Advantages: Competative prices, Service with a smile. Disadvantages: After sales niggles.
...the forecourt of my local Fiat dealer, T.J.Vickers of Telford Shropshire.
I was really in two minds about buying a Fiat. I had heard the old
joke Fix It Again Tomorrow , a play on the first letter of each word, but liked the look of a six month old 1.2 ELX Punto which was on sale for £ 2,300 below its new price.
A salesperson finally approached me. I relayed my concerns about Fiats reputation .He dealt with my concerns stating that the Punto had ... ...happens at low speed, but Fiat seem powerless to cure it or just can't be bothered i don't know which. I am told it is quite a common complaint on the Punto.
So this leads me to my conclusions.
Price- Very competative.
Pre-sales service- Very good.Straight talking and not patronising
Efficiency- Good product delivered in good order and ready for when they said it would be.
After sales service- A bit pricey, which is where they may claw some ...
moodyman9 15.08.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Fiat
...have now changed the offending Fiat Punto for a Honda Civic.............OH JOY!!!! A fantastic drive and incredible service from Howards Honda in Weston-super-Mare. I really should have followed my first instincts, and bought a Honda in the first place. I would recommend anyone to use the Howards dealership.
I am still of the opinion that the Punto I originally purchased was indeed a hunk of junk. I would personally never buy another Fiat in the ...
roo09 29.06.2006 (27.07.2006)
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Advantages: friendly, cheap (for a car dealers), do as they say Disadvantages: depends on the car, sometimes they are visited quite often
...from them, including:
1 Fiat Bravo
1 Fiat Punto
1 Fiat Uno
2 Fiat Tipos
1 Fiat Croma
So you can see that we have bought over the entire range, both new and used. I can seriously say that, with my hand on my heart, they are a very friendly, not in the least bit pushy or overbearing, and accommodating dealership.
As you drive up Harley Shute Road from the A259 and turn left at the roundabout at the top, you zip down a little hill (hills, oh ... ...used to only deal with Fiat on the site, but has since added Alfa Romeo and Nissan to its roll of honour.
Anyway, let's look at the dealers in terms of various attributes:
SETTING
As I said, on the northern edge of the twin towns of Hastings and St Leonards on Sea, a bus ride from the town centre, about 3 miles I would say. The setting is quite nice, although there is an industrial estate nearby. There is also a large Tesco Superstore 5 minutes ...
Nolly 17.09.2002
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Advantages: Performance vs price, Well specified Disadvantages: Rust magnets, Depreciate rapidly
...The first was a D-reg Fiat Uno Fire, a 999cc car that always seemed capable of more than those 9's would suggest. That car saw me through university life, carried numerous varied (and drunken) loads around the country, and had a fairly trouble free life. When I sold it it was around 5years old and already had required a touch-up to get rid of some rust on a rear wheel arch.
I didn't learn from that car though and so my next car was a brand spanking ... ...the Windsor dealer lost it's Fiat franchise and then bit the bullet as well.
To be fair to Fiat (and the car itself) it has provided sterling service (mechanically) for most of it's life. It was only on reaching 7yrs that the 'itch' developed, with clutch master and slave cylinders failing, the clutch plate itself needing replacing twice in less than 50k miles, the heater matrix rusting through (the mechanic had never seen such a thing), rear brake ...
CraigBruce 13.03.2001
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...a poor man ask for! Fiat cars don't rate very high on my ideal choice list but when I noticed the great deals being offered on pre-reg. models I had to have a test drive.
After trying out various models, I eventually was sold a Bravo (the 2 door version of the Brava). The salesman knew his stuff, gave me the facts on the vehicle and wasn't put off by my constant questioning (well, for me, a new car is a big investment). A variety of payment options ...
Advantages: Absolutely none Disadvantages: Appear to have no idea how to keep a customer happy
...It is a Fiat barchetta, and the design and performance are everything I was looking for from a car. I will never buy another, though, and I will certainly never buy another Fiat.
