![]() | #706 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Pune
Posts: 644
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| ![]() Congrats on your Abarth. I have the MC5S on my remapped Punto evo and they are great tyres. Btw why don't to upsize to 205 sections? Abarth would love it. |
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![]() | #707 | |
BHPian ![]() | ![]() Quote:
Will upgrade to wider patch when I go for performance mods, may be after an year or so. | |
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![]() | #708 |
BHPian Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Bombay/Bangalor
Posts: 69
Thanked: 59 Times
| ![]() Folks, Would love to get your thoughts. I'm in the market to buy a car around the Feb/March timeframe. It will be with me for the next 10-12 years at least and if the Bawa genes kick in, maybe even longer. The head has shortlisted the City, the EcoSport, the Verna and the Yaris (the multi airbag, auto variants) but neither really ticks of all the boxes. The Abarth Punto is one of my "buy with the Heart" options. The other two being the Thar and one of the JTP twins. Mileage is not a factor. Neither is the 8" touchscreen. While I haven't driven her as yet, I love the way she looks, I have a soft spot for the brand and then there's the Abarth halo. So the Punto is at the top of the heart list. I wanted to get inputs from those of you who own one or recently considered buying one 1. Given where Fiat and the Punto are in their respective journeys in India, how realistic is it to expect ASS support and availability of spares over a 8-10 year duration ? Personally, I am ok with waiting for a couple of weeks while spares are ordered (as long as it is not a couple of months) 2. Given the turbo, can I expect the FNG to step in and take on the role typically played by the ASS. Do Fiat/Abarth competent FNGs exist in Bombay/Bangalore? Of course, all of this assumes that the car Gods are on my side and i can get my hands on one. Look forward to your inputs Regards Marzi |
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![]() | #709 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,563
Thanked: 2,397 Times
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The Punto Abarth was offered with substantial and lucrative discounts in December 2018 (I believe the discounts are even better now), however, the first thing which steered me away was that all available cars with dealers in Bangalore were 3-4 months old and lying in the stock yard for that period. There were also no newer built cars expected with this dealer. When I gave more thought to the Abarth, I realised that I did not have the comfort level to purchase it given Fiat's bleak future in the country. While I am told that the T Jet engine can be serviced by certain specialist FNGs without hassle, I simply did not have the risk appetite to have a daily driver with such basic concerns. If this were a second or third car for me, my though process may have been different. My two cents, but then again, I am someone for whom reliability is very important, and goes hand in hand with the fun to drive nature of the car I will eventually pick up. Result? The Abarth sadly dropped out of my list, while the City and Ecosport still remain top contenders for my personal usage. As far as getting hands on one is concerned, I believe KHT Motors in Bangalore does have stock and is offering great discounts on the Abarth. Last edited by arindambasu13 : 16th January 2019 at 10:06. | |
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![]() | #710 | |
BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: kolkata
Posts: 406
Thanked: 836 Times
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With these decisions you tend to learn as you go. I built a connect with my car. It was unreliable too on the bad days. But my rapport with my FNG more than made up for it. The point of this post being that you are in a (much) better situation compared to me back in 2010.At least the Abarth is not unreliable. And the performance exhilerating. One of the few real enthusiast's cars available in the market today. Last edited by octane1002 : 16th January 2019 at 10:33. | |
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![]() | #711 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,563
Thanked: 2,397 Times
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However, when it comes to putting my money on a product, I am perhaps more conservative than many others and hence prefer to go with the likes of the Ecosport / City, both of which are, in their own right and their own way, fun to drive. At the same time, they have a good dose of practicality thrown in. Purely a personal choice, though. I am sure there are tons of happy T Jet owners who are having a fuss free experience as well. Last edited by arindambasu13 : 16th January 2019 at 10:46. | |
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![]() | #712 | ||
Senior - BHPian ![]() | ![]() Quote:
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So, you can get out of your mind the reliability factory of Fiat specifically. Treat it like a machine with timely usage and service and it should not be a problem. Mate, the Abarth is going for 8.6-8.7 lakhs OTR with included accessories like mudflats, cover and reverse cam. These are Sept - Nov 2018 make with 5 alloy wheels. This is the deal few people got in Pune (5+ booked with 2 full payments). At that price, you simply can't beat it. Even if you spend 1L on it every year (owing to "poor reliability") its the bargain of the year! Last edited by Gannu_1 : 16th January 2019 at 11:49. Reason: Edited as requested. :) | ||
