Honestly, I shed a Tear when I saw this! - Page 3 - Toyota Yaris Forums

churp · 05-19-2007, 02:34 PM

Had a couple Fiat and wouldn't rate their reliability worse than any US car...and I've been driving since '64.

Pavel Olavich · 05-19-2007, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by churp

Had a couple Fiat and wouldn't rate their reliability worse than any US car...and I've been driving since '64.

Then how come they left the US market? How come they NEVER made a profit here in the US? How come the Japanese succeeded here? How come while they were in the US market, ConsumerReports and many other car magazines found them to be shit? Oh wait! Maybe it was a conspiracy!

Hello?!?

eTiMaGo · 05-19-2007, 11:00 PM

could just be a compbination of bad knowledge of the US market, bad image, bad reputation... I mean look at our Yarii, not exactly a lot of shining reviews in the US press, is there?
And we're talking baout 20+ years ago indeed... people's expectations of cars were quite different, weren't they?

churp · 05-20-2007, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pavel Olavich

Then how come they left the US market? How come they NEVER made a profit here in the US? How come the Japanese succeeded here? How come while they were in the US market, ConsumerReports and many other car magazines found them to be shit? Oh wait! Maybe it was a conspiracy!

Hello?!?

Personally I would say the roadsters, 124 sport coupe, and X19 of the 60's thru early 80's were the best of their class for the times. The US had nothing to compete with them and the Triumphs and MG's were dying antiques. The US government was starting to dictate emission and safety standards which the 'world' car companies, which had a very small percentage of their market with the US, felt weren't worth their trouble to change for such a small market. Fiat was one of the worlds leaders for cars and trucks at that time. Look back at the US autos at that time and you will see a very dark period for them also....terrible gas milage, 85 mph top mandated speedometers, and I almost wouldn't consider the Vette a performance car during that period.....all because of government mandates. The Japanese started taking over at that time and there probably wouldn't be a US manufacturer left if Japan would have opened factories here in the 70's.

Way to much history to look at for that time to say Fiat pulled out due to lack of sales because of reliability. The government with the aid of our US carmakers did it....the then big 3 publicly whined, but they we niaeve enough to think they would get rid of their competition, but Japan proved them wrong.

Vervepipes · 05-20-2007, 12:45 PM

Well said

JosephDoc · 05-28-2007, 03:22 AM

I love it very much. But on the 2nd, I bet it will be pricy also.

stuffy · 05-28-2007, 08:34 AM

i bet the 500 would look really nice to see it in person, very simple lines so it doesn't look too flashy in pictures.

i really like the idea of that hard-top micra, now that's ingenious.
nissan just sells boats over here in n.america, had the opportunity to drive a versa and have to say that it is probably the most boring car i've ever driven, not to mention huge for a sub-compact.

gaffo · 05-28-2007, 10:59 AM

Fiat - bad history, I'll let somebody else buy one first.

59-horses = "eaten alive" is utter bullshit. ford Festivas have managed with 59 horses and old beetles with similar for decades. sure you gotta floor it to get on the interstate, but big deal.

I've driven a Festiva 85 mph before - across the country in fact on I-40.

no big deal.

100 horses for such a small car is just palin silly and defeats any notion of high gas milage.

gaffo · 05-28-2007, 11:19 AM

the fiat of today might not be the one of old - but you guys defending the reliablility of the Fiat of old is hillarious!

I had a friend with an 85 Spider (you know the convertable) - he bought it in 87 with 35,000 miles. He had it for one yr (or less).

1. within the first month - he drove into my driveway (a commercial space with a curb) and since the oil pan was located IN FRONT OF THE FRONT WHEELS his pan hit the curb BEFORE his FRONT WHEELS! - sliced the pan clean open.
He had to tow it out of my driveway. Oil all over my yard-driveway to boot.

2. this car had THREE keys, one for the doors - one for the glovebox and another for the trunk - why three key? so if you loose one you cannot open one of the above?

3. The carb one day just decided to catch on fire, the whole car burned up in the guys driveway one afternoon.

....................

Friend of my mom's - had one of those fiat boxy sedans they sold in the late-70's. It too one day just caught fire and burned up in her driveway.

