Didn't know where to put this - so I put it here. I have read many stories in the car mags about the new Alfa - the 4C I believe. They all seem to indicate the car is available. Yet, even though I live in Las Vegas where nice cars are common, I have yet to see one of these, either driving on the street, parked at the curb, or even in a dealer showroom. So, the question is this: has anyone seen one of these (other than at one of the new car shows)? If so, where (city) and what circumstance (driving, parked, in a dealer's showroom). Personally, I currently believe this car is an answer to a question no one has asked, is over priced, is not good looking, and will be a failure. I mean, which would you rather have at about the same price, a new Alfa 4C or a nice used 360? But, really, I would like to at least see one. Thanks John
Hmmm... I don't find them all that attractive but they do look better in person than pictures... the proportions don't look as stubby. Other than the extra attention, at that price there are much better cars, including better driver cars.
Yeah, I've seen a couple, but if you read between the lines of the reviews, I don't think this will be the 'halo' car Alfa needs to get back to the US.
There's already a thread for the 4C: http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/other-italian/405937-alfa-4c-without-heart-we-would-mere-machines.html You're not happen to be the same person as Boxerman ??
Here's a link to the posting on that thread showing the Launch Edition 4C that TheMayor bought in Vegas. Answer to your question: I would prefer the 4C. Otherwise you are asking for maintenance issues with an older car (10-16 years old), design issues, worn parts, no warranty.
Yep.. it's mine. And I drove it again last week (I've been traveling a lot as I am these next two weeks). It's really fun car to drive. I drive it now only in Dynamic mode and it's a kick. The gearbox reminds me of the best parts of the F430 F1 without the bad parts. It's not a "little Ferrari". It's an Alfa. Anyone who understands the two brands would know what I mean by that. Still, it's a ball to drive. And, the AC works well. I'm on the list for a Spider. The 4c is hard to get. That's one thing that was frustrating as hell, and the dealers and Alfa USA are clueless. They don't last long in dealer showrooms. I looked at one at Towbin on Saturday morning and it was sold by Monday morning. I found 2 (!) that just fell off the truck in Findlay in Henderson and flew in from LA the next morning to snag one. What I've found is that a lot of cars are being sold not to locals in LV but to people out of state. My understanding is there's like 3 of us with them in LV now. Almost all of the Launch Editions have been sold. Next will be SE's, which the dealers are ordering (you still can't custom order one despite what the website says). The dealers are ordering them loaded but at least they will arrive in more colors than 2 reds and a white. The debate about a used 360 is a fair one, but you can say that about any used car vs a new car. And a used 360 is great value for money, perhaps the best exotic car bang for the buck today. But it's also 15 years old with 15 year old parts, not to mention maybe 5 different owners. It's also 3, and about to be 4, iterations back from what's available today. The big difference I feel is that this car is designed to be light, feels light, and acts light. It's a breath of fresh air. It's just nutty and unique and crammed full of personality. It's what Ferrari forgot how to make. It is simply "sports car" and nothing else. No one will confuse this with a GT. Here is the absolute best part about the 4c. You can drive the snot out of it and you won't be arrested. Today's "super cars" are so fast you can't really enjoy them on the streets. When I red lined my 458 from 1st to 2nd I was already doing 65 Mph. It was awesome for sure but you had to slow down immediately or see red lights in the mirror. With the 4c you can give it the beans on the streets -- floor it, red line it, have a blast doing it, and not feel like you will lose your license the next day. I haven't found anyone that had nothing but praise for the looks. Maybe this car is not everyone's cup of tea but in a world full of GT's pretending to be sports cars, it shines out like a star on a clear night. I don't think anyone will ever build something like this again, and perhaps that's too bad.
I saw one at a Creighton game this winter in a parking garage and saw one last month at a cars and coffee event. I know our Fiat dealer had two in stock for only a short while then poof... off the website. If I'm not mistaken, all 4C's produced right now are Launch Edition's correct?
So far, but there are rumors the SE's are already on order and on their way. From what I've heard though the dealers are ordering them "loaded" so the cost is almost the same as the LE.
