General 124 Spider over and out?

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General 124 Spider over and out?

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Does anyone seem to know if the insane people in charge of decisions :idea: have dropped the 124 Spider from the UK?

It's missing from both the website and the January 2019 price list?!!!

I know some wouldn't mourn it's loss as they prefer the Abarth but I like the composure and relitive quietness of the Fiat version. much prefer wind in the hair motoring to raucous burbles and growls (although the Abarth is stunning too) just in different ways.

This is a real shame if true and it screws up my plans to change mine in two years for another Fiat version if this turns out to be true :bang:
 
When I bought my Tipo in September last year and was chatting about availability of different models the dealer said that the 124 was unavailable until early 2019. Whilst it's been showing on the Fiat website, it was only the S-Design model, not the Classica, Lusso, Lusso Plus models, so maybe they were just keeping it on the website whilst running stocks down.

I don't think it'll be gone permanently - I see as many of the Fiat's as I do the Mazda MX5's so it'll be a crazy decision if dropped for good. The 1.4 MultiAir engine used in the 124 has been phased out of or replaced on other models that it was fitted to including the 500X, Jeep Renegade and Alfa MiTo/Giulietta, so i reckon they'll be getting ready to sell it with the new 1.3 FireFly engine fitted to the 500X & Renegade. In those models it's auto-only, which might not suit the 124, so perhaps they need to configure it with a manual box and then get Mazda's factory tooled up to fit it, which I assume is a slower process than fitting it in Fiat's own plants.
 
I've recently purchased a 124 S-design, as said before, love the Abarth, but really would at times find the noise annoying, so went S-design instead.


I think that Fiat is updating the 124, rather than pulling the plug. Dealers are saying that they cannot place factory orders, rather than can't place orders at all. Given it's the winter, now is the time for Fiat to do this ready for the spring / summer.
 
Autocar now reporting that it's been withdrawn from sale in the UK, and that Fiat is concentrating on sales of the Abarth version for its RHD markets.

Given that Fiat is led by a bunch of muppets, this doesn't bode well.
 
Autocar now reporting that it's been withdrawn from sale in the UK, and that Fiat is concentrating on sales of the Abarth version for its RHD markets.

Given that Fiat is led by a bunch of muppets, this doesn't bode well.



I think it is odd that Fiat does not now list the 124 at all, and Autocar are speculating that, but Fiat have not confirmed it either way.

If the 124 does get pulled, grab a new one whilst you can !!
 
Should of put a meatier engine in the 124 from the outset. 1.8 TBi would of been good or and old school 20VT 5 pot engine. Sad really if it gets dropped, it deserves to stay in production longer or adapt it as coupe version like Alfa did with Spider and Brera. The other worry is the Tipo, not selling that well in UK with petrol engines, estates seem rare.
 
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I'm guessing the 1.8TBi was pretty marginal on WLTP emissions and there's no way the old 5 pot was going to pass WLTP testing at any reasonable level! - I had a 2.0 20v in a Marea - it struggled to do 26-28mpg on my daily commute.
 
Think back to the Lancia days..
They were selling @30 cars of each body type In UK RHD. Just not viable.

I am sure it will endure in the rest of the car buying world for a while.

I blame the motoring press who have given the MX5 glowing reviews and fairly heavily criticised the 124 Spider.

I'm guessing there is little between them when it comes to driving experience - but the 124 styling is much nicer than that angry, squinty MX5.
 
I blame the motoring press who have given the MX5 glowing reviews and fairly heavily criticised the 124 Spider.

I'm guessing there is little between them when it comes to driving experience - but the 124 styling is much nicer than that angry, squinty MX5.

Aledgedly a better balanced.. and slightly more powerful car too.

In hindsight of course.. like our 04 panda.

This was ..FAR.. from a follow.on model.

So FIAT didnt have a ready market of 'buy the same again' people.
 
I love the 124 Spider (having owned an original one a number of years back).

Kind of wondering what will happen to values of the Abarth - will they get cheap and then start to appreciate, like the originals?

Just pondering if it would be something I'd trade my Boxster for. But I have a feeling the Boxster will be a better long-term investment, even if maintenance costs are higher.
 
Kind of wondering what will happen to values of the Abarth - will they get cheap and then start to appreciate, like the originals?

It doesn't bode well that they've been knocking out Abarths on PCH for under £200 per month, and that you can get £10k off the list price of a new one (albeit pre-registered). Will the 124 Spider go the way of the Barchetta, I wonder, where towards the end of its life you could pick up a new one for buttons, and secondhand prices went through the floor? I reckon values of the Abarth will hold up a bit better than the Fiat version longer-term, as it has a bit more cachet - and oomph - but the new, cheaper 180hp MX5 may kill off the new sales. (I was told that every Fiat dealer - including those who don't do Abarths - were allocated an Abarth 124 Spider. They don't seem to have sold many, hence perhaps the mega-deals at the moment).

As for looks, I think the 124 Spider looks odd at the front - those fish-like headlight lenses :eek: - and it's clumsy and heavy at the rear. They dismally failed to emulate the dainty proportions of the original 124 Spider imho. I think the mx5 is better resolved as a shape. But hey, horses for courses!

I'd hang on to the Boxster!
 
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Seems to me Fiat always have a track record of knocking out nice cars, initial media storm, then goes quiet with the media adverts etc after a year in the showroom. Recently we have purchased an used approved Abarth 500, though I spent most of the time comparing a Fiat 124 and the Abarth 124, from what I saw was for a 6 month old ex demo there was barely £1500 between them, hence the abarth is heavily discountered. I do question where FCA are going, Alfa has issues as well with very aged models that just continue to have facelift. The new gulia model unless it’s the Q.V. are not selling well as is not the Stelvio.
Saying that Maserati not doing great either, that new levante is a total flop.

