Why do people like Alfa Romeo so much?

I see Alfa Romeo as a cult company
I see it as a cheap ferrari
Alfa is famous for being simple in driving pleasure by using the three simple basic rules: great power, great sound, great design
I've never driven one, but have friends that have Alfas
Their cars just stand out, and remind you of Italy and their famous car craziness
When you buy an Alfa you can tell your friends that I have a Italian Sports car

and as Jermey Clarkson best put it: "You can't be a Petrolhead, if you never had an Alfa"
 
Same, they're underpowered and the only even remotely good-looking one is the Brera - which is horribly, horribly, ploddingly slow.
 
when it works my dads 86 alfa spider is a blast to drive sure it's not powerful but soooo much fun none the less and the whole "italian sports car" thing is pretty great. now if can jsut get him to spring for a early 70's GTV i would be really really happy

TF
 
matt_shaw said:
I don't have any idea either. I find Alfa's quite ugly, especially their alien looking front grill WTF!!!
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lol, i agree.... but you see, ppl love alfa for the name, the design, the sportyness in the chassis, and the fact that they really mastered the essence of front wheel drive cars (FF cars).


but in my opinion, alfa makes shit cars : p they are simply just fugly
 
I'm of the opinion they just look good. I doubt I'd really own one as I like to drive my cars, and if I gotta work on them, it's to make them quicker, not fix them.
 
thedguy said:
I'm of the opinion they just look good. I doubt I'd really own one as I like to drive my cars, and if I gotta work on them, it's to make them quicker, not fix them.
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sure, they are very rewarding to drive... but u will prob end up walking back home. bloody alfa romeos, they are like cheap plastic Ferraris with FWD, the only thing i approve from alfa is their selespeed sequential gearbox
 
I do love the look of Alfa's and the vibe that comes off them. Maybe its Clarkson working me all up over it. But I'm turned off by the lack of power and quality that you get in some of its competitors.

Its one thing to love an Alfa from a distance (not owning one) and another to love an Alfa behind the wheel.
 
I have 2 alfa-es
One 96 Spider, one 01 147 SS
Both broke
Both have stuff that don't work as i type

my 147 is even more unrealible then Jeremy's GT

I still love them

Why? I think its the way it makes you feel driving it...
Feeling, is a very complicated thing and cannot be explained.

Well of course not to mension AR's long histry, lovly classic cars.. Things only go downhill after they moved their factory south and made "Alfa Sud".....
 
They have character... Sure they are unreliable but on the other hand they are achinlgy beautiful (I mean just look under the bonnet, no other manufacturer dgoes to so much bother under there, they usually just cover everything up with plastics).

Unlike an Opel or a toyota, which you buy and use and then trade in for another "tool". You actually develop a "relationship" with your Alfa (or so my Alfa owning friends have convinced me)
 
Alfa's are about style, if you don't undrestand it.... :roll:

I'd yet rather see Alfas in North America than any other Korean or American (most of them) product.
 
They do have one the most powerful production hot hatches around 147 GTA, though the chassis can't handle the power, and the Alfa Engines are sweet sounding. :thumbsup:
 
I have to admit that I have no special love for Alfas, but that new Berra sure is a good looking car. I wish it performed as well as it looked and didn't break all the time.
 
The history of the brand, the gorgeous creations they've built in the past and continue to, the fact there's clearly passion that goes into the design & engineering rather that just churning out appliances (yes Toyota, that means you), etc etc.
 
the design , the sound , the history.
Very few other cars-manufacturer can brag about having so passionate customers .
Alfa addicts (and god knows how many they are) don't buy an alfa for the choice or because it's practical , they buy it because nothing else is even possible for them to be considered!!
 
BlitzR said:
They do have one the most powerful production hot hatches around 147 GTA, though the chassis can't handle the power, and the Alfa Engines are sweet sounding. :thumbsup:
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not really.. its actually one of the slowest hot hatches around, the BMW 130i, Golf R32, GTi at the reef, A3 3.2 are all faster than the Alfa.

but the engine does sound pretty damn sweet : ) i have driven an 146 selespeed when it first came out, and i absolutely adore the gearbox and the sound of the engine : )
 
MadCow809 said:
BlitzR said:
They do have one the most powerful production hot hatches around 147 GTA, though the chassis can't handle the power, and the Alfa Engines are sweet sounding. :thumbsup:
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not really.. its actually one of the slowest hot hatches around, the BMW 130i, Golf R32, GTi at the reef, A3 3.2 are all faster than the Alfa.
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BlitzR didn't say fastest, he said the most powerfull... there's a difference.
 
you can't compare a FWD with RWD(130i) or AWD(R32 , Audi 3.2).
It is the most powerfull FWD hatchback on the market today (VXR close behind and this mazda mps in a near futur)
 
It's interesting that this topic comes up while I am contemplated on buying a 80's GTV6 as we speak.

People love Alfas because they are cars built with passion. And the people who make them love to drive and knows how to make it exciting. All Alfas have a quality that appeals to car enthusiasts--stylish design, beautiful exhaust, sharp handling, etc.

They do not sell well because the average car buyer simply wants a practical and reliable car. Alfas were never designed as such. They are simple made for pure driving pleasure with little thought going into practicality.

Yes, they are underpowered cars. But they have just enough to have fun with them.

Check out this picture of the transaxle off an 80's GTV6.
http://img133.imageshack.**/img133/6572/gtv6trans5dc.gif
It has brakes mounted by the differential to reduce upsprung weight on the rear suspension. The V-shape is part of the Alfa De Dion rear suspension geometry which has ZERO rear wheel deflection upon acceleration. The ideas and passionate design behind Alfa Romeos are outstanding!

Do these things work? No.
Alfa enthusiasts know all the weaknesses of each car and finds pleasure in curing all of them. They all say the same thing. The trouble is more than worth the effort.
 
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