Alfa Romeos & the Selespeed Gearbox

[WSF]

Went 2 the Alfa Romeo showroom @ Sh. Zayed Rd. last week 2 check the new 147. The car is pretty impressive in all ways except one thing.. The Semi Auto Selespeed Tranny.. Ends up that u can either buy a manual gear or a Selespeed but no plain automatic option.. is there anyone who had a previous experience with alfas?? cuz having such a complicated gearbox in such a car is not so relaxing... My mom got plans 4 a new car..

Oh.. what about the Volvo XC90 SUV... 2nd hand... seems like an amazing car...

[root]

Buying an Alfa for your mom? yeah, I know who's gonna be using it.
The Selespeed gearbox is nothing new..been around for a while and i dont think there's anything wrong with it....though many people have different opinions about this gear type.
Its a bit like the steptronic or triptronics you see in so many other cars these days. Lets you have both the manual + automatic in one.

What I have heard is that selespeed gears are'nt the smoothest and fastest, but I would think they have improved on this.


The Volvo XC90 SUV is quite nice! Just sat in it, and feels luxurious and safe, and power is good as well. But it's pretty pricey if you go for a new one.

[WSF]

I guess it would be a good bargain if we purchase a 2nd hand 147 from the showroom... but what about maintenance & spare parts?? when i asked the salesman that question he really ddnt give me a clear answer...

[root]

signs to be worried if the salesman cannot give you ideas of service!

I am sure you can get it serviced through the agency, but that might be costly (or maybe not).

The Alfas are a bit special...a friend had his 156 tires mounted on the opposite sides (common for many cars to rotate tires), but that gave him so much problems and noise that they had to be moved back to the original place. Just one example.

[T.N.T]

Alfas are good-looking cars but are technically inferior to many. Not really reliable either and you'll lose a lot on resale plus servicing costs. If you still want one, go for used.
The gear box shouldn't be a problem though, as it is a sequential manual. Can be used as a traditional auto if required, and if you are in the mood for some fun, just 'paddle away'. Its actually a derivative of the famed F1 gearbox from the F355 (Magneti Marelli claims it!) which also adds a bragging right!

[root]

and the engine sound is the closest you'll get to a Ferrari for under 50k

[WSF]

Selespeed is just frustrating to use by some drivers... what about a Mercedes B class... i never checked it b4 but they say its so expensive 4 a car of its size..

[T.N.T]

expensive 4 a car of its size..

Yea, I agree. Its a nice car though!

[firasdxb]

Volvo and alfaRomeo both have no resael value, this is a car you buy to keep for long term and take care of and not to resale.

The mercedes B type is convinient, economic and good in shape. Still you will get the mercedes badge, and the excellent service of the dealer..