rtbiscuit Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 i was very silly and when someone on another thread mentioned alfas i went and had another look and i think i have fallen in love with the brera 3.2 v6 with the Q4 4wd system. i know its very heavy, and its not as fast as it looks and the golf r32 is probably more capable, but its a car i would be happy to own, drive, be seen in, etc etc. it has that more grown up feel and the interior is exactly waht i want in a car, its where is epnd most of my time and that one is lush. its very similiar to the 159 interior and i had one as a courtesy car a while back and loved it. even though tit was a diesel. the leather seats are just so lovely to touch so the question is; if i get one will i spend my entire life at the side of the road in a puff of smoke and permanently broke buying new parts for the car. i know th old alfas had a bad reputation, but these new ones apparently have a BMW engineer in charge of reliablitity and it uses a GM V6 and none of the big review webistes seem to kick up any issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M9O OEY Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I spent money after money on different faults on my alfa always seemed electrical faults, even had the ecu fail in the end I decided I had to get rid so part ex ed it got a crap deal off the local stealer but just wanted rid . Within a wk he had the car up for 1500 more than he'd gave me and sold it. Within two wks the car was seen locally on the side of the road broken down and within a month they had the car back as the gearbox failed I know this as I know the nephew of the owner I believe it had two different faults in the month My neighbour had the 159 from new and I know he had a few electrical problems with it TBH I don't think id ever buy another alfa again even though I loved the car and interior , every time I drove it I was waiting expecting it to breakdown ATB M9O OEY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Watshot Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I have had two new Alfas in recent years with no problems whatsoever. Most modern cars are much of a muchness, eg. electronics were Bosch, but get a breakdown and it's all 'typical Italian electrics'. It takes decades for people with no experience to drop the cliches. Lets face it, the majority tend not to make a big fuss about how well their cars are working, you just get the horror stories, which you can find on any marque forum (did anyone mention Jaguar on here, for example). Dealers are dealers, that's a U.K problem not a marque problem. Let's face it, you'd be driving a Vauxhall on a Fiat platform. Perhaps that's why they've lost some of their edge, more reliable all round. I'd approach it the same as you would buying any other car and forget the outdated stereotypes. and when it breaks down, you aint seen me, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 The Brera is beautiful best looking hatchback by a mile, I was looking at them when I bought my Leon, I was looking at the Diesel model but the whole range is as you say a bit of an underperformer... But then you could say the same about a Zed, it lookszquicker than it actually is. The Alfa would certainly be a lovely place to be, but would you be sat waiting for tha AA man... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilMH Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I can only speak from experience (which differs from what the typical surveys say). I had an Alfasud Ti which only suffered from two problems in the 4 years I had it, which was a deterioration in the handbrake operation which was fixed under a recall and the early signs of some rust! In later years I had a 145 2.0 Green Cloverleaf for 2 years and had no problems with it. The thing people most mention nowadays seems to be electrical problems. That aside I would rank these two cars amongst the most enjoyable I ever had - the Alfasud for the handling and "feel" and the 145 for the engine alone. There is something else about them that is great but you can't quite put your finger on - maybe its the badge and the history. I recently tested a 147GTA with a Q2 Diff (which helps the torque steer issue significantly) and that was a hell of a car. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I was going to get the Brera instead of the Zed but power and price weren't to my liking but everything else was spot on. It's a great looking car. Not sure if you recall the Top Gear review and said it was the sexiest car on the road at that time. You don't see Alfa's strewn at the side of the road broken down, and mentioned the stigma of old Alfa traights may have gone. Go with your gut feeling. Look at the Skoda Octavia it changed the face of Skoda. I even drove one years ago and thought it was pretty good. Not that I'd buy one but it proves cars are better built in today's world. I'd go for it. At least you won't be called a hair dresser anymore Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Spot on Wasso I had a loan of a Octy VXR while I had my Leon serviced at an Independant garage.... wow was it good A guy who lives on my Daughters street has a Brera and I never park the Leon next to it It looks stunning from outside but I think this would swing it for me... Simple and classy... might add some alloy pedals though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoogyRev Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Steering wheel is on the wrong side Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Steering wheel is on the wrong side Dave Stand on your head for UK version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I've had two 33's which were in the great Alpha tradition great to drive, but total sheds. Then a 147 which never let me down in 3 years. Haven't had anything much more modern though, I like the current design direction though, and a 159 estate would be yum! Spider also looks tasty: http://cdn.images.pistonheads.com/aimg/1730/1730857-6.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
350ash Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 A couple of my friends have alfas. One has had a mito for a year and half and I don't think he's had any issues. The other has had a 159 for around 10 months (second hand) and it's generally been good, only a couple of electrical glitches. If the 'S' version is in your price range I'd check that out as Prodrive very successfully worked their magic on. I reckon any slight faults it may have, and I'm not saying it should have any more than any other car, would be a small price to pay to have one of the best looking modern cars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Damn you rtbiscuit you have had me on Autotrader all morning looking at Brera 2.4 JTDM SV's to trade the Leon in for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will370z Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Personally I love the algae the inside is great and it's nice that a car company actually takes time and effort to come up with exteriors with some style and flare to distinguish them. Dad had one and it was great until the head gasket blew last month.... Other than that it was faultless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Damn you rtbiscuit you have had me on Autotrader all morning looking at Brera 2.4 JTDM SV's to trade the Leon in for the 4wd that comes as standard on the 3.2 v6 is whats swaying it; but with the way petrol prices are going again i'm very tempted to sit this one out leave the big petrol engine behind and go derv for a while. might have to go look at the 159 as i know they did a Q4 diesel version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigo Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I had a 2.4 159 before the Lexus. Got it new and took it to 120K miles in three years with no problems at all. Loved it ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob d Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I had an R reg Spider for a while. LOVED it ! What a fabbo car to drive. Threw it in a ditch which was a sad / painful end to the experience. I soooooo nearly bought a brera spider instead of the Zed, but down on power and front wheel drive. Even got as far as putting one in the garage to see if it would fit ! Prefer the Zed though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I loved my 156 - silver with red Momo leather find a specialist for servicing, keep the cambelt young and bob's your uncle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I know someone who has had a 159 from new. When I asked him at Christmas how many miles he's clocked up (he's in marketing) he said 30k and I've hated every single one of them. Seems he's had multiple problems mainly with electrics since he got it in 2009. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 i was very silly and when someone on another thread mentioned alfas Only true petrol heads experience the joy and anguish of owning an Alfa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 its very tempting, i think i'll do it if i can find one that was registered before march 1st 2006, don't want to pay full wack on roadtax. if they didn't build any that early the only other option is to look at getting a derv and tune it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 The Alfa diesels are surprisingly good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 V6 is not very good on mileage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waitey Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 My friend bought a 147 GTA for 8k. Spent 3k on it over 6 months and traded it in for 6k. Ouch.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgrooky Posted January 16, 2011 Share Posted January 16, 2011 the 2.2 spider is a great car at 186bhp i find it a little underpowerd.after saying that,my wife thinks its the best thing since bread,had the wheels sprayed black ,and with white body looks awsome.ill sort some pics out of the alfa. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 i keep looking at the 147 GTA's but its those ones i hear all the stories about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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