plasticpenguin 1,730 Posted October 18, 2018 Why do people avoid this gorgeous brand? Please no ball about rust or unreliability. Much of that this is an outdated view and untruths. They are every bit as reliable as any German or Japanese make.... in fact, Alfa Romeo, in the real world are more reliable. Discuss. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Blacksabbath25 477 Posted October 18, 2018 Well you pretty much said it mate but I nearly brought one about 10 years ago but changed my mind as my friends put me off buying one . And the fact they loss money so fast because of there past history of being unreliable but no different to any other car of today really 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Colinjg 3,099 Posted October 18, 2018 You might search forever to find a dealer?? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
savvypaul 1,581 Posted October 18, 2018 Reputation (perception) is everything. Kia and Hyundai changed perception by giving long warranties - 7 and 5 years, respectively. Alfa just introduced (in July) a 5 year warranty on selected models. Good move. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StingRay 1,640 Posted October 18, 2018 Some surveys won't agree with that, Which? and WarrantyDirect have them near the bottom for reliability. It seems their cars are developed over a short time. Reputation takes a long time to change. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
savvypaul 1,581 Posted October 18, 2018 (edited) These days, most (reasonably affordable) cars are about as interesting as 'white goods'. Alfa should be capable of appealing to a more left-field audience. The 5 year warranty is a good move. I will give them another look in a couple of years when I change my reliably boring Golf estate. Edited October 18, 2018 by savvypaul Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gizza 506 Posted October 18, 2018 36 minutes ago, plasticpenguin said: Why do people avoid this gorgeous brand? Please no ball about rust or unreliability. Much of that this is an outdated view and untruths. They are every bit as reliable as any German or Japanese make.... in fact, Alfa Romeo, in the real world are more reliable. Discuss. Sorry, I don't think the Italians are very good engineers. Great style, great food and make fabulous clothes but every mechanical or electrical product I've had that was made in Italy has been unreliable. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plasticpenguin 1,730 Posted October 18, 2018 39 minutes ago, Gizza said: Sorry, I don't think the Italians are very good engineers. Great style, great food and make fabulous clothes but every mechanical or electrical product I've had that was made in Italy has been unreliable. Such as? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plasticpenguin 1,730 Posted October 18, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, BeeRay said: Some surveys won't agree with that, Which? and WarrantyDirect have them near the bottom for reliability. It seems their cars are developed over a short time. Reputation takes a long time to change. How many of these surveys and reviews are by people who've previously driven an Alfa, much less owned one? I'm not saying they are perfect, they're not. What car is? Edited October 18, 2018 by plasticpenguin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StingRay 1,640 Posted October 18, 2018 2 minutes ago, plasticpenguin said: How many of these surveys and reviews are by people who've previously driven an Alfa, much less owned one? I'm not saying they are perfect, they're not. What car is? The Which? survey is by owners. The WarrantyDirect is from repairs to all cars cover by that Warranty scheme. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parcelmonkey 2,328 Posted October 18, 2018 1 hour ago, plasticpenguin said: Why do people avoid this gorgeous brand? Please no ball about rust or unreliability. Much of that this is an outdated view and untruths. They are every bit as reliable as any German or Japanese make.... in fact, Alfa Romeo, in the real world are more reliable. Discuss. Because like a beautiful woman with Halitosis, the looks are great but the ride can be off putting... I lusted after a Brera, a beautiful car but too front heavy and didn't grip the road as well as it could, understeer I believe they call it. I'd look lovingly at it I know every time I drove it for sure, I'd also feel let down with spending the money only to see sub par performance and economy with losing out to lesser brands around the corners. My Merc excels in every department apart from the sexy curves of the Brera... Just a bit of a disappointment when reality strikes! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tony_J 5,296 Moderator Posted October 18, 2018 1 hour ago, plasticpenguin said: Why do people avoid this gorgeous brand? Please no ball about rust or unreliability. Much of that this is an outdated view and untruths. They are every bit as reliable as any German or Japanese make.... in fact, Alfa Romeo, in the real world are more reliable. Discuss. I had an Alfasud (from new) back in the '80s, unfortunately before they fixed the corrosion problems. Fabulous car to drive, and mine was very reliable, but 4 years on and it was already starting to disintegrate and I was lucky to be able to sell it before it did. The joke at the time was that they gave the bodywork away free...not far from the truth. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plasticpenguin 1,730 Posted October 18, 2018 21 minutes ago, BeeRay said: The Which? survey is by owners. The WarrantyDirect is from repairs to all cars cover by that Warranty scheme. Wonder how many of those owners are Alfa savvy? The biggest problem with Alfas are the owners. They generally don't do the research and have no idea of the pros and cons. Since 2006 I've owned nothing but Alfas: 3 x156 Sportwagons, 159 Sportwagon with a 1750 TBI engine and a GT with a 3.2 Busso powered engine. This has been done with a disabled wife and a young daughter. Holidays every year to the Isle Of Wight, S. Wales, Devon... no problems outside the norm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
parcelmonkey 2,328 Posted October 18, 2018 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Tony_J said: I had an Alfasud (from new) back in the '80s, unfortunately before they fixed the corrosion problems. Tsk Tsk Tsk Tony; P.P said not to mention the rust! Edited October 18, 2018 by parcelmonkey Stuff... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
plasticpenguin 1,730 Posted October 18, 2018 (edited) 3 minutes ago, Tony_J said: I had an Alfasud (from new) back in the '80s, unfortunately before they fixed the corrosion problems. Fabulous car to drive, and mine was very reliable, but 4 years on and it was already starting to disintegrate and I was lucky to be able to sell it before it did. The joke at the time was that they gave the bodywork away free...not far from the truth. Rust was always a big issue from the 1960s to the late 80s. But from 1990s when they introduced the 155, tin worm was addressed. Rather than buy cheap steel from the far east, they started to use proper metal. Edited October 18, 2018 by plasticpenguin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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