hi everyone,
just wondering what you are looking at for your next car, and is it in addition to your 159 / (and 156 for those who still have them), or as a replacement?
are you still thinking of a sporty small executive sedan, or moving away from this type of car?
the reason i ask is that there aren't many cars that are that similar in look / vibe, and options in this category are a bit limited.. (3 series, a4.. what else?).
thanks
New Giulia?
I so wish I was in the market for a new car - to go alongside my 156 and GTV (I wouldnt replace them). It could only be one thing - a black or red Giulia Veloce with red leather interior.
Unfortunately i cannot justify a new car purchase right now - even with the local dealer very kindly promising $1k off any new Alfa purchased by local AR club members...
Really good topic! As a former Saab owner I wondered what would replace that when they ceased to exist. The other Swede? Audi? I kind of ended up with Mercedes given I already had a Alfa.
In my current injured state my wife is driving the 159ti as daily transport and my L-plater son insists on driving something with a manual shift. That would actually rule out the Giulia.
I can still see a depreciated Giulia Veloce as the next car. Or a Ghibli. The practicality of a wagon for dog chauffeuring would be good but preferably not a SUV so no Stelvio. I'd consider a BMW 3-series wagon. Volvo XC60 also a contender.
A depreciated Giulia. Veloce at least. Not another diesel for sure.
But I also have a dog hauler and it is getting on. So maybe a Stelvio if it can carry a Golden Retriever and/or a German Shepherd.
Quote from: kaleuclint on April 15, 2017, 01:56:08 PM
In my current injured state
Doing Action Man impersonations out the back of Caribou's AGAIN ? ::)
;)
I'd find it very difficult to part with the 159. However, if the new rwd Giulietta is half as good as the Giulia............................!
Quote from: bazzbazz on April 16, 2017, 12:29:43 AM
Doing Action Man impersonations out the back of Caribou's AGAIN ? ::)
;)
No driving for five more weeks (though I did park the 159 around the corner as a hint for others to stop using it). Know Baz that I have regained 15mm of height lost many years ago. 106 hours without food or water in a two stage surgery process also meant I lost at least 5 kg. I say "at least" as it has been pointed out I also gained weight. Not that titanium is that heavy...
Quote from: kaleuclint on April 16, 2017, 01:15:34 PM
Not that titanium is that heavy...
Tut tut, people just HAVE to brag about all their bling . . . . . ::)
;)
(http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r502/kaleu1963/d554e6df-7f5b-466a-9742-4b8bcc0da5ea.jpg)
Blingy enough for you Baz??! 6.5mm dia shafts. They'd better be torqued right. "Unbreakable."
Moving forward the prefect combo for me is the Giulia Veloce and a C250 wagon. The superseded S204 wagon would be fine. I am trying to get into a cycle of buying 3-4 year old cars.
thanks for the replies everyone!
i find the lack of manual transmission cars really limiting.
it seems the only cars that i could somewhat imagine buying are the audi a5 and the ford falcon (2016 model).
i really like the look of the volvo s90 - is it just me or does it have a bit of a throwback 90s look? but again, another automatic car.
oh well! good hunting i suppose.. =)
You might have to accept reality. A big factor in buying my first 159 was manual trans and floor-mounted 'proper' handbrake. These days this combination seems to be the province of lower priced cars.
I'd like an S205-series Mercedes wagon but that'd mean accepting a push button parking brake and column shift (not a fan of flappy paddles either). I suppose I'd get used to it but if I have to take an auto at least I want floor shift. That's where the Giulia is at of course.
Here in Brisbane there is no longer any Alfa dealership, you have to head north to the Sunshine Coast (Noosaville) to find the nearest. One other in QLD, a thousand miles north to Cairns. This leaves the many 159 owners struggling to find a service centre with enough experience including the software for the motor and, if needed, selespeed. After a few years of so called annual services, long established 'CL Bodyworks' Alfa specialist was able to do the necessary selespeed check as well as other items that had been overlooked by another so called Fiat/Alfa agent that did a 'basic' service, though at considerable expense. How do the many Brisbane 159 owners cope?
