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Old 06-08-2008   #8 (Post Link)
Cloverleaf146
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Re: Alfa, the underachiver?

Originally Posted by toby2449 View Post
sadly i've voted no (lack of interest etc...). I'm not sure Alfa can win back people who bought one & far too often got their fingers burned, & the amount of people i hear saying they'd literally never buy one, ever! Ok we're all die hard fans (well i'm assuming most of us are) & i'd couldn't really consider buying anything else, i love the brand, & i will own a 159 one day, but i wonder when Mr & Mrs "executive buyer" look for their next car, do Alfa even get a look in, or is it BMW, Audi, Mercedes etc, and is it only going to get worse as the Germans produce better products with every update & Alfa seem more often than not to take a step backwards in comparison.
I'd agree with that. The reason Mr & Mrs executive buy German though is largely due to snob value, the (perceived) value and prestige of the brands. It's all about saying "hey, I've got a Merc/BM/Audi, therefore I'm important and earn a lot of money"
I'd say very few buy out of genuine enthusiasm for the cars.

Alfas are the opposite; they don't carry the same cachet as the Germans, but people who buy them tend to be genuine enthusiasts.

Personally, I do like the relative exclusivity, but I also worry that without the volume sales, Alfa will either cease to exist, or (perhaps worse) only continue as badge engineered Fiats, in the same way that MGs ended up as badge engineered Rovers....
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