurance claims, will recommend you to stick with Future Generally for the initial 2 years till you develop a rapport with local FASS, after that you can change it to others.

Most panels, parts are shared across Punto and the Linea Tjet line. So not much worries there.

[theexperthand]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Lot of people warning me against the car stating parts availability and general Fiat brand concerns. What do the owners have to say about this? I was under the impression that by now Fiat would have sorted out all such issues especially after the split up with Tata.

Speaking from my experience, if I have to buy another car today, I will again buy a FIAT. I have never felt any issues with the service (I get my car serviced at KHT Fiat, Whitefield), and my understanding is that they stock all moving parts and parts which are not moving fast can be procured in a couple of days.

I faced an issue with pressure regulator during my last service, but the part was not in stock. They ordered the part and it got delivered in a couple of days.

So, I don't think parts availability is anything to be concerned about. Also, if you want to go FNG way, there is always 99RPM from where you can get genuine parts.

All the best with the Abarth purchase.

--Anoop

[Waspune]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Lot of people warning me against the car stating parts availability and general Fiat brand concerns. What do the owners have to say about this?.

Bro this comes for free with every fiat buy. Fiats are aspired by a lot but are bought by a few.
Abarth being a Punto shares majority of its parts with it so there is nothing to worry. Consumables are always in Stock and for some rare parts you might will have to wait for a 3-4 days, that's it. As others have mentioned you also have 99rpm from where you can always offer fiat genuine parts.

Once a pig had damaged my Punto's front bumper, intercooler, radiator and condenser. I got the car from the FASS (after insurance claim) within a week. Fiat isn't that bad. Go ahead with your Abarth purchase.

[--gKrish--]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

Lot of people warning me against the car stating parts availability and general Fiat brand concerns. What do the owners have to say about this?

Fast moving parts are easily available and will be in stock most of the time. However, keeping a close check on the car and paying attention to changes/signals can help you predict imminent replacements. Placing orders for parts before service can reduce the time your car spends in the FASS. But if something comes out of the blue, be prepared to wait for week/s for the parts.

As others have suggested, you should definitely go for the extended warranty and MOPAR RSA package.

[sandeepmohan]

Originally Posted by IshaanIan

I was under the impression that by now Fiat would have sorted out all such issues especially after the split up with Tata.

Truth be told, I do not think anything got better apart from the fact that your car was no longer being serviced along side a TATA. This could be a good thing in the sense that the service center is operating at a more relaxed pace and has more time to work on a car. Could be different now with Jeep in the same space and the fact that they cannot afford to screw up.

Did not face a part shortage at all. In fact, my friends Palio that got gutted in a engine bay fire was fully fixed by Fiat Service. This was 6 years ago. It did take a little over a month to procure all parts but everything was indeed supplied by FCA. For a car model well past its last production date, I thought that was impressive. I had once suspected the plastic stub on the windscreen washer nozzle to have broken and went to the service center to get a replacement. I was not expecting them to stock this tiny part and then had it. Even better was when I asked for a tiny plastic panel that sits just at the "V" shape of the front quarter panel glass. The point where it merges with the body. They had that too!

There is nothing that I can praise highly about service. I never had a personal bond with with manager or anyone. I handed in my car, they did whatever they had to do and I collected my car. Apart from them polishing the dashboard and the hopeless car wash quality, everything was done right. Would I like a more personal approach? Sure; would be nice to have.

[GTO]

Took Blackwasp's Abarth Punto for a spin last night. What a car! It really reminds me of the 1st-gen Octavia vRS in many ways. There is a mechanical purity that we don't see in today's modern cars with electric power steerings & a zillion gizmos.

Torque steer while accelerating in 2nd was just . I drove a Punto after a long time. Was a good reminder of the excellent steering & mature suspension. The 46,000 km run car's gearbox didn't feel as rubbery. But damn those ergonomics

Beautiful, beautiful machine. A legend.

[hemanth.anand]

Fanboy!

This was the name I was called by when I used to tell something similar to the below quoted words

There is a mechanical purity that we don't see in today's modern cars with electric power steerings & a zillion gizmos.

Some people around me just didn't understood when I used to tell this.

Apart from the gem of a machine under the hood, the design still turns my head...even after a decade; no wonder it's called timeless

Sad that this car is not produced anymore (reasons...let's not tread there again)

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by GTO

But damn those ergonomics

Beautiful, beautiful machine. A legend.

This car deserves more success that it has had. It's a welcome change from today's gizmo loaded machines.

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

Sad that this car is not produced anymore (reasons...let's not tread there again)

It is, just that its slow. AFAIK black 2018 make cars are in production while a lot of white cars would be expected sometime in September. Knowing Fiat, this could stretch to even the year end, but there is hope...