All,
I'm not being critical of Alfa's high saturation advertising, which seems to be quite successful judging by the number of Giuliettas and Mitos appearing on the roads. But has anyone noticed that many of the newcomers to the Alfa family don't seem to be aware of Alfa etiquette?
The number of times I've been tootling along in the 156 and given the Alfa salute/wave to an approaching new Giulietta or MiTo and haven't even had a nod of the head... c'mon you can't leave someone hanging like that!
Seems to me that Alfa dealers need to impart on their customers that they are doing more than just buying a car. Needs to be some sort of quiz, similar to that for new Aussie citizens, before the keys are handed over!
... gear change at above 4000RPM
... either on the accelerator or brake
... no coasting to a red light
... working the suspension in curves
... in other words driving with a mission ;D
I dont notice other alfa drivers looking at mine, let alone a wave, so maybe that was a 70's thing. Hey Charger!
I think what we are seeing is a new breed of Alfa driver. All they really care about is that they have bought a really cool Italian car. They really don't know or care much about Alfa's history, the passion behind the badge nor do they have any particular sporting aspirations in terms of driving, it's just stylish transport for them. ::)
No, its an older Alfa Romeo driver thing, some of the older Alfa drivers will wave back to you, the newer ones just give you a bewildered look, but keep up the good fight, the newer Alfa drivers will eventually get the message....always go out of my way to wave to the pretty ones in MiTo's and Guilietta's, Colin.
I'm with you Poobah...... such an empty feeling to acknowledge someone driving another Italian car and for them to leave you hanging cold like that! Good post - not sure how we change things.
I think when you have a history of driving these cars from the 60's, 70's and 80's then you are a true believer/follower/addict but just having cash and buying a flash new car....well you have no history!
I think Alfa should sponsor kartone to give seminars to purchasers of new Alfas. That might get them into the swing of things, and start to acknowledge their fellow sufferers of alfaholicism.
The new breed are also the same drivers who go to sell there car as an alpha romeo alas hopefully some will discover the history and convert
My dad is a long term Alfisti and if we are out with me driving he even waves at other Alfas!!!
I must admit though that a lot of the current model drivers just don't get it. (Though 159 drivers seem to be a bit more inclined to wave)
Quote from: prova on January 26, 2014, 09:11:57 PM
I'm with you Poobah...... such an empty feeling to acknowledge someone driving another Italian car and for them to leave you hanging cold like that! Good post - not sure how we change things.
I think when you have a history of driving these cars from the 60's, 70's and 80's then you are a true believer/follower/addict but just having cash and buying a flash new car....well you have no history!
I agree with the "hanging in the air" it works both ways though, like early model Alfa drivers that think like snobs..."oh it's a new Alfa, wave doesn't count ugh."
But with the second part, I guess the "history" includes the company going broke...several times. Because my fellow Alfa driver(s) it is those/us that have the cash to buy a new car that prevents that financial history...and keeps Alfa alive. So don't be too harsh.
PS Just think of it this way, it is the brand new Alfa buyers that financially help Alfa Romeo...it isn't the 2nd,3rd...upteen owner cars...hell they don't even use genuine Alfa replacement parts like filters etc. Lets face it how many of those self proclaimed Alfisti could afford to buy the new 4C, 8C or in the good old days brand new 105 GTAm, RZ/SZ, 8C 2300 etc etc
A couple of very good points. Absolutely true that new Alfa buyers are whats needed to succeed financially.
I think we ought to heed col's point and just keep on waving, whether its an old or new Alfa. But I still like the idea of a quiz!
Quote from: wantok on January 27, 2014, 10:01:34 AM
... 159 drivers seem to be a bit more inclined to wave
Naturally! 159 drivers are engaging people, respectful of tradition. Even when others don't wave back.
i suspect in the not too distant future there will only be new alfa drivers owning alfas/buying the cars to keep the brand afloat...
One thing I wonder with regards to the new generation of Alfa owners is the fact that the entry level MiTo now has the Twin Air 2 cylinder 0.9L engine. It might be a very sweet little power plant and all, but let's face it, itdoesn't exactly scream sporty or nod to Alfa's rich enthusiast heritage. No disrespect intended to twin-air buyers (yes I understand Alfa needs something with mass appeal), but do we really want Alfa to become known as the birthday gift of choice for 18 year old hairdressing trainees?
Plus, getting back on topic, I'm not sure how it might look (or be received) for a 45yo bloke like me to go waving at every sweet young thing behind the wheel of a Twin Air MiTo!
So, I just hope Alfa pulls its finger out and gets the new RWD 159 replacement sorted out and on the market quick smart, with full strength V6 and turbo petrol four-pot options, so there is a hairy chested new Alfa that also appeals to the rest of us no longer in our teens. I would feel quite comfortable waving at either of them - If things pan out financially, I may even consider buying one!
