Re: newer fleet in Italy

[Jerry Ecklund <jre2100@domain.elided>]

Thanks for the responses to my inquiry about older
cars in France and Italy.

I'll have more to report next spring.  I've decided to
go to Paris for a month of extensive French language
classes with a side trip to Italy.  Can't wait!

Jerry Ecklund, San Francisco
'91 164S

Date: Fri, 19 Oct 2001 18:31:56 EDT
From: Pottree@domain.elided
Subject: newer fleet in Italy

In a message dated 10/18/2001 7:22:11 PM Pacific
Daylight Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:


> I was surprised though at how few older cars were on
> the road.  I'm sure they wear their cars out much
> sooner.  Any comments on this?
> 

Jerry E of SF:

I, too, just returned from France and Italy.  I don't
know about the 
Pugeot 
406 you got but there were some new Pinnfarina P's
running around 
(mostly in 
France) that were at least quite handsome.  There are
quite a few older 
cars 
in France; in fact, a red Spider (91ish) very much
like our own piloted 
us 
across the Franco-Italian frontier from Menton to
Ventimilla.

In Italy I am told there is some kind of tax situation
that makes it 
relatively more expensive own an older car, and more
expensive as it 
gets 
older, so after about 5 years it is a better idea to
trade in the old 
one for 
a new car.  I assume they either crush the old ones or
sell them across 
the 
borders since you usually don't see them around.  Just
this morning a 
local 
Alfa mechanic (who is a frequent visitor to his native
home in Sicily) 
told 
me FIAT has had some kind of promotion with a rebate
deal that has the 
same 
effect: you're almost crazy to keep a 5 or 6 year old
car; for the same 
$ or 
less you could be in a new car.

And, people seem to be doing OK in Italy (at least in
the N where I 
was) and 
they like to cut la bella figura, so if they can
afford it I suppose 
they'd 
rather have a fresh and snappy new car than something
worn and cheap 
looking 
like us in the USA.

There is quite a difference in the driving, I prefer
even the French to 
the 
Americans, frankly.  For one thing, it seems most
people pay attention 
to 
their driving when doing it, at least, instead of
being preoccupied 
with so 
many other little activities the driving is almost an
afterthought.  To 
me, 
this is all the fault of automatic transmission, power
steering, power 
brakes, cushy suspensions, A/C and other devices
designed specifically 
to 
divorce the driver from the experience of driving.  In
short, I think 
they're 
better drivers there.  There is also the thought they
have to be more 
careful 
because, overall, driving is more costly there than in
the USA.

In a lot of places, especially N. Italy which I am
most familiar with 
as a 
driver, the roads are a LOT better than in the USA. 
Just the 
maintenance of 
the roadway surface is better almost always.  Italian
markings are 
usually 
excellent.  France has very good highways but the
secondaries are not 
as 
great as in Italy, I think.

Of course, there are always surprises or special
cases, such as the 
Amalfi 
Drive which is spectacular but in some places seems
almost undriveable 
(and 
then you see to huge buses heading straight for each
other around a 
curve on 
a 2500 foot cliff!)  The main road around Lake Como is
mostly a very 
good 
small road.  It goes through the beautiful little
lakeside towns.  One 
of 
them, just outside Como, is Cernobbio, which is where
the Villa d'Este 
is 
(it's on this very road).  You're tooling along and
all of a sudden, 
alora!  
It has suddenly become not a 2 lane main road, but a
one-way 
cobblestone 
alley lined with shops, full of pedestrians, and a top
speed of about 
10 (mph 
or kph, it doesn't make a difference).  I diced the
way through with a 
Ferrari Maranello and you know, that red car could go
no faster than 
our 
rented Xantia!  Then 2 block s later, you're back on a
nice country 
road!

Charlie
LA, CA, USA
Make a great connection at Yahoo! Personals.
http://personals.yahoo.com

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