Alfa's any good?

ZENER

junkyard wrote:

Phew! and not a BMW in sight.:D

No, no there isn't . . or Alfas . . lot's of Toyotas though ??!!

ZEN

junkyard

I have to say that Toyotas have to be one of the most boring uninspiring cars on the market today. The one thing I will say is the Japanese ones are superior to the British assembled ones though.

maidhc

junkyard wrote:

I have to say that Toyotas have to be one of the most boring uninspiring cars on the market today. The one thing I will say is the Japanese ones are superior to the British assembled ones though.

Id happily take a Toyota (or more likely Ford) as my daily driver. As much as I love driving I don't think I would have the patience for anything that was other than extremely reliable. You can always buy something classic if you want a bit more fun and it won't cost too much.

I'd agree about the british built toyotas. I think there is something in the British gene that prevents them tightening screws properly or something...

junkyard

British built everything tbh, when I hear them going on about British Standards it makes me laugh. Every British car I know of falls apart, even my Daimler and my Rolls, but you have to love the styling of the older cars alright. As regards the modern ones.....I wouldn't touch one with a barge poll...except maybe a DB9.:D

dave2pvd

ZENER wrote:

No, no there isn't . . or Alfas . . lot's of Toyotas though ??!!

ZEN

No Alfas because it's a US-sourced list. Alfas haven't sold in the US since.....1995

Sonnenblumen

ZENER wrote:

Obviously someone who has driven a few of these wonderful cars and has Real World (tm) knowledge of them. Funny he mentions "reality" like he has actually experienced it.

Muppet !!!

ZEN

Well Zener - how's about telling us your experience selling one of these wonderful cars?

Did you try throwing in a Muppet suit?

gibbon75

I've owned several Alfas and Fiats (and many of my friends do/did),so I've some experience with them (and I'm a trained automotive electrician).
If you maintain them properly (just like every other car),they won't give you more trouble than any other make.People says italian car electrics/sensor are ****e.That's true,because those are made by Bosch...
My last Alfa was 1993 155 Q4 2.0 Turbo AWD (Lancia Delta EVO2 engine and running gear).I've imported it with 130k kms on the clock.I've fitted a bigger turbo,cams,stronger clutch etc.It was around 300HP.I've driven 40k km with this config,and it've seen many hard launches etc.Never developed any fault(oh,except one:the battery died on me,wait it was made by Bosch:) ).Try it with a WRX,you'll end up changing the gearbox/diffs monthly...
When I moved to Ireland,I've bought a 2001 Corolla (45k miles,1st lady owner).I have a faulty MAS sensor,a seized belt pulley...
But let me say,something is wrong with the drivers here in Ireland.I've never heard about so many broken gearboxes,diffs,failed headgaskets,suspension components than in Ireland.It doesn't matter if its a VW or Fiat.I've spent my half life in garages in Hungary,and these kind of problems are very rare with even much older cars.Our roads are the same poor quality,and the people has less money to spend on their cars.
Maybe the car manufacturers are selling those products here in Ireland,which failed in their quality control?

So before you judge ANY make,make sure you've owned one,you maintained it properly (not in a delareship...),you drove it properly and if it's a second hand car the previous owner(s) didn't abuse it...

And I'm not an italian car fan...I'm a CAR fan!
Just sick of any kind of car make bashing/fashism and hate rumours,urban legends.

il gatto

I agree with that. I own a 98 Alfa 156. I love it. I reconditioned the alternator and put in a wishbone and it needs some work on the suspension for a retest, but I still can't fault it. I'm sick of people who have never owned, driven or even sat in an Alfa TELLING me they cost a fortune to run. They cost little if anything more than any other make of car. I've worked in garages (stores) dealing in different makes of car, and to be honest, even the old reliables have problems with dodgy build quality. Alfas are singled out for particular slating by all and sundry, but I've seen Toyotas, Volkswagon, Audi, Nissan etc. needing exactly the same work as any Alfa. Because they have a reputation, any problems an Alfa has is held up as being expected due to build quality, but really, it's a throwback to Alfasuds, Betas and 33s which isn't fair. Many people who snigger at the idea of buying an Alfa have just spent too long listening to stories from their fathers about Alfasuds rusting if it even looks like raining in the next county.
Buy an Alfa and enjoy the handling and that little bit of extra power from an average sized engine, and enjoy walking out of the shop and seeing it parked there. You could get a Golf or a Focus or a Corrolla, but they're cars designed to appeal to everyone and end up bland. they're designed for your granny to go shopping in. Without a really big engine in one, you look like a boring old fart or a twat who's spent a fortune sticking crap on a gutless hatchback with a loud exhaust to hide the inferiority complex. I'd never buy a normal hatchback again(maybe a Golf GTi or something a bit special) because there's more to driving than A to B.:)

ZENER

It's hard to sell any car when there are people who think they know everything putting it down. Your opinion is not relevant here because you don't have any first hand experience of Alfas.

I bought the Alfas (3 in the last 4 years) because of their styling, superb handling, sweet engines and the fact that I still smile when I drive one. Resale value or what others thought of the car didn't even cause me a thought. I bought the car for me!

Oh by the way the car is sold to someone else who isn't swayed by the uneducated opinion of people like you.

Oh . . . no Muppet suit required . . . the new owner drove off with shades and a smile !!!

ZEN