Weird off brand cars.

michaelluscher said:
Peak Alfa IMO 🤌
The latest Giulia and Stelvio seem to have resonated with Tri State Italian Americans in a way that the Fiat 500 comeback didn't
View attachment 196464
Click to expand...
....and this. Pretty. They along w/ BMW invented the sport coupe, but just not as clinically as the 2002, the Alfa's have 'something'.
Alfa GTV.jpg
 
wings&wheels said:
Having owned many, many Jeeps prior to Stellantis involvement, not sure how bad their other products would have to be for Jeeps, Wranglers and Grand Cherokees at least, to make them look good! Heck, my last GC is what finally sold on Range Rovers; figure if I was dealing w/ questionable reliability anyway, why not go all in! :D
Click to expand...
I need a compact SUV with true off-road capabilities. This year my finalists were the new Bronco, the D100 and the JLU Wrangler.
The problem with the Bronco was that I inherited a 1973 Bronco V8 from my father and it was just a dog’s breakfast, as the Brits say. It was such a miserable experience that I almost developed a severe case of PTSD just looking at the new Bronco.
The D100 was pricey and I’ve never gotten a good vibe from the local LR dealer.
The winner was a Sahara 4xe; I’d owned a TJ for over two decades and my inner techno-geek was intrigued by the PHEV technology. My wife loves it as well so it was a win/win.
 
MCompact said:
I need a compact SUV with true off-road capabilities. This year my finalists were the new Bronco, the D100 and the JLU Wrangler.
The problem with the Bronco was that I inherited a 1973 Bronco V8 from my father and it was just a dog’s breakfast, as the Brits say. It was such a miserable experience that I almost developed a severe case of PTSD just looking at the new Bronco.
The D100 was pricey and I’ve never gotten a good vibe from the local LR dealer.
The winner was a Sahara 4xe; I’d owned a TJ for over two decades and my inner techno-geek was intrigued by the PHEV technology. My wife loves it as well so it was a win/win.
Click to expand...
We love our Wrangler, but it is the base 6 speed 2dr. Not ready for a PHEV toy yet. We also looked at the Broncos, but no manuals, at least not then and I do like the Defender, but despite being a LR fan, not sure I would buy one yet if I really needed it as a DD....yet:).
 
Alfa sold Toyota/Ford/Chevy sells more CRVs, RAV4s, F150s, Silverados than all Alfas.

The newest Dodge compact crossover/RAV4 fighter (Dodge Hornet) is built as the same complex in Italy as the Giulia if I recall correctly.

So many automakers (particularly Stellantis) blew a chance w/Covid. Buyers were willing to give a chance to brands that they'd never consider.

The only things I want "Made in Italy" are my food, vacations, and wife's stuff.


Stellantis Media - FCA Reports Fourth-quarter and Full-year 2023 Sales Results

FCA US LLC reports sales of 343,552 vehicles in the fourth quarter and 1,527,090 vehicles for the full 2023 calendar year. Overall, fourth-quarter U.S. sales declined 1% while full-year results decreased 1%. Total U.S. sales within the company’s commercial fleet channel increased 20% versus...
media.stellantisnorthamerica.com media.stellantisnorthamerica.com
 
Last edited:
duck__dodgers said:
The newest Dodge compact crossover/RAV4 fighter (Dodge Hornet) is built as the same complex in Italy as the Giulia if I recall correctly.
Click to expand...
it's a badge engineered Tonale. built on the same Line in...Pomigliano d'Arco....( Metro Naples)
en.wikipedia.org

Alfa Romeo Tonale - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org

There are some interesting sales in that chart.. of "New" vehicles sold in Q4 2023
(1) Jeep patriot ( Last MY 2017, last production in Dec '16)
(3) Chrysler 200 (Same as above)
(2) Chrysler Town and Country( Last MY 2016, last Production 2016)
(3) Dodge Dart ( Same as the 200 and Patriot)
(2) Dodge Viper ( Last Produced in 2017)
(23) Dodge Journey (Last produced in 2020)
(25) Dodge Caravan ( Last produced in 2020)
(14) Fiat 500 ( last Produced in 2019)
(4) Fiat 500L ( Last produced for N.America in 2020, mechanical twin of the Jeep Renegade, built on the same line)
(28) Fiat Spider ( Last Produced in 2019, as a MY 2020. Mechanical Twin of the (ND) MX-5/Miata/Roadster)
 
Last edited:
Chris142 said:
Just thinking out loud.

