Re: Alfa return to the US

[Iopsycheng@domain.elided]

       You're real smart aren't you! Personally, I think you're a rude... You 
fill in whatever adjective you think I would understand.
       Maybe you should take a look at sales figures and customer surveys. GM 
is ceasing production of two of the finest pony cars every made because they 
can't give them away at bargain prices, not to mention their customer 
satisfaction ratings. Not with the car, with the dealership!
       The last time I looked, Fords weren't sold at Jaguar or Aston Martin 
dealers, therefore, the showroom traffic tends to be of a higher financial 
stature. 
       I didn't say GM couldn't build better cars, I said they wouldn't 
afford customers the high line luxury service that goes with that type of 
product. If you take Corvette as you example, Chevy dealers have the same 
service teams for the 'Vette as they do for the Cavalier. I wouldn't call 
that catering to a special customer.
       As for skepticism about Ford, as I recall, back in 1987, when Fiat 
purchased Alfa, Ford was one of the other players working on a deal. If 
memory serves, I was wishing Ford, not Fiat, would win. To carry this thought 
further in the Ford GM comparison, what was the last good financial decision 
GM made? Every one of their cars except the Corvette share platforms with at 
least one other sibling. Why then do the prices of these identical 
automobiles vary across a similar range of engines and options. Sorry, but 
most people have learned not to pay for an Oldsmobile badge stuck on what is 
essentially a Chevrolet.
       GM is going to market the Alfa in this country. They can't sell their 
own product, how can we expect them to learn about and sell a special one? 
Corvette isn't sold by GM. Corvette is sold by Corvette. You're right, it is 
a flagship line but the people who buy Corvettes wouldn't look at a Cadillac, 
a Ferrari, a Firebird or an Alfa. Demographically, the competition is Porsche 
and Jaguar.
       You completely missed the point about toy purchases. One of ALL 
Italian car problems is the perception of poor reliability. My wife as driven 
an Alfa everyday for the last ten years. The same Alfa. I have done nothing 
unusual other than routine maintenance. If GM can't or isn't willing to 
address ANY problems that may come up with a large dose of customer 
service/satisfaction, Alfa will not be able to shake the fix-it-again-today 
stigma of yesterday. then, the only people who will be buying Alfas will be 
the dedicated little group of 2000-3000 like before. Profits will disappear 
and GM will drop Alfa like a hot rock!
       As for the tone of your e-mail, if you would like a good debate, I 
would be willing to maintain an open forum for intellectual discussion on the 
Alfa Digest, but if you simply want to be a smart ass keep your e-mail to 
yourself. My opinion was neither a personal attack on you or anyone else. It 
was simply an observation.
Thomas A. Gonnella   

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