***Friggin Ass Lucky Europeans***

[cawimmer430]

This is the new Alfa Romeo 159 JTD (diesel). Looks pretty sweet in red. The front is pure badass. Just what the mainstream market in the US is missing. Go ahead, buy your boring Camry's and Accords...  







Interior shot (Googled...)

[JYODER240]

The majority of Americans won't drive one because it would be "unreliable", it has a MT, and is a diesel  

[J86]

I LOVE that car.

[Atomic]

okay, since you brought it up! one can buy a loaded honda accord and toyota camry for just over $22,000! what will an alpha cost me? okay, okay! a loaded v6 honda or toyota would cost nearly $25,000. give me the specs, including price for a u.s. model, AND, i may truly buy one! no lie   !

[ifcar]

Of course, in Europe a 3-Series is a mainstream car. I wouldn't think that this would really be in the CamCord class in the US.

[BMWDave]

Thats beautiful.    

[Raza]

The majority of Americans won't drive one because it would be "unreliable", it has a MT, and is a diesel

That's exactly the kind of car I'd drive.

[Atomic]

The majority of Americans won't drive one because it would be "unreliable", it has a MT, and is a diesel

That's exactly the kind of car I'd drive.

then, raza, what's keeping you, man?! i'm not even certain how much it costs. how could one say it's the kind of car one would drive w/out factoring in price? i'd love to drive a 2007 mercedes-benz sl, but it's out of my league -- financially, anyway.

[giant_mtb]

okay, since you brought it up! one can buy a loaded honda accord and toyota camry for just over $22,000! what will an alpha cost me? okay, okay! a loaded v6 honda or toyota would cost nearly $25,000. give me the specs, including price for a u.s. model, AND, i may truly buy one! no lie   !

I could buy a loaded Chevy Aveo for about 15,000 dollars.  Does that mean I should buy it?  No.  Just because it's less expensive doesn't mean anything.  They're completely different cars, different styles, different functions, and different classes.  I doubt that an Alfa 159 would be even compared to the bore-box Camry and Accord.  

[Raza]

The majority of Americans won't drive one because it would be "unreliable", it has a MT, and is a diesel

That's exactly the kind of car I'd drive.

then, raza, what's keeping you, man?! i'm not even certain how much it costs. how could one say it's the kind of car one would drive w/out factoring in price? i'd love to drive a 2007 mercedes-benz sl, but it's out of my league -- financially, anyway.

Well, it's not sold in the US, so that's quite a barrier.

[Colonel Cadillac]

The first time I was in Spain we rented the old 156 JTD. I thought it was a pretty good car from the passenger's seat POV.  

[cawimmer430]

The first time I was in Spain we rented the old 156 JTD. I thought it was a pretty good car from the passenger's seat POV.

 

[omicron]

Interior room is awful - I had more space in a Mazda2, especially in the back seat.
Lovely, lovely seats, however, and less of the stumpy legs / long arms affliction of 156s and Spiders.  

[Raza]

Interior room is awful - I had more space in a Mazda2, especially in the back seat.
Lovely, lovely seats, however, and less of the stumpy legs / long arms affliction of 156s and Spiders.

You have Alfas in Australia?
Do you need a roommate?

In any case, as long as the driver has enough room, who cares about the rest of the seats?

[omicron]

Interior room is awful - I had more space in a Mazda2, especially in the back seat.
Lovely, lovely seats, however, and less of the stumpy legs / long arms affliction of 156s and Spiders.

You have Alfas in Australia?
Do you need a roommate?

In any case, as long as the driver has enough room, who cares about the rest of the seats?

We do indeed - the 147, 156 (on run-out), 159, 166, Brera and GT.

You can use the spare room. Provided, of course, that the cat remains alive during your stay.  

[MX793]

Love the interior.  Has a Ferrari vibe to it.  The outside isn't too shabby either.  Have the fixed the quality and reliability issues that Alfa is notorious for?

[omicron]

Not sure about this car, but the 159 I sat in had real metal on the dashboard - cold to the touch. Great stuff.

Damn, that red colour is fantastic. Plus, I love the way the fuel and water gauges are still identified with 'benzina' and 'acqua'.  

[GMPenguin]

Why must you taunt us? :angry:  

That car is so gorgeous.  Is there a reason they aren't sold here (safety issues or something), or are they just being douchebags?

[MX793]

Why must you taunt us? :angry:  

That car is so gorgeous.  Is there a reason they aren't sold here (safety issues or something), or are they just being douchebags?

Alfa pulled out of the US/NA market years ago (I want to say it was in the early 90s) because of poor sales and their general financial situation wasn't all that great.  Their cars were notoriously unreliable and expensive to fix, which is what I'd blame for the poor sales numbers.  There have been talks of Alfa coming back to the US market, but their current financial situation is a bit of a hurdle, IIRC.