....

Friend in collage had an x-19. He told me that the tranny was constantly falling apart and he was mechanically inclined and was able to fix - but he bitched about it all the time nontheless.

...

Me - had a Triumph Tr7 (oneof the last one built-rare fuel injected version with more power). Had 38,000 when I bought it. By 45,000 the thing started to fall apart, starters, alternators, vacuum-leaks. FUN to drive - but minor electrical problems that never were tracked down. Car had a habit of just "shutting of" - would be in the interstate going 85 mph - then the engine would just "turn of" (on - then off - fast). Before I knew it I was litterally coasting at 85!!............so I just re-twisted the key while in neutral, and the car would start up again!! Little things like that add up and by the end of the day'years you have it..................eventually you just want to get rid of the damn thing and get something that WORKS!.

Why the japs cannot make an Austin-Healey type stylish looking cars (using their reliable parts) has been a mystery to me for at least the last 30 yrs.

but they can't. nor can Americans.

.....................

I like the R1 myself:

http://jalopnik.com/cars/news/subaru...pan-120025.php

churp · 05-28-2007, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaffo

the fiat of today might not be the one of old - but you guys defending the reliablility of the Fiat of old is hillarious!

................eventually you just want to get rid of the damn thing and get something that WORKS!.

Why the japs cannot make an Austin-Healey type stylish looking cars (using their reliable parts) has been a mystery to me for at least the last 30 yrs.

but they can't. nor can Americans.

.....................

I like the R1 myself:

http://jalopnik.com/cars/news/subaru...pan-120025.php

Can't really defend the old Fiat with present day cars...just IMO they weren't bad for the day (better than most). Didn't think driving over objects and ripping the oil pan open was a reliability issue--more of a driver training issue?? Triumph TR7's were well known when new about their reliability...couldn't have paid me to drive one, then or now.

Jag's (XKE) and Healeys are beautiful cars, with excellent engineering accomplishments of their own....why not get one and replace electricals and carb's, nothing much wrong with the rest. Japan has made beauties also....240Z, NSX, RX7, and several that didn't get imported.

eTiMaGo · 05-28-2007, 09:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gaffo

Why the japs cannot make an Austin-Healey type stylish looking cars (using their reliable parts) has been a mystery to me for at least the last 30 yrs.

The old Honda S600 is a pretty handsome thing along those lines...

gaffo · 05-28-2007, 10:07 PM

yes - I forgot about that one.

and the old Datsun convertable of the same era.

for some reason they stopped making the curvy cars by the 70's though ;-/.

I personally think cars have been fugly and/or boring since the early 70's through the late-90's.

the re-issue of the Beattle in 99 then the Cooper and later the Thunderbird and so on broke the "bubble-car everything must look like a Ford Taurus" 20yr draught).

Retro look I like. The one thing Chrystler is good at. GM could learn style from them IMO.

Yaris is nice because it looks like the stereotypical "Concept car" (not the kookier looking ones but the more pragamatic ones I remember seeing models of in the late 80's early 90's. Yaris is not gaudy or cheap looking (refering to the Hatch - I think the Sadan looks "Stodgy" - no offense ;-).......).

05-19-2007, 02:34 PM	#37
churp Clean and (dis)Functional View User's Garage Drives: Yaris 2dr--Black Betty Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Tropical Minnesota Posts: 562	Had a couple Fiat and wouldn't rate their reliability worse than any US car...and I've been driving since '64. __________________ ____________ Old School Cobble Jockey

05-19-2007, 11:00 PM	#39
eTiMaGo vroom vroom View User's Garage Drives: lil red 5-door Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Bangkok, Thailand Posts: 7,744	could just be a compbination of bad knowledge of the US market, bad image, bad reputation... I mean look at our Yarii, not exactly a lot of shining reviews in the US press, is there? And we're talking baout 20+ years ago indeed... people's expectations of cars were quite different, weren't they? __________________ The price of freedom of religion, or of speech, or of the press, is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish. - Robert Jackson Bye bye 1NZ...

