Since i was able to know what a car was, there were three cars i have always wanted, Porsche, Maserati, and......... Alfa Romeo. Since last year, i have been looking for an affordable porsche for my first car, not a smart idea, but then i once agian thought about Alfa, i mean i know they are expensive to maintian, and THEY WILL BREAK there is no such think as a reliable old Alfa, but i mean there is just something about them. I am not sure if anyone else here has wanted an Alfa, or has looked for one, but it is so hard to find one, let alone one that is running. I just wanted to vent my frustrations here abiut this because i can't do it anywhere else, if you know someone that has an alfa, or if you KEEP IT RUNNING don't let it sit if it breaks, fix it no matter how expensive. By doing this, you make my job of finding a used running one a lot easier haha. so just venting i'm sure other's have felt the same way while looking of r a car they could not find ex. 98-00 sc, 95-97 gs. just some lexus examples of mine

There are quite a few reliable older Alfa Romeos out there. Models that use simple and reliable technology and good metal. I can think of the exotic Montreal sports coupe and Giulia sedan for example which are actually considered some of the most durable and reliable Alfa Romeos to date.

The problems for some Italian car brands in general began in the 1970s when many firms began moving their factories further down south to take advantage of the cheaper labor and cheaper prices of raw materials. Southern Italy at that time produced a lot of cheap steel which was sold to several Italian car manufacturers including Alfa Romeo. The result was a generation of poorly assembled vehicles. I guess the name "Alfasud" rings a bell which literally means "southern Alfa". Now that car was made out of extremely poor quality steel and put together by folks without proper training. The results speak for themselves. In the US we called the late 1970s Chevrolet Vega the "biodegradable car" and in Italy the same title was awarded to the Alfasud. It's perhaps the worst Alfa Romeo in the history of the firm.

However, since then Alfa Romeo and Italian car firms in general have made great improvements. There are some Alfa 159 owners at work. If you want I could ask them how they're doing and if they're happy with their cars. :thumbup:

And I completely understand you regarding Alfa Romeos. You want them because your heart tells you you want them. Alfas are an emotional buy, not a logical one. :thumbup:

My cousin turned one into a track car. Since then, he was never able to pass CA emissions and regulations. It was extremely sporty and reliable.

He sold it, and is currently being used in those monster-car-truck-show-things somewhere in NorCal...

to be honest, id much rather have a alfa 159 then a 3 series of c class, if only alfa made a huge car like a ls but as sports as the quattroporte, that would be sick

Do you want an Alfa Romeo Montreal in great condition? Check this out. :thumbup:

http://img253.imageshack.us/img253/3177/alfamontrealpl4.jpg


www.markt.motor-klassik.de <-- :thumbup:

If you are looking for an older Alfa, check around with some of the local owner's clubs. Twenty years ago I ran onto a guy, a former Alfa mechanic who bought late '60's and early '70's Spiders and restored them as a hobby. While not a concours restoration, they looked good, were completely rewired and were probably more reliable than the original. Best of all, you could buy one for $8-$12K and have what was essentially a "remanufactured" classic.

I'm sure one of these would sell for considerably more now, but a good car with a recent rebuild could be a fun weekend car for those of us who would like to renew our relationship with a 2-lane blacktop somewhere.

sounds pretty cool. I hope you know how to wrench on a car a little. Where do you get that thing serviced??? Alfa is not back in the states yet!!