RE: Why an Alfa? (why a ferrari?!? - why not a pantera?)

["Sedon, Doug (OD/ORS)" <sedond@domain.elided>]

hi ben, ewe said:
>It's funny, I've owned alfas now for almost half my living years and finally 
>sold my last two a 74 GTV  and a 93 Spider Veloce to fund my life long dream 
>of a Ferrari purchase. So out go the two Alfas and in comes a drop dead 
>gorgeous blue 308 GTSi QV. And I feel like an idiot. Why? The first bill for 
>the 30,000 mile service was over $2700, that was for a cam belt change and 
>valve adjustment, and it still needs tune up stuff like plug wires, repack CV 
>joints etc...
>
>I work in a job where I do quite well, but on my way to work this morning the 
>idle started surging and the air conditioning control strated to 
>malfunction... The control is a little over $700.
>
>Just before I sold my Alfa I did a huge service on it where I even replaced 
>the brake rotors, not because it needed them but because I caught them on a 
>good sale and as an autocross car I figured what the heck. I can't even 
>imagine doing that now. Now I feel like i'm driving a pocket book destroying 
>time bomb.
>
>I guess the whole point of this is: why an alfa? Because they're an absolute 
>blast to run to redline, look great as all get out, are basically cheap to 
>repair, insure etc... and someone on a modest salary can truly own an Italian 
>throughbred.
>
>I want my Alfas back and I broke my two year olds heart when I sold the 
>Spider...
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ben, as someone who can empathize with your italian car feelings, may i humbly
suggest unloading the ferrari, and picking up a couple alfas and a...  de tomaso
pantera!  here's an exotic mid-engined italian car that ewe *can* afford to
drive, and will run circles around any prancing horse ewe could buy for under 6
figures.  hell, i bet even my humble gtwe6, with <$7k total into it, could run
circles around a 308qv.  

don't get me wrong, i *love* ferrari's, and if i had the $$$, i'd be the 1st to
run out & buy a 355 or 360tb...  but...  i *don't* have the money!!!  i was able
to keep my alfas & buy my pantera, and i can afford to *drive* it.  and, while
there's no eyetalian noises coming out from under the hood, that does *not* mean
it doesn't make beautiful music - the rumble of that ~285hp (in its current
state of tune - stock, except de-smogged, & w/hedders) 351c is wery nice, thank
ewe wery much!  

$2700 for an incomplete tune-up?!?  this amount of money will get me
hi-compression heads w/roller rockers, gnu cam/intake/carb/port plates/windage
tray - good for about 460 hp, according to the cam-builder.  and this price is
if i pay somebody else to do it - if i had the room, i could do it myself for
less!  the car is so much fun to drive as is, i may actually wait 'til i get
more garage space, and *do* it myself...

one person's opinion,

dug seed in
'72 pre-L pantera, #2602
'78 ducati darmah
'86 alfa gtwe6 - shankle-ized 3.0 bastard
'88 alfa milano werde
'92 alfa 164L
'95 buell s2, motor to '99 specs

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