There is so much tripe (masquerading as factual info) on YouTube and other online venues that it is best to take whatever you see with a very large grain of salt.
I suppose that it would be a good idea… IF… someone wants to acquire a vehicle in the most expensive way possible. Leasing might be a good idea for a business that can write-off the costs, but an individual who leases a car for personal use is spending a LOT more than he would if he purchased the car.
IMHO, leasing of a personal vehicle is for people who want to show-off by driving a luxury vehicle that they could never afford to purchase. They scrape-together the money for the monthly payments in order to bolster their personal sense of security, but this comes at a very high price, including the fact that, at the end of the lease, they own… nothing.
There is so much tripe (masquerading as factual info) on YouTube and other online venues that it is best to take whatever you see with a very large grain of salt.
Sometimes, the comments on YouTube are a load of bullshit if the YouTube commenter has never driven the car or experienced the brand.
As someone who previously leased an Audi A3, I am going to agree with this. This is my I got my Mazda3 Turbo at a full-buy at MSRP rather than a lease. But leasing gives you an experience on the car itself and you can decide whether you want to own it or not.
I get “leasing” luxury cars has a stigma, but my acquaintance (who also a car enthusiast) a couple months ago recommended me to lease if I am considering a car from a luxury brand. Reason why he brought it up was because he was looking for a replacement for his '09 Impreza and was looking between an IS300 and an Integra and he was unsure what payment he should make. Financing is another consideration, but the most common suggestion for a car payment if a luxury brand is considered is “leasing”. Some car enthusiasts and non-car guys do it.
GAP insurance: the general rule about the purchase of any insurance is that you should not buy it unless you cannot afford the loss. The insurance company is going to make a profit, and their people will decide all those nasty questions about whether YOUR loss qualifies for THEIR payout. Guess who wins that argument!
I should have worded myself better. (I will edit my comment) I haven’t really heard of gap insurance and never had used it. The article said something about gap insurance.
I didn’t mean to use the gap insurance as an argument.
There’s nothing fundamental that says once a company produces a product that its customers don’t rate well for reliability, that their products will never be reliable. It works both ways, for example corporate financial reports often include this sort of disclaimer: “Good past performance does not necessarily predict good future performance”. Whether a product purchased now will prove reliable in the future? The proof is in the pudding. Time will tell.
As far as Kia/Hyundai, can’t really compare those to AR b/c they are sold to different market segments.
As far as Kia/Hyundai, can’t really compare those to AR b/c they are sold to different market segments.
The similarities here are that Hyundai/Kia had a bad rep about a couple of decades, just like Alfa Romeo today. It is possible for a horribly unreliable brand to change their rep. Hyundai/Kia has done it. As time will tell, I hope Alfa does too.
Something I forgot to mention, I personally think partnerships are the problem. Alfa Romeo is a subsidiary up with FCA/Stellantis:
“Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian luxury car manufacturer and a subsidiary of Stellantis. It was founded on 24 June 1910 in Milan, Italy, as A.L.F.A., an acronym for Anonima Lombarda Fabbrica Automobili. The brand is known for sport-oriented vehicles and has been involved in car racing since 1911.”
I personally think Alfa be independent. Nissan/Renault partnership caused problems. A lot of car enthusiasts hated Nissan products (that were built during the partnership).
A mild correction (not an argument)
Kia/Hyundai just started building cars a couple decades ago
Don’t you think Alfa Romeo knows their reliability and quality problems?
Stellantis has a long list of car brands under its umbrella with quality problems. Fiat is a mess and left the US market…again, Chrysler dealers can’t fix their own cars and trucks, Nissan builds cars with the worst transmissions on the planet, Citroen, Renault, DS, Lancia and Opel haven’t been sold in the US in decades and Maserati is worse than Alfa for quality.
You can hope Alfa Romeo returns to the heights it had in the 1930s after winning the 24 Hours of LeMans 4 years straight, but I doubt much will change. They’ve had 80 years to improve with little success.
I’ve never thought of those cars as having a bad reliability reputation. I’ve never owned one myself, but my bias based on opinions I’ve heard here and elsewhere is that those brands generally provide similar functionality to other brands, often offer upscale interiors, and cost a little less. But they come with a compromise, they tend to not be quite as robust, don’t last as long.
It’s not a partnership. Alfa-Romeo is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Stellantis (formerly FCA).
Your suggestion that Alfa should end its “partnership” with Stellantis would be similar to urging Lincoln to end its “partnership” with Ford, or for Cadillac to end its “partnership” with GM. In each case, the car company in question is owned by the corporation, and is not a business partner.
Your suggestion that Alfa should end its “partnership” with Stellantis would be similar to urging Lincoln to end its “partnership” with Ford, or for Cadillac to end its “partnership” with GM. In each case, the car company in question is owned by the corporation, and is not a business partner.
There has been a debate/discussion on other car forums about Infiniti leaving the Nissan brand and Buick leaving GM. I might infer anything is possible.
A car with expensive parts can be a real pain for an owner. Service can be hundreds of miles away. Buy one when there are lots of their dealers around. If the brand is successful there will be quite a few dealers in about 30 years. Same as electric cars; they’re great if you don’t have to go anywhere.
Consumer Reports gave each Alfa Romero model the same predicted reliability rating: one arrow down. Hyundai Elantra, Kona and Santa Cruz were given the same predicted reliability rating: one arrow down.
Hyundai Kona EV and Kia Sorento have a predicted reliability rating of 2 arrows down (worst).
These negative reliability ratings are based on a small percent of negative surveys.
I’d like to see what those folks have to say @bscar2 , but don’t have the patience to wait to read the subtitles . Is there a link to a text version? Or maybe you could just summarize what they have to say, good and bad.
When I was a kid in elementary school we could purchase paperbacks for cheap, 75 cents I think. One of my favorites was The Little Red Roadster. about a staid school teacher who decided she needed more excitement in her life, so she bought a red Alfa sports car.
Summary of the Top Gear test which was from several years ago and the bit was James couldn’t use soul or passion to describe the car. Great to drive and seemed to be better made than pervious models but if everything works is it still an Alfa?
Only UK owners serviey i’ve found so far doesn’t sound promising.
D’OH!
Forgot to put a disclaimer for the video, which I have now edited into the previous post.
But, yeah, wolyrobb summed it up nicely. Captain Slow has to put 1 Pound into a “swear jar” every time he uses words like ‘Soul’, ‘Passion’, ‘style’
Today, I spotted a very new-looking Alfa Giulia sedan being delivered to the local dealer’s service department. It was being transported on a flat-bed carrier.
