fresco1 Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 [ QUOTE ] How on earth he wanted an Alfa over the GTI...resale value I guess Jayzus.. people like him irk me! Paddy [/ QUOTE ] ... he must like sitting at the side of the road with his Alfa bonnet up in the air ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 My dealer told me last year that a lot of elderly folk had come from the Mk IV GTI to the Mk V. And in doing so found it a bit of a handfull. If you think what the Mk IV GTI was like, a nice 2.0 cruiser, then you can see why the addition of a fantastic auto (DSG) would have sounded glorious. Love to have seen the look on 'grandads' face when he booted it off the line in S mode! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleybrooke Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 Alfa's are the most expensive cars on the planet. Expensive to buy, expensive to maintain (get used to carrying in a box of bits that have dropped off when you go in for a service) and worth nothing when you come to PX. Never came across an Alfa Dealer I did not want to report to trading standards or stab in the eye with sharp stick. They are the lowest of the low, the worst of the worst. They are the rudest most unpleasant, unprofessional, arrogant, rude, faeces of a species your can imagine. Everyone needs to have an Alfa in their lives at some point. After that they get over it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnie Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 wats the no tailgate release? is it a button that pops the boot next to drivers seat? sorry for simple ques! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 The only alfa i could buy, would be a used 3.2 GTV with the large pepperpot alloys. You can get a cracker, fully loaded for under £7k (51 plate). That's a lot of a car and a lot of performance for the money Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMC950 Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 What a total muppet, he's premier league anal about the smallest issues and the answer to his prayers is to purchase a car from the worlds most unreliable car manufacturer! Prat. Can't wait to read the review on his new Alfa. Hahahahhahah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleybrooke Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 To answer some of the criticisms: Tepid engine........I don't agree at all - It's very responsive with excellent performance. Sluggish box in auto mode........Not when you bother to learn how to exploit DSG's many options. Completely and utterly useless rain-sensitive wipers.........As good as any other car and far from useless. 26mpg at best.........30.5mpg driven hard for 600 miles on A-roads recently. Badly rusting wheel hubs.........Only surface stuff but does look bad and shouldn't be. No remote tailgate release...........Simply not necessary or important. Flaky air-con (and no cool air to face/warm to feet)...........Often unpredictable but can deliver cool/warm air where desired. Appalling attention from amateur main dealer...........Dealers vary enormously. Idiotic lack of folding rear seat squab............Acceptably functional but not perfectly flat due to Isofix. Electric fold-out mirrors that don't (and no fix yet)...........Mine have been fixed but the extent of fold-in is disappointing. The GTI isn't perfect but it's overall a great allround package for the money. IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonoNZ Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 JamesH, I think you're thinking about Alfa's from some time ago. Quality has increased considerably -- from the 156/147 onwards things don't just "fall off". There are a lot of misconceptions out there, many from people who have never even been inside an Alfa, let alone driven one! I had my Alfa 147 for 3 years and had totally faultless motoring. In fact in some aspects the Alfa build quality exceeds VW, especially in terms of some of the materials used in the cabin, and things like beautiful alloy door handles etc. Luckily we have good Alfa dealers in NZ, unlike what I've heard of in the UK. As Jeremy Clarkson says, you're not a true petrol head until you've owned at least one Alfa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnie Posted March 15, 2006 Report Share Posted March 15, 2006 remote tailgate? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 This is quite a revealing thread. Has it not dawned on anyone that the guy may have just been unlucky enough to have bought a Lemon? They do exist, even in the very best of cars. I think you're all judging his personal experience very harshly. With the volumes being sold it's understandable that not everyone will rave about the car and that there'll be a good few Lemon's out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie_d Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 True MrMe, he could have gotten a lemon. However, he stated that he basically hates VAG cars, so why the fook buy one? It's like me saying I hate McDonalds, going to get a BigMac and then complaining about it! It's fecking stupid in my book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 I think the underlying reason for his criticisms is that he has already previously decided that he doesn't like the car (or VAG cars generally) and the criticisms are sought after in order to justify his dislike. However, in doing so, he does expose some of the weaknesses of the car such as unpredictable ventilation and very limited fold-in mirrors. There have been a few 'lemons' but not enough to outweigh the positives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Droog Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 Having owned an alfa 156 for 2 years and having loads of faults, some very expensive (for my company ) not to mention Mr Clarkson's attraction to flawed cars I take his opinion with at least a tablespoon of salt..... But an expensive diesel pump fault on my Bora has balanced my opinion of cars. They all break, it's a case of when and how often. s'funny but my least expensive car to run was my old renault 5, never failed, never broke it was just unpleasant to drive . I now only look at good points of the car i drive otherwise i would go mad (madder?