Fiat 500 in my local Dodge/Chrysler dealership

Discussion in 'General Motoring' started by MoPar Man, Mar 10, 2011.

  1. MoPar Man

    MoPar Man Guest

    So I took my '00 300m to my dealer to get an emissions test - another
    waste of $35 I spend every 2 years for no good reason:

    40 km/hr speed:
    HC ppm: 13 (pass = 54)
    CO%: .01 (pass = .3)
    NO ppm: 0 (pass = 396)
    Dilution: 14.31 (valid)

    Curb idle:
    HC ppm: 23 (pass = 150)
    CO%: .18 (pass = .7)
    NO ppm: (no reading?) (pass = no reading?)
    Dilution: 13.56 (valid)

    Talk about a f*ckin reliable car. Best 30-odd K I ever spent.

    Still have the factory original battery in the car. 11 years, 4 months
    old. How's that for battery life? I will admit that the car spends
    practically every night for the past 11 years in an insulated garage,
    never drops below 40f, and I have put the battery on a charger overnight
    about once night a week for the past 2 or 3 months. Still have the same
    K&N air filter that I clean and oil once a year that must be 8 or 9
    years old by now.

    Had a look in the showroom while I was waiting for the emissions test to
    get done. Saw a Fiat 500 (1.4 L engine, manual transmission). Base
    price was $18k, with options it was like $21.5k. These are Canuck bucks
    - worth about 3% more than your Yankee bucks these days.

    I had a look at the Chrysler "200" (the car formerly known as Sebring).
    I asked why this car was getting all the press, and not the new-look 300
    (which they didn't have in the showroom or anywhere else I could see).
    They said the new 300 isin't available yet - they were expecting it a
    few weeks ago. Hmmm...

    The base price on the 200 is something like $22k. Who would get the
    Fiat 500 when the faux-sebring is like basically the same price?

    One thing I absolutely HATE about the gear shifter for the auto trans in
    the 200 is the zig-zag gate pattern. I hate those when I get them in a
    rental car - I practically break my wrist dealing with them. I love my
    straight-line gear shifter in the 300m.

    They had a "392" (?) Challenger (6.4 L hemi, 6-speed manual trans) -
    white with blue racing stripes and blue-trimmed bucket seats. Base
    price + options came to $57k. Like I said before - I'd buy the
    Challenger to replace my 300m, but only if it came as optional FWD
    (which bonehead Chrysler didn't do).
     
    MoPar Man, Mar 10, 2011
    #1
  2. MoPar Man

    Zombywoof Guest

    Why optional FWD? Nobody is buying these for MPG reasons. I sure as
    hell didn't.

    Car is already RWD so to "me" the logical option would be AWD to try &
    improve launches. Even with traction control engaged it is far to
    easy to break those wheels loose.
     
    Zombywoof, Mar 12, 2011
    #2
  3. MoPar Man

    MoPar Man Guest

    Zombywoof unnecessarily full-quoted:
    If I had a 3-car garage, then yes - I would own a V8 RWD Challenger -
    and drive it in the spring / summer / fall.

    But I don't have a 3 car garage. So the car that's going to be parked
    beside my Dodge Ram truck in my garage needs to have front wheel drive
    to deal with my winter driving conditions as my daily driving car.

    So because the Challenger doesn't come with a V6 / FWD option, then I
    have no use for it.
     
    MoPar Man, Mar 12, 2011
    #3
  4. MoPar Man

    Zombywoof Guest

    Even though I have a Winter to deal with, it is usually a mild one
    here in Southeastern Virginia.
    I got a 2010 Challenger R/T to use as my daily driver & road trip car.
    Fortunately for me I don't have much of a commute.
    V6? Argggh, if it ain't got 8 don't put it on my plate.

    What kind of MoPar Man are you :)

    I'd still go for AWD over FWD.
     
    Zombywoof, Mar 12, 2011
    #4
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