The first thing to say is that you should not have to spend a fortune to get a good example - I bought my Alfa after I spotted a load of 1 year old ex-rental examples for sale at what I felt was a very reasonable price.
I think I was seduced by the looks and the Alfa badge - this car has a lot of showroom appeal - but one year on what is it really like ?
Well I have to say that despite initial concerns after reading other reviews I remain really pleased with my purchase. My car is a January 2003 example with the updated interior and zoned air conditioning.
The car has been 100% reliable, the handling and the rev happy engine still put a smile on my face. Quality won't match a Merc or Beemer, but nothing has broken or fallen off. You still feel that it's a bit fragile so I'm quite careful.
The brakes seem a bit insensitive but are fine once you are used to them.
Paintwork seems to scratch quite easily and the dark blue colour shows any blemishes.
The car has proved quite practical - the cabin is spacious and the boot, although quite small and with a high sill, is equipped with a ski hatch and has swallowed long loads with surprising ease.
Finally, my experience of the dealership has been good. I prepaid a for three services when I bought the car and as a result I got a very good rate (servicing can get expensive otherwise).
At least at my dealer the Fiat and Alfa businesses have been separated and they seem to recognise that they are working with a premium brand.
Updated November 2005: I'm now at the end of my second year of ownership so thought a quick update would be helpful.
I commented on the brakes above - this was subsequently traced to a failing switch in the circuit (symptoms brake lights sticking on and intermitment warning on the info centre). Once replaced I would say that the brakes are as good as any car I've driven.
I decided to have the car MOT'd at the same time it went for it's annual service this month - actually a couple of months before I had to - and I'm glad I did.
My 34 month-old, 27000 mile car, failed on worn bushes in the rear suspension, plus the service revealed that the timing belt needed replaced. Not what I would have expected!
However to the credit of the dealer (Arnold Clark Edinburgh) and Alfa Romeo, these points were remedied under warranty together with a slight gearbox leak. Only problem was that the dealer couldn't reset the service indicator and a new one is on order (also under warranty).
Moral of the story - make sure you have an MOT before your warranty expires!
In summary, the car is driving better than ever. I'm still really pleased with it. But I'm also thinking about purchasing an independent warranty for continued peace of mind.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Nov 20th, 2004
(Nov 18th, 2005)
helpful by (67%):
somewhat helpful by (33%):
