GTAm

True. The 4C will be lot more usable than the Exige for sure. The Elise/Exige is now quite old and sales are down to a trickle. And there are many doubts about the long term survival of Lotus. The power to weight ratio of the 4C indicates that it will be a formidable machine in terms of performance and dynamics - on par with the class above 911 Carera rather than the Boxter. There's the new Spider just announce which will be a "reskinned" (Alfa Engines/supension/Body) next gen Mazda MX5 rather than a Fiat, which suits me fine . The smaller cars (upto C segment) will no doubt be "based on" Fiats and the larget cars will be based on Chryslers/Jeeps. Not the ideal situation for this brand but the only logical one available. There is some noise of a RWD 6C sedan and coupe based on the upcoming Barracuda, whose chasis is being developed in detroit by Italian engineers and 8C replacement. All good imo.

I prefer this to the 8C actually. The 8C is very beautiful but a bit too retro for me. When I first saw the 4C I did not like it, but with every subsequesnt "show" it has grown on me. It takes many Alfa design cues but the end result is very modern to my eyes. Besides when you compare this to a Boxter........... There will be some exterior changes on the production version, which will be shown at the Paris show this September.

Found some great new pics of the 4C, http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/05/alfa-romeo-4c-appears-in-cherry-red.html

I think Goldwing Motors are the agents. But they seem quite lethargic. I've never seen them advertising or promoting their products. Piaggio also own Aprillia

I think the market is in a state of confusion. Certainly demand is poor. Sellers have not been able to move stock from what I've heard. There's also the credit limits imposed on Lease providers by the Central Bank that make financing a car difficult these days. Add to this the interest rates increase and jump in duty and the exchange rate. We were already paying far too much for cars compared with most of the rest of the world, and things just got a lot worse. Therefore importers who are on borrowings might be keen to liquidate stocks. A price reductionw will depend a lot on how much stock there is of course. I think the situation is likely to get worse before people "adjust" to the new prices. Maybe when interest rates ease a bit demand could slowly pick up. We won't see it this year I believe.

I like the Corvette but I like the Viper a lot more!

No worries. Oh so the Fiestas have sold out. No idea of the Accent price. But prior to the duty hike the Elantra was at an incredible 4 mill . So I guess the Accent must have been in the 3m range. Perhaps it is still within your range.....

Most welcome RA Yaris looks similar to the Belta. Not good looking, boring cars imo but will get you from A to B with minimal fuss. I've never like the Vios either. Interior feels cheap and ride comfort not as good as a Yaris imo. The Demio comes in Hatch as well as Sedan-which came in brand new. I personally prefer the look of the hatch. It's got a funky European style to it. The sedan looks less well resolved like most hatch-turned sedan's and being a brand new import (from Thailand I believe??) will probably have a less attractive spec than the JDM hatch backs that come as used cars. And I have not seen many sedans around too. If you're a bit of a "rev head", that Demio sport pointed out by YasithZZ sound like a attractive proposition. A 1.5L engine in a light hatch sounds like fun. Rehana have you checked the Fords at Future Automobiles? I think the Fiesta was within your budget before the recent duty hike. However if they had stock (and I believe they did) you should be able to get one at or close to the old price depending on how desperate they are to move stock. Here you'll have more peace of mind as it is a brand new car with a warranty. Also check out the new Hyundai Accent. They were selling them for silly money compared with other brands (again before the duty hike). A long shot as all these guys will want to max out their profits on the stock they hold as future sales will be thin, but definitely worth a try.

The Fiat Punto box is not a dual or twin clutch. It's a single clutch unit very similar to old Alfa Selespeed. But yes since there is no power sapping torque converter it should be more efficiant.

Hi Rehana, Here's my attempt at answering your questions. 1. I would go for a unreg Mazda Demio. It's one of the best looking cars in the class. Mazdas are known to be very reliable too. 2. Take someone who knows about cars when selecting the car you want. Look for evidence of wear especially in the inside and if it matches the mileage given. Look for evidence of re-spray on the body. The more original, the better. 3. I don't know of any independent companies offering such services. The agents for Mazda are/were Car Mart but there is a rumour that another company has now secured this. 4. Rehana you really need to learn to count I'm not sure but I don't think this certificate is a gurantee to be taken seriously. 5. I think there are cars from Peredua, Proton, Indian Suzuki and Tata that fall into this bracket but IMO none have the looks, the build quality or the driving appeal of a Mazda Demio.

The number plate hasn't changed in all those years!

My 159 does not have B&M. It was an option back then. Standard now.

Actually it is not an Abarth Las. The Fiat Coupe never had an Abarth version. Just badge engineering. But on Thursday you saw the first ever Abarth in the country !

Wish you a very happy Birthday mate. Have agreat one.

No Tickets required. It's open to the public.

Sorry Peri we were supposed to inform you guys earlier, Hilton Sports Centre - Il Ponte Car park. 3pm onwards.

Sorry Peri we were supposed to inform you guys earlier, Hilton Sports Centre - Il Ponte Car park. 3pm onwards.

Hi Guys, Yes It's a Concorso D'Eleganza or Competition of Excellence where there will be four independent judges who will select winning cars based on their condition from four different eras. There will be over 40 cars in all and the event including at least two Ferraris and one Maserati, and promises to be a good one. Let's hope the weather holds.

Who knows what the real story behind this is............ There have been so many people in different parts of the world who neglected and even destroyed valuable cars (Lord "Racket" Brocket anyone?) Classic Car mags contain abandoned cars every month from around the world....

Really? We absolutely must believe this British website I suppose? Don't forget that we only read English. We (most of us) are unable to read Spanish, Italian, German etc..... For centuries we have been made to believe the British Press. Simply because they gave the world English. And so many bought it or were forced to. So we hardly ever get the other point of view. The only way (I find) is to read other forums where there are members from diverse origins. There is enough evidence about how biased the Brits can be. It's very very plain in their car magazines. So there is no way I'm buying this paparazzi fairy tale that increased those two newspapers ratings/circulation. Of course you are free to. Anyway let's see how Hamilton vs Alonso pans out this season..............

Not sure of the exact model but my bro used Falkens on his Alfa 155 and they wasted pretty fast.

I'm unable to see the car, says access denied. So Akon's thrashed his XJ has he?

.............When one has Saint Ronald Dennis, the whole of minute particle free McLaren, the whole English speaking British earth molly coddling, pampering and singing ones praises before one can even get into ones' racing underpants, all the while conveniently ignoring ones' double world champion team-mate totally and all other such foreign bodies on the rest of the grid, How on earth can one such rookie fail?

Great news indeed!

LH is proving to be more of a DH (Dick Head) this season. The only good thing about him this season is his DDH (Daddy Dick Head) does not show up anymore! Anyway full marks to Petrov. I had my doubts about him but it was a great move briefly taking back the place from DH. Oh I mean LH. Really bad luck for Alonso but I thought he did the right thing in making that risky (for the car) move on Jenson.