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BHPian daretodream recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
My Tuscan Wine Fiat Linea 1.3 Multi-Jet Diesel (MJD) Emotion variant (Top end) bought in Jun-2012 has completed 11 years and is currently at 88000 KMs on the odometer.
Instead of an ownership thread, sharing a few pointers from a long-term review perspective in a FAQ format:
It had cost me 11.37 Lakhs on road in Jun'12
Picture from Jun'2012:
After pooja
Picture from Jan'2023:
Yup, we have a larger family now. More on that later
Odometer just crossed 88K KMs. It's nothing compared to the distance other well-known FIAT owners on this forum have covered (2L+ KMs).
So, over the 11-year ownership period, I have averaged ~8K KMs/year.
Below graph shows the usage of annual running and cumulative running.
The graph below shows the annual service cost and cumulative service cost.
The graph below shows the service cost per kilometer for each year and cumulative.
In my 11 years of ownership, for 9 years I used FIAT authorized service center in Bangalore (KHT- 3 years, Vecto-2 years and MPS-3 years).
I skipped 1 year in 2020 due to Covid and had low running.
In 2018, I used a BHPian's garage and then reverted to Authorized Service Center due to the lack of confidence inspiring work despite high word-of-mouth marketing.
I have not had any concerns about the availability of spares through FIAT Authorized Service Centers. Whenever my car goes for servicing, I request to share that keep old spare parts in the same boxes post replacement during servicing.
I observed that spare parts are, in general, fresh supplies (not ageing/very old inventory. Some of the important spare parts are imported across multiple countries (Turkey, France, Germany).
For example, I did my recent servicing on 7th July. I am attaching a few pictures of spare parts which have import/packaging date, which are decently recent.
Pictures from my 2023 servicing done on 07-Jul-2023:
Belt Stretcher - Packed on 24-Jun
Filtering Element- Packed on 24-Jun
Trans Belt - Imported from France; Packed on 21-Jun
Timing Chain - Imported from Germany; Packed on 03-Apr
Sealing Gasket - Imported from Turkey; Packed on 02-May
Pad - Made in India; Packed on 23-Feb
Cabin Filter - Packed on 03-Sep-2022; Made in India
I do not have images from 2022, however, I had got the wiper blades changed and they were also from fresh stock
Sure, please find below:
Here you go-
My office commute has shrunk post Covid due to WFH option. On days when I must go to the office, I use my Scooter (Suzuki Access 125) as I have to travel from Bellandur to Rajajinagar. I do take Linea at times depending on the weather - rains or too hot or too cold.
I got Linea when I was in my early 30s. Now I am in my early 40s. I and my family have grown with the car. My family has grown from 2 to 4 in the last decade and our kids have also grown. Son is 10 now and daughter is 5. So, we found travelling with other family members (Mother In Law, other relatives) difficult with our children sitting in their laps- meaning both the children and adults are not comfortable any more during long highway rides. So, in 2021, we decided to get a 7-seater.
The decision was to be made between getting an SUV or a MUV. We evaluated Fortuner, Endeavour, Carnival and Crysta. While I wanted Fortuner or Endeavour, everyone else in the family wanted Crysta post back to back test rides across all these models. So, In Aug'21, we brought home facelifted Innova Crysta 2.4AT ZX (Pearl White) under my wife's company lease and it has taken over the highway duties since then.
Crysta was a large upgrade in all possible ways - especially the engine(1.3L to 2.4L), power(~100bhp to 143bhp), torque(209NM to 343NM), seats(5 to 7), electronics (BlueandMe to Apple CarPlay with many other electronics aids), safety (2 Airbags to 7 Airbags), Transmission(MT to AT), light (Halogen to LEDs).. you get the jist - every possible way.
Family's head is with Innova and the heart is with Linea. So, Linea is ALWAYS preferred by each member of the family for city duties while Crysta is preferred for practicality for highways and that effortless fast comfortable cruising. Given a choice, even from a driving pleasure perspective, I would prefer Crysta even when travelling alone because of the Torque, Power, AT, and road presence (other vehicles give way). It is at a different level altogether.
However, there is something classic and romantic about Linea which is missing in Crysta. Maybe because it's our first car or we are just non-rational human beings getting attached to material possessions.
The car has the excellent build quality of a tank, the ride quality of a train and superb handling, steering feedback and braking- I doubt I will get the same mix of these factors in sedans today available in the market. I must admit that I have not checked out the offerings in the market.
I will continue to own Linea at least until 2024. With some major maintenance and a large number of parts replaced in the last 2-3 years, I feel Linea is relatively new from the mechanicals perspective.
Next year this time as the lease gets over, we will transfer Crysta from the company name to our name. At that point, we will be eligible for a new lease. That time we will have all options open- from not buying any car and continuing with Linea to getting a luxury car. On one hand, the heart says you live only once, go for a luxury car. On another hand, head says cars will be a depreciation disaster and continue using Linea, our first love.
So, we are not getting ahead of ourselves at the moment- we are enjoying and loving our Tuscan Wine Fiat Linea.
Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.