"Fix It Again, Tony"

[Stinky The Clown]

We're in for this joke to the point where it will quickly fade to stupid white noise.

But is it a joke? Or is it insulting to Italians and those of Italian descent?

Are "Tony" jokes different from "LeRoy" or "Herman/Irving" or "Ski" or "Hector" or "Bruce (with a lisp)" jokes?

Just askin' ........

[tridim]

1. As a former Fiat owner it pisses me off.

Mainly because it's not true.

I'm sure it was meant to be insulting to Italians and Italian products when it was coined some 30 years ago.

[liberal N proud]

2. It is no different that FORD - Fix Or Repair Daily

[truebrit71]

9. Found On Road Dead

...one that more aptly described my experience with that brand...

[Xithras]

11. Fu***r Only Runs Downhill.

Always my fave...

[Freddie Stubbs]

19. or Failure On Race Day

[Blue_Tires]

22. Fucked On Race Day

and yes, I grew up a Chevy guy:patriot:

[canadianbeaver]

26. Flip over read directions......n/t

[Elwood P Dowd]

3. I owned a Fiat for 10 years,

and it never need any repairs except for CV joints one time.

[MorningGlow]

4. Well...

I'm no car expert, but apparently some types of Fiat did have many mechanical problems decades ago. And somebody thought it was clever, and "Tony" fit the acronym. However (and gearheads, please correct me if I've got this wrong), since then the electrical system in Fiats, which often caused the most trouble, are now manufactured in another country, the "Fiat always in the shop" scenario has been greatly reduced.

I am of Italian descent, and I don't find it an insult to Italians, but a criticism of their ability to formulate a car electrical system. Were Italians bad at it? I dunno. But if they were, it's no big deal. Who cares? They sure can cook! :evilgrin:

[Howardx]

6. haha there you go

everyone doesnt have to be good at everything.

[B3Nut]

8. British Lucas electricals used to be the butt of jokes

back in the day...though I can't remember too many electrical problems with the MGB my folks had when I was a kid. It had its share of mechanical issues, though...but boy was it ever fun!

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[onager]

12. Used to be?

They still are, on forums where people talk about restoring British cars:

What are the three positions on a Lucas headlight switch? Off/Dim/Flicker.

I recently read one of those "lemon" books, which I really enjoy. I remember this quote:

"Triumph Stag owners stood by their cars. Usually because they couldn't get the doors open."

[slackmaster]

25. "Lucas, Prince of Darkness" is my favorite

:evilgrin:

[Terry in Austin]

27. Q. Why do the British drink warm beer?

A. Lucas refrigerators

[TheMightyFavog]

20. It was worse if you owned one in a northern states...

I was told the salt they use on the roads played serious hell with the bodywork and undercarriage.

Fiats in the south didn't have those kinds of troubles.

[MorningGlow]

23. More so than with other cars?

Cars of any type in my neck o' the woods never last long due to road salt damage.

[baldguy]

5. Fiat is making a profit.

If they can teach Chrysler, that makes all the difference in the world.

[MorningGlow]

10. After seeing Jeremy Clarkson test the Fiat Abarth on Top Gear recently

and LOVE it (Clarkson? praise a zippy normal car instead of his usual million-dollar supercars?!), I became intrigued. I thought it looked like a cute, fun car to drive. So if Fiat can get a version over here without ruining it, I would buy one in a heartbeat.

On edit: Here it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXALDprqcuc

[onager]

7. I thought this was funny...

Though former Fiat owners probably won't.

One night I was watching Top Gear with Jeremy Clarkson hosting.

They had a female guest, who was reminiscing about her Fiat 124 Spider back in the 1970's.

Guest: "I loved that car. I drove it until I could see the road through the rusty floorboards."

Clarkson: "So...you drove it about 40 yards, then?"

:rofl:

I've read that there was a good reason Fiats of that era rusted. Fiat built a car plant in Russia, and in exchange got Russian steel. The steel was low-quality and did rust quickly.

I just recently returned from living in Alexandria, Egypt for nearly 4 years. Most of the taxicabs in Alexandria were ancient Russian Ladas--a license-built copy of a Fiat 125 sedan, IIRC. Since Alexandria is located right on the Mediterranean, many of those taxis were rust-buckets. But they were still running, often with little to no preventive maintenance. Sometimes the front suspensions were so far out of alignment that the tires pointed in opposite directions. Amazing.

