I just took delivery of my
I just took delivery of my Abarth 124 after an 8 month pursuit. Starting with a dealer in Santa Monica (where I have an apt), I put down my deposit sight unseen on my preferred Abarth 124 expecting delivery within a couple of months. In the middle of the transaction the dealer tried to increase the price $5,000 so I cancelled. My permanent residence is in Dallas, TX, so I went to my Fiat/Alfa dealer there, put in an order, and after 45 days was notified that Chrysler was closing the dealership and I would have to deal with one of two other (inconveniently located dealerships in the area). Even after being assured that my order was being transferred in its entirely, I found myself starting from square one explaining to the new dealerships what I wanted. What began to emerge is very limited visibility by the dealers of where the inventory was and when it would arrive. Apparently my car, equipped exactly as depicted in most of the marketing (Pearl White/Black decals/ 6 speed/Brembo brakes) was almost impossible to locate. My search was finally fulfilled by an awesome saleswoman at Nyle Maxwell in Austin, TX (one of the country's largest Fiat dealers); an order was placed in October 2016 and finally delivered this past weekend. Even with this dealer, she could not give me a delivery date or track my car from the factory until the past month. The decals had to be done locally (good job). No Brembo brakes.
If my car was sitting on display at every Fiat dealer, they would see a dramatic increase in all 124 sales at higher prices. Way too many automatic 124's with limited options are in the showrooms. Abarth provided the sizzle, but the dealerships and the factory need to get their act together.