Type Four Platform Shootout!

[cawimmer430]

I'll take the Saab. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_Four_platform


Alfa Romeo 164




Fiat Croma




Lancia Thema




Saab 9000

[CJ]

Definitely the Saab.

[Onslaught]

I went with the mustang.

[2o6]

V8 Thema

[Raza]

Hmm, it's a toss-up between the 164 and the Thema.  I think 164 though. 

[CALL_911]

I'll take the Alfa.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Alfa-Romeo-164-SPORT-1991-Alfa-Romeo-164S-5sp-Manual-1-OWNER-Rare-1-of-a-Kind-Only-52K-ORIGINAL-/190814674402?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2c6d70dde2

That is a very good looking car.

[Raza]

I'll take the Alfa.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Alfa-Romeo-164-SPORT-1991-Alfa-Romeo-164S-5sp-Manual-1-OWNER-Rare-1-of-a-Kind-Only-52K-ORIGINAL-/190814674402?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item2c6d70dde2

That is a very good looking car.

I wouldn't pay that much for one though. 

[S204STi]

The 9000 Aero is a decent car for that era.  Looks nice, too.

[CALL_911]

I wouldn't pay that much for one though.

No, but that is a pristine example.

[hotrodalex]

Was going to pick the Alfa, but decided that if I'm gonna have an Alfa, I want a spider. So I chose the Saab.

[Northlands]

The Alfa is just so purdy.

[2o6]

They all look like boxy 80's designs to me.

[Vinsanity]

They all look like boxy 80's designs to me.

Yeah I might as well take the box with the Ferrari V8 in it

[hotrodalex]

Yeah I might as well take the box with the Ferrari V8 in it

Wait what?

[Vinsanity]

Wait what?

Lancia 8.32 Stebro Power charger sound Ferrari

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Thema#Thema_8.32

[Eye of the Tiger]

Lancia 8.32 Stebro Power charger sound Ferrari

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Thema#Thema_8.32

Why did they ruin that Ferrari V8 by fitting it with a cross-plane crankshaft?

[hotrodalex]

Lancia 8.32 Stebro Power charger sound Ferrari

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Thema#Thema_8.32

Ohhhhh.....

Can I change my vote?

[cawimmer430]

There's a Lancia Thema 8.32 not far from where I live. It's in crappy condition, though. Not worthy of a photoshoot...

[68_427]

Themr is the best looking.

[Laconian]

Oh my god, that Thema is nuts!!!!!!

[hotrodalex]

Looky what I saw today.

[Colin]

No contest here............... as a former Alfa 164 owner, I know just how fabulous that car is. I did 160,000 miles in mine in 4 years and apart from (a lot) of regular servicing (it was on 6,000 mile intervals!), new tyres and the back box of the exhaust, it was utterly reliable. I still regret letting it go at the end of its lease and every now and then, I trawl Autotrader to see if there are any for sale............. it was not a big seller in UK and the few that are left are mostly now rather tatty.

That said, the Thema 8.32 has its appeal, though it is a fearsomely expensive car to keep running.   

[hotrodalex]

No contest here............... as a former Alfa 164 owner, I know just how fabulous that car is. I did 160,000 miles in mine in 4 years and apart from (a lot) of regular servicing (it was on 6,000 mile intervals!), new tyres and the back box of the exhaust, it was utterly reliable. I still regret letting it go at the end of its lease and every now and then, I trawl Autotrader to see if there are any for sale............. it was not a big seller in UK and the few that are left are mostly now rather tatty.

That said, the Thema 8.32 has its appeal, though it is a fearsomely expensive car to keep running.   

Make a trip to San Fran and see if the owner of that white one wants to sell it.

[Pommes-T]

Alfa for me, please!

Of course the Lancia 8.32 is by far the coolest of the bunch, but it also plays in a different league considering the costs. Nowadays though all these cars are sold for nearly nothing here, also the 8.32. The Alfa posted above for 10k$ would be worth maybe 1,5k€, probably less here.

About 2 years ago I saw a Thema 8.32 that was for sale for 3k€. Which is pretty cheap for a Ferrari powered car. The problem is every 20kkm you have to change the timing belt. And that means removing the engine, changing the belt and puttinng the engine back in. If you can't do it on your own this will cost you a lot of money.

You guys know the Lancia Thema that is built today? 

[cawimmer430]

About 2 years ago I saw a Thema 8.32 that was for sale for 3k€. Which is pretty cheap for a Ferrari powered car. The problem is every 20kkm you have to change the timing belt. And that means removing the engine, changing the belt and puttinng the engine back in. If you can't do it on your own this will cost you a lot of money.

And apparently the cooling system isn't suitable for stop-and-go city traffic conditions either.

20,000 km timing belt changes are ridiculous, though. And you can't do this yourself unless you have a full-fledged mechanic shop in your garage. EXPENSIVE. 


Link: http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/lancia-thema-8-32-kaufberatung-t634518.html

Link: http://www.motor-talk.de/forum/lancia-mit-ferrari-motor-bilder-t618317.html

[Madman]

Back in 2001, I came very very VERY close to buying a 1992 Alfa Romeo 164 L.  In red, of course.  I even took it home for an extended test drive.  The first thing I noticed was the car had an extremely heavy clutch.  On a 164, this is a sure sign the clutch is on its way out and is without doubt the reason why the previous owner traded it for a new Volvo S60.

Having just bought a house, I couldn't justify buying a car I really didn't need, especially one I knew was going to require some VERY expensive work done to it in the near future.  Even with the issues this car had, it was still brilliant to drive and sometimes I still wonder if I should have bought it anyway.  To this day, anytime I see a 164, I wonder about what might have been.

[cawimmer430]

Back in 2001, I came very very VERY close to buying a 1992 Alfa Romeo 164 L.  In red, of course.  I even took it home for an extended test drive.  The first thing I noticed was the car had an extremely heavy clutch.  On a 164, this is a sure sign the clutch is on its way out and is without doubt the reason why the previous owner traded it for a new Volvo S60.

Having just bought a house, I couldn't justify buying a car I really didn't need, especially one I knew was going to require some VERY expensive work done to it in the near future.  Even with the issues this car had, it was still brilliant to drive and sometimes I still wonder if I should have bought it anyway.  To this day, anytime I see a 164, I wonder about what might have been.

You shouldn't have bought a house. You should have bought a Lancia Thema Sation Wagon. You could have lived in the trunk. 

[Rupert]

Alfa, because Alfa almost always wins with me. Lancia usually competes, but this car seems more Alfa than Lancia.

[Colin]

Alfa, because Alfa almost always wins with me. Lancia usually competes, but this car seems more Alfa than Lancia.

Good man............ and yes, the Alfait was the most differentiated of the quartet. The Thema was deliberately designed not to be flashy, for fear of attracting attention to the owner and potential kidnaps (this was Italy in the mid 1980s!). The Croma was always really aimed a segment below the others - it was an impressive car as an alternative to a Granada or a Vauxhall Carlton, esp in 2000ie Turbo guise, and the SAAB, well that was a SAAB. Very nice and comfortable, but a bit too "sensible". 

[Madman]

This one will soon reach the 25-year amnesty for car imports into the US.

1989/G-Reg Fiat Croma 2.0ie Automatic.  28,000 original miles, £1500.



http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C359613#