justlife

The inevitable has happened.

My Alfa Romeo has given up its pretence of reliability and started flashing its engine warning light at me.

There are no car designers quite like the Italians. Seeing my car in the car park from a distance still brings a smile to my face as I look on its sleek design and stunning styling. In fact I was once told that the creators of the Alfa Romeo were so focused on the appearance of the car that they forgot to leave space for the license plate (hence its obscure positioning to one side of the front of the car).

I’ve never met a person who doesn’t find an Alfa Romeo attractive. I’ve never pulled up to the office in a new car and had people take the trek down two flights of stairs to simply look at it, except in my Alfa. I’ve never had quite such a girlish grin as when I’ve been able to throw my car around a roundabout and feel it glued to the road.

Why is it that the people who can make a car that is essentially a work of art, while still being exciting to drive, can’t master the age old technique of reliability that the somewhat less thrilling but more practical car manufactures cracked years ago?

I’ve faced the dramatic splitting of an air-conditioning pipe, the slow and steady failure of many of the ‘non-essential’ electrics like the windows, and now this; apparently the throttle response sensor has given up on life.

This latest issue can’t be remedied at a normal garage, so I must take it to an Alfa Romeo dealership to be charged extortionate rates for its repair. I’ve started to tense every time I hear the slightest, unusual sound from my car for fear of more of my money spilling away with the most obscure faults.

But it is worth it.

It’s worth it all for those brief few moments when everything is functioning as it should be and a windy road is looming ahead of you.

It’s worth it for the looks you receive with the windows down, the speakers up and the car gleaming in the sunlight.

It’s even worth it for the ‘personality’ of the car that can only be associated with that infamous name of Alfa Romeo.

I would encourage anyone to think carefully before purchasing something that could well be the predominant factor in their filing for bankruptcy before the year’s end. Something that will inevitably frustrate and bemuse them. But when it comes down to it there is nothing quite like the experience of owning your own temperamental and loveable steed.

I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

At least not until I can afford my BMW M3…

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