Micro Rants, Etc....

["Rich Wagner" <drsavage@domain.elided>]

Hello Gang,

I've been so busy over the past six months that I have only the occasional
opportunity to read the Digest.  I see we're having a discussion on the
cost/value of owning Alfas, especially 70's and newer coupes and sedans.

I think it's important to remember that the GTV6 and Milano were $20,000
machines when they were being produced.  They resided firmly in the realm
of high-end, high performance, mass produced autos.  That puts them in the
same league as BMWs, Mercedes, Volvo, Porsches (performance-wise, at
least), Lotuses (again, performance-wise), etc.  And so you have to expect
that their maintenance costs will be similar.  Ever peruse a price list for
any of these other marques?  Their parts aren't any cheaper than those of
the later model Alfas.  And the shops that handle them certainly don't
charge less per hour than any decent Alfa shop.

Admittedly, there are a few serious parts design flaws in the later
Alfas--in particular the flex couplings of the Alfetta-bodied cars, and the
head gaskets and timing belt detensioner of the V6.  The head gaskets are a
one-time fix, if they're installed correctly, and after replacement will
provide as much life as those in any of the other marques.  The timing belt
tensioner has also proven to be a one-time replacement, if done correctly. 
The flex couplings, unfortunately, have never been redesigned, and remain a
very costly, regular maintenance item.  They are about the only item on
these cars where I, as an Engineer, would say a mistake had been made, and
a redesign would prove fruitful.  (Note that I am not saying that the use
of flex couplings themselves was a design mistake, but that the couplings
need to be redesigned.)  No, these cars aren't as cheap to maintain as a
Honda or Toyota, and they will definitely bite their owner in the ass if
their maintenance is neglected.  However, their maintenance costs certainly
aren't out of line when compared to those of similar machines.  A car with
the same performance these days would cost well into the $30,000 range. 
Nobody should expect a $30,000, high performance machine (even one built
now) to be dirt cheap to maintain.  Certainly, they should expect to spend
a great deal more on maintenance than they would on a typical low-end, low
performance car.  Unfortunately, Alfas are greatly undervalued, and many of
them are also greatly neglected, leading to low resale prices that lull the
unfamiliar into a false sense of hope.  Because of the common neglect these
cars receive, it's very possible to spend, after a purchase, as much on
maintenance as was spent to buy the car.  However, after that initial work
is done, and the car is put into a good road-going state, maintenance is
only a little more expensive than that required by a properly maintained
mundanemobile.

I have to disagree strongly with Jess' statement that:

>The truth is that the suspension of milano is quite outdated by
>today's standard, but nonetheless the car itself is very well
>designed, and still hangs around with the newer big boys just fine.

Outside of active componentry (like active shocks and springs), suspension
technology hasn't advanced a great deal since the 1940's.  If one is going
to assert that the DeDion suspension of the Alfettas is outdated by today's
standards, then he must also agree that it was already outdated when these
cars were first released.  The DeDion design has been around since the turn
of the century, and reached maturity in automotive application around 1926.
 The system used in the Alfetta/GTV6/Milano is no different than that
perfected and used by Miller.  That said, it still exists as one of the
most compliant, yet lowest natural frequency systems ever devised.  What's
that mean?  That means that it still offers the same exceptional
performance that it always has.  It doesn't pale when compared with any
system in current production, and it's one aspect of these cars that
attracts the knowledgeable.  It's one of the reasons I own a GTV6, and it's
one of the reasons that the car can still drive circles around many current
high performance machines.


Rich Wagner
Montrose, CO
'82 GTV6 Balocco

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