Check this out:

Fiat buys Chrysler

Let's hope this turns out to be a good move.

__________________
Jim

Ciao, Chrysler!

They need to up their build quality and their quality control a bit, and keep holding on to their extremely brand loyal light and medium duty pickup truck buyers,

Getting a credible and enduring "Halo" (luxury) brand is going to be pretty tough, (FoMoCo is struggling with its Lincoln brand here also) with the competition from Germany, and the aggressive brands like Hyundai and Kia from South Korea that are breaking into that segment too in America..

They can still compete.

__________________
1991 560 SEC AMG, 199k <---- 300 hp 10:1 ECE euro HV ...

1995 E 420, 170k "The Red Plum" (sold)

2015 BMW 535i xdrive awd Stage 1 DINAN, 6k, <----364 hp

1967 Mercury Cougar, 49k

2013 Jaguar XF, 20k <----340 hp Supercharged, All Wheel Drive (sold)

I read that when the CEO of FIAT inspected the Chrysler products at the time of the original buy-in, he was aghast at the interiors, and immediately ordered several hundred $$ upgrades for all the interiors.
The new Dart is an interesting vehicle in that segment--but worries about FIAT reliability combined with worries of Chrysler reliability make buying a difficult choice for the wife and me.

Hope they can make it.

__________________
1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

Bye Chrysler. Good looking crap.

^Ha, another idiot in search of a star! Chrysler damages every owner and yet no one ever learns. It’s easy to see what happens in the used car ads, where Chrysler consistently sells for less in nearly every segment. Look at what Chrysler did to MB. MB announced it was gonna buy controlling interest in Chrysler for $36B in 1998; they bailed in 2007 and walked away with a stated $1.4B after all was done, for a loss of about 98%. This is a typical example of how much Chrysler’s depreciates in 9 years. Daimler dumps

Fiat will be taken behind the woodshed by this stary eyed idea. Snicker....

The last car I had before my present ride was a Chrysler and it was a POS. At 50K it needed a new front end (CV Axles), the Electrics were a nightmare and FIAT was refusing to honor the 7/70 Warranty dispite their public claims that they would do so.

My friends who have bought Fiats and Darts have had similar issues in that poor build quality and less than expected life span of parts and assemblies is the norm.

No firm that I know of has adopted the Dodge as its fleet vehicle, that tells me a lot right there...

That last statement makes me wonder if Fiat will adopt a chrysler product here, as it's fleet vehicle.

The original spirit and attitude that moved the company through good times and bad is gone.

I was fortunate to be a part of that from 1976 to 2003.

Now the company is run by corporate weenoies and marketeers, not car guys.

The people running Chrysler now could be just as well suited to run a company that makes staplers and window shades.

The passion for everything except profit is gone.

__________________
Strelnik
Invest in America: Buy a Congressman!

1950 170SD
1951 Citroen 11BN
1953 Citroen 11BNF limo
1953 220a project
1959 180D
1960 190D
1960 Borgward Isabella TS 2dr
1983 240D daily driver
1983 380SL
1990 350SDL daily driver alt
3 x Citroen DS21M, down from 5
3 x Citroen 2CV, down from 6

Chrystler gets so close then penny pinches their cars to death.
4.0 Jeep I6: great engine, but for 2 years they light-weighted the heads which ALWAYS crack. If you're looking at a 00-01 4.0 jeep, and it's mysteriously losing coolant, It's the head.
Rear axle? let's go with a lightweight Dana30 (pintos have stronger rear ends)
Tons of space under the hood? Let's cram the steering box and transmission cooler lines between the radiator and frame, forcing a radiator removal to service either. Meanwhile, there is 6" of dead space to the left.

__________________
$60 OM617 Blank Exhaust Flanges
$110 OM606 Blank Exhaust Flanges
No merc at the moment

Maybe Fiat ownership will be an improvement. I like the dart.

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

I remember the old Fiat 124, 128 and 131 sold here in the Seventies. Durability was not a strong suit, but they were great driver's cars.

The 124 Spyder I had wasn't bad. Once I caught up on some long-neglected maintenance, it was actually pretty durn reliable.

Later cars went more and more with Bosch electrical systems rather than the Italian (Magneti/Marelli) stuff.

Anything would be an improvement over Bob "Home Depot" Nardelli. He ran them into the ground and almost succeeded with Chrysler.

__________________
'83 300D, 126K miles.

I got a '07 Dodge Caliber for my wife back in '06. It's a good thing I had leased it cause every thing from the front struts to the rear wheel bearings were toast before 60,000 kms. The CTV snowmobile tranny had to be re-programed numerous times also.
The only good thing was the "World" 2L engine that was a partnership with Chrysler, Hyundai and Mitsu.
Don't think the Fiat 4bangers will match that quality



Chrysler's glory days peaked in '69 with my RoadRunner.


BTW, I don't have the car or the young girlfriend any more, but I've got the same orange socks.

__________________

OLD & RETIRED
_.... Don't mess with old farts - - age and treachery will always overcome youth and skill! Bulls**t and brilliance only come with age and experience!____________
'96 E320
'79 450 SEL
'78 300 CD