Alfa Romeo - getting better ?

Advantages: Handsome car with excellent handing, peppy engine
Disadvantages: Quality doesn't inspire confidence

...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...

mcneild 20.11.2004 (18.11.2005) · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 Twin Spark

Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD

Advantages: Engine, Looks, Leather, Options on my car
Disadvantages: Safety, Reliability Record, Dealership Record

...Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD 3dr Lusso You probably just don?t understand Alfa's and until you sit in one-you never will? Just bought an Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD 3dr Lusso and on first impressions I?m delighted. It?s Navy Blue in Colour which sets the car off great against the Cream Leather, its a top of the range model and comes with SAT NAV, Cruise Control, Telephone, full heated Leather Upholstery, trip computer, 16inch Alloy wheels etc. The options are great, although not a requirement for everyone-however I would recommend the leather upholstery as a MUST its fantastic. I test drove many cars before buying, yet decided on the Alfa 147, because it put the biggest smile on my face, it was the nicest car to sit in and felt the best to drive by a long way. The Golf mk4 GTi felt its age, and although the Golf mk5 1.6s that I...

Azz4711 26.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD

Alfa Romeo...the emotive choice

Advantages: Beautiful to hear, beautiful to look at.
Disadvantages: Fuel economy, Back seat room, Lack of folding rear seats

...I recently passed my driving test (2nd attempt at age 35). To me this milestone (for a soon to be first time father) wasn't about practicality, fuel economy or any other of the usual considerations you should make when purchasing probably the second most expensive item you own. This is because I'd already seen the car I wanted...The Alfa Romeo 156 TwinSpark. I'd looked at the Which reports and many many other publications and if I was honest with myself (and my wife Emma...sorry dear) I should have purchased a Ford Focus. A car which has great styling, a good reliability record and reasonable servicing. But no...as I say, the decision had long since been made, and I positively drooled at the sight of 156's whenever I saw one. So after a long search I found the model I was looking for...a shiny Black 1.6 litre (Insurance being...

Stevejames 22.04.2004 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 156 1.6 Twin Spark

I am the Alfa male. (My 100th review on Ciao)!!

Advantages: Simply an awesome car and driving experience.
Disadvantages: The running costs will put some people off owning one.

..., the Alloy wheels on mine were known as the teledial ones and they grabbed the attention of many. They also fit these cars with different sizes of wheels, some come with the standard 1 inch most come with the larger 16 inch but you can chose to upgrade if you buy new as I did, I went for the awesome looking 18 inch wheels although with the Alfa going through tyres like nothing on earth I often wished I had gone with a cheaper option. When it comes to driving the Alfa it really is an awesome experience well at least the 2.5 V6 that I owned was, this car had frightening power and speed and although I had driven other V6 cars none could come close to the Alfa Romeo. Even at standard power before I got the ECU remapped the car was capable of a 0-60 in 8 seconds and a top speed of 147mph after its remap this awesome Italian sports car would do 0...

thebigc1690 23.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 156 2.5

Alfa Romeo 156 - What great fun!!

Advantages: Aesthetically pleasing, stylish, spacious boot, security, quick and knee tremblingly superior!!!,
Disadvantages: can be expensive to run....thats it really!!!

...of its size is the opening is a little small. This of course can hamper putting in awkward items such as a pushchair in - but you soon learn a technique to over come this, so it is not really a big deal. The drive of the 156 is short of exceptional?even the 1.8 model has a quick acceleration and high speed, but the 2.0 has even more grunt. The sound of the engine could be compared to a quiet TVR Tuscan or large Tiger purring, it really is a sweet sound, one which you never get tired of listening to! There has been much said in the press about Alfa's having a tendency to understeer but I have not found this to be the case of the 156, if anything I found it to be spot on, the cornering at low and high speed is responsive and accurate, something one demands these days rather than requests. The tight suspension makes the cornering easier but...

amani_nicholson 12.04.2006 (13.04.2006) · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 156 2.0 Twin Spark

An Exotic Partner

Advantages: Superb looks and performance
Disadvantages: Ride not the best, quality of manufacture still not quite up to standard

...that is no great surprise. Anything remotely innovative and reasonably well bolted together in Milan or Turin can win that award. There is no doubting however that the Alfa is a very attractive car which stands out from the usual rep plodder in the fleet. Given the choice of 6 sets of keys of Mondeos, Lagunas, Vectras, 406s and an Alfa you would probably choose the 156. It has a head start on the others for looks and desirability and the pick-a-key test proves it. The performance of the car is also very good. Even in the 1.8 version we have had it can cruise all day at 90mph (where legal) and due to the sporty gearing of the 144bhp engine it is barely ticking over. You really have to be careful as any inattention to the speed and you can easily find yourself in licence losing territory without realising it. Away from the motorway...

polydeuces 26.04.2001 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 156 1.8 Twin Spark

PITY IT WASN'T ALFA RACING RED!

