Chrysler Sells Out To Fiat

[Leo]

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[Leo]

Thanks for all the info on the different cars. But I think I will stick with my Thunderbirds, no matter where they were built. Just a personal preference...

+1

Lorain Ohio FORD plant, all the way!

 

[spec4]

In the eighties I bought a new Plymouth mini van. It was very underpowered and after about three years the trans quit. Got it fixed under warranty and dumped it. In 1992 I went gaga over the Chrysler Concord and bought a new one. It was comfortable, OK on with 214 HP (would have liked more) but after going through three transmissions and having the AC quit I traded it at about 66000 miles. I wanted to get rid of it before it hit 70000 miles because then the next trans would be on me. I would never consider another Chrysler product.

 

[Waveraider]

I'm a Mopar guy and have had good luck with all I've bought.

My '74 Challenger

Wifes old '98 Sebring. Had about 120K when it was totaled by a hit-and-run driver. Out on the street, you can see my '97 Intrepid. Had over 200K when I sold it.

My current project. '68 Roadrunner 'vert clone.

 

[gregkl]

This may be the rest of the buyout and the formality, but it has been run by the CEO of Fiat for quite some time now. Sergio drove the new Dart and has been at the helm pushing the entire Chrysler group, including Jeep.

I work with Chrysler. He is a colorful person. Very outspoken as you could expect an Italian to be. He doesn't want people smiling or celebrating successes. He thinks it leads to complacency.

 

[digitalphoenix]

Used to work with Chrysler at that dealership in Plainfield before I found a better job at Danville auto. Anyways, the dealership was a joke and Chrysler were very tight on warranty work. But they did send me to Cincinnati for training for free including food and a hotel room for overnight visits. I have gained respect for the company as the 2011 vehicles and up were heavily improved from their previous years, although the 3.6 Pentastar's valve seats were poorly machined on first year vehicles, but that was all warranty stuff.

I've been driving a niner Grand Cherokee for 2 years now. Love it, but miss my Chevy truck.

 

[Caleb]

That's what I thought when I saw the commercials for it. I am no Jeep lover, but a Cherokee or Grand Cherokee was never a vehicle that I laughed at when I looked at one. This will rank with the Pontiac Aztek as one of the worst designs ever. Come to think of it; mate the new Jeep front end with the rear end of the Aztek, and you may well have the ugliest vehicle ever.

The 2014 was rated the ugliest car EVER made, worse then the Aztek. And this was before they had even sold a 2014 cherokee...

 

[Caleb]

This may be the rest of the buyout and the formality, but it has been run by the CEO of Fiat for quite some time now. Sergio drove the new Dart and has been at the helm pushing the entire Chrysler group, including Jeep.

I work with Chrysler. He is a colorful person. Very outspoken as you could expect an Italian to be. He doesn't want people smiling or celebrating successes. He thinks it leads to complacency.

You can tell him that I said he can take his new jeep "cherokee" and shove it where the sun doesn't shine...

 

[hookedonjeep]

Yeah... I will stick to my Wrangler. '05 Unlimited, 4.0L I6. Just checked my mileage the other day - rocking out with 13mpg city! My Durango I had with the 318 in it got around 9mpg. I have owned all makes, Jeep and Dodge have always been better to me and my family than Chevy, Ford, or any others. My Jeep is easy to work on, has solid axles, and goes anywhere I may need it to. I didn't buy it for mileage - it is the third Jeep I have had in my life; instead I like cruising around, flipping the bird to tree-hugging, granola-chomping Prius owners as I burn up Dinosaurs!

 

[bkflyer]

I had a 1973 Fiat 123. The crazy thing had a drip pan underneath the carb with a tube deflecting the fuel from the exhaust manifold!
It's idea of "cruise control" was a throttle. A small round knob you pulled and then twisted 1/4 turn and it locked! Not so good for driving if you had to turn it off quickly but VERY handy for working on when you were by yourself. That was the only vehicle I owned that I had to sell for scrap!

