Subject: Dead Alfetta's

[RonHorowitz <RonHorowitz@domain.elided>]

My .02:

A couple of red flags on that last post.

>Looks to me like the way things are going that there are becoming fewer
and
>fewer "running" Alfetta's around.

Insightful.... Same is true of Ford Pintos, Chevy Chevettes, DKW 3=6's.....

>You keep parting out the Alfetta's and those
>of us that have ones on the road will be the beneficiary of increasing
values.

With few exceptions, cars are depreciating assets. Friend, if your car
doesn't rust, wear out, get smashed by an idiot in a much maligned SUV, or
otherwise disentegrate faster than it "appreciates," not to mention the
cost of maintenance, insurance, taxes, smog fees, storage costs, etc., it's
not a Alfetta GT, it's an Alfetta 159! Be realistic. The longer you own an
Alfetta, the more the car will cost you. As aging sports cars go, Alfettas
are cheap to buy, technically interesting and all of that, but they are
_terrible_ investments. It's reassuring to pretend you won't take too great
a beating if you ever have to sell, but don't delude yourself.

>Those of us with running Alfetta's will need people with parts, so don't
throw
>anything away just yet.

Bad advice for the guy stuck with a back yard full or deteriorating junk
and an unhappy spouse and neighbors. Who's going to pay storage on all this
junk while all the skin-flint Alfetta owners are waiting to maybe someday
need it, whereupon they'll be willing to cherry pick, but only if the parts
are given away for free? Meanwhile, the poor sap burdened with a yard ful
of rubbish is a "bad guy" if he throws away so much as a lug-nut!

>The value of parts can only increase given time.

Not true. A rational accounting would likely show the present value of the
future cash flows to be negative, and getting more so. From the financial
viewpoint, you might as well invest in Enron shares. The Alfa Parts
Exchange won't even take an Alfetta for free, not even if you drive it
there (ask me how I know,) especially if the thermostatic actuator is shot.

Expectation of financial return is the _wrong_ reason to be involved in the
hobby. IMHO, the subject shouldn't even be considered as a motivation.
--
to be removed from alfa, see /bin/digest-subs.cgi
or email "unsubscribe alfa" to majordomo@domain.elided