New car!

[Richard]

Picked up my new car yesterday

Golf R is being collected on Monday. In its place is almost the Golf R antithesis, an Abarth 124 Spider

Collection was an interesting experience - the sales guy I had been dealing with wasn’t going to be there as it was his day off. We turn up at the garage, everyone there is busy so we just sit down and wait. After a while one of the sales people finished on the phone and says “you’re here to collect the car, right”, and becons us over. We sit down, he fishes the keys, spend a few moments finding the keys and says that he’ll reverse the car out of the workshop for me and that we should meet him outside.

Outside, he shows me a few things; how to open the fuel cap, where the boot button is, where the tyre goo is etc etc. Then he hands me the keys, asks me if I have any questions, shakes my hand, and sends me on my way.

I didn’t have to confirm my name, show any identity, I didn’t even sign anything. The only question I had to answer was “you’re collecting the car, right?”

Might phone up my sales guy today and apologise for not being able to make it yesterday and rearrange collection for next week...


Anyway,

Spec-wise, there’s only a few options available
- paint colour
- matt black or paint colour bonnet
- red mirrors and lip
- all black, or black and red seats
- Visibility Pack (Rain & rear parking sensor, Automatic LED headlights, Daytime running LEDs)
- BOSE 9.1 system

I’ve got the visibility pack but not the BOSE system. Due to stock/slot availability, I got the visibility pack almost for free, which was handy.

I’ve got it on a 2 year lease, directly from the dealer, which worked out better than any of the broker offers I could find.

The Abarth costs more than the Golf by about £3k (somehow), but my lease is costing me almost exactly the same

Here’s some pictures







I open the floor to questions and comments

[Jobbo]

Honey I uglified the MX5!

There have been some great deals on these recently.

[ZedLeg]

I like that, well I don't like the seats but overall I think it looks better than the MX5.

Perfect car to lease as well imo.

[PaulJ]

Good move. Life's too short to drive serious cars, and the sun has come out to applaud your new direction. Ignore any flak posts - they are all a little envious.

[mik]

Its not beautiful, but I like it. Good choice.

Approved.

[NotoriousREV]

Every time I see one of these on the roads, it turns my head. I like them a lot. Good choice.

[Richard]

Guess how much the cup holders are, which I don’t have

£140!!!

For two clip in cup holders

Madness I tell you

[Mr Pish]

i absolutely love it, especially the red accents

would have one if i could get in it lol, would need one for each foot

[Nathan]

Approved.

(Who are you?)

[Jobbo]

(Who are you?)

OMG database failure!

[scotta]

out of interest - and you can tell me to fuck off if you like - Whats it costing for the lease?

[Richard]

Approved.

(Who are you?)

Who am I??

[JonMad]

Looks good, and nice weather for it. Does it have an LSD? I see what you mean about the exhausts now - are they all functional?

Is there a Fiat badge on it anywhere at all?

edit: and you can't be far away from me and a few others if that was from Aldershot.

[JLv3.0]

Congrats on the new purchase, and now that's out of the way, DAMN that thing has been hit HARD with the ugly stick

Each to their own

[Swervin_Mervin]

I actually really like the looks of the Fiat - oddly I think it looks more Mazda than the Mazda and vice-versa. Nice purchase.

I think I'd rather the Mazda lump though.

[Richard]

Looks good, and nice weather for it. Does it have an LSD? I see what you mean about the exhausts now - are they all functional?

Is there a Fiat badge on it anywhere at all?

edit: and you can't be far away from me and a few others if that was from Aldershot.

1) Yep, UK models come pretty well spec’d as standard, LSD, silly exhaust sound, silly number of exhausts, brembos etc

1.5) All exhausts are functional

2) GREAT weather for it. This is actually my first convertible, and I’ve learned something that will seem obvious, but I’d never considered. The roof of a car is often doing an excellent job of shielding your eyes from the sun. Even with sunnies on, that damn star is very much shining in ones eyes

3) I’ve not looked, but there will be. Finding Fiat badges will be boring, I’m going looking for Jeep badges

4) Stop stalking me

[Jobbo]

Richard, I suspect from your hairy Facebook picture you're not suffering from a bald spot, but that's another thing to beware of. A baseball cap may be unseemly on someone of my advancing years but it's a necessity

[Swervin_Mervin]

Richard, I suspect from your hairy Facebook picture you're not suffering from a bald spot, but that's another thing to beware of. A baseball cap may be unseemly on someone of my advancing years but it's a necessity

or even better:

[Jobbo]

How does that help my bald spot?

[Swervin_Mervin]

For you, sir: