I wish my dealer would hurry up and put my options onto the computer system, once they are on there I'll have to stop calling them & saying "can I just add..........."

Rear headrests added, no other reason than I like the shape of them!!!!!

Ive just read that 90,000 people in France and Italy have ordered cars so far this year... Fiat are on target to make up to 60,000 this year.... how on earth do they expect to meet the Jan 21st delivery times when they will be 30,000 cars short already?
You could be in for a bit of a wait!

All dealers claim to have already taken dozens of orders (multiply that by the hundred and sixty odd dealers in the UK) and everyone expecting theirs to be the first, the bristol channel is gonna be full of ships full of 500s v soon, or someone at some dealers are telling porkies.

They are just telling customers what they want to hear.
If you go to a garage that says
-you will be waiting 3 or 6 or 8 months just like they do in Fr and It-
You would go to a garage that said
-we hope to get you one for the jan launch.Trust us. we can do it for you-

All the dealers round my way seem to be ignoring the backlog of orders and claiming to be able to get customers what they want as quick as they like.Meantime Fr and It customers have to wait months for theres. I smell something fishy somewhere - we dont normally get preferential treatment in the UK and not every order can be on the first shipment.
tis not possible.

Must say thanks for all of the positive thoughts about delivery of a 500, really is a great welcome to Fiat ownership................

Just wondering how many of those full of negativity HAVENT ordered one.

Don't take it to heart Mark, I think people are just being realistic and advising that dealers saying 'you'll be the first' is a bit optimistic, that's all.

I am seriously tempted at the moment to go for the laether steering wheel also.

Ordered a 1.2 Lounge fully loaded on Saturday from Palmers in Watford, a new Fiat dealership. I had an interesting chat with the staff there about all things 500, they looked reslendent in their grey 500 polo shirts. There were also a number of boxed 500 models one of which I have attempted to blag.

I was warned about the delay with the Funk white but I was not to be detered. The only specification booklet they had was in Italian but they promised me a copy as soon as the English versions arrived.

They seemed very optimistic of receiving between 6-9 rhd demonstration cars to cover most of the range of options in December. Quite a launch party seems to be planned and the general publicity machine seems to be gathering pace. The dealership bought up a old 500 from Somerset, it took them from 14.00 to 22.00 with the car breaking down on the way.

REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

We are getting the 500s in the UK cheaper than most of us expected.

The UK specification seems to be as good or better than we expected.

We are getting the full range of engines and the 3 main trim levels in the UK from launch date which is a pleasant surprise.

It's all looking good.

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Well done to Mark and ensonricky and anyone else who has already ordered one - especially if you are getting a 1.2 Popular for a very reasonable £7900 they could a thousand quid more than that model IMO and still sell loads of them.

You could probably sell it on at a profit to one of the cautious-Kevins like me who want to see,sit in and test drive one before ordering.

There is a waiting list overseas for them, and those of us who order after the launch may well have to wait a similar length of time to get exactly what we want OR we have to take what's available.

That was the same situation with MINI launch, it is the same with lots of launches and there's not a not we (or Fiat) can do about it.
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>>>>Mark and ensonricky: Did you have the choice of black or ivory plasticfor around the steering column/heater and radio controls? Is that an option you were offered? If so which did you choose and what was the cost?

The steering wheel/cowl etc colour is linked to the seat colours, I have gone for the blue/Ivory seats, which comes with the ivory steering wheel. The colour reflects the seat secondary colour.

Thinking of ordering a 2nd one to sell on,. but I fear I may have missed the boat on that one.

Thank you Mark, I understand now. The ivory coloured bits really brighten up the interior and they also remind me of the Trepiuno concept vehicle which I fell in love with back in 2004.
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Thinking of ordering a 2nd one to sell on,. but I fear I may have missed the boat on that one.

Click to expand...

I think you are right, but Fiat dealers generally seem to be quite astute and business-savvy, so I'm sure a dealer somewhere will have ordered an 'extra' vehicle or two to sell on.

Some dealers do genuinely seem to think he will take delivery of the first RHD car(s) before the end of December, so I may not have to wait til 08 to get a test drive in a 1.2 on the scabby roads of the Midlands.

With the prices as they are, I'm eagerly awaiting the Abarth ones!

Fiat have done well to undercut the Twingo at base model cost, which seems to be overlooked with the comparisons being made to the Mini! Not sure on specs though, haven't compared the two.

If I wasn't at uni, I'd be so tempted. Nothing wrong with my Stilo either!

I had a sit in a specced up Lounge at the NEC today. It had the ivory dashpod etc and light seats, also optional climate and I must admit I was very impressed, especially now we know the prices. Going to test drive one around launch time to see if I like the way it drives. TBH all the others Id seen were sports which I really didnt like.

Our Demo is arriving mid december.


Why everyone isn't speccing black with red leather I don't know... :yum:

pwig said:

Our Demo is arriving mid december.

Click to expand...

So when are you going to be supplying customer cars?

21st of Jan.. (or whenever the launch date is) It's 500 hours after that start of the year

pwig said:

21st of Jan.. (or whenever the launch date is) It's 500 hours after that start of the year

Click to expand...

so is that what you honstly belive, of are you towing the corporate line there then?

500 hrs into the new year is something like 8pm on the 21st Jan.

Well that's when we will be arranging all of our handovers for :\ Or any date after that

The official / Fiat-recommended launch date and car-handover-date for UK customers is Jan 21st, but some dealers in France and Italy seemed to 'jump the gun' by a few days, and maybe that will happen in the UK too.

I am certainly hoping for a test drive in late December or early January.

If Fiat dealers gets their demo cars early, I'm sure they won't be able to resist showing them off and doing deals.

It happened with the Panda, local dealers sold some before launch date.

Some salesmen are supposed to be promising customers test drives in RHD versions before Xmas, I think that's a bit optimistic, but I'll be disappointed if I haven't had a test-drive (or two) by 21 Jan, the official launch date.

I assume the Polish factory and the shipping company, and Walon the car transporter people close for quite a while over Xmas and New Year, so if the cars don't arrive 'til early or mid January Fiat will be able to blame Mr Claus.

<What we really need is to get someone to camp out at Bristol Docks to give us the nod
when the 500s come out of the compound and on the road to the dealerships.>​