Alfa vs Toyota

[Eugene Yoo <esy1@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Just to stir up a little controversy...

My MR2 brethren have been MUCH more vocal about their rides than the
alfisti.  What gives??  Is nobody enthused to own such a nice car any more?


Well here's a sampling if anyone's curious...

enjoy,
eugene
84 Veloce
92 MR2T
(one's got to go)

===SNIPPETS====
I was going to give you some pros and cons of owning each vehicle.  But in the
end, one is a MR2 and the other one isn't.  Enough said!!

- ---

If I *had* to decide between these two cars, I'd take the MR2 - more
power, more comfort, etc. If I'd want to drive a car of this nature, it
wouldn't be my primary car. Then again, I don't have to decide between
two cars, so I don't worry about these kinds of decisions...

- ---

Its more of a state of mind than which car is better.  I've owned both,
(currently own a '91T MR2 with 91K and have had an '80 Alfa Spider which I
sold with 115K)  Both are excellent cars.  The MR2 is faster, but the Alfa
has more cache and history.

The motor and tranny of the Alfa are virtually bulletproof, but the rest of
the car will nickel and dime you to death.  I've been told that Italians put
all the emphasis of design and engineering into the motor and transmission
and the remainder of the car is secondary, (i.e., various bits rust, break,
wear out prematurely, etc.).  Also need a good mechanic who knows the car,
although I think the 84's had electronic injection.  Mine had the mechanical
pump.  Not sure about a soft top in NYC.  I used to live in some very nice
suburbs of San Francisco, and had the top cut twice and the radio lifted.

My MR2 is a more comfortable car to drive, (my knees are not up under my
chin with my arms outstretched to the wheel).  Used to get a lot of back
aches in the Alfa.  It is hard to beat Toyota reliability and parts supplies
may be less of an issue.

You may have to consider the logistics of supporting the car in your area.

As you can see, from my viewpoint it really is subjective.  It is more a
personal sense of appreciation than one car being better than the other.

- ---

	Having owned 2 Alfas and 2 MR2's, let me say that if you want legendary
soul, keep the Alfa.  If you want a reliable car that handles better, and
will require much less work, and will last longer (assuming the car is
basically stock), keep the MR2.  Remember that Alfa's are no longer
imported into this country, and parts were never easy to get, but will be
getting much harder as time goes by.  When I went to buy my first MR2 (an
'86 MKI), it went for about the same price as the Alfa Romeo Graduate
Spider at the time, which was December, 1985.  I had previously owned and
loved a '67 Alfa Duetto Spider, and a '74 Alfa GTV.  I was all set to buy
the Alfa, but a friend MADE me drive the then-new MR2, and there wasn't a
doubt after that first drive!  I would keep the '2 if it were me.

- ---

I used to have a Fiat Spyder ('84) just before I bought my MR2. While I
liked the car, I didn't like the way it drained my wallet. Immediately
after I bought it, I sunk $4K into it. I ended up selling it because it
cost too much money to maintain. Considering Alfa Romeos have the same
reputation...ask yourself how much money you want to keep dumping into it...

- ---

Wow, had the same crisis myself! the Alfa I was about to get was a
silver 93 Spider Veloce with 13K miles really nice looking car... It was a 2nd
or 3rd car of an Alfisti / Ferarri owner. However, I ended up with my MR2
91T 20K miles (also yellow!)

I agonized over getting the Alfa - but compared to the MR2 the Alfa felt
like driving a brick, had rattles, questionable workmanship and the italian
car oxidized window disease... Love the classic styling though and still
wonder every once in a while if I should have gotten it... bwaaa!

But after owning a Fiat, had nightmares about reliablilty and
maintenance although I guess the late model Alfas were pretty good. Ah...
if only the italians build cars with japanese quality
I woudn't have chickened out on the Alfa...

As fas as dislikes about my mr2 - T-tops! They're a real pain compared
to a rag top.

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