--yeah alfa's are neat, but i hear parts are painful to come by. I think top gear did a show on one of their cars and they had very little good to say about it except the back seats were comfy. So what does Jeremy Clarkson do? He rigs it so you could drive it from the back seat.

I think he accidentally drove it into a ditch tho. What might be interesting to see is Nissan's import of their new sports coupe hatchback. It's actually a renault clio. One of their clios has a v6 in the back seat. Something like 250hp in a little car. That sounds like fun! Just my $0.02 cents.

--pyratio

 

Someone with Top Gear drove it into a ditch, but he seemed to like it well enough.

"The GTA may take off like an Italian caught playing the field by his other half, but the melodic howl that fills the cabin and filters out across surrounding countryside is as good as it gets this side of Italy's other houses of royalty - Ferrari and Lamborghini. Now that has to be value for money. "

It's just a gorgeous hatch, right down to the engine bay.

 

looks like an alien.

 

A totally hot alien.

 

looks more like the 206 than a Clio to me, but it is what it is.

 

Not a fan....but to each his own.

 

That is one hot Alfa FWD car... I will always pick the 1 series or A3 over it if I am shopping for that category.

 

If Clarkson thinks parts are hard to get in Europe try to get them here.

I’ve been a fan of Alfa for years, both race and sports, but I would never want to own one.
You think you have service problems with a MINI try and get your new Alfa serviced.

 

Whoa, no kidding! Even harder to find Alfa parts than Fiat parts! Love 'em both, though!


Clover

 

Did someone say FIAT (Fix It All the Time)?

In my youth, after watching the Graduate, I wanted an Alfa spyder. Check them out, a bit out of reach, no place to get them service. Silly me, a few years later buys a FIAT X1/9 ... absolute worst car for service. No parts, no one can fix them, always in the shop.

 

My brother wants to buy that car. He says theyre coming back, but whetever, we shall see... plus I hate him right now cause hes making lots of money...he wants to buy a Porsche Cayman, but hes not adverse to an M3, an used Maserati, or a used M5 either...man when he gets his new car im gonna steal it, after all, HE drove my MINI before I even did, He drove it through break in...psh but yeah, i love the Alfa 147 GTA.

 

Well ever since GM dropped its stake in Fiat rather than buy them out as per contract, the chances of any Alfas or Fiats making it to our shores are about as slim as getting the GM employee discount for a JCW MCS in LaLaLand. Ain't gonna happen. No how, no way! Too bad, as I'd gladly pony up for an Alfa.

p.s. My neighbor still uses his early 1990s Alfa 164 as daily driver. Bless him.

 

Looks sweet... Too bad it's FWD... I bet service and parts will be $$$$.. but it is very nice looking!

 

Oh, not true! Definitely not here in the People's Republic of Berkeley. It is Alfa heaven. Multiple parts dealers within a few miles of one another and some fantastic mechanics. I used my '69 GTV (yes sixty nine) as a daily driver here for more than five years before I sold out and bought the Mini, and I never had trouble getting a part within 24 hours when I needed it. And I really didn't need them very often. Take care of an Alfa and it will take care of you. Treat it like a Toyota and it will (justifiably) treat you like one.

 

I think it looks very cool........what is the approx cost in Italy?

 

 

Alfa Romeos are not very dependable, which Italian anyways? It is the design, sportiness. The GTA is hell of a nice car, fast, looks gorgeous, much better than Audi S3 or the BMW 1 Series. The best thing overall is that it has personality. I would take it over a BMW or A3 any day. And as far as Jeremy Clarkson is concerned, I like the guy, I love watching Top Gear, but sometimes he is not very objective, keep in mind, if he does not like it, does not mean that you will hate it.

 

I wish I could get a better angle and view of the car. It's hard to tell what it looks like from the side. The front is pretty hideous to me (noticing the Subaru-slash-Alpha styling queues). I'm shocked it's "European Pedestrian Accident" compatible.

Also, a car always looks better under the sparkling lights and dazzling shine of a car show venue. I wonder how well it's looks will hold up in a daily setting--dirty with roadgrime with a carseat and groceries in the back, Cheerio's (tm) ground into the carpet, and a shopping cart leaning up against the door.