Hondas...Mazdas...Toyotas...Alfas and other Things Italian

[Randall Higa <alfatruth@domain.elided>]

The discussion of comparing Alfas to other car makes
has been interesting, but seemed to miss one key
point. Post sales service.  Do we really think that
all Hondas, BMWs, Toyotas are perfect?  Not by a long
shot.  However, the dealer service is generally quite
good -- at least when compared to most Alfa dealers.
Many sins of those cars were quietly taken care of by
dealers to keep their halos firmly in place.  Of
course we've all had a bad experience at the service
department at dealership, but on the whole, these
"halo" car manufacturers provide pretty decent service
at their dealerships.  Also, for the most part, these
manufacturers also make an attempt to provide features
that people want (cupholders notwithstanding). I
recall Pat Braden recounting a story of when he told
Alfa that the shifter needed to be relocated and the
heater needed to be more effective.  Alfa was not
about to change a thing -- they were here to show
Americans what a proper sports car should be. Maybe
they have a point. This reminds me of my experience
dealing with an Italian company that produced a
product that our company was trying to promote. It was
a unique product that tremendous potential in the
marketplace. However, the lack of after-sales service
was eerily similar to Alfa.  The company even began to
stop paying dealers for warranty work. They generally
refused to recognize that most American consumers
require a certain minimum level of service. So, even
with a potentially superior product, it becomes merely
a quaint cult artifact of another era. Yes, there are
a few of us die-hards who will overlook this lack of
manufacturer service and seek alternative service
channels.  Yes, I will continue to be happy driving my
Spider and delicately balance my commuter mug between
the driveline tunnel, the ashtray and the disabled
hand throttle (I use my Spider for urban commuting
(Italian tune-ups while doing the metered on-ramp drag
races)and rarely for weekend drives). Yes, I'll
continue to wear a warm jacket, hat and gloves to
drive in the winter with the top down because of the
wimpy heater. However, most people won't put up with
this. We've gotten used to better service, less
arrogance, and better market responsiveness. Can Alfa
do better?  Certainly they can -- regardless of
corporate ownership.  Is there a willingness to do
better?  We'll have to wait and see....Meanwhile,
you'll have to pry my Alfa out of my cold dead
hands...If someone prefers to drive a Miata, they are
certainly entitled to do so...
Randall
'79 Spider
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