Alfa/Fiat selling in USA

["Rick Sharpless" <fsharple@domain.elided>]

To the catalog of reasons for FIATs and ALFAs departure from the USA, and
"things to work on" to return, one might add "Consistently atrocious
treatment of dealers who struggled to sell product and satisfy customers
PO'd with quality problems."

I worked in service in a FIAT dealership in the late 70's.  FIAT's service
reps were jerks.   100%.  Exploding windshields on 128's, carburetor icing
(they came out with a kit for that) causing the car to die on the interstate
on cold days, body rust within 12 months, cam lobes self-destructing, they
were, if nothing else, consistent. "(1) It's abuse by the customer; (2)  We
don't make our cars for extreme (ie new england) conditions, and (3) if you
the dealer, want to good will it, go ahead.  Don't expect us to pay, or even
supply the parts."

And if the guys in sales wanted to know what they would receive in the next
month or two, or to request a different allocation, it was "Why are you
bothering us.  When the cars get to the port we will ship you what we want
you to have when we want you to have it, and you should be glad to get it.
Quit whining and sell."

And FIAT wondered why so many dealers abandoned it BEFORE it pulled out.

Now some of the domestic manufacturers were as bad on the sales end
(although not the service - GM has had a lot of practice dealing with its
screw ups), but when you have control of a brand that sells a few hundred
thousand cars a year you can get away with a little more.

Didn't the person who ran FIAT'S NA distribution then take a job with
Peugeot or someone and help them lose all their business?

I cannot say that ALFAs handling of the 164 stepper motor and some other
issues suggests that it is much better.   Ford or GM would have fixed this
regardless of time or mileage (and if they made the mistake at all it sure
would not have been present more than one model year).

I don't know what they do in Europe but their treatment of dealers in the
USA seemed part of a carefully-developed secret plan to not sell cars.

Rick Sharpless
Greensboro NC
1991 164Q
(former) 1969 Berlina 1750

------------------------------