|
Yes the 33`s were sold to a lot of first time Alfa buyers who were in essence "unsuitable owners" .In Christchurch at the time Archibalds were the agents along with being agents for Honda, Citroen, Jaguar and Audi. it was right at time when the yen was really highly valued and obviously the lira low re NZ$ so Alfas were about same price as Hondas and many a buyer came in to purchase a Honda but ended up with an Alfa 33 because they were purchasing a prestigious European brand for Honda money. Unfortunately they had a Honda mentality and weren`t enthusiastic drivers, merely "transport appliance" users. Many of the more senior owners also found them heavy to drive with heavy clutches, heavy gear change and no power steering, and never, ever gave them the weekly "thrash" they need or at least the long drive, so hated them. That coupled with the little electrical faults that Alfas seem to have inbuilt, such as the electric window switches etc really put the brand back years in perception to the general public. 33`s were the first model sold in any half pie reasonable numbers. Pity really as I regard them (despite having one myself-my only practical 4dr Corolla type car) as one of the worst Alfas made, despite being supposedly being an evolution of the fantastic Alfasud ,of which I am a great fan-in reality probably the best post war Alfa Romeo.
|