They all came equipped with a huge, passenger-kneecap-cracking analog taxi meter under the dash, complete with Cyrillic labels. None of those meters had worked since the Breshnev Administration. The taxi driver quoted you some outrageous fare, if you were a foreigner like me, and you argued with him. Or just threw a little money at him and ran. (I learned that trick from an Egyptian. You gave the driver an impressive roll of bills, almost all 1 Egyptian Pound notes. 1 Egyptian Pound is worth about US 30 cents. By the time the driver finished counting--and started cursing you loudly--you could be long gone.)

I was trying to get out of a Lada taxi once, and the inside door handle didn't work. Not unusual. I reached outside, my hand hit the chrome trim strip, and it fell off. I just handed it to the driver, who shrugged and tossed it in the back seat. Also not unusual.

The most popular inter-city (long-distance) cab in Egypt was the Peugeot 504 station wagon. Thousands of those things were still running around. I used to see them on the Cairo-Alexandria highways, loaded with 7 0r 8 passengers plus the driver and a ton of luggage strapped to the roof.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

13. As an Italian-American, it's slightly insulting to me.

Honestly, it pisses me off more that there's a tacit "understanding" that it's perfectly okay to insult and use slurs and stereotypes against Italians and Italian-Americans where it absolutely would not be for other groups. I really despise that double standard much more than the insults themselves, especially since even as a successful 2nd generation Italian-American, I still get people seriously asking whether or not my family was in the Mafia, because they really think that's why I got to where I am.

I think the Irish/Irish-Americans have the same problems, which is not exactly coincidental since our groups went through the same bullshit at about the same time.

[Stinky The Clown]

16. I where you are .......... and that was the point of this thread, which seems to be missed by most

It is the "Tony". And the ease with which those who, commendably, would never do a joke on the other names feel no restraint to do a "Tony" joke.

To be honest, I am, at most, slightly annoyed by it and pretty much don't give a shit. But now, with Fiat back in the US market, the Tony jokes will get all cranked up again. I'm no fan of Fiat, but that seems to be all that's in this thread ....

It is not about Fiat.

It is about the mild - but no less real - ethnic slur that is "Tony".

[Stinky The Clown]

17. Lest I be accused of bias or lack of car knowldege ....

Re Fiats from two years ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1164355#1164819

Lest it be said I have no sense of humor regarding Italians or Italian cars:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1164355#1164507

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

18. I hear ya, loud and clear.

It definitely sounds like we're on the same page.

It's not even quite the same as the whole "you can't be racist against white people because of the power structure" argument, because historically, Italians, Irish, Germans, and other European immigrants did very much face the same kind of hatred, bigotry, and discrimination that any other minority group has in this country. True story - I once got asked by a former soon-to-be father-in-law how much n****r I had in me because I'm Italian. Can't tell you how glad I am that I didn't wind up going through with those marriage plans (and no, this was not the reason).

[slackmaster]

14. But thankfully GM is going to kill the Pontiac division

:hide:

[Mopar151]

15. I've been Tony...

It was kinda true, and rust & electrics were the major problems.Build quality could have been better,
The engines were lovely, and the cars drove very well.A friend of mine was bemoaning the lousy service he got from the local Porsche dealer (on recalls and upgrades on inventory) "I was a Fiat dealer, goddammit! If your'e stuck, we'll work it in! I can take care of a customer!"(probably why he sells more Porsches and Quattros than the local dealers now)
As a lifelong/3rd gen. "Ford man", I've lived Found On Road, Dead , Found On Roads, Dark, and First On Race Day. Some F%#*& genius at Ford saved $.37/car by specifying unplated steel electrical connectors, and the resulting trouble has plagued old Fords for decades
The thing is, there are known fixes to those problems, and I 'spect Fiat has made them. It's a matter of educating the market, creating a new narrative, and then backing it up with good cars.

[Redstone]

21. Well, I actually HAD a FIAT and my mechanic's name was Tony. So was I insensitive?

Redstone

[Blue_Tires]

24. that FIAT acronym has been dated since the 80s

i know it's stylish to dig up again with the recent news, but it really doesn't apply -- FIAT quality has grown by leaps and bounds...Just look at how much more reliable Ferraris are...