 

[IrishSon of Liberty]

I loved seeing this story yesterday. First it was "Buy American". Then it changed to "Buy American Made". That eventually changed.to "Buy American Owned", and now the UAW signed off on this deal. I'd imagine some will start claiming they now own an exotic Italian 300 with a Hemi. I'm also looking forward to the new Eminem commercial where they'll more accurately claim "Imported TO Detroit".

 

[Willie]

FIAT = Fix It Again Tony...

 

[metaldog]

I grew up in a MOPAR family. Most of my relatives do/have worked for Chrysler & drive the vehicles. I began to lose interest in them when Daimler bought into them. Since the Daimler split, they have gone downhill, IMO. In spite of this, I still own/ drive Chrysler products, but prefer older models.

Daily driver with 138k (3.9L). 1988 Dakota... Other daily driver w 148k (4.0L). 2001 Cherokee Sport...

Wife grew up in a BOWTIE family. I never much cared for em, but have grow to appreciate them since. She still won't drive my Chrysler's.

 

[ForceTA308]

Most people who judge Chrysler based off of their older models have not spent any time in any of their newer vehicles since Fiat. We went from an 09 Charger to a 13 Charger and the differences across the board are exceptional. An increase in quality inside and out in regards to material and fit/finish, and the 3.6 with the new 8spd behind it puts out great mileage from a car of its size.

I've never been a '(insert domestic car brand) Guy' because they've all had their good products and their busts, but the Chrysler products put out in the last few years have been leaps and bounds over what I've been in or drove in the past.

I'm just waiting on a Wrangler with a 3.6/8spd.

 

[Leadeye]

My Chrysler product. Part Detroit work, part mine.

 

[Leo]

Isn't it irony that the german brand that is the proudest of their "quality" buys Bob Eatons soul, he GIVES them Chrysler, who was a profitable car company with 20 quarters of quality awards, and turns them into junk while stripping all the cash out of America.

Total man hours of labor for an average Chrysler car was about 40 hours. That is done, turn the key and drive it home. The germans made the Chrysler employees watch a film about how it takes 36 man hours to manufacture a STEERING WHEEL for the flagship Benz. Their pencil necked geeks redesigned the quality back out of the Chrysler cars. Their purchasing people bragged they "disqualified" 240 American vendors for refusing to drop prices. The disquailfied parts were replaced with red china components that were so rough you couldn't even install them into the part they were spec'ed to fit. Then the warranty claims went through the roof, of course the germans blamed....American workers.

They marketed the Chrysler Crossfire, a wholly german engineered, german built car that was supposed to show us "how to do it right". After proving to be a zero profit margin product, It ended up being the highest warranty cost car in all of recorded history. In the whole picture, it would have been cheaper to drop them in the ocean than to sell them at cost.

The proud, arrogant, incompotent germans were not successful in "showing America how it is done". They were successfull in stealing more cash from this country than they could have ever possibly earned, and maybe they took some revenge for the Allies turning hitler's Berlin into a smoldering hole in the ground.

It appears the Italians are at least giving it an honest effort to do business. American owned, American financed, American built products are of course the primary goal. I think the Itailans will cause less damage to America than the germans set out to do, and they FOR SURE care more about us than the red chinese.

 

[pgfrmr]

I'm pretty sure fiat just killed off jeep...

...see what I mean? It's so ugly that my computer knew exactly what I was talking about.

i agree. This thing will take some getting used to.

 

[hookedonjeep]

I'm just waiting on a Wrangler with a 3.6/8spd.

I would love to see a 1.8L common rail diesel with Standard Detriot lockers.

 

[Caleb]

i agree. This thing will take some getting used to.

I'm thinking if they don't revamp it soon, there won't be another new cherokee

 

[Arthur Dent]

There's no accounting for taste. I've been a Jeep owner for 20 years. I think the new cherokee looks awesome. I have a '12 Grand Cherokee and love it.

And Fiat didn't design it. The new Jeep lineup was mostly designed during the last of the Daimler years. The Grand Cherokee shares some components with Mercedes-Benz. If Fiat managed the design I think it would look and be sized more like a toaster.

The new Cherokee is based on an Alpha Romeo platform.