re: Alfa / Fiat / DC/(ford)

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

hi stan, ewe said:
>...You may like or dislike Fiat SpA, but it was 
>the best solution for Alfa back in 87 in my opinion (or you would have 
>prefered Ford just for the sake of maintaining Alfa in North America?).
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i *absolutely* wooda preferred ford to take over alfa instead of fiat - not only
wood alfa be thriving over here, i bet ya *anything* there woodn't be wery many
(if *any*)fwd alfa's!  and how many *regular* folks know that ford owns jaguar
or aston-martin?  it sure ain't apparent from the product - aston & jag *still*
retain their unique qualities - i'm sure ford wooda let alfa do the same.

i'd *love* an alfa 156...  *if* it were rwd...  or at *least* awd...  no way i'm
ever gonna spend big $$$ on a fwd car, i don't care *how* wonderful the engine
sounds... 

will owen flat-out *nails* it when he talks about alfa owning the sports-sedan
market after wwll, and then handing it over to bmw, w/their 1500/1800/1600/2002.
i remember *almost* buying my 1st alfa - a berlina - back in '76, when i was 20.
*no way* i was gonna buy a car where *they all* grind in 2nd gear!  i was wet
behind the ears, but most of the car-buying public is like that.  of course, now
i don't care - i'm middle-aged-n-stupid!  2nd gear - grind away!!!!  but, most
of the car-buying public *still* won't put up w/it.  too bad - alfa
style-n-feel, combined w/ford bean counters-n-marketing-n-quality control, wooda
been a *lot* nicer than *anything* alfa's done since fiat.  imagine alfa's
current line-up, but rwd - talk about needing drool-buckets, get out the mops!

one person's opinion,

doug "flame suit on" sedon

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