Just wanted to let you guys know that the 500 is selling well and since the launch on Monday we have had 3 minis on the forecourt lookin to trade in against 500s. I reckon if you want to buy a mini then go to a fiat dealer because we will have loads of them traded in.

oh no dont let them bmw mini lot have them

mmmeeeeooow!

mini's wouldn't be that bad but they're cramped, and not well screwed together in my experience.

Hellcat said:

mmmeeeeooow!

new mini drivers wouldn't be that bad but they're camp, and not well screwed together in my experience.

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yeah

Only new mini owner I know is a mad scottish lass at work haha Not quite camp though.

I was with a trade customer of mine yesterday who has a Mini Cooper that is her pride and joy (she also has an RX8). I turned up in the 500 and just left it open with the keys in. Sure enough, she came to me within 10 minutes and asked if she could take it for a drive. 30 minutes later she had booked in for a test drive witht he dealership. Looks like all the money she spent on the tuning, exhausts and induction on the Mini is going to benefit the next owner then . Just a shame she isn't going to trade in the god awfull RX8 though!

N500SHP said:

I was with a trade customer of mine yesterday who has a Mini Cooper that is her pride and joy (she also has an RX8). I turned up in the 500 and just left it open with the keys in. Sure enough, she came to me within 10 minutes and asked if she could take it for a drive. 30 minutes later she had booked in for a test drive witht he dealership. Looks like all the money she spent on the tuning, exhausts and induction on the Mini is going to benefit the next owner then . Just a shame she isn't going to trade in the god awfull RX8 though!

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i like rx8,s nothing wrong with them there just mint imho miles better than a bmw mini

thats what I thought but mates RX8 has had endless problems Maybe just a one off but I prefer 626 except they are so uncomftable

T14086 said:

thats what I thought but mates RX8 has had endless problems Maybe just a one off but I prefer 626 except they are so uncomftable

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thing i liked the most was the dash illumination all blue and white

and the wheels were nice styling a bit odd but not to bad

and that snauting 9000rpm engine lol albeit with their oil consumption and apex seal problems but hay

littlepip17 said:

i like rx8,s nothing wrong with them there just mint imho miles better than a bmw mini

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Each to their own but I dont get RX8's. They look ok but cost so much to run, terrible MPG, use ****loads of oil, have SUPER-high emissions, high insurance, high tax, seems like a waste to me

Look nice though but suppose thats all down to personal choice

seadragon said:

Each to their own but I dont get RX8's. They look ok but cost so much to run, terrible MPG, use ****loads of oil, have SUPER-high emissions, high insurance, high tax, seems like a waste to me

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that engine will be no more from now on they cant get it through euro emissions any more lol

I was at Grays in Warwick the other day driving one of their 1.4's....they told me they had 5 people in during the past week who had cancelled Mini orders so they could get 500's!

Great news for Fiat, only downside for the owners is that in general the Mini dealers are first rate... unlike our beloved Fiat main dealers.

On the bright side, an increase in the number of complaints should in turn increase the likelihood of certain dealers being punished/kicked out of the network unless they improve their service.

The advantage now is unlike in the past a Fiat dealership should be a more attractive prospect with the current range, particularly the 500, selling well.

This should in theory give Fiat HO more scope to discipline poor dealerships knowing there are others willing to take their place.

They defo need to up their game - there are three Main dealers near to me in around a 15 mile radius and I'll be competing them all against each other to see what each can offer extra for the offer of my 500 sale....

Prestissimo said:

On the bright side, an increase in the number of complaints should in turn increase the likelihood of certain dealers being punished/kicked out of the network unless they improve their service.

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So guys...........how is this achieved or what would you like to see happen?

Its simple... in my vast experiance of many Fiat dealerships over the past 11 years, its the aftersales thats bad. The mechanics often mess things up, simple things always.
The whole network needs to ensure repairs and servicing is carried out exactly as it should be, not missing bits, breaking stuff or under/overfilling oil etc.
Only once in all these years has a dealer managed a proper service as it should be.
Also, when they do mess things up, a simple apology and truthful explanation should follow which also doesnt seem to happen.
None of this is rocket science, and theyve been promising change for years

Main dealer in Pickering put wrong water pump on the brother in law's Cinq sporting... luckily it's a FIRE engine and no extra damage but left him stranded and having to fix it all again... this time he did it himself.

Not saying all garages are like that but simple things like checking the part you are putting on is the correct one would be good. I'm getting a little nervous of my upcoming service because I'll be leaving it in the hands of strangers and I'd like to feel that they will treat it as carefully as they would treat their own...