New Car

[08Sunburst]

Hey all, figured i would share with you guys



Traded in my 08 caliber for a 2012 Fiat 500 Sport, in Nero Black





Had the car for about a week now, and im LOVING it. Fully loaded, every option minus the stick on the windshield navigation(which i already have anyway).



When i went to test drive it, it had 1 mile on it, everything still wrapped. Great feeling!

[David Fermani]

Congrats. How`s the build quality? They look very promising and are poppin up everywhere in the Motor City.

[08Sunburst]

Congrats. How`s the build quality? They look very promising and are poppin up everywhere in the Motor City.

Build quality is top notch. Compared to my caliber this feels like a car that cost 4x more. Nothing feels cheap, and it seems like they engineered everything correctly.



Im loving the gas mileage as well. Been getting about 33/34 putting around town. Highway ratings are between 38-45 as well.

[David Fermani]

Good to know that the Italians are on top of their game.

[08Sunburst]

Good to know that the Italians are on top of their game.

Yea, after owning a dodge for 3 1/2 years, it put a really bad taste in my mouth.. Probably one of the most unreliable cars ive owned. For the past few months, i was dealing with it not starting on occasion, suspension problems all the time, among many other things.

[David Fermani]

Sounds like it`s time to update your Avatar!!

[08Sunburst]

Sounds like it`s time to update your Avatar!!

Yea, i have about 5 different forums that i have to update lol

[C. Charles Hahn]

Yea, after owning a dodge for 3 1/2 years, it put a really bad taste in my mouth.. Probably one of the most unreliable cars ive owned. For the past few months, i was dealing with it not starting on occasion, suspension problems all the time, among many other things.

Well if we`re honest, the Caliber was widely known to be a piece of crap. Can`t say I`m surprised.



The biggest thing I`m not sure about with the 500 is how much room it has in it; with my long legs I usually get cramped in compact cars.

[mikenap]

Yea, i have about 5 different forums that i have to update lol

New screename too! That gauge must take some getting used to, I had to do a double take to see all that was going on in it!

[08Sunburst]

Well if we`re honest, the Caliber was widely known to be a piece of crap. Can`t say I`m surprised.



The biggest thing I`m not sure about with the 500 is how much room it has in it; with my long legs I usually get cramped in compact cars.

The caliber was OK, decent amount of room, halfway decent on gas, but the thing broke quite a bit, and was pretty cheaply made.



Leg room in the Fiat isnt bad at all. I drove one of my friends who is 6 foot 3, and he had no fitment problems.

New screename too! That gauge must take some getting used to, I had to do a double take to see all that was going on in it!

The first couple days were weird, but honestly, its awesome having the tach and the speedo in one gauge. Its actually cool, the tach chases the speed up and down lol

[WAS]

The caliber was OK, decent amount of room, halfway decent on gas, but the thing broke quite a bit, and was pretty cheaply made.

They are definitely cheaply made. There`s a reason it was (at one time) the cheapest car you could buy brand new in Canada.



Congrats on the purchase ! I`ve been seeing those Fiats around, they look pretty sharp !

[08Sunburst]

They are definitely cheaply made. There`s a reason it was (at one time) the cheapest car you could buy brand new in Canada.



Congrats on the purchase ! I`ve been seeing those Fiats around, they look pretty sharp !

Yea, the caliber had some major problems with fit and finish. Panels coming loose, cracking, etc etc.



Here is the list of (most) of the problems i had with the caliber:



Rear defroster wiring faulty, took over three months in and out of the dealer to fix. Spent two weeks in a rental car with only 5k miles on my car.



Drivers seat reupholstered.



Drivers seat side trim replaced X3



Passenger seat handle replaced



Shift knob replaced



Outer tie rod ends replaced



Front lower control arms replaced



Four struts replaced



Four endlinks replaced



Oil pan leak fixed



Rear motor mount replaced



Front brakes replaced(rotors warped)



Steering wheel lock replaced



Occasional no-start issue







Yup, glad to be rid of it...

[G'kar]

Looks nice, quick question though... What kind of Radar Detector is that and will you Hardwire it?

[08Sunburst]

Looks nice, quick question though... What kind of Radar Detector is that and will you Hardwire it?

Its an escort 9500IX, and yes, ill be hard-wiring it at some point

[Brad B]

It looks awesome. I really like all the style/design put into it. Cool looking gauges and switchgear, trim pieces, etc. I hope they sell well and that other Fiat`s make it to these shores.



Congrats and have fun. But then, how couldn`t you....just looking at the Fiat puts a smile on your face!