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 Okay, so yes it would appear he's a bit of an oddity in that he purports not to like VAG cars yet proceeded to buy one. However, I must admit I'm amazed they don't have a remote tailgate release! Is that really true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winrya Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 I came from a alfa 147 to the gti and it was faultless for 2 years. They really are stunning cars and what sold the golf was that i shouldnt lose all my money in depreciation. As far as the interior goes it was far better built than the golf with much nicer quality materials. I think i will try the brera next but i do love the gti!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonoNZ Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 Hi Ryan I agree the materials used in the Alfa 147 were great -- they felt quite special and of great quality. I have to admit though, the GTI is a much better drive, and the TFSI engine is fantastic. DSG is also a huge improvement over Selespeed. Alfa's will hold a special meaning for me though, and I can see me owning one again someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleybrooke Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 4 Years in a V6 156 Sportwagon - bought from new. Great second hand and an independant dealer. Otherwise do not touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 Why would anyone use a remote tailgate release. Unless your a chauffeur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bal5sidhu Posted March 16, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 [ QUOTE ] This is quite a revealing thread. Has it not dawned on anyone that the guy may have just been unlucky enough to have bought a Lemon? They do exist, even in the very best of cars. I think you're all judging his personal experience very harshly. With the volumes being sold it's understandable that not everyone will rave about the car and that there'll be a good few Lemon's out there. [/ QUOTE ] I don't think that it's his experience with his particular car thats being judged harshly (on TSN he would get nothing but sympathy for having ended up with a lemon)but his judgment to begin with. He's basically bought a car from a manufacturer he doesn't like, with an interior design he doesn't like and without proper research or a decent test drive. And all this knowing that, once he signs on the dotted line, he's locked in for 3 years of driving the thing whether he loves it or hates it. As others have pointed out, some of his criticisms are def valid but IMHO they don't reveal a lemon. It's more a case of going in to something with your eyes closed and suffering the consequences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cleybrooke Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 In marketing terms he is suffering from "Post Cognitive Dissidence" or "Why the *uck did I buy this" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnie Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 Personally i feel the remote tailgate release is very useful (if its what i think it is). If there is more than one of you in car then it is very useful. im annoyed it hasnt got one since im ordering a gti very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 ....and he already had PCD before he committed himself to buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRobin Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 [ QUOTE ] However, I must admit I'm amazed they don't have a remote tailgate release! Is that really true? [/ QUOTE ] ....I was surprised initially as well. I actually expected that a £25K motor would have such a feature, given the other features it has, and I actually looked for the button and checked the handbook. For those who don't know, it's a useful feature for unlocking the boot for someone else to load/unload while you are still sat inside with the engine running - Dropping someone off with a bag in the boot for example. However, I quickly realised that the button exists in the driver's door panel which allows all 3 or 5 doors to be unlocked or locked and so a separate boot lock on the GTI is unnecessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simonl Posted March 16, 2006 Report Share Posted March 16, 2006 [ QUOTE ] For those who don't know, it's a useful feature for unlocking the boot for someone else to load/unload while you are still sat inside with the engine running - Dropping someone off with a bag in the boot for example. [/ QUOTE ] But why can't said person just open the boot with the handle. That's why i said it's only for chauffeurs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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