I think I bought my Abarth on time..

"MUSASHI66" (musashi66)
09/29/2020 at 23:09 • Filed to: None

One result for 2017+ with a manual and under 20k miles on Autotempest, in whole of USA.

Zero results on Autotrader for 2018 plus (I like some warranty left) under 30k miles with a manual.

There is one car in USA right now with the wheels I like I’d consider buying, $16k with 10k miles, all the way in San Diego.

Abarth market is dry.

DISCUSSION (42)

Svend > MUSASHI66
09/29/2020 at 23:45

There’s 12 Abarth 595C on Automaker U.K. for 2017.

I s uspect none have the wheels you’d like.

Kinja'd!!!

MUSASHI66 > Svend
09/29/2020 at 23:57

I was playing on UK Abarth website the other day and built a 30000 pound Abarth. Yikes. I do love the selection you guys get, I love the Competizione and 70 year anniversary. But I paid like $20000 USD for a 2019 with 750 miles on it - leather, Bose, sunroof, 17” forged wheels, digital climate control (these are like your older Abarths pre-facelift), 160hp model. Abarth prices in the UK are so high.

7:07 > MUSASHI66
09/29/2020 at 23:59

How do these hold up? Can they handle miles like a Miata can? I guess there might not be any old enough to tell.

MUSASHI66 > 7:07
09/30/2020 at 00:02

Oldest ones in USA are 2012 models. There are some on forums with 100k miles or so, but I don’t think we’ll have a huge supply of 250k Abarths out there. Parts are always going to be an issue - been waiting 3 weeks on a windshield as it was cracked when I bought it and dealership is replacing it. I can’t imagine 5-10 years down the road when FIAT inevitably leaves the US market again.

But, for now, this is so much more fun than a Miata for me.

smobgirl > 7:07
09/30/2020 at 00:22

Mine was fantastic right up until the engine blew. Made it to just about 80k miles on a 2012.

smobgirl > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 00:23

Took me 9 weeks to get a rear window and the dealer wouldn’t even install it. Had to pay them and then pay some random glass company to pick it up and do the install.

7:07 > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 00:32

I’m tooting around with the idea of having one for a commuter. I’ve had an NA Miata in the past and loved it, but part of the reason I loved it was due to reliability and cheap parts.

Edit- tooting=tooling. I'm leaving it.

Svend > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 02:16

Though those are RRP prices. Many dealerships will quickly take a couple/few thousand off if asked.

Autotrader U.K. has a few good deals on new Abarth 595c.

Kinja'd!!!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 06:38

Did you ever figure out why the engine blew? Was it one of those ‘no oil feed to turbo and turbo failed sending parts into engine’ situations or...?

notsomethingstructural > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 07:05

What the hell did you put in it to make such a tiny car so heavy?!?!

MUSASHI66 > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 09:15

While under warranty or after warranty? Can a dealership really refuse to do that? Total crap.

MUSASHI66 > 7:07
09/30/2020 at 09:17

Mine is a blast. I’m planning on driving it as a fun car until the house is paid off and after that, my current thoughts are used M2/911/Cayman/Boxter/Mustang GT350. Budget will be wide open at that point, but those are the cars that I think will replicate the grin factor I get from the Abarth.

MUSASHI66 > Svend
09/30/2020 at 09:20

$27642 for the top one. $33000 before the discount. I guess mine was around 26000 or so new MSRP, but these cars aren’t worth that much. There is fun factor, and there is “it’s still an economy small car with a big engine” and it’s only worth so much.

MUSASHI66 > notsomethingstructural
09/30/2020 at 09:21

Subwoofer. It really offsets the weight distribution.

Svend > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 09:32

Ye’, the Abarth is a premium version of the Fiat 500 and most rather have the 500.

What’s the requirements and costs to getting a car on the road over there, road tax (here, Vehicle Excise Duty, car registration, etc...?

Don't you have to pay a percentage of the value of the vehicle to the DMV or something?

smobgirl > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/30/2020 at 09:34

Did not figure it out. The dealer wanted a few thousand to diagnose but that place was an utter disaster so I just took the car home.

smobgirl > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 09:38

After warranty. Some convoluted explanation on how they don’t do “ bodywork” but no one else could source the glass and I got stuck in the middle. Probably wasn’t helped that it was hail damage and all of the glass folks were slammed for weeks.

7:07 > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 10:47

Sounds like the Abarth plays well above it’s class if that’s what’s it’s up against. Must be a fun little car!

MUSASHI66 > Svend
09/30/2020 at 11:06

Every state is different. In Colorado, when you buy a car you pay the taxes based on your ZIP code, 6.7% in my case, on the purchase price. My car was $19480 with all the fees and taxes, but that included the 2007 Honda Fit we traded.

