re: alfa vs milano

["Sedon, Doug (OD)" <sedond@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

	hi sam

	>I must apologies for my words.  I get a little jumpy when people talk
bad
	about Volvos because I get it a lot and most of it is not true.  I
	completely understand that some Alfistas are not familiar with Volvos
but
	that is just why I got a little upset. 
	====================
	not a problem!  there's a lot of jesters on this list, so don't get yer
hackles up.  there was a thread  a while back about some guys in mini-soda that
put a volvo engine in a milano - caused quite an uproar on this list, which was
really quite funny.  yust keep yer sense of humor!

	>I don't like it when people talk bad about things just because they
have had one bad experience.
	=================
	trashing volvos is really yust part of this list's culture - a lot of it
is tongue-in-cheek

	>That last comment was just stupid of me to say and it is not truthful.
I know a lot of Volvo drivers I hate but that is not the reason why I am selling
it and does not change my opinion on the car.
	======================
	like i said before - liten up, keep a sense of humor about things.  it's
truly rare that i read something on this list that really upsets me.

	>I want a car more geared toward enthusiast and the Milano is just the
type of car I like.  I have been extremely pleased with this list and have
already gotten loads of
	information about purchasing a Milano.
	======================
	enthusiast?  you came to the rite place!  :>)

	>I also come from a Volvo list which is very careful about the content
of its posts.  If one person writes something not pertaining to performance
Volvos it immediately turns into a
	big fight.  I am not one of the people who argue about this stuff but
when I hear someone for no good reason trashing a car that I like it gets me
upset.
	=========================
	alfa owners (especially in the usa, which makes up a large percentage of
those on this list) tend to be a little bit more off-the-wall than other car
owners - especially more so, i'd imagine, then volvo owners, as volvos are now,
and have been for some time, truly mainstream transportation devices.  really -
who in their rite mind would buy an alfa in the usa?  so, alfa owners naturally
have a tendency to think anyone w/o an alfa is the one not 'in their rite mind'!
teasing about a car, not trashing it is most likely what's really happening.

	>It is nice to find someone that has owned Volvos so we can compare
them.
	What Volvos did you own?  
	======================
	my 1st, was in 1973 - a '68 144 (i was 17)  my second, in '76, was a '71
145 (previously owned by supreme ct justice abe fortas!?!)  i would have
purchased that '72 alfa berlina i tested, but i was too young, i guess, to
appreciated the grinding 2nd gear synchro when the seller told me "they all do
that!".  my last volvo, an '84 242 glturbo, w/factory intercooler, was purchased
in 1986, yust sold last year when i got my alfa 164L, cuz i needed a car to
comfortably seat 5.  the volvo & the milano don't cut it for 5 people.  since i
got my 1st volvo, there have been at least 6 in my extended family - one
thanksgiving a few years back could have been a volvo commercial - there were 4
volvos there!  if i could only now convince them of the error of our ways!  :>)

	>I see you have a lot of Alfas,  which is your favorite?  
	============================
	my favorite is usually the gtwe6, but some days, it's the verde.  even
tho the 164 cruises great over 100mph, it's never really garnered my affection -
respect, yes - affection, no.  (sorry, alfabill!)  i guess it's really yust too
big for my tastes, and i don't like front-wheel drive.  it does handle better
than any volvo i've ever driven, tho - the old 240/740 rwd models.  and i do
love the burble of its 3.0!  pretty soon, ALL my alfas will have a 3.0!  :>)

	>So these Alfas are responsive to modifications?  Could you explain what
this means "afm per alfa guru ferdinand dimatteo & his disciple john kirshtein"?
There is no need to go into this whose car is faster stuff.  We know nothing
about each others car so we should not get into that.  It's nice to know there
easy upgrades for this car though.  
	================================
	alfas are WERY responsive to mods, and there are lots out there.  altho,
this is a subject that rears its head from time to time - some alfa 'purists'
think it's blasphemy to modify what was done at the factory!  alfa-ricambi
supplied most of the suspension upgrades for my gtwe6, w/a few upgrades from iap
& eriminas.  alfabill supplied the transaxle from a milano platinum, which had
limited-slip - which i increased to 50% lockup w/the help of add'l friction
discs.  thanks to jay hinton for a tip which enabled me to get such a good deal
on a 164, that i was able to trade it for a fresh 3.0 w/'s' cams, installed into
my gtwe6, w/extra free labor to boot!  this mod will effectively end up costing
me less than $700!  :>)  afm means air flow meter - john kirshtein does a mod to
this and the electronic control unit, that he developed w/fred dimatteo.

	>When I said "roast any Alfa" notice I put a "that I know of" in there.
I am sure there are lots of very fast Alfas out there but all I have never seen
one. Hope too though.  I am tired of the Volvo and hope to test drive an Alfa
soon so maybe I will be converted like you.
	=============================
	my only point was (and is) that, imho, any comparably set-up alfa will
out-perform any comparably set-up volvo.  as far as opinions go, the rest is
aesthetics - as far as i'm concerned, the alfas are beautiful, the alfa engines
make music, the b21 & b23 engines make a god-awful noise.  i'm not familiar
w/the newest volvos, sonically!  :>)  and the newest alfas aren't awailable
here!   :<(    i think you'll find the milano verde an exceptionally fun car.
any milano, for that matter - the 2.5 currently in my gtwe6 is no slouch.

	Sam
	============
	good luck, & ciao for now

	dug seed in

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