Unreliable cars

Well, the so-called unreliable TVR passed it's MOT first time today, with an advisory to say the hazard warning switch is falling off

My 18 yr old Citroen BX passed first time last year with no advisories. it also started on the button last time I visited it (it's not a diesel!!!!), having been untouched for 2 months.

All that remains is for the Alfa to be faultless in my ownership and I reckon I'll have a strong enough case to warrant shouting "**** OFF" in the face of the next person who makes a joke about any of the above's reliability.

If I'm honest, of all the cars I see broken on the hard shoulder, more are VW's, Fords, Vauxhalls and mainly Rovers!

But seriously, this modern culture of slagging off the above brands, plus numerous others...FIAT, Peugeot, Renault (ok, they're not totally solid!) to name a couple....is it endlessly annoying, or is it a blessing in disguise? I know my 156 would have costed 3 times more if it were a BMW!

Maybe we should all keep quiet!

Originally Posted by Kitch

If I'm honest, of all the cars I see broken on the hard shoulder, more are VW's, Fords, Vauxhalls and mainly Rovers!

But that's because there are far more VWs, Fords & Vauxhalls sold than Alfas and TVRs . BMW sold more 5 series cars in 1 month than Alfa sold 166s throughout its entire 6 years in the UK. So, if a single 166 breaks down, you'd need to see 72 Beemers for it to be equivalent

Alfa drivers dont suffer breakdowns, they have temporary car replacements.

However:

My boss bought a new RS4 at the beginning of the year and it has been in the garage constantly ever since. He also bought 2 VW vans for the company and 3000 miles in they are pretty much knackered and need major work doing to them. Makes me laugh when i think of the grief he gave me when i got my 147. At least i get to drive mine every day though.

My 7yr old Cloverleaf passed last month without so much as an advisory - it has been unreliable in the past though.

Our accountant at work has just chopped in his 3.2 TT for an A4 Convertible (yes, he has been the butt of cruel jokes both before and after).

The TT was the top model and looked good in a pale metallic blue shade and he does care for his cars. When pressed he explained it was coming up to its 3rd birthday and MOT plus soon to expire warranty. It had been in the dealers for loads of failed suspension replacements, the entire front end suspension had been rebuilt and rebushed at its 2nd birthday (very low miles too), the AR bar was coming off again, the DSG gearbox was on its last legs and he'd been told he needed to spend >£2k to have the box serviced on its own

He said it was great when it was right but he'd had so much hassle with it he didn't dare own it after the warranty ran out.