Great post, Mr. mayor. I had been *****ing for years that ferrari should be looking to make a car a la the 4c. I would easily take a 4c over a 360 for all the reasons you intimate. Glad you are enjoying yours! QUOTE=TheMayor;143889708]Yep.. it's mine. And I drove it again last week (I've been traveling a lot as I am these next two weeks). It's really fun car to drive. I drive it now only in Dynamic mode and it's a kick. The gearbox reminds me of the best parts of the F430 F1 without the bad parts. It's not a "little Ferrari". It's an Alfa. Anyone who understands the two brands would know what I mean by that. Still, it's a ball to drive. And, the AC works well. I'm on the list for a Spider. The 4c is hard to get. That's one thing that was frustrating as hell, and the dealers and Alfa USA are clueless. They don't last long in dealer showrooms. I looked at one at Towbin on Saturday morning and it was sold by Monday morning. I found 2 (!) that just fell off the truck in Findlay in Henderson and flew in from LA the next morning to snag one. What I've found is that a lot of cars are being sold not to locals in LV but to people out of state. My understanding is there's like 3 of us with them in LV now. Almost all of the Launch Editions have been sold. Next will be SE's, which the dealers are ordering (you still can't custom order one despite what the website says). The dealers are ordering them loaded but at least they will arrive in more colors than 2 reds and a white. The debate about a used 360 is a fair one, but you can say that about any used car vs a new car. And a used 360 is great value for money, perhaps the best exotic car bang for the buck today. But it's also 15 years old with 15 year old parts, not to mention maybe 5 different owners. It's also 3, and about to be 4, iterations back from what's available today. The big difference I feel is that this car is designed to be light, feels light, and acts light. It's a breath of fresh air. It's just nutty and unique and crammed full of personality. It's what Ferrari forgot how to make. It is simply "sports car" and nothing else. No one will confuse this with a GT. Here is the absolute best part about the 4c. You can drive the snot out of it and you won't be arrested. Today's "super cars" are so fast you can't really enjoy them on the streets. When I red lined my 458 from 1st to 2nd I was already doing 65 Mph. It was awesome for sure but you had to slow down immediately or see red lights in the mirror. With the 4c you can give it the beans on the streets -- floor it, red line it, have a blast doing it, and not feel like you will lose your license the next day. I haven't found anyone that had nothing but praise for the looks. Maybe this car is not everyone's cup of tea but in a world full of GT's pretending to be sports cars, it shines out like a star on a clear night. I don't think anyone will ever build something like this again, and perhaps that's too bad.[/QUOTE]
The 4c is amazing and i hope they help Alfa. Perhaps when they are a few years old we will see how the market treats them. (Maseratis are not doing well on the used market.) I started recently looking at Porsche 996's. Was scared off by the IMS issues and was looking at Cayman S examples. Then I started reading on the cayman R and the Porsche GT4. I may save my efforts for a bit and seek out a green Cayman R. 3-5 years from now the 4c should be more affordable, and if they have any issues, they will be know by then. Interesting market we are in. Dont forget Lotus may actually bring something neat to the table soon. The Exige is a neat street car.
Like wow man - you saw like two of them - in freakin Omaha no less. Groovy! Just teasin... I wonder if both of them belong to Warren Buffet. He is probably more like a Lincoln Town Car kind of guy, I would think. Anyway - too cap this off - I guess they are out there and people are buying them. Good for Italy and good for the FIAT, Alfa, Maserati, Ferrari image. So, good for us all. Maybe I'll chnage my impressions of them when I actually get a chance to see one. John
I like lots of people have been waiting to see a 4C in the flesh... to be honest from an external design point of view... dissapointing. It attempts to be a small exotic but its way to fussy trying to hide the imbalance of the various volumes in its shape. This is weird comparison but when the X1/9 was released it was a huge design and functional success and it passed the 1970 US Crash regs, Google it Small exotics are hard to design for todays market as the market thay are aiming at dictates a 6'6" person should fit. in the 60s in the UK 5'6" was the average. So small isnt anymore. One of the best small exotic design success's is the ALFA 33 Stradale production version. Even the Toblehome angle (side window) on the 33 could be steeper but Im a fussy.
I disagree. The first thing to cross my mind when I saw a red one moving on the road, gargling and barking through the exhaust, was "now that looks like a proper baby supercar". I disliked the looks before I saw one in the flesh. After that I think it's one cool car and I respect people who chose one over the obvious Cayman/compact BMW's.
There's all kinds of rumors about this. No one really knows and of course, Alfa isn't telling. For sure you can't order a car now. I tried many times and the answer was no. Even the head office is saying "no". However dealers can order SE's and some apparently have. The question is -- where are those cars and when can they be sold? And, what are they like? My dealer said they would load it up with options so it would cost close to the LE but without some of the LE special features. They have no idea how many they will get or when they will get them. It's a big mystery that seems to change everyday. Rumor number 2 is that the coupe is being dropped after MY 2016 because of changes to airbag standards in the US. The spider is exempt from the regulations. That means (if true) very few SE coupes will make it into market as the model year change will be 14 months from now. The last rumor is exactly how many cars will be shipped to the US. If you look at the fact that its taken 7 months to sell 500 cars, that's about 900 cars a year. That means after two years of production there's going to be something like 400 LE's, 600 SE's, and the rest spiders. So, pickings are going to be thin. Most of us think the car will not be sold after MY 2017 (a three year run). BTW: I'm getting mine plastic wrapped next week and then taking it on a 2000 mile joy ride starting Memorial day. Can't wait!