05-20-2007, 12:45 PM	#41
Vervepipes CowCountry Hornet Handler Drives: '08 Sedan Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Halifax, NS Posts: 176	Well said

05-28-2007, 03:22 AM	#42
JosephDoc View User's Garage Drives: 07 Yaris 3D Join Date: May 2007 Location: CA, USA Posts: 264	I love it very much. But on the 2nd, I bet it will be pricy also.

05-28-2007, 08:34 AM	#43
stuffy Drives: 06 yaris 5-dr le man Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: ontario, canada Posts: 699	i bet the 500 would look really nice to see it in person, very simple lines so it doesn't look too flashy in pictures. i really like the idea of that hard-top micra, now that's ingenious. nissan just sells boats over here in n.america, had the opportunity to drive a versa and have to say that it is probably the most boring car i've ever driven, not to mention huge for a sub-compact.

05-28-2007, 10:59 AM	#44
gaffo Drives: integra Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: norman Posts: 68	Fiat - bad history, I'll let somebody else buy one first. 59-horses = "eaten alive" is utter bullshit. ford Festivas have managed with 59 horses and old beetles with similar for decades. sure you gotta floor it to get on the interstate, but big deal. I've driven a Festiva 85 mph before - across the country in fact on I-40. no big deal. 100 horses for such a small car is just palin silly and defeats any notion of high gas milage.

05-28-2007, 11:19 AM	#45
gaffo Drives: integra Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: norman Posts: 68	the fiat of today might not be the one of old - but you guys defending the reliablility of the Fiat of old is hillarious! I had a friend with an 85 Spider (you know the convertable) - he bought it in 87 with 35,000 miles. He had it for one yr (or less). 1. within the first month - he drove into my driveway (a commercial space with a curb) and since the oil pan was located IN FRONT OF THE FRONT WHEELS his pan hit the curb BEFORE his FRONT WHEELS! - sliced the pan clean open. He had to tow it out of my driveway. Oil all over my yard-driveway to boot. 2. this car had THREE keys, one for the doors - one for the glovebox and another for the trunk - why three key? so if you loose one you cannot open one of the above? 3. The carb one day just decided to catch on fire, the whole car burned up in the guys driveway one afternoon. .................... Friend of my mom's - had one of those fiat boxy sedans they sold in the late-70's. It too one day just caught fire and burned up in her driveway. .... Friend in collage had an x-19. He told me that the tranny was constantly falling apart and he was mechanically inclined and was able to fix - but he bitched about it all the time nontheless. ... Me - had a Triumph Tr7 (oneof the last one built-rare fuel injected version with more power). Had 38,000 when I bought it. By 45,000 the thing started to fall apart, starters, alternators, vacuum-leaks. FUN to drive - but minor electrical problems that never were tracked down. Car had a habit of just "shutting of" - would be in the interstate going 85 mph - then the engine would just "turn of" (on - then off - fast). Before I knew it I was litterally coasting at 85!!............so I just re-twisted the key while in neutral, and the car would start up again!! Little things like that add up and by the end of the day'years you have it..................eventually you just want to get rid of the damn thing and get something that WORKS!. Why the japs cannot make an Austin-Healey type stylish looking cars (using their reliable parts) has been a mystery to me for at least the last 30 yrs. but they can't. nor can Americans. ..................... I like the R1 myself: http://jalopnik.com/cars/news/subaru...pan-120025.php

05-28-2007, 10:07 PM	#48
gaffo Drives: integra Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: norman Posts: 68	yes - I forgot about that one. and the old Datsun convertable of the same era. for some reason they stopped making the curvy cars by the 70's though ;-/. I personally think cars have been fugly and/or boring since the early 70's through the late-90's. the re-issue of the Beattle in 99 then the Cooper and later the Thunderbird and so on broke the "bubble-car everything must look like a Ford Taurus" 20yr draught). Retro look I like. The one thing Chrystler is good at. GM could learn style from them IMO. Yaris is nice because it looks like the stereotypical "Concept car" (not the kookier looking ones but the more pragamatic ones I remember seeing models of in the late 80's early 90's. Yaris is not gaudy or cheap looking (refering to the Hatch - I think the Sadan looks "Stodgy" - no offense ;-).......).