GTAm

I got almost the same figures from my 1.6 Alfa 156. 7.5 in Colombo 11 on upcountry roads. It really is very difficult to have a gentle driving style in an Alfa so about 90% of my driving is aggressive and hard. I have become very suspicious about ppl who claim 16 and 17 km/L. Recently a collegue of mine said that one of his pals who uses a Corolla 121 claimed this. He then questioned how he calculated the consumption and it was all wrong. I have achived those figures only in non turbo diesel cars that are slow as snails.

Interesting topic GuruG. I had an Interplay and I was quite sure it had been chipped by the previous owner. I met a friend of the previous owner who said that his friend had chipped the car. I bought if from a used car vendor. It sure did not feel like just 110bhp I was very quick in the mid range and I could overtake most cars with ease. Generally Honda makes some of the best engines around. Mazda does not have that reputation even if often as a total package the slightly Mazda is the better car. However I believe the suspension on the EG8 gave it an edge on in handling terms over the competent Mazda struts. I think all this craze about ricing up civics came about thanks to that totally crap movie - "Funny and the Foolish" , which started this culture. You can't blame them either. They probably read very little or have very little experience with different cars. So their minds are probably not very open. Thankfully you and I know a bit more and we can be different .

Hey Miniace he wants to know how much he can sell it for. Any idea what the market price would be?

Yes please, I would be interested if the body and interior is in good shape.

The owner of my old D8 406 wishes to sell it now as he's got a company car. Any idea how much he can ask? It's white with alloys, 120k on the clock and quite welll maintained.

I went past that way this afternoon and did not even get off the car as from across the road I could see that the front end was not straight. And anyway I prefer to get a Series 1 (FB?) if at all. Don't like this model that much.

Very true Ripper. And the other mistake they make is they think that its a premium product just because its European. Big big mistake.

Yes well that kind of investment is a precondition by the Company. It's a good idea to bring the Monster and other variants of the Panda. What I'm saying is they wasted their 1st year by bringing cars with the wrong spec. SL is such a tough mkt because of the heavy taxes and loads of competition. So it's best they put in more thought if they really want to crack the mkt.

Thank mate. Will go check it out.

To my knowledge they have not got the Alfa agency and I doubt that they'll get it soon. The situation for well established brands like Merc and BMW are very tough already with our exorbitant taxes, so it would be very very hard to make an Alfa agency profitable right now. Hey Ripper good to know that you work with Fiat. Yes perception is terrible in SL and quite rightly so as ALL the previous agents simply messed up big time and killed the brand. I'm sure you're aware about what the last agent did. The other thing is and you can tell the current agents your client (with compliments) that they've orderd wrong specced cars and driven the price up unneccesarily. The GP has cruise control, alloys and premium stereo which is not ESSENTIAL in a small hatch. Then there's also the Panda which is over-priced. What they really should import is the Panda 4WD and market it as a pseudo SUV which most folk clamour for. Anyway it's a small start but a start none the less. So we can be a bit happy !

Could I know where?

Hi MiniAce sorry for the delay. Found out some info about that 156 GH-9999. The engine is in good shape according to our specialist. The suspension might need some attention sooner or later as the bushes were done locally. The gearbox housing was broken once but all is in order now. I believe they're quoting 1.8m? Should be able to get it a bit lower according to him. With Alfas there's no reason you can't offer a ridiculously low price as there are very few takers as they're very scared about the "No agents" business.

I had an Interplay about 7 years ago (19-4453) and really enjoyed it . It used to be green and felt very quick. Almost bought an Astina but the Interplay was in better shape.

Isn't it only the pre-facelifted BJ 323 and the earlier BH series that had the Auto gear problems? I doubt the new 3 has the same box!!??

Hey Mazda fans: Anyone know of a Series 1 RX7 in decent shape?

A bit optimistic from my experience with the agents .

Yes the new Impreza should fit in that list.

Amazing. Who owns it?

My guess is yes. You're not likely to find spares locally. I'll be surprised if you did. The agents are a joke but there are spares in Panchikawatte. I had an Omega. Great car.

Brand new or re-con? Price range is about 5.5m I guess?

I was afraid that comment will come ! Well they are the best designers in the world aren't they? I saw a feature on Discovery - I think about this guy who was helping the Soviets. Yes Fiat made air craft and some were quite good in WW2. I think they have some shareholding with Augusta choppers as well. Alfa supplied Mercedes designed engines for some Italian fighters but the factory got bombed a few times and then they got them direct from Germany. All this aircraft talk has got me pumped up about them again (I last was crazy about them when I was a kid burt cars soon shot them down ). Anyway I should read up some of the books I have.

Wasn't there a beautiful delta winged sea plane (bomber)? Eight engines but even more sexier than this one? It was designed by an Italian.

There was a BMW drivers club many moons ago. But it seems to have fizzled out. Recently a pal of mine suggested that the agents were interested in re-starting the club and if I would join etc. At the time when I had the 323i convertible. But nothing came off it. I can foresee that membership and interest will not reflect the numbers of cars we see on the road. I feel most owners buy a BM for presitige purposes and not actual driving pleasure. This is true in other markets as well. What do you guys think?

Yes the VDC can be switched off. You'd probably need a lot more skill then.

Great pics Devinda what a shame to see those cars rotting. As for the F40 replica, it certainly deserves it !