Thursday, October 17, 2013

Current Obsession the Alfa 4C



This is my current obsession. The new Alfa Romeo 4C. If you don't have an obsession, life isn't fun.

I'm in the market for two new cars right now, a daily commuter and a weekend car. Unfortunately, Alfa Romeo's return to the USA has been hit by delay after delays. In a way, this is good for me. I just purchased a new house this year so I am recuperating from that so the projected 2014 Quarter 2 release fits in line with my goals. I've gone through the hassle of buying first year cars with advance deposits and waiting list before so I am ready to do it with this one. Unfortunately, there is no clue who will carry this. Initially, it was suppose to be FIAT dealers and now, it looks like Maserati dealers will be carrying Alfa Romeo.

As many people don't realize, Alfa Romeo has been out of the US market for 19 years now. I remember my friend's in high school who had Alfa GTVs, Spyders and even one had the 164 sedan. For some reason, I really like this car despite the funky looking, often criticized, headlights. The list is suppose to be 55 grand starting in the US. With options like sports exhaust, I think 63-65 is a good bet for a loaded model. With 65 grand, one can get a used, low mileage manual tranny Aston Martin Vantage V8. So there are obvious other competitors like that and the new Corvette and Porsche Cayman S.

I have a 1/2 a year to think about this. I may end changing my mind in a few months.



This car is pretty low-tech except for the Carbon fiber tub and twin clutch flappy transmission. It is also bare-bone like the Lotus Elise. I've test driven the Elise and it was pretty spartan as well. There are no glove compartments, no boot space in the front, and a small trunk in the rear for small luggage. It is light so the power-to-weight ratio is pretty impressive. Yep, it is a 4 banger so that would be interesting as well.

In the meantime, the lease for my company commuter car is up. I think I am going to look at either the Fiat 500 or Prius C for my daily commute. I want something to hold me over for a year. My wife is getting almost  90 MPGe (MPG equivalent) on her new plug-in hybrid. 650 miles in two weeks and the tank is still half full.

LINK:
Alfa's delay hinged on IPO:
http://www.autoblog.com/2013/10/07/alfa-romeos-us-return-chrysler-fiat-deal-video/

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