That's the thing, Alfa Romeos and Italian cars in general were indeed unreliable, but that was until the 80's. The famed continued even though consumer reports said otherwise.
It's not like Alfa hasn't made any mistakes since the '80s though.
On the whole they're not as bad as people think, but the myth continues. I think they're in a similar boat to Jaguar, selling sports cars for daily use. The purists don't want them to make econoboxes, the people who buy for the cachet tend to be pretty picky.
I think they rushed the new Giulia too much. They'll never break into the US market if the cars are unreliable, and if the service network isn't 100% (and it isn't), then they're doomed.
Sorry, you don't know what you are talking about. Ferrari engineering has been trashing German automotive engineering since when it was founded. Ferrari engines have earned innumerous "Engine of the year" awards. Porsche has always lagged behind in terms of specific power, a measurement that is somewhat useful to compare engineering capability and innovation. Where Ferrari was bad, but not anymore, was in manufacturing & quality control.
Audi indeed brought outstanding capabilities to Lambo, but when they assumed the Gallardo engine was ready and the car was pretty much in it's later stages. In fact, Audi used the Gallardo's powertrain in the R8 later on...
It's funny that you mentioned Pagani: some weeks ago I had a ride in a Huarya BC and it was incredible! Still, the engine sound felt a bit uninspiring for a Italian masterpiece...Oh wait, the engine is done by AMG...
Pretty much true, but people forget about the 156, which was a great car and a big sales success.
That's a whole different can of worms, comparing porsche to ferrari isn't exactly a level playing field, except for the ltd edition porsches they aren't really in the same ball park, can you use a 911 etc as a daily driver - of course, no problem, most owners do
can you use a ferrari as a daily driver - not unless you're super rich and can live with all the compromises you'll be forced to make.
Bought one of very first 4C to arrive to the USA as my DD. After 18 months I finally realized it was to impractical as a DD and now drive a 2015 FIAT Abarth.