[Venturi]

Are all the Alfa owners here kaya kaya. Because I hear that many people
like Alfa cars but cannot bear the cost of maintenance.

So you guys must be pretty rich to own Alfas OR sacrifice a lot of income
on car.

[Redd]

define rich. i would consider myself middle-class. its true that i have
less financial commitments than most other ppl my age, but i also
consider my car my hobby and am willing to spend some disposable income
on it. the same way others spend on drinking, golf, or home audio/video,
etc.

honestly, alfas are no more expensive to own and maintain than similar
european cars. if u can buy and own a volvo or a bimmer, u can own an
alfa.

the problem arises due to the fact that alfa resale value is quite poor.
a lot of people buy alfas because they are great value for money as
second hand cars, but fail to remember that they are still europeans and
need to be maintained like other europeans. just because it costs less
than a perdana to buy doesnt mean the maintenance cost will be like a
perdana.

if u think an alfa can be used as a normal point A to point B tool, and u
like it because it looks good and is cheap, do us all a favour and dont
get an alfa. :)

redd

[Itchibawa]

asquee me...

"if u think an alfa can be used as a normal point A to point B tool, and u
like it because it looks good and is cheap, do us all a favour and dont
get an alfa. :) "

meaning it can only be use for occasional weekend outings..?

Can elaborate a bit arr on what a potential owner can expect from the Alfa..

Tank que you

[Redd]

an alfa, like all europeans, require more TLC than a japanese. preventive
maintenance is key, unlike japanese cars where u can drive until the part
breaks and then replace it. when a part breaks in a european car, it will
usually take other parts along with it.

too many people buy alfas because they are good value for money as used
cars and look good. they think they can drive them like their dad's
toyotas and are not prepared for european car maintenance. when they dont
do the required preventive maintenance and it breaks - usually leaving
them stranded - they complain that alfas are unreliable, etc.

take BMW for instance: there is a scheduled parts replacement scheduled
for most items in a bimmer, regardless of whether that part is broken or
not. this is why - if u follow the schedule - services for the bimmer can
run into the thousands. such a schedule does not exist for the alfa
(other than the usual timing belt, etc) and its up to the owner/mechanic
to recommend/enforce such a schedule. from experience and information
from carclubs and the internet, i know what the typical lifespans of
major components are and i replace them proactively. i have had a
relatively trouble-free experience with my alfa even though it's clocked
very high mileage (174k in 6-yrs) and i track the car frequently. my alfa
is my daily driver, and let me tell you, i dont drive like a nanny.

another thing is that alfas usually do better with enthusiast owners.
clueless owners usually have a harder time with the marque. this is due
to there being relatively few really competent alfa mechanics out there.
a lot of times, the owner needs to know about the car, about checking oil
and tire pressures, and when the car is giving a warning sign of an
impending problem so they can get it fixed before it becomes a real
issue. carclubs help a lot in this area, but u gotta give enough of a
damn to take the time to find things out. this is unlike most japanese
cars where you can service and drive, and just forget about everything
until the next scheduled service.

lastly, alfas REQUIRE specialist mechanics. too many times i have seen
european car owners - my own family members included - send their euro
car to normal mechanics hoping to save a few bucks. the results are
usually catastrophic as most mechanics are not equipped or trained to
deal with modern european cars. this is especially true for alfas which
are not the easiest cars to work with in the first place. the italians
dont give a rat's a$$ about ergonomics and ease-of-maintenance. if u dont
know the proper way to remove/reinstall parts u will wind up breaking
more things than u fix, or a procedure may wind up costing more and
taking longer than it needs to.

the strange thing is that, with the right specialist mechanic, alfa
ownership is a relatively low-cost affair. a specialist will know which
parts can be repaired/recond instead of needing to be replaced, and which
items u can replace individually instead of buying the whole system.

last but not least, alfa QC isnt the best in the world. eg, for the 156
2.0TS, within the same car model and year of manufacture, some engines
will consume no oil while others consume tons. searching for the right
alfa to buy is one of the key determining factors on whether u will have
an easy or problematic ownership experience. always take the time to find
the right unit. avoid deals that are "too good to be true" and auction
vehicles. i always prefer to pay a premium for an enthusiast-owned
vehicle with a proper service history by an alfa specialist mechanic than
some cheap unit from a clueless owner. mileage is less of a concern with
alfas. well maintained alfas will last a good long time so u dont have to
worry too much about the mileage, unlike japanese cars which usually
start to give a lot of problems once they hit 150k or more.

if all of the above scare u in some way or other, u are not ready for
alfa ownership. it's better i try to discoura. And mXȤ
ð�
erest to get a used 147 maybe 2 year max? What is the market price?
3AXÀì
e is one otai from taiping by the name of webb' boA46504
¹! Sorry all for the wrong info.

H20, let me redeem my mistake by telling you that the Autoworld main site
provides the user with the road tax calculator. Use it!A¹Ø³
god\'s sake paul will you stop asking everyone re wÉA Mealfaholic and muddy155...from Alfa connoiseurs to Alfa salesmen. What gives? '1ØÉèô
à„
ya heretic. do join us at http://www.italiaauto.net for drives \nand trips. \n\nthere\'s one h

[azxel]

I believe Redd forgot to add one thing...

If you can't afford to pay speeding fines, better not buy a Bella.

I'm half kiddin... hehe

[Alfie]

Of course the car also comes with a life time guarantee against car theft.
Any car thief bringing a stolen Alfa back to his taikoh would be slapped
and kicked silly.

[Itchibawa]

Thanks for the feedbacks.

[Itchibawa]

Autoitalia got a dedicated 3S center in Highway Auto-City, at the Juru
interchange, Penang.

Hopefully the aftersale services are good and there'll be more Alfas on the
road.

[Brightenit]

Now I realised that I am rich! I must be!

[Itchibawa]

Yes. The marque is for the rich.

The 147 2.0 is selling for OTR price of RM 191,096.40.

Think that's the cheapest