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Can anyone recommend a Midlands Fiat specialist?



 
 
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  #1  
Old April 25th 04, 07:34 PM
Ex Alfa Adam
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Default Can anyone recommend a Midlands Fiat specialist?

> Excellent - she works in Tipton so can drop it in on the way back one day.
> Also useful as I am looking at getting either an Alfa 146 or a 155,
> depending on if I can get the insurance costs to a sensible level


Both great cars - make sure if you buy the 146 you go for a twinspark, not a
boxer.... (Or go for a v6 155 if you love driving a car that loves being
driven as power and curves intended, but only if you have shares in
shell/bp/texaco!


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  #2  
Old April 25th 04, 07:40 PM
Hellraiser
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"Ex Alfa Adam" > wrote in message
...
> > Excellent - she works in Tipton so can drop it in on the way back one

day.
> > Also useful as I am looking at getting either an Alfa 146 or a 155,
> > depending on if I can get the insurance costs to a sensible level

>
> Both great cars - make sure if you buy the 146 you go for a twinspark, not

a
> boxer.... (Or go for a v6 155 if you love driving a car that loves being
> driven as power and curves intended, but only if you have shares in
> shell/bp/texaco!


It'll most likely be a late model 155, 2.0 - can't run to the cost of a V6,
both for insurance and petrol purposes There's definitely something about
the 155, some of them look like old mans cars, and yet others look so
aggressive, it's weird how there can be such differences between variations
of the same car!

Anyway, how come the name "Ex Alfa Adam" - don't tell me you've gone to the
dark side and bought a BMW

Hellraiser........>


  #3  
Old April 25th 04, 10:35 PM
Ex Alfa Adam
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Default

> Anyway, how come the name "Ex Alfa Adam" - don't tell me you've gone to
the
> dark side and bought a BMW


Not quite - I finally saw sense for a moment after much (over 2 engine
rebuilds on one of my Alfa 33s!) excessive maintainence and sold my last 33
a month ago. Good riddance, goodbye, so long, auf wiedersehen, au revoir,
arrivederci, etc.

Don't miss them at all. Much, not for the magic handling, the responsive
engine, the great accelleration, the (ahem, officer!) remarkably good top
speed. Not a bit of it. Just had a gut full of the maintainence of fixing
something every week. There is a lot to rebuild in a 16v injected boxer
engine you know!

So there I was, carless, perusing ebay thinking - 'cheap and reliable, cheap
insurance, low tax, economical' - and suddenly instead of buying a toyota
corolla, nissan sunny or proton persona, I'd bought a Fiat Tipo, the one
with the 148bhp 2.0 16v engine - damn it goes well!

However, I've always had a problem with Fiats - I've always regarded them as
being a 'second grade' vehicle - so I stuck with the 'Alfa' bit - but
although I hold BMWs in high esteem, (I used to work in 1st tier motor
industry supply to ford, rover, landrover, jag, aston martin, fiat, buick,
toyota, nissan, renault - I understand vehicle build quality - get the
picture) I just couldn't stoop to buying one as they are just not me.
(Interestingly I used to have a Fiat Multipla as a company car...) If I
ever had to get sensible and buy a 'decent' car I'd buy something like a PT
Cruiser or another Multipla. Oh yes, we have 3 kids.

Somehow, the italians have the edge in appealing car design - I've owned
lancias as well and loved them all - oh well, less of my life story -
somehow from the above you'll grasp that I love Alfas but can't live with
them anymore!