Advantages: Out of the Norm Styling & Performance
Disadvantages: Getting Old Now

...WHAT IS IT? The 147 is Alfa Romeo's compact hatchback, produced in three and five door forms and competing in the Ford Focus / Vauxhall Astra market. This is actually an interesting, diverse and most popular market sector now, outselling all other types of car. The competition is fierce and many of the alternatives, such as the Honda Civic, are new and bang up to date. In 2001 the Alfa 147 was voted European Car of The Year. WHICH SPECIFIC MODEL? The actual car that I am reviewing here is right at the top of the Alfa 147 tree. It is a five door 1.9JTD 150 Lusso. The 1.9JTD 150 has the most powerful two litre version of the now ubiquitous GM (Vauxhall / Saab) engine in it, which was co-developed with Fiat, parent company of Alfa Romeo. IN WHAT CAPACITY AM I REVIEWING THIS CAR? OK, hands up, this is not my own car. This...

RICHADA 11.07.2006 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 147 1.9 JTD

Alfa Romeo 146Ti

Advantages: Everything, excellent handling, excellent looks, excellent performence........ excellent everything.
Disadvantages: Not a lot! - Apart from the Insurance!

...I bought my Alfa Romeo 146 Ti just over two years ago. Its a P Reg now so is getting on abit and I keep thinking to myself I better get a new car, but I just cannot bring myself to sell it. I went out looking for a new car just over two years ago and had in my mind I were going to get a Vectra or Laguna or something along those lines, that were until I saw the 146 sitting on the forecourt. As soon as I saw it I fell in love with it and once had took it for a test drive, well, that were it! Within half an hour the cheque were wrote and the car were paid for! Now I keep thinking about getting a new car but just think to myself - but I dont want to get rid of my Alfa! The Alfa 146 has absolutely everything, brilliant performence, excellent handling, is very comfortable, definatley looks the part and it definately gets you noticed...

MartinClark 13.03.2003 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 146 2.0

Don't believe all you hear about Alfa Romeo

Advantages: Eye catching looks - relatively rare
Disadvantages: Other peoples perceptions

...I purchased my 1.6 Lusso in June 2002 from a car supermarket. I had been torn bewteen the 147 and the new Mini. I visited both dealers - the Alfa dealer was keen but couldn't come down to my price, whilst the Mini dealer was very much "I can sell 10 of these tomorrow - why should I bother trying to help you!". Frustrated I visited a car supermarket and was somewhat bewildered by the choice on offer. I would strongly recommend it to anyone - even if you don't buy from them. Seeing the car in full colour beats trying to imagine it from the 2 inch square card in the showroom. The supermarket offered a favourable rate on my car and at £12,300 it was £2300 less than list. I picked it up a few days later and was suprised to wait in-line for the keys along with about 10 other people collecting at that time. Once they hand over...

CarNut 23.12.2003 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 147 1.6

My Alfa Romeo

Advantages: Its a comfortable ride, and has some prestige element attached.
Disadvantages: Wheel handling can be difficult in wet weather as its a rear wheel drive vehicle

...I have owned this car for about 8 years now, didnt buy it from new, but its always been a great experience to drive. It looks good and is comfortable because it has the race car bucket Rockero seats which my sons would love to have, but I wont let them have them of course. Its fast and ease on the road is a pleasure, although in winter when the roads are wet it can be a pain in the neck because its a rear wheel drive vehicle. It is pretty expensive to run because the parts usually have to come direct from Italy, well in my experience they have. But they are easily accessable. Mechanics dont really like working on them however so I tend to take it to an Alfa specialist which of course is far more expensive, but it makes all the difference. I dont know too much about the technical side of the car but I do know that it takes a good driver...

kiria 18.02.2005 · Read review
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Review of Alfa Romeo 75 2.0