User Reviews

2.0 TI

Al

Overall Rating

I've only had this car four months, but I'm really pleased with it. Speed and comfort are great. I'm managing to average around 33 mpg (26 around town). ****

1.7 boxer

David

Overall Rating

I bought this car knowing what I really wanted was the better looking 145 (let's face it you buy an Alfa for it's looks and character - certainly ones from this era) but I had a young family and needed the extra space. That said the shape grew on me over time. There weren't/aren't many of them on the road and the style still looks fresh and distinctive - even now. The car was well equiped but the cut-away dash left you with next-to-no storage space (did they cut it away to avoid putting in a passenger airbag? You couldn't hit your head there if you tried!). The engine sounded wonderful but the 146 was too heavy for the old 129bhp boxer unit. This meant performance was in warm hatch territory despite the low gearing which probably helped acceleration but made the car very thirsty at motorway speeds. Mechanicals... My cam belt went well before it should have done. The specialist that rebuilt my engine at great cost explained that they should be changed more frequently than the suggested interval due to the amount of time spent in traffic and the devastating cost of fixing the unit if it does go! Alfa dealer servicing (in my experience) was very poor. The car came back too many times with the same fault it went in for. Except for the cam belt incident I found the car mechanically reliable, started first time - every time but we parted company at 80k so I can't vouch for the reliability of anything with a higher mileage. Handling wasn't great (blown out of the water by the Focus I replaced it with) but it was an enjoyable car - strong if not scintillating accelaration and the feeling that your a bit different from all the other drivers on the road, a bit special. A bit of a pain to live with but I often drool over the pics when I see one in the autotrader. I would probably buy another even though I know I'd regret it.

Saloon (1995-2001)

Joe Shepherd

Overall Rating

Good value for a second hand car. Good performance but very thirsty on fuel. Drives well but quite a hard ride. Had loads of problems ever since I bought it.

2.0 Ti

Paul

Overall Rating

Only jump in if it's very cheap! Avoid high milers at any cost. This is the second Alfa model I've had with the later Twin Spark engine and both have had overheating problems (which I had been warned about). Performance is great in a straight line. Nice ride too but it doesn't corner. Feels like my old 33 to drive which I guess isn't surprising given its origins. Build is very average but reasonable kit list. Just make sure it all works!