On Aug 27, 2005, at 11:37 AM, keithw wrote:
Just for giggles, I went to my large L.A. Yellow Pages, no Alfa
dealers or repair shops evident anywhere.
Used to be one in nearby Santa Monica, but...long gone.
I accessed Google, and nothing there, either... Hmmmm.
Seems likely the rumors I heard long ago about ALFA not exporting
cars to the U.S. is entirely true!
Sighhh. I was geared up for a moment, there!
Alfa Romeo has been a division of FIAT Group since 1987.
FIAT pulled Alfa Romeo from the US market in 1995.
There have been persistent rumors of Alfa Romeo returning to the US,
but nothing's happened yet. A year or two ago, GM and FIAT entered a
shared-stock/resources agreement. From that, it might develop that
Alfa Romeo could return to the US with distribution through some GM
dealer franchises. Nothing's happened as yet. This is a shame as the
current Tipo 156 sport sedan, and others, would be a superb car for
the US market.
However, there are Alfa Romeo service and parts suppliers around,
although they are rapidly becoming a niche/enthusiast/collector
specialty. A quick sneak with Google looking for "Alfa Romeo Service
'Los Angeles'" netted at this page of Italian car shops in the Los
Angeles area;
http://www.ocautoservice.com/ItalianMain.asp
A better source of such information are the Alfa Romeo Owners Club
(nationwide) and Alfa Romeo Association (San Francisco Bay Area)
newsletters. San Francisco has always been a big area for Alfa Romeo
in the US.
At this point in time, there are far more interesting cars to be
found in the UK than almost anywhere else I've traveled. It's a sad
state of affairs for the US automobile enthusiast.
Godfrey