I bought the car as an ex-demonstrator last year from Dixon Fiat in Horsforth, Leeds, and that was perhaps my biggest mistake. I should have backed off when the price went up between the test drive and working out a deal (3 hours later). Perhaps I should have turned and ... ...money after the deal was struck. But I didn't - I wanted the car, and I let them get away with it. I was angry when the car wasn't ready for collection when they said it would be, but again I let them get away with it. In the last year or so, I have visited the dealer many times - usually to repeat a request for something which they haven't bothered to sort out. They have made me wait 9 months for one part, though two to three months seems to be ...
Big-Al 31.08.2000
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Advantages: Very Reliable cars Disadvantages: Depreciate very quickly
I have owned three Fiat models over the years, I was put off after my Fiat 131 rotted away and I moved away from Fiat cars for a while.
Then they brought out the Fiat Tipo, I have the 1.6 model and bought it because of the OTT anti corrosion treatments Fiat put the body shells through.
It is 10 years old now over 105k on the clock and is so reliable I can't bring myself to part with it and of course the obvioous, it doesn't really have any value.
... ...a problem with engines, they've learned a lot about corrosion and providing you negotiate the vehicle at the right price you will have very good value for money.
These are cars you buy to keep and run till they drop.
Not for people who like to have the very latest model. ...
taury 26.11.2000
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Advantages: small cruiser that any legal rider can ride. price isn't too bad if you look around , looks and sounds great,makes heads turn Disadvantages: could go a little faster
The dragstar 125 is the lastest thing in 125cc's. Not only does it look great, u also can have one at the age of 17 as long as u have passed ur CBT (compulsory basic training). This training is priced between £70-£100.
All that it means is that u can ride up to a 125cc with 'L' plates and a provisional licence! The dragstar 125 is priced between £3300-£3000 brand new, but i suggest that u look about for a second hand one as u can pick a 6 month ... ...bikes quickly de-value. You can find second hand bikes in most bike shops but the magazine 'autotrader' make a 'bike trader' which is out every fortnight at the cost of £1.95 from most papershops!
ABOUT THE BIKE
the yamaha dragstar 125 is also known as XVS125
ENGINE
type : 4 stroke, V-type air-cooled, SOHC
displacement : 124cc
bore x stroke : 41 x 47 mm
compression ratio : 11:1
maximum power : 13HP (9.6kW)@10,000 rpm
maximum torque : N.C.
...
kelly54 13.06.2001
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Advantages: Friendly service, straight and to-the-point, little pressure Disadvantages: Distance from home
...as they had around 5 Fiat Pandas inside and outside the showroom for sale, and after 2mins of sitting with a salesperson they had knocked off £500 for me! I simply stated my budget, the engine size I wanted, colour, and extras, and he found me one immediately and knocked down to price to be affordable to me! Me and my mum had a little sit in it, me in the driving seat of course, and a general look around to see if there was any damage, etc. After ... ...dad present the next day, and put down a deposit of £50. The best part was, once we left the dealership to head back to the trainstation, the salesperson pulled up in a shiny Fiar Punto Grande Sport and offered us a lift all the way home! Which is 20mins on the motorway! Very impressed!
We arrived for the test drive, were greeted warmly by the salesperson we had dealt with the previous afternoon, and after around 5mins of discussion over the finer ...
skye_hoppus 18.08.2006
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Advantages: Nationwide dealers, a model to suit every need. Good warranty. Disadvantages: Shockingly bad after sales/ customer service.
...their dealerships.
As a Fiat owner I have almost two years experience in dealing with Two dealers in London(DESIRA, HAYES AND THAMES, SLOUGH.)
Unfortunately the experience is not good at all.
M car was purchased from Thames, and up to the point of driving the car off the forecourt the experienvce was very good.
But six months into ownership things started to go wrong, the first and most important issue was with the cars front tyres, both were ... ...there was a problem which Fiat are aware of and had been corrected.
To explain the problem in simple terms the front tyres needed a laser alingment, which I was assured had been carried out twice.
