Steve said:
the mechanic was telling me that him and his colleagues are dreading getting the Fiat franchise back because of the problems new Fiats suffer.
they know it, we know it, fiat know it, the motoring press know it, the only people who disagree are daft or in denial. (if i bought a GP i'd be living in denial right now, how else do you keep up the repayments?)
Steve said:
Why do we keep buying new Fiats when even the mechanics that work on them tell people to avoid them?
many reasons (non of them justifyable
)
many people still dont get the message, which is their own fault because they should do research before buying a car. how many new fiat owners come on this forum for the first time AFTER they buy the car, and then complain about all the faults. if they came on this forum first they could have at least known what to expect and made a more informed decision. i have no sympathy for people who buy without doing research, they deserve to fall into the fiat trap. this is fiat's main marketing strategy, they depend on people buying without knowing what they are getting themselves into.
people who own a particular car get emotionally attached to it, and for some strange reason think that brand is the best thing since sliced bread. its irrational i know but people cant help it. if your first car is a punto and you like it, you're far more likely to buy another fiat for your next car. even though you know how bad they are and you know there are better choices for some stupid reason you see the fiat badge and think happy thoughts. how many forum members are guilty of that? loads of them. its ok to blame people for having this irrational urge because a fiat owner knows better than anyone how crap they are, if you still come back for more you deserve to own a fiat.
fiats are cheap because the problems are well known, this makes them attractive to buyers who compare all the choices their budget gives them. you find it hard to say no to a fiat because you get a newer car with a better spec for you money. i'm in this category, i wanted a cheap quick car with a good spec, my bravo ticked every box, if only it wasn't a fiat, but if it had another badge it would have cost more so i cant complain. the problem with this tactic is that you forget why fiats cost less. that low price is ther because owning a fiat is likely to cost you more. you often find the money you spend in repairs could have bought an equivalent car with a better badge, but you take the risk and hope for the best and sometimes you get lucky, sometimes it hurts a lot.
my main concern is the improvement in other brands such as hyundai and kia. brands that couldn't compete not so long ago have really got their act together lately. now fiat's low prices dont seem as competitive because you can pay the same price for a more reliable and well built car. once people realise many brands have made big improvements it will steal even more of fiat's already shrinking market share. this could have one of 2 outcomes, fiat dont improve and get left behind ultimately causing them to go out of business, or fiat will fight back and actually try to improve their cars. if they do make improvements they cant expect to increase their prices because that would remove any gain in competitiveness. they need better cars at the same price. you have to wnoder if they can realisitically do that profitably. personally i dont think they will. i think many car makers will suffer and fail in the same way british industry did when the far east got its act together. unless you stick to the executive/luxury sector or the sports/performance sector you have to accept that you must compete with all these up and coming brands who offer so much and charge so little. can fiat compete with them? in the long term i dont think they can.