I used to think bmw,jag and Benz were odd. Today I am working on an Alfa Romeo. Honestly I had no clue that brand was still a thing.

Do people wake up and say that they are going to go buy an Alfa Romeo today? I don't even know where I would buy a new one. I guess there may be a dealer in Beverly hills lol.

What happens when a weird off brand cars breaks down in road narrows Montana? No AutoZone is going to have parts for it. You end up in a Kia rental for weeks waiting on parts?

Then no shops want to work on it so you end up at a very expensive specialty shop or a stealer if you can find one.

Seriously I didn't know alfa Romeo was still in business.
Click to expand...
That might be why you didn't realize the brand still existed, people in your area avoiding the brands. I live in a small town that only has the big 3 for dealers. That is most of the cars. Weird thing that has happened is that I've seen a couple of Maseratis in town. To be fair we're only 30-40 minutes from Madison so I'd assume that's where they would go for service. That's where I have to go if anything happens to my VW.
 
wings&wheels said:
....and this. Pretty. They along w/ BMW invented the sport coupe, but just not as clinically as the 2002, the Alfa's have 'something'.
Click to expand...

I didn't get into BMWs until later in life, so when younger, I lusted after a GTV, not a 2002. Still do.

That was influenced by the fact that extended family members had more than one Alfa among them, including us.

The sound of the Twin Cam, and feel of the shifter, were my first exposure to what "real" cars should sound and feel like.

For my taste, nobody does exhaust notes better than the Italians. Even the smallest, most pedestian engines sound good.

The bark of a modern 500 Abarth might not match its bite, but still a pleasure to hear.
 
Torrid said:
Weird thing that has happened is that I've seen a couple of Maseratis in town.
Click to expand...

around me, you can buy a used Ghibli w/less than 70,000 miles for less than the MSRP of a new base Malibu.

What are the costs/ease of maintaining a used Ghibli? Have no idea.

but I imagine that a used Maserati can be the best used car purchase ever (if you know/prepared for the $$$$),

or the worst car purchase ever if one has zero concept that cars need maintenance.


ps, Maserati suggests a 12k OCI....sounds like a recipe for trouble once that car hits the 2nd owner.

 
Rented a Cupra in Italy this year. Gather it’s the sporty car division of Spanish automaker SEAT, which in turn is owned by VW. I try to keep up on such things, but had never heard of the brand.

Fwiw, if you welcome a driving challenge, try driving an unfamiliar car in Naples (the one in Italy), on a Sunday during a marathon.
 
When Chrysler and FIAT became FCA, the dealer network was supposed to open up so that Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge stores, if they did the showroom upgrade, could carry Alfa (and probably Maserati, never got much info on that). Well, at least in Canada, that was axed. One of our local Chrysler/Jeep/Dodge dealerships had brought in some used, but quite new, Alfa vehicles to stir up some interest before the new ones started arriving. Of course the new ones never arrived because of the terms changing and so the upgraded portion of the showroom typically has SRT stuff in it now.

Selling the stranded used Alfas also took a considerable amount of time.

I did look at them when he had them and thought they were quite neat, though the HVAC not working properly on a vehicle with ~21,000km that was like 1 year old didn't instil me with confidence. The interior was very BMW-ish in terms of fit and finish, materials selection...etc, which, as a fan of BMW, I found alluring.
 
Chris142 said:
Today I am working on an Alfa Romeo.
Click to expand...
What were you doing to the Alfa?
Chris142 said:
Honestly I had no clue that brand was still a thing.
Click to expand...
So, you're just like 85% of Americans.
I'm guessing you're not really a "Car Guy", according to the "standard" set by people like Jeremy Clarkson, ex-host of the car show "Top Gear".
Chris142 said:
Do people wake up and say that they are going to go buy an Alfa Romeo today?
Click to expand...
I did.
Twice.
2021 Giulia and a 2022 Stelvio.
Chris142 said:
I don't even know where I would buy a new one.
Click to expand...
An Alfa Romeo dealer would be the best starting point.
Chris142 said:
I guess there may be a dealer in Beverly hills lol.
Click to expand...
You live in California.
According to Alfa's website, you have 9 dealers near you, the closest seems to be in Ontario.
1705107341888.jpg

Chris142 said:
Seriously I didn't know Alfa Romeo was still in business.
Click to expand...
Well, that's not really your fault.
That's Alfa Romeo's fault.
They've done a piss poor job advertising their vehicles to the public, and an even worse job providing a variety of vehicles that the US buyer wants to own.
1 mid size sedan, one mid size SUV, and one small sports car doesn't really lend itself to sales success in the US market.

