Alfa 4C - "Without The Heart We Would Be Mere Machines"

I never understood the actions of some of the in-crowd, who will pay a significant financial penalty, to be the first person at the club with a recently released sports car.





The 4C is a production sports car.

It is not a special with limited production #'s.

 

Kinda sorta.
They make 5 a day which means 1300 a year.
For a $55K car that is pretty small.
Perhaps after the first 50 or a hundred the initial pent up demand will settle down.

I checked out the only one in DFW which is the launch edition.
If one is going to buy all the options anyhow a launch edition makes sense over a standard with all the options when it comes to resale.
They were asking 10K over MSRP = 80K or so.
I got to sit in it for half an hour and go "Vrooom Vroom !"
It really is a nice concept.
The only new car that does anything for me.
A back to the basics car.

It might be the first New car I've ever bought for myself (not including work trucks).
I like depreciated cars but this like the GT 40 Ford may take off from the get go.

If this car had 100 more HP they could have asked 100K out of the blocks.

 

There's one at MSRP in Austin now. As soon as you move away from Crazyfornia more sense settles in.

Dealers have been baiting and switching. They say a car is sold at 20 grand over, then suddenly the same car becomes available again. Over MRSP prices are down to a few grand or zero in a lot of the country. You just have to go and get one.

 

Non launch offered to me yesterday for $5k over. Yup, dealers are coming down...MSRP soon I suspect. If I have garage space at the time someone has one at MSRP, I'll get a red one. Although the spider might be more fun...gotta find out when those are supposed to be arriving.

 

I don't want the launch edition. I'm waiting for a chance to order one -- if ever.

Alfa USA is without a doubt the worst car company in America. It's difficult to make Fiat look good but they have.

 

I just bought an LE in San Diego for $75K. Called all over the country trying to find one. There are two AR dealerships in San Diego. They both got a new LE off the same transporter the same day. One marked the car up to $90K, the other to $80K. I made an offer on the latter and we settled at 75. Now I just have to ship the car to Hawaii. . . .

Mayor, I don't know what to think about the new Alfa USA. They give great dog and pony shows, but they certainly seem to have mismanaged the 4C release. I don't understand the plan, if there is one, much less the execution. And the dealerships seem as befuddled as the rest of us.

Speaking of dealerships, here's a plug for Orlando and the rest of the crew at Mossy FIAT Alfa Romeo in National City (San Diego), California. Thanks, guys!

 

I saw a red 4C headed south on I-75 just outside Ocala, FL as I was headed north today. Lots of street presence, I knew what it was as soon as I saw it.

Like Mayor I want to order one to my specs. I'm not holding my breath though.

 

What was MSRP?

The one I was offered had an MSRP of $71k.


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71K is the usual MSRP after they add in the transportation and doc fees. I've seen them as low as 68K.

The one I want to spec out will be about 65K. But I don't want the track package and firmer suspension, which all LE's come with (along with some rather extra ugly scoops IM0). So, I wait.

 

The MSRP was $71,895. I think all the LEs are priced that way.

 

I agree. I want the muffler and don't want to be beat up for my Sunday drive.

 

Visited Alfa/Fiat Scottsdale yesterday. Said they sold the the first one for 102K and the 2nd one for 97K I believe. Seems crazy, but who knows....also confirmed that they can;t really order one whenever right now....It's more like they get a call when they can order one.

 

While I was at the dealer, the salesman who seemed quite the car nut and very informed on the 4C, told me two interesting tidbits.

One was that a Maserati model was being built nearby and production was closing on it. Therefore that workforce may be retrained to assemble 4Cs. Which would lead to the assumption that supply will then catch up and exceed supply in the not too distant future.

The other thing was that Alfa is already working on a different version (replacement ?).
If so the 4C be very limited in total production.

Seemingly conflicting stories.

 

Omg just get a mint lotus for $35k instead

 

Dealers don't know SQUAT. What they don't know they lie about or are lied too. Go to two different dealers and find out 2 completely different stories --- neither of which are correct.

 

LightGuy: Your salesman makes some sense. Both the 4C and the Maserati Gran Turismo are assembled in the Maserati plant in Modena. The Gran Turismo production is ending later this year, so that would free up a large portion of the plant for something else.

 

The new Maser SUV?

 

I don't think Fiat SPA has a shortage of employees at the moment.

The limiting factor in the 4C's production is the carbon tub and the asociated producting facilities for it.

And your well informed salesman just can't tell you that Fiat/Alfa Romeo again made a bit of a mess of the launch of a new product, the US part of it anyway. Alfa just wasn't ready on time, dealers were not selected on time, dealers were not informed, the US version of the 4C wasn't ready on time, etc....

 

Here is the photo of the remaining 4C at Alfa Romeo/FIAT Chicago. They should pull it out and photograph it on the Randolph Street bridge as they are a block west of the Chicago river.
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I stopped by alfa chicago today. They had that car with an auction bid currently at 81k.
No demo so far. No test drive. Didn't even open the car for me to check. Meh.

 

I've got to say that pictures of the 4c don't do it justice. It is far more appealing in person. (Admittedly, they probably shouldn't surround it with pictures of the 33 Stradale).

 

I like it in bright red or white more than this color.

 

It depends how many years Alfa produces the car and what kind of production #'s the company ultimately produces. Quite a few Ford enthusiast assumed they had only one chance to jump on a factory built supercar. With another Ford supercar soon available for sale, it may change the value of the 2005 Ford GT.

Alfa will continue to build fun affordable sports cars.

 

Yes. And with silver wheels.

 

Has anyone driven one? Can a 6'2" person fit comfortably?