[Atomic]

The majority of Americans won't drive one because it would be "unreliable", it has a MT, and is a diesel

That's exactly the kind of car I'd drive.

then, raza, what's keeping you, man?! i'm not even certain how much it costs. how could one say it's the kind of car one would drive w/out factoring in price? i'd love to drive a 2007 mercedes-benz sl, but it's out of my league -- financially, anyway.

Well, it's not sold in the US, so that's quite a barrier.

just thought i'd ask  B) !

[Atomic]

Why must you taunt us? :angry:  

That car is so gorgeous.  Is there a reason they aren't sold here (safety issues or something), or are they just being douchebags?

i think we all agree that it looks great, but one must drive a car in my opinion to say that it's a great car.

[Atomic]

they stop selling the brand in the u.s., due to poor quality and reliabilty, and horrendously poor sales. i recall a dealership close to my hometown selling these, along w/ mg's., deloreans, and jaguars. my childhood neighbor worked there and brought home some of the most beautiful cars imaginable! i'm sorry to say that only jag has succeeded   !

[dazzleman]

This is the new Alfa Romeo 159 JTD (diesel). Looks pretty sweet in red. The front is pure badass. Just what the mainstream market in the US is missing. Go ahead, buy your boring Camry's and Accords...  

The front is pretty badass....it has a crazed, angry look to the angle of the lights, which I like.

The back is a little plain, and actually reminds me of an economy car.

How is the performance on this car?

I have to say, Wims, if you keep going for badass red cars, you shouldn't be surprised when you get tickets....

[GMPenguin]

Why must you taunt us? :angry: 

That car is so gorgeous.  Is there a reason they aren't sold here (safety issues or something), or are they just being douchebags?

i think we all agree that it looks great, but one must drive a car in my opinion to say that it's a great car.

I agree, but due to reviews such as the following, I have high hopes for the car.  This was a review of a four cylinder to boot.

"The handling is also sweet and yet the ride isn?t even slightly uncomfortable. Which means that the 159 drives and feels like no other car in its class. If you have even the faintest trace of petrol in your veins, if you are even on nodding terms with the concept of simple, good engineering, you should drive this car. Because it doesn?t matter what you have now, you?ll be smitten. I was.

This is one of those cars that?s demonstrably and appreciably better than any other mid-range four-door family saloon. And unlike any Alfa of the past, you don?t have to machete your way through a million inconveniences to find the point. This car does not hide its gold watch up its behind. It is an absolute gem."

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0...01920_1,00.html


By the way, the luxury model with a four cylinder is equal to about $41k.

[jadewolf123]

Trust Italians to make anything good looking expensive as hell.

[ifcar]

What does a well-optioned 3-Series or A4 cost? It's not outlandishly priced, especially considering the extra taxes placed on Euro cars.

[Raza]

Trust Italians to make anything good looking expensive as hell.

It's comparable to small luxury sedans.  The most expensive model in the UK starts at 28 grand (GBP, obviously) with the V6 and AWD, which is equivalent to the 325i M sport.

[Raza]

Not sure about this car, but the 159 I sat in had real metal on the dashboard - cold to the touch. Great stuff.

Damn, that red colour is fantastic. Plus, I love the way the fuel and water gauges are still identified with 'benzina' and 'acqua'.

I love red on sedans, but not so much on sports cars.

And the guage markings are cool.

[cawimmer430]

Love the interior.  Has a Ferrari vibe to it.  The outside isn't too shabby either.  Have the fixed the quality and reliability issues that Alfa is notorious for?

Alfa's have improved BIG TIME. I wouldn't say they're tops when it comes to reliability, but they're much better than before. Plus, I think Alfa owners will forgive the car if it is unreliable, because it makes up for that with passion and personality. Something a Camry can't even come close too.    

[MX793]

Love the interior.  Has a Ferrari vibe to it.  The outside isn't too shabby either.  Have the fixed the quality and reliability issues that Alfa is notorious for?

Alfa's have improved BIG TIME. I wouldn't say they're tops when it comes to reliability, but they're much better than before. Plus, I think Alfa owners will forgive the car if it is unreliable, because it makes up for that with passion and personality. Something a Camry can't even come close too.  

This is America.  Boring and reliable are what people want and what people buy.  The top 3 selling models in this category are the Camry, Accord (US Accord, not the taughter, more fun to drive Euro one), and Impala.  Models with more character like the Altima and Mazda6 sell in vastly fewer numbers (half as many for the Altima and 1/6 as many for the Mazda).