October 14, 2008
Consumer dissatisfaction, Fiat edition
Now here's a creative way to let an automaker know you're not happy with your wheels.
The Fiat Doblo van pictured above apparently belongs to a tradesman who has experienced the same craptastic driving experience my Dad did, albeit about thirty-five years later.
When Dad's VW Bug was totaled in the hospital parking lot by a runaway Cadillac, his joy at the thought of being rid of der Fuhrer's People's Car was something to behold. Dad collected the insurance check and celebrated by getting something fun, something sporty, something decidedly unpractical -- the un-Bug.
Dad got the Fiat 124 Sport Spider, which is also known in the Lief family as the biggest turd on wheels since the Yugo, a car so unreliable Chevy Vega drivers laughed at us as they passed by while we sat by the side of the road, waiting for the tow truck.
The Fiat went through engines, transmissions and brakes faster than bad sushi through someone with irritable bowel syndrome, although it did do one thing well: the convertible top was easy to raise and lower.
The Fiat was replaced by a Honda Accord in '78 or '79, marking the end of Dad's flirtation with Italian junk.
Of course, if Dad had been as creative as the owner of this Fiat van, it's unlikely he'd have gotten as good a price for it as he did (there's no explaining people's taste in cars).
Still, all in all, it sure was a pretty car.
Via Autoblog and Noisy Decent Graphics.
Posted by Mike Lief at October 14, 2008 08:11 PM
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Comments
Someone told me years ago that FIAT was code word for "Fix it again Tony". I had a Fiat too.
Posted by: Dawn at October 16, 2008 07:41 AM