Alfa Romeo: Ready for a Comeback with 8C

This car looks great, but if Alfa’s service and reliability issues can’t be fixed and they remain as troublesome as they used to be, then this revival will be short-lived.
I am a secret Alfa-fan, and would love to see their cars succeed in North America.
-jd

It’s about time! If Alfa succeeds, maybe it will open the door for its little brother. Ferrari did it for Maserati. Maserati should do it for Alfa Romeo. Could Alfa do it for Fiat? Let’s hope so. Sure would love to see that spiffy new 500 on our streets. Ciao!

If Alfa can get a handle on reliability then they’re going to make it. All things being equal in the automotive world, i.e.: powertrains, reliability, warranty, quality, etc…. people will buy “style”. It will be the factor that sets them apart. Style is sorely missing from the market and the Italians know alittle something about it. Why buy an appliance like a Toyota, if you can get killer style, all things being equal of course. I’d trade my MB E-500 for a unique and gorgeously styled Italian sedan, any day. Same goes for any other brand and as seen by Lexus, they’re finally getting serious about styling.

Bob Lutz knows alot about this. Bring on the “Beauty” Bob, give us more great style!

Alpha may be ready, but US Car Buyers are NOT!

It is ludicrous to spend (better, waste) $200k on an Alfa that has virtually no presence, no sales support, has come in and left the US market before, and was always known for making the poor man’s BMW wannabe, NOT the rich snob’s Ferrari!

One of my Business School colleagues, that has a rather risky taste in cars, after leasing a dismal Jaguar XJ, and telling me that it proved its awful reliability reputation (meanwhile his wife’s Lexus LS400 or 430 did well over 250,000 trouble free commuting miles), has not learned his lesson, and leased a Maserati Quattroporte no less! Guess what! His Maserati was a virtual LEMON, he returned it to the Dealer after breaking down every week or so, and they gave him another one.

At least Maserati is up there, better in exclusivity than even a Merc or a Bimmer. But an… Alfa? WHY dabble in supercar territory? If you had $200k, would you blow it on an Alfa or would you stand in line for the EXCELLENT Ferrari entry-level F430???

Can’t argue that it’s not a risk, everything’s a risk in life! Whilst Alfas have given me more teething problems than other cars, in the greater scheme of things they also gave me more enjoyment back. And once sorted they run forever. The 1982 Alfa GTV in my garage is as reliable as any other far newer car in my fleet and a far more stylish and involving drive to boot. As for Thor’s comment that Alfa ‘was always known for making the poor man’s BMW wannabe’, I guess the fact that Alfa has been making cars for a lot longer than BMW blows ‘always’ out of the water for starters. I can’t even imagine why you’d look at an Alfa if you prefer a BMW, they are chalk and cheese in terms of style… and in the final wash up these are just opinions, and we can all form our own! So bring on the 8C, it looks fantastic and offers another option to those who want to ‘waste’ their money

In response to GT veloce, you cannot seriously claim that “everything” in life has the same level of risk, and even among performance cars such as Alfas, Jags and Bimmers, there are Huge differences in reliability.

Alfas are dirt-cheap in Europe, compared to the same dimensions and engine offerings from BMW or Porsche. But they are not at all reliable. the others are not perfect either, but it is not like having a 60s Brit sports car. Let’s be serious and not be carried away because we own one and are fond of it.

There is a saying in Autoextremist.com (its author is an italian american) that life is too short not to drive italian. Of course, he did not mean Fiats. Not that there is anything wrong with Fiats. He meant an EXOTIC like a Ferrari and a Lambo.

Alfa is trying to do what VW tried and MISERABLY FAILED to do with its Phaeton large, heavy four door, and has an even smaller chance of success, because it is pricing its new US entry at ludicrously high levels ($200k). VW tried to compete with the 7 series and the S class and the A8 with the very heavy, very luxurious Phaeton. VW also owns audi that makes the lighter but same sized A8 (aluminum body). The Phaeton had a much loiwer price than its competitors. In addition, and INCREDIBLY, the Phaeton is also a BENTLEY CLONE! That’s why now that the Phaeton has failed, VW builds extra Bentleys (that are doing spectacularly well in sales!) in the same glass-paneled factory in Dresden that used to make Phaetons only!

PS GT VELoce: it is utterly irrelevant if ALfa was making cars a few years before BMW started making its cars. Both have decades and decades of experience. And my comment that Alfas are a poor man’s BMW still stands, and the prices are the proof (for the vast majority of their offerings, NOT the very-low volume proposed Alfa import!) In the same way, one can say that the BMW M3 is the “poor” man’s Porsche.

I am a huge fan of History, including Automotive history, but when I go buy a car I will look at its recent track record and specs. Other brands were once famous and pionweering and they are now bankrupt, or they have degenerated to cheapo pale images of their onetime selves (Citroen? Jaguar?)

What!-??, the current auto-motive economy, LOOKS as if : it is going to “SLIDE INTO OBLIVION!. ARE YOU HERE JUST TO RAID SOME-ONE[s] BANK ACCOUNT?. No {service,no parts,”plan for the century;back orders?,}!. Any Auto manufacture[s] from Most of Europe, Is[are] here to attempt to sell a car for one reason ONLY, “Take your CASH! “, give you[the consumer] the great Line (of: b.s.) convince said consumer they{auto-company) are concerned about you. Than proceed with the(all of the above)and run off with you money and then let’s do it again in {ten of twenty Years!}.
I could and would not concern “MYSELF” with, Alfa’s reliability, they and the others. have “Proved” time and again, I want only YOUR MONEY,and I’ll let you suffer through the mechanical failure[and all/ the cost] and useless cars that Can best be used for “Lawn Ornaments!.
You Can take It: :That I Never By European Makes!.

Don’t worry. You won’t be able to buy one.

The 8C is completely sold out. Only 80 are coming to US and going rate for a contract to buy now is around USD 500K!

BTW, the car is based on the Maserati GranTurismo.