Car Opinions Change
People assume I’m a “car guy” because I co-founded E@RTC. I’d say I’m more of a machinery guy. I love all types of machines. I’ll look at a lawn mower if it’s interesting. I’m not a car guy in the classic definition of the term. I couldn’t tell you what’s in the current Ferrari lineup. There aren’t car badges around my garage, and I don’t collect models or cars. Every car I’ve ever owned was about the experience with the car rather than the ownership of an object.
I’ve had a lot of cars because I’ve wanted different experiences with cars and I got rid of them when I was done with the experience. Seems simple to me. Some were bought to solve a problem, while others were just for fun.
When I answer a question about Lamborghini or Rolls Royce ownership on Quora, I get massive readership when compared to business answers. It’s probably a ratio of twenty readers about cars to every one about business. It’s no comparison. As I sit here writing this, within the top twenty of my answers on Quora of all time ten were car related. This is out of almost 1,300 answers. Yet, few care about an Alfa Giulia. It’s been written off as junk, when it’s not really.
The trick about writing about cars is that it’s a bit like writing about art. It’s all somewhat abstract. I share my experiences as accurately as I can, but here is the interesting part and why I’m fascinated by the topic now. My opinion of cars changes as I experience different cars.
I’ve owned this Alfa Giulia for three years. I got it with every available option. In that time, I only put 7,000 miles on the car up until last month. I had very distinct ownership impressions of the car until I drove it cross country and now I have an entirely different view and a whole new appreciation for the car, especially after driving it as much as 800 miles a day. I always thought the car drove well, but it’s a very different experience when you head across the US and spend hours in various road conditions, elevations, and continuous speeds. You pay attention to the little things.
What I noticed most about the Alfa was how connected I felt with the car after spending hours behind the wheel. The car felt perfectly balanced at all times around twisty roads and in some places, very high cross wind conditions. At one point, they were advising trucks not to continue because of high winds. The Alfa didn’t seem to notice much and always remained in perfect balance. I never felt like the car was lacking anything.
As I drove, I kept asking myself, what’s missing from this experience versus a car costing twice as much? The only thing I could think of was possibly a quieter ride. I went so far as to check dB levels, and they hovered between 68 and 72, depending on road surface and speed. The car is a complete joy at 85 MPH and some cars fall into a grove at certain speeds, and the Alfa felt like it was more comfortable going fast than slow. It felt confident and never got light as it got faster. I loved how it tracked and the lack of steering input necessary to hold a line.
Sure, there were annoyances, such as the GPS that makes it a multi step process to zoom out, or the crazy telematics layout that could only have been designed by someone who doesn’t drive at all. Mechanically, the air conditioning was a slight mystery and would fade at times. Restarting the car was the reliable cure. The problem couldn’t be replicated at the dealership and there were no fault codes. In other words, they didn’t look very hard for an answer.
It’s possible it wasn’t the car’s fault as I noticed a movement of the dash-cam seemed to be related to the problem, but I don’t know how. It could just be a coincidence, but when I’d move the dash-cam away from the centerline, where there was a temp sensor, it would cause the air conditioner to normalize. It was one of those things that had me saying, “hmmmm”
So, when I have a car like this, and I’ve had it three years, I ask myself if I’d get another. That’s the real test. It means the experience is done. A month ago, the answer was a firm no. Now I’m rethinking all of it. I’d consider getting another and in the price point, I think it’s a better car than what you read in some of the press. The press are like sheep. A few people have reliability issues, and suddenly the brand sucks in the press. This is a great car!
What changed for me was that the car did more than I was expecting on this trip. It far exceeded my expectations and it will forever be a great memory, and that’s what I want most out of a car. All the other stuff is just nonsense. Tell me if it leave a great memory or not and this did. Now I’m considering another and that’s the best endorsement of them all.