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kale, take care
Quote from: wturnbull on April 21, 2017, 07:50:05 PM
Here in Brisbane there is no longer any Alfa dealership, you have to head north to the Sunshine Coast (Noosaville) to find the nearest. One other in QLD, a thousand miles north to Cairns. This leaves the many 159 owners struggling to find a service centre with enough experience including the software for the motor and, if needed, selespeed. After a few years of so called annual services, long established 'CL Bodyworks' Alfa specialist was able to do the necessary selespeed check as well as other items that had been overlooked by another so called Fiat/Alfa agent that did a 'basic' service, though at considerable expense. How do the many Brisbane 159 owners cope?
Well there IS a chap in Brisbane that can provide 159 owners all the technical & service support ever needed, specialises in Selespeeds and even runs a Mobile service and comes to you at home or work saving you time out of your busy life. I think your may find his rates quite competitive as well. ;)
Baz
I hear he offers a free fire safety check on all busso engined cars too...
Quote from: wturnbull on April 21, 2017, 07:50:05 PM
Here in Brisbane there is no longer any Alfa dealership, you have to head north to the Sunshine Coast (Noosaville) to find the nearest. One other in QLD, a thousand miles north to Cairns. This leaves the many 159 owners struggling to find a service centre with enough experience including the software for the motor and, if needed, selespeed. After a few years of so called annual services, long established 'CL Bodyworks' Alfa specialist was able to do the necessary selespeed check as well as other items that had been overlooked by another so called Fiat/Alfa agent that did a 'basic' service, though at considerable expense. How do the many Brisbane 159 owners cope?
Baz seems to know his stuff and is a great contributor to the forum however I have never had any dealings with him...as yet
In the past I have found Chris at CL in Albion to be good but agree he is also one of the more expensive providers around.
I used to use John French at the Gabba for both my old 147 Twin Spark and then the 147 GTA but it became a bit difficult for me logistically in the end as I live on the North side
Ferris Lee and his guys at Quattromotive in Nundah look after several old and new Alfa's and all the Alfas in our family (147 GTA, Giulietta and my old mans 159 and his 156 race car) and they have all the diagnostic equipment and to date we have found them to be fair and reasonable on pricing.
The is also Cam Wright at Automation in Enogerra who works on a lot of exotic Italian and European cars and is also spoken of highly by Alfisti here in Brisbane.
Cheers,
Wantok
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Quote from: wantok on April 23, 2017, 06:15:33 PM
Quote from: wturnbull on April 21, 2017, 07:50:05 PM
Here in Brisbane there is no longer any Alfa dealership, you have to head north to the Sunshine Coast (Noosaville) to find the nearest. One other in QLD, a thousand miles north to Cairns. This leaves the many 159 owners struggling to find a service centre with enough experience including the software for the motor and, if needed, selespeed. After a few years of so called annual services, long established 'CL Bodyworks' Alfa specialist was able to do the necessary selespeed check as well as other items that had been overlooked by another so called Fiat/Alfa agent that did a 'basic' service, though at considerable expense. How do the many Brisbane 159 owners cope?
Baz seems to know his stuff and is a great contributor to the forum however I have never had any dealings with him...as yet
In the past I have found Chris at CL in Albion to be good but agree he is also one of the more expensive providers around.
I used to use John French at the Gabba for both my old 147 Twin Spark and then the 147 GTA but it became a bit difficult for me logistically in the end as I live on the North side
Ferris Lee and his guys at Quattromotive in Nundah look after several old and new Alfa's and all the Alfas in our family (147 GTA, Giulietta and my old mans 159 and his 156 race car) and they have all the diagnostic equipment and to date we have found them to be fair and reasonable on pricing.
The is also Cam Wright at Automation in Enogerra who works on a lot of exotic Italian and European cars and is also spoken of highly by Alfisti here in Brisbane.
Cheers,
Wantok
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Thanks Wantok,
I'm more than happy to accept the high cost of making up for less than very thorough 'annual' services over the past few years provided I can rely on at least a couple more years of relatively inexpensive servicing. My 159 has low mileage 32,000 km over 8 years. I would need to consider selling in future if servicing costs keep blowing out over the medium term.
