Not sure if this is a good thing or not....
 

....but on Saturday night I called my usual taxi company to take me and the
current Mrs Sawyer home after an evening's liquid refreshment, and instead
of the usual Toyota Carina it was an Alfa 156 2.0TS!

The driver was shocked as I knew straight away how to open the rear doors
(apparently, most passengers assume it's a two-door and try to get in
through the front passenger side) but I told him I had one too.

He then seemed determined to drive like a true Alfisti, and made a pretty
good job of it too. Mileometer read 116,000-ish miles and it pulled and
cornered as well as a much younger car. I made sure to tip him a little
extra as I'm sure he must be spending a fortune at the pumps!

Thing is, I'm a little unsure about this. If I drove a Merc or B*W or any
other normal car I'd be resigned to the fact that my car could end up as
minicab fodder. But an Alfa? Doesn't really say Cuore Sportivi, does it?


--
Phil Sawyer

Never knowingly underweight

In Holland you see 156/166 as taxi as well.
Even the 147/156 as driving school car!!
And absolutely not as an exception!!
--
Ciao from Holland
AlfistaGJ (Gert-Jan)
Alfa red 156 SW 1.8 Madeno tuned (2000)
Golden Montreal 1428700 (1973/4)

"Phil Sawyer" > schreef in bericht
...
> ...but on Saturday night I called my usual taxi company to take me and the
> current Mrs Sawyer home after an evening's liquid refreshment, and instead
> of the usual Toyota Carina it was an Alfa 156 2.0TS!
>
> The driver was shocked as I knew straight away how to open the rear doors
> (apparently, most passengers assume it's a two-door and try to get in
> through the front passenger side) but I told him I had one too.
>
> He then seemed determined to drive like a true Alfisti, and made a pretty
> good job of it too. Mileometer read 116,000-ish miles and it pulled and
> cornered as well as a much younger car. I made sure to tip him a little
> extra as I'm sure he must be spending a fortune at the pumps!
>
> Thing is, I'm a little unsure about this. If I drove a Merc or B*W or any
> other normal car I'd be resigned to the fact that my car could end up as
> minicab fodder. But an Alfa? Doesn't really say Cuore Sportivi, does it?
>
>
> --
> Phil Sawyer
>
> Never knowingly underweight
>
>

On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 18:19:22 +0100, "Phil Sawyer"
> wrote:

>...but on Saturday night I called my usual taxi company to take me and the
>current Mrs Sawyer home after an evening's liquid refreshment, and instead
>of the usual Toyota Carina it was an Alfa 156 2.0TS!
>
>The driver was shocked as I knew straight away how to open the rear doors
>(apparently, most passengers assume it's a two-door and try to get in
>through the front passenger side) but I told him I had one too.
>
>He then seemed determined to drive like a true Alfisti, and made a pretty
>good job of it too. Mileometer read 116,000-ish miles and it pulled and
>cornered as well as a much younger car. I made sure to tip him a little
>extra as I'm sure he must be spending a fortune at the pumps!
>
>Thing is, I'm a little unsure about this. If I drove a Merc or B*W or any
>other normal car I'd be resigned to the fact that my car could end up as
>minicab fodder. But an Alfa? Doesn't really say Cuore Sportivi, does it?

My first ride in an Alfa was in a taxi in Mallorca - a fully-loaded
166 (leather, full digital display, the works). I was v. impressed!

Jake

You guys were lucky.
The only taxi's we were in (and the taxi's drive around daily) are the
renown Mercedes and the most taxi's here are Opel (Vauxhall).
Boring taxi's in Gatso-country numero 1. *yawn*


"Jake P" > schreef in bericht
...
> On Mon, 30 Aug 2004 18:19:22 +0100, "Phil Sawyer"
> > wrote:
>
> >...but on Saturday night I called my usual taxi company to take me and
the
> >current Mrs Sawyer home after an evening's liquid refreshment, and
instead
> >of the usual Toyota Carina it was an Alfa 156 2.0TS!
> >
> >The driver was shocked as I knew straight away how to open the rear doors
> >(apparently, most passengers assume it's a two-door and try to get in
> >through the front passenger side) but I told him I had one too.
> >
> >He then seemed determined to drive like a true Alfisti, and made a pretty
> >good job of it too. Mileometer read 116,000-ish miles and it pulled and
> >cornered as well as a much younger car. I made sure to tip him a little
> >extra as I'm sure he must be spending a fortune at the pumps!
> >
> >Thing is, I'm a little unsure about this. If I drove a Merc or B*W or any
> >other normal car I'd be resigned to the fact that my car could end up as
> >minicab fodder. But an Alfa? Doesn't really say Cuore Sportivi, does it?
>
> My first ride in an Alfa was in a taxi in Mallorca - a fully-loaded
> 166 (leather, full digital display, the works). I was v. impressed!
>
> Jake
>

"Arjan Kuiper" > schreef in bericht
...
> Boring taxi's in Gatso-country numero 1. *yawn*

Aren't you proud of that real piece of Dutch inventionship!?

--
Ciao from Holland
AlfistaGJ (Gert-Jan)
Alfa red 156 SW 1.8 Madeno tuned (2000)
Golden Montreal 1428700 (1973/4)

Ah gadver....hou op.
Weg met die dingen, samen met die Koos Spee.

In english:
Yuck....stop it.
Get rid of those things, together with that Koos Spee.


Saluti sportive, Arjan.

"Alfistagj" > schreef in bericht
news:KsoZc.137$L43.62@amstwist00...
>
> "Arjan Kuiper" > schreef in bericht
> ...
> > Boring taxi's in Gatso-country numero 1. *yawn*
>
> Aren't you proud of that real piece of Dutch inventionship!?
>
> --
> Ciao from Holland
> AlfistaGJ (Gert-Jan)
> Alfa red 156 SW 1.8 Madeno tuned (2000)
> Golden Montreal 1428700 (1973/4)
>
>

For the non-Dutch:
Mr Koos Spee is the one and only, primus inter paris, of the state
prosecutors with specialty "traffic".
He is one behind all the newest ideas about keeping to the rules.
Newest finding is "trajct control". Along the highways with several km's
difference, all license plates are photographed.
A computer evaluates the photo's and calculates your average speed!!
"They say" only 1% of those who exceed the maximum speed will not be fined,
so a 99% "catch chance".
We love that guy!
--
Ciao from Holland
AlfistaGJ (Gert-Jan)
Alfa red 156 SW 1.8 Madeno tuned (2000)
Golden Montreal 1428700 (1973/4)


"Arjan Kuiper" > schreef in bericht
...
> Ah gadver....hou op.
> Weg met die dingen, samen met die Koos Spee.
>
> In english:
> Yuck....stop it.
> Get rid of those things, together with that Koos Spee.
>
>
> Saluti sportive, Arjan.
>
> "Alfistagj" > schreef in
bericht
> news:KsoZc.137$L43.62@amstwist00...
> >
> > "Arjan Kuiper" > schreef in bericht
> > ...
> > > Boring taxi's in Gatso-country numero 1. *yawn*
> >
> > Aren't you proud of that real piece of Dutch inventionship!?
> >
> > --
> > Ciao from Holland
> > AlfistaGJ (Gert-Jan)
> > Alfa red 156 SW 1.8 Madeno tuned (2000)
> > Golden Montreal 1428700 (1973/4)
> >
> >
>
>