[alfa] AROC

["Tim" <tim6@xxxxxxx>]

This is getting a bit ridiculous.  The fact that people are even discussing
the merits of young members vs. old members and New Alfas vs. "old" Alfas is
inane.  And for more than a few to say that young people trash cars and
drive like crazy people?  That's even more ridiculous and downright stupid.
Maybe some of you making those comments drove like that when you were young
so you feel like you can make these statements 'in all honesty'.  Maybe that
says something about you now.  Hypocrisy or just jealousy?  (what is
ridiculous is old drivers that shouldn't be driving.  Hesitation causes more
accidents than the converse).  

 

I am 29 years old.  I have owned 6 Alfas throughout my life starting with a
rusty Spider when I was 16 (my first car was a Sunbeam Alpine IV).  Every
car that I have owned I have improved immensely and when I sold them they
were always in MUCH better shape than when I purchased them (with my
hard-earned money).  And all were stock when sold.  Every one.  And I have
persuaded most of the people that purchased my Alfas to join the Alfa Club.
I have been a member for over a decade now and plan on continuing to pay my
dues well into my old fart years.  Acting in such a condescending manner
towards younger members is not only ridiculous it is obviously done without
a hint of intelligent thought.  We are the future of your club.  We are the
ones that will be keeping the club alive in the future (and now), we are the
ones that will be in control of the events, we will be the ones purchasing
your cars keeping their values up (and driving them like their designer's
would have wanted?).  Talking down to and negatively about younger members
is only shooting yourself in the foot.  Piss off too many of the 'young
ones' and you'll own cars that are worthless because the only people that
will want to have anything to do with them will be too old to purchase any
more of them.  You'll end up with a supply that is actually much higher than
the demand.

 

And not also focusing on the newer cars along side older cars is also a
joke.  They are Alfas as much as our current stock of Alfas are Alfas.  They
are the future of Alfa.  Our "old" cars will become collector cars not
because the AROC focuses on older cars but because the present owner's take
care of them.  Unfortunately this doesn't seem to be the case.  Reading
through various lists and digests I often find it quite humorous that people
purchase Alfas at rock bottom prices and then refuse to spend money on them
to fix them properly.  This is why many Alfas are so cheap.  But it also
makes me happy.  Because I take care of my cars, I spend money on them when
they need it to fix them CORRECTLY and I will continue to do so.  When other
people continue to use band-aide fixes to cure symptoms on their cars all it
does it lower the numbers of good Alfas still around.  And that is what
increases their value.  Fine with me.

 

Just because Alfa has chosen not to sell cars within our country's borders
at this time does not mean that we should become isolationists.  That we
shouldn't be aware of the world around us.  I know we all have it in
ourselves to be able to restore our old Alfas and still keep a eye of
longing on the new ones.  It doesn't take THAT much concentration. It's a
bit like chewing gum and walking at the same time.  IF you can't do it maybe
you shouldn't be doing either? They WILL eventually be shipped to our shores
once again.  And the people that purchase these cars will be the Alfa club
members of the future.  They will be the ones footing the club fees and
sponsoring events. Through ownership of their "new" Alfas they will grow
respect and admiration for older Alfas. Eventually THEY will be the ones
purchasing YOUR old Alfas increasing their price! Or hadn't this been
considered?  Or is this isolationism simply more than a small hint of
selfishness?

 

  Maybe Alfa has been gone too long for you to remember but the people who
bought them new  when they were being sold here are the very same people
that are members of AROC now.  At least some of them are.  For those of you
that own an Alfa now and didn't purchase one new please keep in mind that
YOUR CAR was new at some point and SOMEBODY did pony up the cash to buy
them.  They are the ones that created the situation in which YOU are able to
own an Alfa now. Go ahead.  Cut those people out. My favorite argument in
opposition of the above is "how many of us would actually pony up $35,000 to
purchase one of these new Alfas?".  I had better hope SOME of you would.
Besides, why the hell would Alfa EVER come back if everybody had such a
rotten attitude toward such stuff.  It's the very people who claim to not
want to pay this much for a new car that want our cars to be worth tens of
thousands of dollars and appreciate greatly each year.  Yet you wouldn't
spend the money on a new car?  What do you do?  Throw paper clips in the
fuse box of your current Alfa because fuses are too damn expensive?  Yeah,
that will really increase the value of your car.  I'm just glad that 35
years ago somebody actually did say "Yes! I'll buy that expensive new Giulia
Sprint GT!" because if not enough people had then most of you wouldn't own
the Alfa that you own now.  Think about it.  Everything in life is cyclical.
Deny the knowledge of this and you will only end up hurting yourself.
Embrace it.  Embrace new Alfas, Embrace young Alfa owners.  Embrace people.
And get on with loving our cars.  Bring on the discussions about restoring
'vintage' Alfas, what models are being penned in Italy as tomorrow's Alfas
and the history/present of Alfa racing.

 

Don't be a victim of short-sighted-ness. 

 

Tim Annett

1995 164 Quadrifoglio Verde

Email: tim6@domain.elided
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