More Alfas in France...

[LukeC]

Just returned from France this morning for my last time this year, thank goodness. The second in October was mainly being tourists around Paris (and an awesome day hiking the forests trails around Versailles). Not a lot of car action apart from watching a wedding party going into the Palace of Versailles carpark (about 10 Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Maseratis).

This time was to mainly to celebrate my significant other half's significant birthday...  I went car shopping for her while in Orleans for meetings. Note to remember: a Nissan X-Trail not a good hire car for 5" tall female not completely used to LHD. Lane splitting motorcyclists get very Agro if you don't give them plenty of space.

How hard is it to buy a low mileage automatic vehicle for a reasonable price in France? Near impossible! I when to the BMW dealership to look at 1 series cars (first preference to replace her last one)... Zip! Quick visit to the Alfa dealership next door: quick look but be strong and don't get distracted by the Stelvios on the lot. No Autos at all in the what used Giuliettas were there. Started broadening my range and walked a Renault and Peugeot dealership. Not one automatic in over 100 cars!

I found the equivalent to Brisbane's Moorooka Magic Mile of Motors and Sydney's Parramatta Road: Finally, after probably 10 yards of dodgy high mileage rubbish, a yard full of clean looking, more upmarket cars. But no autos, except for the big cars and the only two Alfas in the yard: a Giulietta Diesel and a 2014 Mito QV TCT (both in white). Let my wife veto or choose: The Mito it was because of lower mileage, more Versailles/wife friendly size and higher spec (at the same price). She has already become an Alfa spotter after years of being with one.

Then off to the Cote d'Azur for the big celebration. Hire car we upgraded from a Renault Kaptur (which I hired once for work here in Aus. and found appalling) to a high spec Mini (it drove OK, but I hated the over-stylized retro interior). We drove most of the interesting parts of the coast and visited a couple of lovely hill villages (scary roads, but tame compared to the Almalfi Coast). I saw more Alfa Giulias here than anywhere else I have been, including seeing a couple of QVs at Monte-Carlo.

And the icing on the cake: While walking along the harbour at Monte Carlo, an 8C Competizione burbles past.... I saw and sat in the prototype on trade and industry day at the Sydney Motor show in the mid-2000s, but seeing and hearing one on the road was a thrill. Ferraris.... Common muck: Pahhh!

[Citroënbender]

Wonderful potted itinerary, for a great country.  Thank you for the effort to put it in words, rather than just a splash of mobile phone pictures. 

In lieu of being able to travel there, I window-shop with LBC and Google Street View.