But, you need to remember that FCA / Stellantis doesn't want Alfa Romeo possibly poaching a sale from either Maserati, or Jeep, since they make higher profits on just about any product in those two portfolios alone. So, Alfa doesn't get the support it should have gotten when it started selling in volume in the US market in 2017, when the Giulia was released.

By the way, I love my Stelvio, in case you were wondering if an owner might have any feelings about their car.
Great motor, great transmission, great brakes, great steering, great handling, and was very comfortable on a cross country trip from Denver to the Grand Canyon Northern Rim last June.
 
Bladecutter said:
What were you doing to the Alfa?

So, you're just like 85% of Americans.
I'm guessing you're not really a "Car Guy", according to the "standard" set by people like Jeremy Clarkson, ex-host of the car show "Top Gear".

I did.
Twice.
2021 Giulia and a 2022 Stelvio.

An Alfa Romeo dealer would be the best starting point.

You live in California.
According to Alfa's website, you have 9 dealers near you, the closest seems to be in Ontario.
View attachment 198122

Well, that's not really your fault.
That's Alfa Romeo's fault.
They've done a piss poor job advertising their vehicles to the public, and an even worse job providing a variety of vehicles that the US buyer wants to own.
1 mid size sedan, one mid size SUV, and one small sports car doesn't really lend itself to sales success in the US market.

But, you need to remember that FCA / Stellantis doesn't want Alfa Romeo possibly poaching a sale from either Maserati, or Jeep, since they make higher profits on just about any product in those two portfolios alone. So, Alfa doesn't get the support it should have gotten when it started selling in volume in the US market in 2017, when the Giulia was released.

By the way, I love my Stelvio, in case you were wondering if an owner might have any feelings about their car.
Great motor, great transmission, great brakes, great steering, great handling, and was very comfortable on a cross country trip from Denver to the Grand Canyon Northern Rim last June.
Click to expand...
Well I don't care for new cars or European ones.i do like older muscle cars,early broncos and what not. Ontario while only 50 or so miles away can take hours to get to due to traffic. I don't go that way lol
 
A Maserati dealer is about 5 miles from my house, but I don’t really see them on the road much unless I’m within 1 mile of the dealer.

I just watched police cam footage of someone putting a Chevy Cruze over the ton and under a box truck.
So the grocery getter is faster than any legal limit in most countries.

Like a place to live, at some price point you’re paying for an experience.
Way up there you pay for exclusivity.
Just don’t be the person who thinks “I’ve finally bought enough car to overcome my deficiencies as a driver”.
 
Chris142 said:
Just thinking out loud.

I used to think bmw,jag and Benz were odd. Today I am working on an Alfa Romeo. Honestly I had no clue that brand was still a thing.

Do people wake up and say that they are going to go buy an Alfa Romeo today? I don't even know where I would buy a new one. I guess there may be a dealer in Beverly hills lol.

What happens when a weird off brand cars breaks down in road narrows Montana? No AutoZone is going to have parts for it. You end up in a Kia rental for weeks waiting on parts?

Then no shops want to work on it so you end up at a very expensive specialty shop or a stealer if you can find one.

Seriously I didn't know alfa Romeo was still in business.
Click to expand...

What did the car need?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
TPMS Scanner - Any which will tell you car brand for the sensor?
Replies
17
Views
1K
GrumpyCat
OM605
Phobia of working under a car on jack stands
2 3 4
Replies
61
Views
3K
jeepman3071
B
2021 Chrysler Pacifica - Impressions after driving it for 3 weeks.
Replies
16
Views
1K
Wolfshead
B
Brand Oil vs no brand
2 3
Replies
40
Views
3K
bbhero
Vil_Riker
Laser printer, good ones still exist
2
Replies
22
Views
1K
Pew
Back
Top