Re: How many old alfas in daily use?

[James Montebello <jamesm@domain.elided>]

On Thu, 31 Oct 2002, Kevin Trent wrote:
> I've been waiting to brag on my fleet too.  I've been a B driver for more
> than 20 years - exclusively 67-73 alfas as daily drivers for my 50 mile
> round trip drive to work.  It takes about 3-4 Spiders, GTVs and/or Berlinas
> on call because one or more is usually down for some kind of repair,
> maintenance, or refurbishment.

I'll extend the question to: how many old *cars* in daily use?  Which
takes us back to the "Are Alfas unreliable?" question.  Here in old car
haven California, the ratio of old Alfas to equally old Toyotas strongly
favors the Alfas, as long as you define "old" as 30 years old or more.
This is strongly biased by the fact that Toyota was only starting to sell
cars here in 1972, although I'd be willing to bet they outsold Alfa in
California that year.  People also feel more strongly about preserving
their '72 GTV than they do their Corona.  Still, I'd be willing to bet
that anyone attempting to use a 30 year old Toyota as a daily driver has
to be just as familiar with their mechanic or toolbox as the GTV owner
has to be.

And I'm not picking on Japanese cars here.  I'm just trying to make the
point that old cars require more attention than new cars, no matter how
reliable the marque as a whole may be viewed by the public.

Around here, early Camaros and Mustangs are not unusual.  The day several
people noticed the stranded GTV6 in Cupertino, I also saw three other
Alfas in the same general area, not including the one I was driving.
One still sees at least three Bugs a week.  I'm certain I've seen more
MGBs in the last month than I have pre-80 Civics.

Why do the "reliable" cars always end up in the junkyard, while the
"unreliable" cars still get used on a daily basis?

james montebello
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