Adam H


  #4  
Old April 25th 04, 10:59 PM
Hellraiser
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Posts: n/a
Default

> Not quite - I finally saw sense for a moment after much (over 2 engine
> rebuilds on one of my Alfa 33s!) excessive maintainence and sold my last

33
> a month ago. Good riddance, goodbye, so long, auf wiedersehen, au revoir,
> arrivederci, etc.
>
> Don't miss them at all. Much, not for the magic handling, the responsive
> engine, the great accelleration, the (ahem, officer!) remarkably good top
> speed. Not a bit of it. Just had a gut full of the maintainence of

fixing
> something every week. There is a lot to rebuild in a 16v injected boxer
> engine you know!
>
> So there I was, carless, perusing ebay thinking - 'cheap and reliable,

cheap
> insurance, low tax, economical' - and suddenly instead of buying a toyota
> corolla, nissan sunny or proton persona, I'd bought a Fiat Tipo, the one
> with the 148bhp 2.0 16v engine - damn it goes well!
>
> However, I've always had a problem with Fiats - I've always regarded them

as
> being a 'second grade' vehicle - so I stuck with the 'Alfa' bit - but
> although I hold BMWs in high esteem, (I used to work in 1st tier motor
> industry supply to ford, rover, landrover, jag, aston martin, fiat, buick,
> toyota, nissan, renault - I understand vehicle build quality - get the
> picture) I just couldn't stoop to buying one as they are just not me.
> (Interestingly I used to have a Fiat Multipla as a company car...) If I
> ever had to get sensible and buy a 'decent' car I'd buy something like a

PT
> Cruiser or another Multipla. Oh yes, we have 3 kids.
>
> Somehow, the italians have the edge in appealing car design - I've owned
> lancias as well and loved them all - oh well, less of my life story -
> somehow from the above you'll grasp that I love Alfas but can't live with
> them anymore!


Wouldn't mind the 2.0 Tipo myself, the wife drives a 1.6 and even though
thats 15 years old it's still in surprisingly good nick. Problem with the
Tipo is they stopped making them in 95 and a 9 year old car, well, I'd
rather have something a little newer. From what I've read the 155 is quite
reliable so long as it is looked after, i.e. cambelt changes at 36k, etc,
and as they are galvanised no rust problems. Still, it's better than owning
a Mondeo

Hellraiser............>


  #5  
Old April 25th 04, 11:02 PM
SteveH
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Default

Ex Alfa Adam > wrote:

> > Excellent - she works in Tipton so can drop it in on the way back one day.
> > Also useful as I am looking at getting either an Alfa 146 or a 155,
> > depending on if I can get the insurance costs to a sensible level

>
> Both great cars - make sure if you buy the 146 you go for a twinspark, not a
> boxer.... (Or go for a v6 155 if you love driving a car that loves being
> driven as power and curves intended, but only if you have shares in
> shell/bp/texaco!


Alternatively, for a better power / weight ratio and lower fuel bills
get a 75 TS. As an added bonus it's got the gearbox and driven wheels in
the correct place ;-)
--
Steve H 'You're not a real petrolhead unless you've owned an Alfa Romeo'
http://www.italiancar.co.uk - Honda VFR800 - MZ ETZ300
VW Golf GL Cabrio - Alfa 75 TS - Alfa 155 TS Lusso - COSOC KOTL
BoTAFOT #87 - BoTAFOF #18 - MRO # - UKRMSBC #7 - Apostle #2 - YTC #
  #6  
Old April 26th 04, 08:18 AM
Ex Alfa Adam
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

> > Both great cars - make sure if you buy the 146 you go for a twinspark,
not a
> > boxer.... (Or go for a v6 155 if you love driving a car that loves

being
> > driven as power and curves intended, but only if you have shares in
> > shell/bp/texaco!

>
> Alternatively, for a better power / weight ratio and lower fuel bills
> get a 75 TS. As an added bonus it's got the gearbox and driven wheels in
> the correct place ;-)


A splendid idea - a manual 3.0 v6 in good nick would be a pleasure to drive
and also one step on from mu first Alfa, a Giulietta 116 that I loved to
bits and seemed to love me! (But at the tender age of 22 then my insurance
co, didn't love me - I asked for a quote, they gave me what I thought was a
telephone number!)


 




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