Then, to get your license plate, you pay the DMV a certain amount which is calculated on the price, year, make and model of your car. They have a formula, and you paid the cost every year for the registration and it keeps going down as the car gets older. I’m guessing $400-500 on this one for the first year. It drops down to under $100 per year for an older car like a 2007 Fit (Jazz). Then you get a little sticker, valid for a year, in the corner of your license plate, and plates here don’t follow the car like they do in the UK.

MUSASHI66 > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 11:07

That is really sucky. Well, I am supposed to get my windshield installed on Thursday, but they still don’t know if I need to drive to Denver or if they’ll come to me.

MUSASHI66 > 7:07
09/30/2020 at 11:11

For the fun factor, it is unbeatable. The whole “ slow car fast” thing works for it, as I can wring it out and redline it for 7 seconds and just barely make it to legal speeds. The sounds it makes in the process would wake the dead and the attitude puts a huge grin on my face. I’ll give you an example - my friend bought a brand new S5 and it just didn’t put a smile on my face. The fact it is a better car in every conceivable way just didn’t matter to me (or him, as he hated it so much he traded it for an older A5 with a tune and a manual, and it wasn’t a money driven decision).

Svend > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 11:25

Here we have a delivery charge, dependent on the dealership but often is just £250, registration fee which is a one off blanket £55 fee, number plates though most dealerships don't charge to have plates printed and finally road tax (vehicle excise duty) which is dependent on the vehicle emissions (ours is £125 a year).

smobgirl > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 12:10

Larry H Miller or Autonation? Mine was back when Mike Ward was still selling Fiats. While that was frustrating to deal with, the other two dealers have been much worse.

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 14:17

Damn....I forget, did you sell it, or is still sitting around somewhere :(

smobgirl > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/30/2020 at 15:13

Still in the driveway front yard! It was a blast to drive and I haven’t ruled out eventually fixing it to drive it to a second destruction but right now the economy is too unstable to commit that much money to it.

MUSASHI66 > Svend
09/30/2020 at 15:28

Is the VAT included in the RRP?

MUSASHI66 > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 15:31

Car was originally purchased at Autonation Alfa Romeo and FIAT, but I got it used at Len Lyall Chevrolet on Colfax. The company that installs windshields for them couldn’t source one so they ordered it from Autonation, and I have to go to Len Lyall to meet the installers.

I am guessing I’ll be dealing with Autonation for future service and any issues as they are closer to Fort Collins.

smobgirl > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 15:44

Cool. They tried to tell me that my (still new enough to be warrantied) battery needed to be replaced (by them for $250) when the issue was that they hadn’t connected it properly...but at least they didn’t lose any record of having my car and ignore my phone calls for two months because they fired the tech assigned to it.

I doubt AutoNation would try the same shit with a man but keep us posted :)

Svend > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 15:46

Yes, the only time really the VAT isn’t included (but often stated below) is on commercial vehicles where businesses don’t pay the VAT if it’s a business expense or can claim the tax paid on an item back later in their tax returns.

The RRP is often stated as the ‘on-the-road-price’, as they’ve included the fees and road tax, etc... into the price so as they say, ‘the price you see, is the price you pay’*.

Though it’s easy to get a dealer to take some money off just by asking. Always look for incentives like, customer loyalty programmes, mid-month new car ordering, etc...

We got £5,000 knocked off Piglet from just over £26,000 down to just over £21,000. When I asked the Skoda sales woman if they would give a discount, the sales woman said, ‘we’re taking £5,000 off early orders, Skoda customer loyalty programme, etc...’. I just said, ‘oh, great cheers’. and I shut the hell up. Lol.

VW Passat sized car for mid range VW Golf price. Happy days.

MUSASHI66 > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 16:10

Man, that just sucks. You can’t bring a brand back and have the dealers act that way.

I’d be there 2 hours after they ignored my call though.

MUSASHI66 > Svend
09/30/2020 at 16:12

Almost 20% discount, just like that. You can usually get that on US pickups, but not right now as the inventory is low. So how much was VAT on a 21000 pounds VW?

Svend > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 16:38

That was with the VAT.

Other than commercial vehicles, builders suppliers, plumbers supplies, etc... (essentially businesses geared up for supplying to businesses).

In the U.K. we have the taxes built into the price. Unlike the U.S., we don’t have regional, county or state differences in sales taxes, etc...

However there is different tax rates on say biscuits to cakes, sanitary towels to kitchen towels, but we put that tax into the price you pay.