Quote from: poohbah on January 27, 2014, 08:07:25 PM
One thing I wonder with regards to the new generation of Alfa owners is the fact that the entry level MiTo now has the Twin Air 2 cylinder 0.9L engine. It might be a very sweet little power plant and all, but let's face it, itdoesn't exactly scream sporty or nod to Alfa's rich enthusiast heritage. No disrespect intended to twin-air buyers (yes I understand Alfa needs something with mass appeal), but do we really want Alfa to become known as the birthday gift of choice for 18 year old hairdressing trainees?
Plus, getting back on topic, I'm not sure how it might look (or be received) for a 45yo bloke like me to go waving at every sweet young thing behind the wheel of a Twin Air MiTo!
So, I just hope Alfa pulls its finger out and gets the new RWD 159 replacement sorted out and on the market quick smart, with full strength V6 and turbo petrol four-pot options, so there is a hairy chested new Alfa that also appeals to the rest of us no longer in our teens. I would feel quite comfortable waving at either of them - If things pan out financially, I may even consider buying one!
I find your stereotypes of Mito drivers disturbing. My 19YO daughter drives a 916 GTV (full hairdresser model), my second daughter might just get a Mito (cast off from her Dad). They may be sweet young things, but neither will be trainee hairdressers. Colin will still wave at them, but with his eyesight it could be me driving the car and he'd still think it was a sweet young thing. Not every hairy chested male wants a big V6, sometimes it's nice to drive a small car, after all, that's what Alfa's heritage was built on?
Cheers
Stu
lets face it, with current emission laws etc youre very unlikely to get a full-blooded v6 large-capacity powerplant anymore. sure you might prefer v6 to a 4-pot turbo spinner, but going down the forced induction route is not only necessary, it's alfa-esque. alfa romeo as a brand prided itself in being a technological pioneer (in addition to beautiful styling and driving dynamics), only looking at the alfa 75 design as an example shows you a car way ahead of its time in every respect. anyone still harking back for designs and engines from the "good old days" are bound to be disappointed. the best alfas coming out combine a sense of technological innovation, style and handling. they might not be your cup of tea (i still prefer the gta v6 myself), but id rather new products seeking to remain true to those values rather than rehashed versions of old concepts. plus, if youve had a chance to drive the twinair, you might find yourself pleasantly surprised. if you mourn for the alfas of old, mourn because its taken a long time for alfa to get back to those core values (a la 4c) rather than looking for revisions of the actual cars that embodied them (105 gta, and yes this is heresy).
No disrespect intended to your daughters Stu. And I don't have a problem with anyone driving a stock MiTo. I just don' think a twin air 2 cylinder with less than 1 litre displacement is a very Alfa type of power plant.
I love small Alfas too, but I would have preferred that Fiat kept the twin air for the 500, where it makes sense. Its not like it has made that much difference to the starting price - the review I read put the entry level twin air at about $300 cheaper than the four pot.
Regardless, I shall continue to offer the Alfa salute to all vehicles bearing the serpent and cross motif. And if you are a young lady, fear not - I am no Wolf Creek type, just a fellow Alfaholic being polite!
Oops, my error. I misread the article I referred to. Twin Air is $2k cheaper than 4 pot! But I still think it belongs with the 500 only.
the small alfa buzz boxes are fun, and standout from the crowd. It's great to see properly styled cars on the road, rather than silly looking kias or hyundias etc, that are styling fails.
Against the trend of opinion here, I'd say that kia and hyundai have been making great leaps in innovation and design and have really impressed me with products they've produced of late. The cerrato and velostar might not be great handling, but imho they're certainly tidy designs. Just look at the last excels produced not long ago and you can see how far they've come in just a short time. You can be sure that driving dynamics will follow shortly. If alfa's comeback ends with the 4c, then I dare say that soon kia and hyundai will be making products that alfisti would be envious of. I'm just as biased as any alfisti here wrt cars produced by alfa, but I can't not tip my hat to the progression made by the Koreans.
of course the koreans have come a long way, but c'mon the styling is pretty much a botched copy of european efforts
I think if you look at the design teams of both hyundai and kia, you'll find some pretty powerful names behind some of the most iconic modern euro marques. They are bound to have shared elements of existing cars, but car design is much more than "it has similar tail lights to car x". Having a radically unique look doesn't make it a great design if the whole package, lines on the car, proportions etc don't work together. Classic example is the velostar, and seeing the attention to detail of many elements of the car. It has shortcomings no doubt, but I prefer the way it fits together from a design point of view than the mito (having said that, I'd buy neither and get an abarth 500 or an up! instead)
Quote from: kartone on January 26, 2014, 06:17:24 PM
... gear change at above 4000RPM
... either on the accelerator or brake
... no coasting to a red light
... working the suspension in curves
... in other words driving with a mission ;D
I'm ticking all the boxes on your list kartone - and adding to point No.4 - includes not slowing down when going through roundabouts (thanks to beefed up shocks and sway bar) - just love to see those in my rear view mirror disappear as I come out the other side.
