Hooked on Cars - Alfa Romeo
Peter Faludi
Consulting Senior Property Finance Lawyer | Avoid the traps | Commercial and Development Finance Expert | Providing Innovative Property Finance Legal Solutions | Author
They say that to be a real car enthusiast, you must have owned at least one Alfa Romeo.
As I have owned 5, I must either be a very real car enthusiast or (as I am sure some would say) really need help.
Overall my experience with these affordable Italian beauties has been excellent. They have classic lines which stand out from the crowd, mostly great engines (and engine sounds) and are affordable.
The fleet has included a 147, 156, 164 (purchased from well-known Alfa and Mini racing driver Brian Foley), 166 and the current Giulietta.
Although the style of more recent Alfa's (other than the beautiful 8C and one off Disco Volante) has not been at the same standard as those of their predecessors and their technology may not be at the top end of the market (due to the advances made in car technology as adopted by other European and Japanese brands), this is all about to change with the imminent release in Australia of the Giulia. Already heralded as bringing the fight right upto its German competitors (without forsaking the things we all love about Alfas), it provides a platform for other Alfa Romeo models, (including the Stelvio which will be Alfa's entrant in the ultra competitive prestige SUV market), thereby allowing Alfa to really move up in the food chain of prestige cars.
While the current Giulietta appears to be struggling to keep up with its predominantly German competitors, the availability of the Giulia platform provides strong evidence that it won't be too long before a Giulietta is regarded as equal to, or better than, a Golf/A4.
A similar renaissance has already happened to Jaguar (with great results) and so it will be refreshing to see another famous/iconic brand (which previously faded from its past glories) making a triumphant come-back.
In case you are interested, my favourite Alfa was my 166. As Jeremy Clarkson once put it when driving an Alfa Romeo 166 past a BMW 5 Series, the other driver had purchased the wrong car (and should have been driving the 166).
I would welcome your thoughts on this and am always happy to discuss car matters (and of course legal matters relevant to your business)
?? Data & Technology Leader for ESG, Sustainability, Energy, and Critical Infrastructure | Techstars Startup Mentor
8 年With total Alfa sales in Australia numbering only a couple thousand each year (1577 in 2015), and performing dismally perhaps lucky to hit 1,000 cars this year, yes, the cars do stand out from the crowd not only for their beauty, but also for their rarity. Something truly for an enthusiast, or one not so sane of mind! Perhaps insanity is a trait of an enthusiast! Let's hope the much acclaimed Giulia keeps them in the Australian market. Whatever the reliability, good or bad, my guess is that parts are likely in limited supply for anything beyond basic servicing. It just can't make economic sense to have an extensive parts catalog warehoused somewhere in Australia. The analytics behind what to stock, or not, for such a small market would be fascinating!
Helping Individuals Thrive Through Career Transitions | Founder of Career365 & Soulidify | Trusted Partner in Recruitment, Outplacement, Transitioning to Retirement & Coaching | Author of 3 books
8 年Hi Peter: good article. Maybe you do need some real help ;) What seriously is the build quality like nowadays? BTW: the finest engine I ever owned was an Alfa 164. I turned the music down to listen to its manual gearbox. Do you have any insight on how does the new Giulietta compares to VW Golf on build quality , their spare parts, support and price?