I saw hundreds of Alfa's a year in our service department, not just one.
Yes, they were a bunch of fun to drive and yes, some models were also really
good looking too, especially the Spyder and some earlier versions of the
Giulietta. A restored Giulietta would probably be worth a fortune
now-a-days. I really like the way they looked and performed - but I'll
strongly stick by my previous statements about their reliability, how poorly
they were built/assembled and the service/maintenance issues.
A million different people, a million different stories though. There are
always exceptions. maybe you had one of those.
I'll bet you weren't stuck up when you had your Alfa. You waived and honked
back, didn't/don't you? After all, that's how this thread got started in the
first place!
-Jerry Erbesfield
73 B Black Beauty roadster
jerbesfield@mindspring.com
website- http://jerbesfield.home.mindspring.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Aubrey Schneider [mailto:aschneider@shaw.ca]
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 2:38 PM
To: Jerry Erbesfield
Cc: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: [Partial OT] Snotty Pinafarina owners
Just for the record.
I had a daily driver which was an Alfa 1750 (1968 I think) & also doubled as
my
rally car. Twin overheads, side draft Webers & a heavier master cylinder.
I had that car for about 5-6 years, again, can't quite remember exactly. It
performed flawlessly & when I emigrated to come to Canada in 1980, I gave it
to
my brother. He is not at all mechanically minded, so had all work done by
the
local Alfa people.
He kept it for a further 5 years & was contemplating giving it to his son.
He
thought better of it 'cos it was beginning to nickel & dime him.
I really liked that car!
Aubrey 75 B
Jerry Erbesfield wrote:
> I knew that!!! - I DID get my countries mixed up! Didn't I. - At least
that
> proves that I have no real bias against any certain people, just the cars.
>
> Yes, most of the various Alpha models WERE a fun car to drive, even the
> sedans that I usually drove as a demo. They were impossible to keep
running
> reliably though. My memory has dimmed over the years but I DO remember
that
> the Alphas were so spindly and fragile. Broke easily, especially when
> pushed. You had to be a genius to keep their mechanical fuel injection
> running in tune. I can't remember a long term happy Alpha customer.
>
> During the seventies, I was the Service Manager for a Alpha franchise
> dealership, among other models that we handled, so keep that perspective
in
> mind. My boss also owned two Ferrari's, a Dino and a 2+2, that we serviced
> and that I often had the pleasure to drive for long periods. I especially
> liked the Dino, though it was a handful too to keep tuned and running
> reliable.
>
> >From that perspective, I don't like Italian cars.
>
> -Jerry Erbesfield
> 73 B Black Beauty roadster
> jerbesfield@mindspring.com
> website- http://jerbesfield.home.mindspring.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Paul Root [mailto:proot@iaces.com]
> Sent: Friday, June 21, 2002 9:37 AM
> To: Jerry Erbesfield
> Cc: Tab Julius; mgs@autox.team.net
> Subject: Re: [Partial OT] Snotty Pinafarina owners
>
> Jerry Erbesfield wrote:
>
> > I don't know what part of the country you reside in Tab but I believe
that
> > it depends on where you live as to how people react to special interest
> cars
> > like ours. I live in the big city (Atlanta metro area - 4,000,000 +
> people)
> > and I get a lot of what you wrote about here. There has been a time or
two
> > that even an LBC person was rude to me. It's just life in the big city,
> > aggressive driving, hustling to and from work and too caught up in their
> > material worlds. I often wish that I could get away from it. I am
CERTAIN
> > that smaller towns are NOT like this. Atlanta didn't used to be like
this
> > but since we've been "discovered" everybody from the north, the rust
belt
> > and even the middle and far east have moved here! There are not many
> natives
> > like myself remaining. Southern hospitality? HA!! Not any more around
> here.
> > A thing of the past.
>
> Much like 'Minnesota Nice' on the highways and streets of the Twin
> Cities, that's long gone.
>
> > As far as Italians and Pinafarinas go, what the Hell do they have to be
> > stuck up about in the first place???!!! The only crappier built cars
than
> > Italian cars (except for maybe the Ferrari) are Polish, namely the Yugo!
>
> Ah, Yugo's were made in YUGOslavia. Go figure. Wasn't it a copy of a Fiat?
>
> > Don't get me wrong. I love the Italian and Polish people. I just don't
> like
> > the way they build their cars. I used to work on Alphas for a living and
I
>
> Alfa
>
> > know more than I want to about Fiats too. Let me tell you that they ARE,
> > generally speaking, poorly built and unreliable, even when well
> maintained,
> > no matter what designer name emblem that one might hang on it.
>
> Many Italian cars are a bit high strung. Twin Cam engines and multiple
weber
>
> setups with multiple barrels. Fun cars though.
>
> I drove my brothers Alfa Romeo GTV6 for a summer when I was in Grad
> school. That car was great fun. It had this weird oil leak, a design
> flaw. There was a kit that rerouted the oil that fixed the problem. You
> had to pull the head to put it in, but it did work. Parts are expensive
> on them. I think Rich told me a clutch is now something like $900 just
> for the parts. That makes the 'Bs $900 for the job not so bad. But you
> know, rear transaxle, De Dion suspension, expensive stuff.
>
> > I like cats and I'm not snotty - - but I don't drive an Italian car
> either!
>
> > My $.02 worth anyhow.
> >
> > Flames welcome!
> >
> > -Jerry Erbesfield
> > 73 B Black Beauty roadster
> > jerbesfield@mindspring.com
> > website- http://jerbesfield.home.mindspring.com
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net]On
> > Behalf Of Tab Julius
> > Sent: Thursday, June 20, 2002 9:10 PM
> > To: mgs@autox.team.net
> > Subject: [Partial OT] Snotty Pinafarina owners
> >
> >
> > Almost without fail, if I wave to another LBC in my area (which isn't
> > exactly rife in LBC's), I usually get an enthusiastic wave back, if not
> > more. But I waved at a small red convertible, initially unrecognizable,
> > later gave a welcome beep, and when I happened to park next to him, got
> > barely an acknowledgement (don't think I'm some oversocial puppy, but it
> > was more in context of hey - we have the only two small cars like ours
in
> > the area). Not only did he not acknowledge in any sense of the word,
but
> > in a few subsequent encounters where I've waved without recognizing that
> it
> > was exactly his car, it's been total ignoration. Is this some
snottiness
> > with Pinafarina owners? I've never seen this from a MG owner. If a MG
> > owner doesn't respond, it's only because they didn't notice to begin
> > with. Is it just some snotty Italian thing? Is he a cat lover? What
> > gives??? :)
>
> --
> Paul T. Root E/Mail: proot@iaces.com
> 600 Stinson Blvd, Fl 1S PAG: +1 (877) 693-7155
> Minneapolis, MN 55413 WRK: +1 (612) 664-3385
> NIC: PTR FAX: +1 (612) 664-4779
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