Cheers - BillT
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A car that was around $70,000 when new 8 years ago. Servicing costs seem pretty good compared to new cars.
Agree about costs even though compensating for the lack of thorough servicing over the last couple of years this amounted to well over $2,000. Still can't understand why manual would be preferred over Selespeed, particularly the six speed close ratio setup on the 159.
Should mention I paid a lot less than the $70,000 as my 159 was sold as a demonstrator. I've been the sole owner.
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kaleuclint - i think you are right, i will have to accept reality or just get one of the last few cars that fit my preferences.
i didn't know about the new type handbrakes.. is that what things are coming to? i was initially excited about the search for a new car but now i realize there's not a lot that i would actually want. oh well =)
Isn't it ordinary when there is so very little on the market that you aspire to own??
I could go a Macan S; they seem to be superb but not cheap and I'd make an exception about not wanting an SUV. And I need to check out the newer Volvos; impressed by some that I've seen in traffic.
Personally I find modern cars boring and uninspiring. They all look like they have come out of the same mould. And don't start me on the stylists "how many crease lines can I get in a panel" competition. ::)
I can't stand all the meaningless doodads. Who needs cruise control, reversing cameras/sensors, sat nav, auto wipers and lights etc?
Somehow I've always managed to control speed with my foot, look in my mirrors and out the rear window, read a map book and press a switch if it rains or gets dark...
(http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r502/kaleu1963/71beafb3-c24d-47fc-8be7-ef4e20ae87f0.jpg)
2018 XC60. Not available with flappy paddles. 235kW supercharged/turbo. It'll be cheaper than a Macan... :P
Reliable and cheap to run. ;)
Nooooooooooo!
I don't mind that, ha!
Maybe not the black wheels :)
Who needs airbags? Drive like a nanna, on a Sunday morning and you wont get in an accident.
kaleuclint - exactly.. i wondered if it was just me being picky, but nothing really turns my head when im driving past traffic most days..
Garibaldi - yes i guess there is some sense to sharing the platforms and technology.. but they do look similar. it's like they all follow the trend every few years. i remember reading car magazines in the 90s as a kid - and the cars had their own identity and were exciting..
poohbah - totally agree on the meaningless stuff.. are people really that incapable of doing stuff themselves nowdays? and that's more electronics to go wrong over the years as well..
Yes indeed, and how many of todays current cars will be collectable classics in 30 to 40 years time? Not many I think. ???
Some will have classic status I think. The last of the Aussie V8s should be collectable of course. Suspect quite a few Commodores and Falcons will be put away for that purpose so they might not be rare. If you want to know what Australia will look like in ten years time go to Moscow where the old school Russian cars are still around but in a minority, almost becoming an oddity. But you are right; look at Porsche, BMW and Mercedes even -- their older stuff even now will be more collectable than the current offerings.
As a motorcyclist I never thought the day would come when I'd covet a Volvo! And regarding bikes, it's even worse. The post-1985 bikes I'd consider buying I can count on one finger.
I agree - some "modern" cars will become collectible, including some solely because they have little current desirability and most will end up in the crusher. Crikey, I gave a couple of guys the thumbs up the other day because one had a slightly modded mid 80s Mitsubishi Sigma and the other had a "warm" series 1 Mazda 626 sedan. I haven't seen any other examples of either on the road for years, so it made me smile to see them. I never would have thought back in 1985 that either would be worth a brass razoo 30 years later. That said, I doubt that anything from Korea or China will qualify, at least not for another 40+ years.)
I definitely agree the final Aussie V8s will be worth hanging on to, as well as the Monaro coupes that came out in mid noughties, given they really had a pretty limited production run. I'd even guess that questionable products like those Commodore Adventra 4WD wagon will end up having specialist appeal 20 years from now. So if you spot a fully optioned one in good nick, I reckon its worth snaffling and storing in a shed somewhere.
I like the F11 BMWs a lot, which is currently the only car I would consider a successor to the 159.