It worked out so well for Daimler-Benz last time, so why wouldn't it work out this time?

You ever owned a Fiat? Fix It Again Tony!

Dunno about reliability but I don't think it will do much for public perception of either brand.

@nursetim: Actually, the Diamler management (i.e. Germans running the show) caused a lot of the current quality woes for Chrysler. Great strides were made at improving quality from the late 90s through early 2000s. Unfortunately, the management went on a rampage to cut cost out of vehicles (Material Cost Management) which was reflected in the crappy plastic interiors, NVH and other problems. In the end, it was the Germans who really put Chrysler in the poor position it is currently in.

@sir_eccles: Dang it Dale, that's Ford!

Yes, b/c Fiat is owned by the Buildaburg group, and they control the world and the economy. :)

@LabCoatWanting_GitEmSteveDave: Fix Or Replace Daily

@sir_eccles: Why yes, my sister had a Fiat. It spent more time at the mechanics down the street than it ever did at our house. Our Chrysler is the biggest POS I have ever owned. Tons of poorly engineered known issues. Never, ever again.

I don't know if there is anything they could do to get me to even consider spending money on one of their cars another time.

Chrysler's piss-poor reliability is all too true. I should know, I experienced it firsthand with the worst of their offerings: the dreaded 2007 Sebring hard top.

It was only a rental (thank god), and luckily, disaster hit only 100 miles from home. I was returning from my trip, driving on the highway, when all of a sudden I began to hear this intermittent scraping sound. Upon returning home, I peeked under the car, thinking I had run over a weak cardboard box or something. Nope.

There is a fairly thick and sturdy plastic cover under the engine. That had halfway fallen off (at highway speeds, remember!) and was dragging on the ground. This wouldn't have been much of a big deal, except it had started to come off from the front. I'm not saying I believe that the car could have been pole vaulted had that panel caught on something (the Mythbusters showed that even a driveshaft can't pole vault a car), but I know it would have been bad nonetheless.

Upon returning the car, I asked about the issue. They didn't blame me, luckily for them, but they did say there was a recall notice of sorts for this very issue. Why a certain rental car place was renting a car with a recall notice on it, is a discussion for another time. (I feel obligated to note the company shares the same name as a ship from a certain upcoming scifi blockbuster...)

Oh and I forgot to mention the Sebring handled like an 18-wheeler and was uncomfortable as hell. Screw Chrysler. I'm pissed as hell I can't do anything about the US government giving them a piece of my sweet tax-funded pie. Oh well. Maybe I'll buy a new car this year for the tax write-off just to spite them.

Anyone who thinks Chrysler has reliability issues has never owned a Fiat. As a previous Fiat owner, those things are horrible cheap pieces of junk. If i had to choose between a four year old Fiat and a four year old Chrysler, Chrysler would win hands down.