So unlike the U.S. where a $5 item won’t be $5 at the till once the till operator has totaled the bill, in the U.K., if it says £5 on the shelf edge label, it’ll be £5 to pay.

Many Americans don't notice at first here in the U.K. but when they do, they question it. Then when they go back to the U.S. to visit, it catches them out. Lol.

If I recall Piglet was £21,550 on t he customer order sheet, including VAT and all other taxes, so the on the road price was £21,550.

MUSASHI66 > Svend
09/30/2020 at 16:47

That is easier, for sure. I am from a country where all the taxes are included as well, but thankfully I can calculate stuff in my head to get the price, although you have to know where you are shopping because items are taxed based on the total of city+state tax, and every city has different tax. In Colorado, that is 4.25% to 8.3%, so it makes sense to go out of your way to buy appliances or other large items (if you are picking them up, because they’ll charge destination tax if you’re having them delivered). I know, stupid and complicated.

Svend > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 16:53

As a Brit I find it crazy that each city, county or state could have a d ifferent tax rate for different income, property, Vehicle registration, etc...

But then again, Americans find it odd we don't tip, often have two taps in bathroom sinks, etc... though we do explain that while there is nearly 200 countries around the world it is pretty much only America that has a tipping culture. Lol.

MUSASHI66 > Svend
09/30/2020 at 17:08

I don’t know about only America, baksheesh is a thing in many countries. America has it as more or less mandatory and that is different. In Serbia, it is a custom to leave some change for the waiters.

Yeah, taxes around here are a mess. You should see how things are at the end of the year where you can go to 5 different tax places and get 5 different results on what you owe or have overpaid...

Svend > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 17:28

Ye’, when I say pretty much the only country, there are exceptions here and there or where tipping is expected for a particular profession, etc...

L ol. We have PAYE (pay as you earn) here (unless your a business, then you have to file tax returns).

But here your tax is based on what you earned last year. So when you get paid by your employer, they calculate how much you need to pay in tax for that wage packet based on how much you need to pay over the year, bar £11,000 (we get an £11,000 allowance a year untaxed before you start paying tax based on what you get paid over that £11,000).

So we just go to work, get paid, if we think we’ve paid too much tax, we can get in touch with our employer and get that money back or not get as much deducted from our next wage packet. We also get what’s called a P60 at the end of the tax year which states how much we earned, how much was taxed and where it went to.

Kinja'd!!!

NIC is National Insurance Contributions, so state pension, etc...

MUSASHI66 > Svend
09/30/2020 at 18:35

Your tax breakdown is awesome!

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 20:17

I hope you can fix it one day soon! I wish I had somewhere out of the weather to store my Accent until I get the apparently sizable rust issue in the rear-right quarter sorted , but, as much as I love it, I’m not sure it’s feasible...

smobgirl > MUSASHI66
09/30/2020 at 22:03

Between the pandemic lockdown LITERALLY the day before , loss of income, loss of transportation, and my secret hope that they were ignoring me because it fell off a lift (and thus financially no longer my responsibility) I wasn’t in a huge hurry. I did eventually start emailing dealership management and when they ignored me I biked my ass the 20 miles to the dealership to take care of things in person.

Turns out the GM was also fired?

They at least felt bad about the situation and didn’t charge me for the handful of cheap things they’d done to try and diagnose the extent of damage.

smobgirl > RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars
09/30/2020 at 22:10

Yeah. On the “when I have steady enough income to convince a bank I’m a reliable adult ” list is a cash out refinance to rebuild my garage, among some other smaller upgrades. Despite owing less than a third what this place is worth and knowing I’d end up paying less/month due to the difference in rates (even after taking out a huge chunk of money), I can’t qualify as a freelancer yet. I feel like this entire year is a chunk of my life in limbo, just waiting.

(And I know I shouldn’t complain, I’m very lucky to have bought this house when I did, or I definitely wouldn’t still be able to afford Denver).

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 22:20

I wish I could get a house, I was hoping to get one this year, but then COVID happened and the housing market blew up here and even the crappiest place is selling for like $40-50k more than it should be, so I’m screwed there for awhile...

...also just found out from the body shop that I was getting a little rust spot repaired on Humdrum on for the last three days that it’s apparently way worse and ‘I should start considering replacing it soon’ and that the metal under the outer skin of the rear-right quarter they were repairing ‘is a mess’...that hit me like a ton of bricks as I love that car, and that’s going to be another $9-11k gone from my house fund out of the blue, so I feel you on the ‘in limbo’ and not having money thing...

MUSASHI66 > smobgirl
09/30/2020 at 22:30

That was just a series of unfortunate events.