Quote from: Meng on January 28, 2014, 12:46:28 PM
(having said that, I'd buy neither and get an abarth 500 or an up! instead)
the abarth is a honey, often pass one locally, and it always catches my attention
I'd love one. In traditional black and red, though I'm over having to clean black cars
goldfieldsGTV, also enjoy doing that: slightly clipping the surmountable curbd while powering through ;D.
extraball, tried both the abarth and the ferrari edition, there is quite a difference favouring the later, the gear change / turbo seem to be better synchronized.
Point no 5, No 'My Family' stickers allowed, Colin.
Quote from: colcol on January 29, 2014, 04:46:11 PM
Point no 5, No 'My Family' stickers allowed, Colin.
cant bring myself to put any stickers on the alfa
that's just mean :'(
'Alfa Romeo Owners Club of Australia', 'Alfa Romeo 1910- 2010, 100 years of love', 'Become a better driver, join a car club', 'Martini Oil', 'Do it for 6 hours at Winton', all stickers ok, Colin.
I have always put a few car related stickers on my cars. Alfa 156.net, Club Motori Italia, let alone 105 series, Giulia 50th celebration, AROCA and of course now I have the right car I was able to put on my Scuderia Non Originale and Squadra Patina stickers !! ;D
Saw a guy in a black 159 sedan yesterday as was pulling in to the supermarket carpark in my 156 sportwagon, at least he and I waved. So good to know there is still some Alfa loyalty out there.
How far do we take this?
Do we become snobs in our own right? I mean, do we wave at people driving mito's? They're really just fiat 500's after all...
Last week a dude in a Ferrari F430 waved at me as i drove past. That was nice :)
A guy in a Falcodore waved at me - only with one finger as I overtook him...
Nate, mate, nothing wrong with a Fiat 500, they are a fun car to drive. And as for the Abarth version well, from what a mate of mine who has one, he thinks it is the bees knees, and he is also a classic enthusiast proper, being infected previously with both the Alfa and Fiat virus's. Still has a few classics in his garage.
Heh heh the one finger salute may I suggest Poohbah ?? !! ;D
Quote from: Nate Dog on January 30, 2014, 12:13:36 PM
How far do we take this?
Do we become snobs in our own right? I mean, do we wave at people driving mito's? They're really just fiat 500's after all...
Last week a dude in a Ferrari F430 waved at me as i drove past. That was nice :)
If it's got an Alfa badge on it, with the possible exception of an ARNA, wave at it.
Stu
105 GT Junior Twin Spark
156 GTA x 2
159 JTD SW
916 GTV
MITO QVOh , and a Disco
Yep, I'm with you on that one Stu.
Unless we want Alfa to become a historical oddity, they need to survive to make the classics of the future (4C and 8C are already assured classics, and I am really keen to see a new RWD sedan arrive). Which means they need to shift as many new units as possible, and grow the Alfa family. So I shall be waving away to all and sundry in Alfa transportation, though of course only in a polite fatherly way to young ladies like your daughters!
Quote from: Davidm1600 on January 30, 2014, 04:58:32 PM
Nate, mate, nothing wrong with a Fiat 500, they are a fun car to drive. And as for the Abarth version well, from what a mate of mine who has one, he thinks it is the bees knees, and he is also a classic enthusiast proper, being infected previously with both the Alfa and Fiat virus's. Still has a few classics in his garage.
Heh heh the one finger salute may I suggest Poohbah ?? !! ;D
Oh yes, don't get me wrong, i hired a Fiat 500 and drove it from Rome to Paris, over 7 days, lots of winding roads on the way, through various alpine roads, it was no Aston Martin DB5, didn't get any pussy, galore or otherwise, just 3 friends shoe horned into a Fiat 500. was an absolute giggle! I loved that car, but it had nothing on my 81' GTV. Getting that on an alpine road, now that would be an experience.
Anyway. If someone driving a falcadore flips you the bird, smile and wave boys, smile and wave.
I remember the same thing happened when the 156 was new....and the 159. The initial burst of new-to-Alfas people who have no idea of anything other than their new car. These people will mostly move onto another brand in two years. Though we do occasionally 'catch' a keeper in the net.
And don't just blame the new crowd. I've been ignored by plenty of drivers of older Alfas when out in the 90. ;)
I've Had Ferrari drivers wave, and I suspect they all began in an Alfa, or still own one.