To date I am on the third set of fronts in 20,000m, which I think you will agree is oddd.
I had given up all hope of the dealers ability to resolbe the issue, and had to get the car looked at myself.
I approached an independent wheel alignment specialist ...
katkoh1 02.12.2004
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Advantages: Fair choice in models / options Disadvantages: Poor quality control / after-sales service
...driving around in a tiny Fiat 126, I decided I needed a newer smaller car. It was the first time I have bought a car from a dealer. I will not buy from a dealer again.
This particular dealership was located in Grimsby; the showroom had a selection of cars at a range of prices. I saw a second-hand Seicento 'Two-tone' car which was 1year old, with under 6000 miles on the clock.
The salesman was not pushy, but was nonetheless firm, and persuaded me ... ...treatment which I didnt need.
When I arrived to collect my car, the dealer explained that they would be demolishing the showroom soon, but this wouldnt be a problem for me as I could take the car to any 'Dixon' dealer, even non-Fiat ones for parts and servicing.
Shortly after buying the car, I noticed the following faults, which I feel should have been picked up by the dealer:
One of the front roadwheels had been badly 'kerbed' damaging the plastic ...
Andmc136 12.02.2004
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Advantages: Comfortable to drive. Roomy. Disadvantages: Very expensive to run. Spares difficult to obtain and expensive. Reliability questionable.
I bought my Marea second-hand from Stoneacres in Doncaster. From the outset, I have had numerous problems with the car. Many of these were sorted out by Stoneacres and I am grateful for the assistance given by their staff. However, since I bought the car in November, it has required 3 replacement injectors, 2 seat-belt buckles have failed, the rev counter works when it wants to and the windscreen wipers operate when I turn on the headlights. Some ...
brimidd 02.02.2003
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Advantages: small sporty and stylish Disadvantages: small engine
...while, the car was a fiat cinquecento it had all the modifications that were possible. from then on i have wanted one. the car is nice and compact and full of style for a little run around. the only bad thing is that there is a 900 cc engine in it witch doesnt supply much power, but can be very very helpfull to young people like me by being friendly with insurance and tax. now im just wiating for enough money to buy one. For the people with a bit ...
bigboy77 13.06.2001
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Advantages: i eventually did get the part so my car could move again Disadvantages: rude staff, expensive parts, don't say sorry
...need a part for your fiat you will either be sold the wrong part or have to wait ages for it. My car died needed new fuel pump. ordered one for fiat said it would be there next day as i need my car to get to work i thought great only gotta take one day off. went to pick the part up after getting the local garage to tow my car in. only to be told the part wasn't there and they didn't know where it was. he said i'd have to phone him about 4pm to find ... ...occurring costs for garage space. fiat didn't say sorry or offer me money to pay for hire car or the cost i had to pay the garage as my car was there for so long. the woman in fiat call centre was very rude and spoke over me. i wrote a letter of complaint to fiat and wait a month before i got a reply that someone would be looking into it. i waited another three months before i was told it wasn't fiat's fault it was the fiat dealers thought and i ...
hellcole 06.12.2006
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Advantages: Friendly Staff & Great after-care Disadvantages: Busy showroom
...Glyn Hopkins (Buckhurst Hill, Essex) Fiat Dealer all the staff were very friendly and helpful no question seemed to small or silly. They delivered the car on time and were able to answer any questions without hesitation. I bought a Multipla SLX JTD, which was fantastic. The MPG was very good and comfort was just outstanding even with 6 adults in the car. The onboard computer always advised of the outside temp and with climate control we could sit ... ...extremities. Having the car for 12 months and driving 30,000 miles with only 1 fault (non warranty) and no warranty issues whatsoever.
When my car developed a non warranty fault they even fixed it without cost as it was just 10 months of age. The dealer on the 1st service offered a courtesy veh at no charge and managed to service my car within 4 hours. They advised me of the basic service cost before hand and there were no hidden extras or shocks ...
baby_g 07.03.2004 (08.03.2004)
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