If you have nice clothes, do you need a nice car?

Originally Posted by el Guapo WOngO!

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Not only do I like my Italian clothing, I too am a Alfisti. On to my second one 159SW, I recently had a 147GTA..

& off course Italian time pieces.. A Manometro..

How did you like the GTA, i found the 147 to be very front heavy, it was not the same engine as in the 146/156-GTA ... By anny chance? They had caracter! the lines on the new SW are nice Like the watch

Originally Posted by CLG763

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I was a valet at our international airport for two years so I have seen them all in their cars. Everyone from the lowliest of low, to the highest of high. Personally, I loved seeing the contrast by people and their cars. Jeff, Ruby, the owner of Cincinnati's finest steak houses drives nice cars but wears the most awful clothes you have ever seen, ragged cargo shorts and stained wife beaters. Yet he owns a very prestigious chain of restaurants, I delight in that contrast. On the other hand, when executive vice president of fortune 500 company X comes in every week, he drives a 1992 cheap cherokee but wears beautiful clothes. You don't have to do what people expect you to, you just spend your money where your passion lies. To most of the folks on the car forums, we seem like the most bizarre people on earth. They prolly think "what kind of whack jobs (male whack jobs) have stickies devoted to pages of high end shoes?!"

+1

In my younger, dumber days (I'm old at 25 now, haha) I was that guy. In High School cars helped make you cool and College women didn't want to hangout with a guy driving a beater (considering what most of my peers were driving). Now, in a more metropolitan city like DC (Providence was getting there little by little) with one of the best public transportations systems where almost everyone is dressed to the hilt... my clothing is my vehicle's sheetmetal.

Originally Posted by speedster.8

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How did you like the GTA, i found the 147 to be very front heavy, it was not the same engine as in the 146/156-GTA ... By anny chance? They had caracter!

the lines on the new SW are nice

Like the watch

Yes, the 147GTA & 156GTA share the same 3.2 V6..

Never really noticed the front end, but then I did replace the factory suspension set-up with fully adjustable coil-overs (KW V2), the exhaust system, installed a Ti front strut bar to tighten the steering..

Here are some video's you may enjoy of the 147GTA

I think the whole question of car versus clothes is very socially- and culturally-influenced. Having lived in several countries (Singapore, the US, Puerto Rico and the UK), I find that Americans derive more status from the cars they drive than in almost any other country I have lived in or been to, probably because they spend more time driving than in anywhere else. In places where public transportation is more extensive and accessible, I've noticed that people pay a little bit less attention to the cars they drive. I think car price probably plays a factor, too. Cars in Singapore are about 4 times the price they are in the US, and in the UK, I think they're around 50% more (e.g., USD16-20K Honda Civic is around GBP 13-16K; that's USD26K-32K at the current exchange rate). My favourite example of this kind of thing are some aristocratic friends that we have in the UK who are always well-turned out, and who get around in 15 year old Renaults or Peugeots. They could afford much better cars (they're not exactly depauperate aristocrats), but seem to attach very little importance to their choice of vehicle, status-wise...

I would have to agree with you on this one, a man in a pick up truck via my brother would look pretty silly wearing a suit in it. He is a private contractor and it is necessary for hm to drive a truck to his job, he dose get dressed up for church and i often times let him ride along with my sons and i simply for the fact that he sode look out of place showing up in his truck.

Originally Posted by CLG763

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To most of the folks on the car forums, we seem like the most bizarre people on earth. They prolly think "what kind of whack jobs (male whack jobs) have stickies devoted to pages of high end shoes?!"

This is true. Every now and then there will be a thread criticizing male interest in clothing/appearance on the Off Topic sections of high-end car fora. Often various unflattering labels are used to characterize such individuals. I've seen this on various sites.

Your Alfa is stunning! After five years, I still get a thrill jumping in. And even better when suited up. My wife and I drove to a really gorgeous wedding in sunny weather on Saturday. She was in Vera Wang, me in Arnold Brandt and Canali. Moonroof open, a stunning wedding, my performance during the service went well, and an amazing reception at St. George's Golf and Country Club. A perfect day, made better by clothing and the geniuses in Munich. Here she is: