If Alfa Romeo Returned to the US, Would Anybody Care?

Like a tree falling in the woods, if Alfa Romeo returned to the U.S., would anybody care?

Outside a few thousand die hard Alfa fans, the ones who wear silk jackets with Alfa's cross and snake emblem and drink Peroni, I doubt it.  And that lack of interest is unfortunate.  Alfa has a long, storied history of racing and producing beautiful cars like the original 8c, the Montreal, and the new 4c.  It's also produced some great, affordable cars like the Giulietta,  GTV, and Spider.  And until recently it's modern lineup included the lovely Brera and 159.      



Since Alfa Romeo left our shores in 1995, it has announced and delayed its return more than a dozen times.  This fact makes the Alfisti, or die hard Alfa Romero enthusiasts, the automotive equivalent of Cubs' fans.  Every year there's a small chance something will happen... and... nothing.  Then it's "wait 'til next year."

  

For most people in the U.S., Alfa Romeo is long forgotten, like Renault, Citroen, or Lancia.  Even Studebaker gets more recognition than Alfa.  But not surprising seeing how Alfa's most popular car was named after a Dustin Hoffman movie in the 1960's, where he cavorted with Mrs. Robinson.



But Alfa's biggest problem is not brand recognition.  It's a lack of products.  If Hyundai and Kia can rise from humble beginnings, then Alfa, with its history and access to Chrysler's dealer networks should be able to market itself as a premium brand and sell as many cars as BMW.  But it needs a viable lineup that appeals to mainstream car buyers, not just the handful of Alfisti still clinging to their Milanos and 164s.  They have to lure the kinds of people who buy the Acura ILX or Mercedes CLA.  But other than the 4c, which competes with the Porsche Cayman, Alfa has nothing to offer.  The 159 and Brera are gone and Alfa's only platform is already on sale in the US.  It underpins the Dodge Dart, a car lot wallflower which seems to only drive sales toward the lowly and heavily discounted Dodge Avenger.



In fact, if Alfa Romeo finally does return to the U.S. it may find its place already taken.  There's already a car manufacturer offering good looking, affordable, fun to drive cars.  That company is Mazda.  

Edmunds' Long Term Miata Project

In March, Edmunds' Inside Line added a 1994 Mazda Miata project car to their long term fleet. They paid $1,750 for a white one with over 170K miles, in need of a tune up and a thorough cleaning. The Edmunds' blog is a good source for information on new cars as well as projects and cars of the recent past. The posts on the Miata are no exception.

But the blog also reveals some other things about the Miata; that even with 170K miles on the car, it's reliable and extremely fun to drive. How else can you explain why after owning the car for six months, they've done little more than upgrade the suspension and drive it?

10 Cars for $10K - 80s Collectibles

The average car nut is usually forced to make a choice. Buy a reliable daily driver and a toy or one car to fit both requirements. The second route is straightforward. Instead of opting for a Camry, like most normal people, the car nut picks something like a Mini Cooper, Dodge Challenger, or BMW M3--all of which have a degree of practicality but can also induce face splitting grins on demand.

The other route is more difficult, requiring a balancing act and a very understanding spouse. Spend too much on the toy and you're likely to own a daily driver that will have you taking the bus. Spend too much on the daily driver and you're the owner of a toy that sits on blocks or lurks in boxes.

However, there are cars out there that make this balancing act easier and can be had for less than ten grand in good, if not excellent, condition. The following is a list of ten cars from the 1980s, a decade enthusiasts only recently began scavenging for collector cars. While this is by no means a complete list, each of these cars should appreciate in value and are fun to drive.

1. Alfa Romeo Spider - The car Dustin Hoffman drove in The Graduate was still in production when he did Rain Man. The 1980s version may lack the clean lines of the original but is less temperamental. The Pininfarina styling holds up well today and the driving experience is light and crisp, like a Pinot Grigio.

2. Audi Quattro - Before Audi became synonymous with unintended acceleration, it made a name for itself in the rally racing world with the Quattro. The turbo-charged all-wheel drive sports coupes were almost as fast as pure sports cars of that era and set the standard for cars like the Subaru WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.

3. Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z - Think Camaro and the brain conjurs up an image of the mullet wearing high school bully who prowls the streets in a primer and Bondo Z-28 with Poison blaring from his Pioneer cassette deck. But the IROC, named for the International Race of Champions, offers Corvette like performance in a 2+2 coupe or convertible.

4. Chevrolet Corvette - Love or hate the Tron inspired digital gauges, the C4 Corvette offers clean looks and world class performance. Convertibles may be out of the $10 grand price range, but you can still pick up a well maintained coupe. Avoid the 1984-85 models which had the Crossfire fuel injection and rattle trap suspensions.

5. Ford Mustang - I couldn't put the Camaro on this list and leave off the Mustang. While I'm not crazy about the 1987-92 GT with its junky add-ons, you can't go wrong with any of the 5.0 liter cars or the turbocharged SVO.

6. Honda CRX - This car is a favorite of autocrossers everywhere. Light, quick and cheap, with bulletproof Civic drivetrains, this car is pure fun to drive. The only downside is that so many of them have been bastardized by the import tuner crowd.

7. Jaguar XJ-S - The Jag is a classic grand touring car with a smooth V12 engine and a cockpit like an olde English study. You can find good examples under $10K because the car has a reputation for being more temperamental and unreliable than Lindsey Lohan. Some of that reputation is deserved, but for my money, nothing in this price range touches it for looks and style.

8. Mazda RX-7 - Like the CRX, the RX-7 is light, quick, cheap to run and a blast to drive. It's also the only car on the planet powered by the turbine like Wankel rotary engine. Collectors prefer the looks of the first generation car, but the 1986-1992 models offer better performance and the lineup includes a roadster.

9. Porsche 944 - The 944 is brilliance masked by subtlety. You can have a mild mannered base model, or the outrageously quick Turbo or S2. All versions are equally competent as a track cars or daily drivers.

10. VW Rabbit GTI - The original hot hatch. Think Quattro-lite without the all-wheel drive and at a fraction of the price.

Poke-Mazda and Acura's Madam Guillotine

Mazda has a history of building affordable, fun to drive cars--most of which are beautifully styled as well. The RX-7, RX-8 and Miata stand out, as do many of their sedans like the Millenia and Mazda 6. The Mazda 3 used to be in that group until recently, when they stuck a Pokemon character on the front end.

To be fair, I was caught off guard. I approached the new Mazda 3 from the rear. From that angle it looks taught, with some lines that could have been penned from an Italian design studio. Then I got to the front. The suprise almost made me yelp and drop my coffee.

The ugly front end treatment doesn't just apply to the Mazda 3. It's spread to the new Miata, which looks only slightly less cartoonish. I'm surprised the company doesn't offer an Anime edition to replace the old M edition.

There are other makes that have come out with similarly repugnant visages. Acura's new grille looks like someone welded on a guillotine or a giant cheese slicer. It sticks out like the Rolls Royce style grills you used see on the old VW Beetle.

The term "coyote ugly" comes to mind for most of these cars. Only instead of my arm, I'd chew my leg off to keep from driving one.