We have had many Fiats since 1994, but for me there should be as many 124’s as MX5’s.

Personally I am seeking a Tipo SW T-jet but dealers can not confirm delivery on a new one and there are only 6 approved used ones, oldest being a 18 plate, what does that tell you...
 
It doesn't bode well that they've been knocking out Abarths on PCH for under £200 per month, and that you can get £10k off the list price of a new one (albeit pre-registered). Will the 124 Spider go the way of the Barchetta, I wonder, where towards the end of its life you could pick up a new one for buttons, and secondhand prices went through the floor? I reckon values of the Abarth will hold up a bit better than the Fiat version longer-term, as it has a bit more cachet - and oomph - but the new, cheaper 180hp MX5 may kill off the new sales. (I was told that every Fiat dealer - including those who don't do Abarths - were allocated an Abarth 124 Spider. They don't seem to have sold many, hence perhaps the mega-deals at the moment).

As for looks, I think the 124 Spider looks odd at the front - those fish-like headlight lenses :eek: - and it's clumsy and heavy at the rear. They dismally failed to emulate the dainty proportions of the original 124 Spider imho. I think the mx5 is better resolved as a shape. But hey, horses for courses!

I'd hang on to the Boxster!

It's £199 a month but with nearly £4000 upfront. They were offering the Fiat version for £199 a month too, but with just £199 upfront. I've seen more 124's than I have new MX5's, so they couldn't be selling that badly, albeit with pretty strong promotions. They're not exactly volume models anyway, which made me wonder why (apart from Sergio insisting all Alfa's be made in Italy) they bothered badging them as Fiat/Abarth when they could've sold them as Alfa's with the price tag of the Abarth & probably shifted more.

I'd like to think that the Fiat version is temporarily stopped whilst they install the new FireFly engine, but seen as it's still available on Fiat.it I'm not 100% hopeful :(


Seems to me Fiat always have a track record of knocking out nice cars, initial media storm, then goes quiet with the media adverts etc after a year in the showroom. Recently we have purchased an used approved Abarth 500, though I spent most of the time comparing a Fiat 124 and the Abarth 124, from what I saw was for a 6 month old ex demo there was barely £1500 between them, hence the abarth is heavily discountered. I do question where FCA are going, Alfa has issues as well with very aged models that just continue to have facelift. The new gulia model unless it’s the Q.V. are not selling well as is not the Stelvio.
Saying that Maserati not doing great either, that new levante is a total flop.

We have had many Fiats since 1994, but for me there should be as many 124’s as MX5’s.

Personally I am seeking a Tipo SW T-jet but dealers can not confirm delivery on a new one and there are only 6 approved used ones, oldest being a 18 plate, what does that tell you...

Agreed re the first part. With the exception of the 500 range, Fiat seem to pull most of the advertising after the initial media storm. Alfa are struggling in the UK particularly, though with the Giulia/Stelvio I think that has a lot to do with the very thin and patchy quality of the dealer network across the Country. Advertising as always hasn't been amazing either, given the competitiveness of the cars. I've seen more Maserati Levante's than I have Stelvio's though, so that might be a geographical thing, as we've a lot more Maserati dealers in the South than you do in Scotland (and the North of England). It's not as good as Porsche, but it has more brand kudos and is cheaper, which might be enough for some people. They desperately need more new models though, as do all FCA brands.

With regards to the Tipo T-Jet SW, the lack of stock is probably because it's a slightly unusual choice - most SWs will sell in diesel form because it's a more economical load lugger. I have the hatch version of the T-Jet - performance is very good and I'm very happy with the Tipo generally, but it's barely got above 31mpg in the 3000 miles i've covered so far, so I'd go with the 1.6 Multijet if I were you. I would if I was choosing again.
 
Mangoletsi had the Abarth 124 on a PCH for 5+23 @ £199 per month, so under £1000 up front. Admittedly that was for only 5k miles pa, but that would have suited me fine. IIRC, they were £240 per month for 8k miles. Arnold Clark had similar deals. And as you say, the Fiat version was available for even less.

FCA must have known since the launch that the Abarth 124 is uncompetitive at its list price. They offered a cut-price, pared-down Abarth Scorpione a while back. What's the betting that, having dropped the Fiat version, they'll introduce another cut-price Abarth. To avoid more humongous discounting, they'll surely have to cut the list price of the full-fat version too, or drop in a new, more powerful engine to compete with the MX5. (The MX5 GT Sport Nav+, which is more powerful than the Abarth, and much better spec'd as standard, is only just over £25k new, and available online for £21k).

As for the Giulia, my local Alfa dealer has a sad-looking maroon one (on puny 16" wheels ffs) in the showroom, with £10k off the list price.
 
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Crikey, that's very cheap for the PCH deals then. I do wonder why FCA insist on pricing their stuff so high and then knocking thousands off, making the residual values look terrible in the process. Would've thought pricing more realistically to start with & only having to knock off a more modest couple of thousand would've been the way to go, but I'm pretty convinced the UK arm of it is run by muppets so I don't think a great deal of thought goes into it :rolleyes:
 
Another Abarth 124 deal has just popped up - 3x23 @ £234 for 8k miles. Blimey!

(Although that's for an auto :( and they probably all have Bose and Metallic, which will bump up the monthlies by a good few £££)

Just waiting for a ring-back...
 
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