Well folks, our relationship with Fiat has come to an end. We've PX'd the TA for a brand new (not pre-reg) 2015 Hyundai i10, 1.2 Premium. At least we've not had to traipse around half the country this time, having bought from a local dealership. It took just 11 days from ordering the car to taking possession.
Why did we do it? Easy enough decision really. The Hyundai comes with a standard 5 year unlimited mileage warranty and 5 year breakdown assistance included. The 3 year servicing plan cost just £349 or £116 per year. So with a work scheme discount, the PX on the TA, Diamondbrite paint protection/cloth protection, full mat set, proper boot liner thrown in gratis, all that remained was to hand over £4.5k and that was that, new car, paid for in full, job done. We've not even seen an increase in our car insurance.
The Hyundai is a fantastic drive on both the motorway (which we travel on everyday) and on 'usual' roads and it is much quieter all round than the TA. Indeed the 1.2 engine is so quiet when sat at the lights, you'd think the engine wasn't running. It has noticeably better suspension than our TA had. I also like the fact it has cruise control, full Bluetooth connectivity pack and disc brakes all round which are sharper than a cats claws! Also as we rediscovered today on a small car, having four doors is an absolute winner for us.
Before committal, me and 'er indoors spent half the day the other weekend looking around car supermarkets. What struck us walking around, were the amount of Fiat 500's for sale, loads of 'em, so clearly plenty are now available on the second hand market. Also, it has become abundantly clear, just how many of our neighbours now have a 500. When we bought our first one, there were only a couple of 500's near us and now there's several and it's all starting to look very similar, just like the houses we all live in!
So that then just leaves me to say adiós as a Fiat owner. I've enjoyed the cars, both the 1.2 and the TA. We'd never owned Fiat's before these two. We've had almost 4 years of ownership spread between both vehicles, both bought for several thousand pounds cheaper than brand new list price. Both cars though had to have warranty work carried out which would have cost quite a lot of money to put right if the cars were out of warranty. That being said, both cars were total fun, a joy to drive and I'd be a poorer man for not having had the experience of ownership. I'd certainly never put anyone off of buying one but personally, I'd grown bored of the cutesy retro look appeal on which the 500 clearly sells so well.
Keep well and keep safe. I hope I'll still be allowed to continue to contribute to this fantastic forum without a 'traitor' tag or being summarily banned lol!
Thanks to all!
Why did we do it? Easy enough decision really. The Hyundai comes with a standard 5 year unlimited mileage warranty and 5 year breakdown assistance included. The 3 year servicing plan cost just £349 or £116 per year. So with a work scheme discount, the PX on the TA, Diamondbrite paint protection/cloth protection, full mat set, proper boot liner thrown in gratis, all that remained was to hand over £4.5k and that was that, new car, paid for in full, job done. We've not even seen an increase in our car insurance.
The Hyundai is a fantastic drive on both the motorway (which we travel on everyday) and on 'usual' roads and it is much quieter all round than the TA. Indeed the 1.2 engine is so quiet when sat at the lights, you'd think the engine wasn't running. It has noticeably better suspension than our TA had. I also like the fact it has cruise control, full Bluetooth connectivity pack and disc brakes all round which are sharper than a cats claws! Also as we rediscovered today on a small car, having four doors is an absolute winner for us.
Before committal, me and 'er indoors spent half the day the other weekend looking around car supermarkets. What struck us walking around, were the amount of Fiat 500's for sale, loads of 'em, so clearly plenty are now available on the second hand market. Also, it has become abundantly clear, just how many of our neighbours now have a 500. When we bought our first one, there were only a couple of 500's near us and now there's several and it's all starting to look very similar, just like the houses we all live in!
So that then just leaves me to say adiós as a Fiat owner. I've enjoyed the cars, both the 1.2 and the TA. We'd never owned Fiat's before these two. We've had almost 4 years of ownership spread between both vehicles, both bought for several thousand pounds cheaper than brand new list price. Both cars though had to have warranty work carried out which would have cost quite a lot of money to put right if the cars were out of warranty. That being said, both cars were total fun, a joy to drive and I'd be a poorer man for not having had the experience of ownership. I'd certainly never put anyone off of buying one but personally, I'd grown bored of the cutesy retro look appeal on which the 500 clearly sells so well.
Keep well and keep safe. I hope I'll still be allowed to continue to contribute to this fantastic forum without a 'traitor' tag or being summarily banned lol!
Thanks to all!