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![]() | #713 |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 318
Thanked: 279 Times
| ![]() I am not sure why the Ecosport is receiving the same consideration as the abarth. I drove it once and it really was like a small truck to drive with a really bad clutch. If SUV is your thing, then only Ecosport can be considered. My requirements were similar to yours. The City petrol manual is what I have and is a very fast car when driven aggressively and relatively trouble free. But the city engine as you know is a NA and has little grunt when it's not being whipped. The Abarth was launched I guess 3-4 months after I purchased my City in 2015 so I didn't have to make this hard decision like you lol. If I were considering an Abarth today I would check the distance to the nearest service station. If that is Ok, buy the car and replace fluids and parts proactively *before* schedule especially engine oil, fuel and engine air filters, transmission and brake oil, coolant and belts. |
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![]() | #714 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,563
Thanked: 2,397 Times
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For my personal requirements, each of the City, Ecosport and the Abarth ticked several boxes. Most importantly, I enjoyed driving all three, albeit each were with their own different character. Hence, all three featured in my initial shortlist, and received my consideration. This does not in any way imply that the performance of the Abarth is matched by that of either the Ecosport or the City. It is a known and documented fact that it is not. However, the Abarth did not tick as many of my boxes as the other two did, and hence I had to drop it out of my list. My requirement was that of a daily driver with a fun to drive character, within a specific price point, with a few other requirements thrown in. It may well be that for others, their requirement set is better fulfilled by the Abarth,and for them, the Abarth is a stronger contender. For me, not so much. Last edited by arindambasu13 : 16th January 2019 at 16:17. | |
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![]() | #715 | |||||
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 221
Thanked: 583 Times
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JTP twins are a great option as well ![]() Quote:
![]() Also, 3-4 months old Abarth shouldn't really be that big a problem right? I'm sure the dealership may consider the request for fluid changes if bargained hard. Quote:
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Now comparatively the Abarth at around 9 lacs OTR or even less seems so much VFM if and only if we ignore the shortcomings such as dismal maintenance experience, less features, poor FE etc. and focus on it's strengths which I need not elaborate, at least on T-Bhp forums. But yes, it can certainly become a difficult choice to live with if things go wrong. | |||||
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![]() | #716 | |
Senior - BHPian ![]() Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore
Posts: 1,563
Thanked: 2,397 Times
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To answer your question on the Abarth, viewed in isolation, 3-4 months may not be a huge period of time, but I was personally not comfortable with cars lying around in the stockyard for that long. | |
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![]() | #717 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: May 2016 Location: Gurgaon
Posts: 244
Thanked: 324 Times
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Can't agree with you more on this. I have got an exact deal in Delhi NCR and awaiting to take delivery of my Black Abarth. Getting a 2 L discount with the accessories as indicated above. Mine is an October/ November 2018 manufactured car. Just couldn't resist buying it. Atleast in the metro cities or cities like Bangalore and Pune, I don't think it is a problem maintaining a Fiat in terms of reliability. Their engines are one of the most reliable ones. No wonder MSIL has stuck to the National Engine for this long. Last edited by jbpanda : 17th January 2019 at 16:31. | |
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![]() | #718 |
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![]() | #719 | ||||
BHPian ![]() Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Mumbai
Posts: 221
Thanked: 583 Times
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![]() Last edited by camitesh : 17th January 2019 at 17:12. Reason: spacing | ||||
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![]() | #720 | |
BHPian ![]() Join Date: May 2016 Location: Gurgaon
Posts: 244
Thanked: 324 Times
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Thanks. The car has arrived. I am scheduled to take delivery sometime next week. I have also been informed that the spare is same scorpion alloy. It is also coming with the touchscreen which was not there in earlier models. | |
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