I have always been a huge Alfa fan. Someday I would like to buy a newer one other than the last 164's imported in the early 90's. Is it possible to buy newer Alfa's? I apoligize for my ignorance. Are there any plans to begin importing Alfa's to the US again or are they ever allowed to be imported to the US in a buy and drive program like the other European car companies offer?
Buy and drive programs are great when you have a service network at home. Without the service infrastructure, purchasing a new Alfa just makes little sense.
Citydriver - at present, it is not possible to purchase a post 1995 Alfa Romeo in the United States of America.
However, if you believe any of these internet sites, they would have you saving up for 2007 when the latest Alfas will once again be available on our shores:
I am sure they will comeback in 2007, maybe delayed again if they dont have their service and customer service in place for our market. If not they may as well not waste their time here.
We wont put up with their crappy service. I rather buy an Audi with great service then an alfa with bad! I have heard from some of my sources that they are coming very soon. I suspect they will just show up on our door step.
Jason
nizam said:
Citydriver - at present, it is not possible to purchase a post 1995 Alfa Romeo in the United States of America.
However, if you believe any of these internet sites, they would have you saving up for 2007 when the latest Alfas will once again be available on our shores:
I just spent a week in Barcelona on business and got to see a lot of Alfas we didn't get here - 33s, 145s, 147s, 155s, 156s, 166s, GTVs, etc. I even tried to stop by a local Alfa dealer and see if they would let me get touchy/feely with the cars. After a subway ride and a 15 minute hike to get there the dealership was closed for remodeling - just my luck. Anyway, what I could see gave me mixed feelings about Alfas return to the states. Of their current offerings, I really liked the 147, wasn't particularly impressed by the 156, and I only saw one 166 but I think it has a nice presence to it. The styling of the 147 is absolutely perfect. The way the rear doors disappear into the C pillar on the 5-door is especially artfully done. I looked closely at one for a couple of minutes before realizing it wasn't a 3 door!
As much as I like the 147, I think it would have a tough row to hoe in the US. 3 years ago it might have been an easier sell, but the Mazda3 has set the bar pretty high for compact hatches, and it also has a sedan available - by far the preferred body style in the US. Without a sedan, I don't think Alfa can compete at the low end of the market with the current 147 - and as I said, I think it's the most attractive car they sell. On the bright side, Alfa does seem to have strong cachet, at least based on the number of Alfas I saw with their emblems ripped off... The only other car that was commonly missing the emblem was Mercedes.
Maybe having a halo car like the Brera or 8c Spider would be enough to get traffic in the showrooms. Maybe Alfa will become the next Mini. Maybe Consumer Reports will rave about their phenomenal gas mileage and reliability. Maybe Snoop Dogg will buy a 169, throw dubz on it, and it will become the next Escalade / 300C / Bentley among the hip hop crowd (although I hope not!) But barring a major change I just don't think Alfa as currently constituted has a great chance of succeeding in the cutthroat US market. I hope I'm wrong, though.
the other day, on the streets of Detroit...i saw a fresh NEW Alfa Romeo 166 driving down Woodward Avenue. I was shocked.
I asked a friend of mine HOW this car got here, and he said that the FIAT offices outside of Detroit have lots of Italian officials working there. They are able to bring their car over to the US for a maximum of 3 years to use here under something called a "B.I.D." agreement.
however, they cannot sell the car to anyone here, and after 3 years, the department of transportation MAKES them send the car back OR destroy the car altogether. Pretty depressing eh?
but also very very interesting. I'm wondering if there are any loopholes to explore in this
true, but the car is not street legal and never will be. it can only be sold under "export only" terms.
it's a pretty interesting read in that auction.....that car was retrieved following prosecution of 2 people who brought Alfas into the country as Autodeltas.
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