Future of Linea

Hello
I have a 2011 Linea 1.3 MJD closing in on 80K. With the news of Fiat stopping production and exiting out of India I am seeing issues around support.
Linea owners in this group have any suggestions ? Is it a good idea to sell it now and move on. My Linea is still rock solid and my only concern is the mounting price of spares and support costs.
In Chennai there is now only one service center and not sure how long they will continue..
Any suggestions and ideas welcome.
thanks
govind

 

Opinion from a fellow Linea owner. Our linea is at 1,54,000 kms now. Its rock solid even now. Gives 20+ km/l if decently driven.

Agree with your point of rising spare parts (I changed wiper blades yesterday, costing 1600/- for a pair. Used to be around 1400/- about 2 years back). Every manufacturer raises the prices periodically. The point to be noted is, parts are still available.

Fiat exiting India is only a rumour (my proper reaction is nonsense, though). I have no worries about it. They sold 14 lineas in May, 2019.
Fiat authorized workshops are there in the 3 cities I go to. I have found FNGs also in those places. Parts are available.
Car is comfortable. I have no reason to change or dispose this car for another one, which makes no financial sense.
I plan to keep it minimum till 2,00,000 kms or till I can't manage to put all of the family in one car.

If I summarize => enjoy your car, don't fall to rumours/non-wise financial advices.

 

As a fan I could have sung praises of the Linea till the end of the page - but I am a more practical fan learning from experience. Let me answer it differently by giving you the pros and cons.

Pros of keeping it:

- You get to drive what you like best and that is a pretty strong reason in itself.
- You can save Rs 10-15 lakhs that you may spend on a new sedan. Another big reason to keep it unless you're rolling in money .

Cons:

- Spares will inevitably run out sooner or later because no parts manufacturer will keep on making them for long after a car is not selling or is discontinued. When it comes to sedans, selling anything that is less than a few hundreds per month is as good as no sales unless it is in the luxury segment.
- Service centres will also follow suit even if older cars mean more opportunity for repairs, due to spares issues and future uncertainty for themselves. This will only leave multi-branded outlets and private garages which may or may not be competent enough to repair or service your car. But then that's how old cars on the road survive. I used to have a top condition Yezdi 250(bike, in the 90s) long after it had stopped selling, but I had 2 dedicated mechanics I knew well who I could go to whenever I had a problem.
- Don't even hope for any kind of resale value. That is, if there is a resale at all! Not because of anything wrong with the car but because used car buyers will have the same apprehensions.

The last point is key, because if you can't sell it or have to give it away almost for free you might as well keep it until you are able to drive it, albeit with some provision for service backup!

Fiat's existence in India was based on its roaring diesel engine sales to other car manufacturers mainly Maruti. But now their clients (again mainly Maruti) have their own diesel engines or are getting ready with one and in the future they will lose their main business in India permanently.

 

I own a Linea and similar thoughts have passed my mind recently. But this can happen to most cars that are getting old. I have another Maruti that is a decade old and needs some replacement parts for the window glass switches. The parts are not available and needs ordering. I think the FNG garages thrive on such market shifts and this is where they will make money. Some of the reputed FNG do a decent job, and have seen happy customers there as well. The maintenance cost may become slightly more over the years, but will not spiral to an extent where a new buy makes financial prudence. Also i believe after 5 years when are loans are done, is when the car starts paying back, so if the car is reliable and still brings the smile why not enjoy the drive with less stress on the pocket.

If possible treat yourself with a re-map (if not already done) or a audio upgrade and you will fall in love with the car all over again and will banish any thoughts of replacement for the next 2-3 years. Moreover i do not see any sedan in the market that will give a significant upgrade mechanically in this segment, so i would suggest to retain it for a few more years. May be fiat has a plan something like re-purpose Jeep outlets to service Fiat's as well. This could be a possibility because the Jeep Sales are not roaring and service centers may face the heat when numbers do not come in, and may try have a bay or two to service fiats. (i am just being hopeful)

 

This is already in place. I can see that at KHT, Bangalore. There are dedicated floors for Jeeps, Fiats (with another dedicated bays for Abarths).
KHT also services Chevrolet vehicles (now out of production) in the same facility.