Alfa Ownership
Discussion
You tend to only hear about the bad examples...
... but on the whole they are good cars. You need to find a friendly dealer and be nice to them and you mustn't get too het up about little things like the odd rattle or the bulb covers falling off if you slam the boot lid. If these would have you rushing back to the dealer and having a scene, then an Alfa is not for you.
If on the other hand you would smile, shrug, stick the bulb cover back on and enjoy the drive... then you will be fine.
>> Edited by wombat rick on Thursday 14th April 19:20
... but on the whole they are good cars. You need to find a friendly dealer and be nice to them and you mustn't get too het up about little things like the odd rattle or the bulb covers falling off if you slam the boot lid. If these would have you rushing back to the dealer and having a scene, then an Alfa is not for you.
If on the other hand you would smile, shrug, stick the bulb cover back on and enjoy the drive... then you will be fine.
>> Edited by wombat rick on Thursday 14th April 19:20
Wasn't it James May (Top Gear chappy) that said you can't claim to be a true car enthusiast until you've owned an Alfa? 
Certainly a good dealer will help with the ownership experience, but the cars have bags of character (some of which falls off every now and again, but nothing a good hit with the palm of your hand won't fix )
Certainly a good dealer will help with the ownership experience, but the cars have bags of character (some of which falls off every now and again, but nothing a good hit with the palm of your hand won't fix
)
Twin Turbo said:
Certainly a good dealer will help with the ownership experience, but the cars have bags of character (some of which falls off every now and again, but nothing a good hit with the palm of your hand won't fix
Well having driven the GTV for the first time tonight, I now 'get' Alfas. Up until about a year ago I didn't really like them, but one day I saw a 147 and thought, that's quite nice really. Was this the start of middle age, probably
but I don't care. The GTV is an absolute hoot to drive (once warmed up of course 
) and I look forward to fighting J for the keys! 
Ace-T
garyhun said:
seriously considering the Brera when launched.
Me too
garyhun said:
Is Alfa ownership the nightmare that I used to read about or are they a reliable every day proposition now?
My old man had 3 alfas when I was young - 2 suds TIs and a 75 TS. Then I got my own Sud Ti and now a 147. It's NEVER been a nightmare, always a pleasure. I got my 147 brand new nearly 4 years ago. It's been spot on. I can still hoon around country lanes, pick up the family, go shopping, or just sit in a traffic jam looking around me gloating, knowing that I made the perfect choice.
>> Edited by jacobyte on Friday 15th April 10:58
garyhun said:
I have never owned an Alfa but am seriously considering the Brera when launched. Is Alfa ownership the nightmare that I used to read about or are they a reliable every day proposition now?
In a nutshell, "no"... probably.
Seriously, the 70's are a long time ago now but the biggest problem you're likely to have is a dealership network that hasn't yet worked out that they need to put the customer first.
Another point, though, is that its never usually a great idea to get a brand new model as soon as its launched. There's bound to be a few teething problems, recalls etc. Wait for 6 months / a year and then buy a new one.
pdV6 said:
but the biggest problem you're likely to have is a dealership network that hasn't yet worked out that they need to put the customer first.
In all fairness, it is Alfa not providing ANY backup in terms of goodwill contributions or replacement vehicles, not the dealership network per-se.
I am on my second 156 (delivered 2 weeks ago) and did 97K miles in 3 years in the last with only one breakdown - a broken battery lead. The dealer (in Stoke on Trent) has been great for service and back up. I speak as I find and would recommend an Alfa to anyone - they are fun to drive and dont suffer from the ar****le factor some German makes seem to have. Lets face it The Brera looks fantastic and the pricing makes other European competitors look very expensive.
whitney44 said:
they are fun to drive and dont suffer from the ar****le factor some German makes seem to have. Lets face it The Brera looks fantastic and the pricing makes other European competitors look very expensive
I've had an Alfa for a month now and heartily agree (although funnily enough the rear bulb cover fell off the other day just as Rick said). If you want a combination of fun, practicality and style in one car you can't go far wrong. The only problem is they do seem to depreciate faster than their German rivals which I would say makes them better as a second-hand rather than new buy.
''I've had an Alfa for a month now and heartily agree (although funnily enough the rear bulb cover fell off the other day just as Rick said). If you want a combination of fun, practicality and style in one car you can't go far wrong. The only problem is they do seem to depreciate faster than their German rivals which I would say makes them better as a second-hand rather than new buy.''
Thats true - my level of car is an Audi A4, £2k or so more at list but the Alfa was more on contract hire, so we agreed to extend the period to bring it down to the Audi cost. I am more than happy with that.......
Thats true - my level of car is an Audi A4, £2k or so more at list but the Alfa was more on contract hire, so we agreed to extend the period to bring it down to the Audi cost. I am more than happy with that.......
whitney44 said:
Hi Alex,
Yes its Platts and Lee Rose is still there - just sorted my new one. They have a shiny new showroom and workshop just for the Alfa side of things. I take it you have used them before?
Simon.
Yes, I bought a 145 from him in 1995. Went back several times and once took him for a blast in my Griff!
I think they're bottom (or nearly) in the JD Power survey again this year. I guess that says something. I love my old 164 to bits and, having had 3 of them with no particular service history and all of them well over 100,000 miles when I got them, I can honestly say they were great cars. Very little goes wrong with them. To counter that, however, my wife bought a 156 on the strength of this and we've had some problems with it. Bit like TVRs I think, the good times usually make up for the bad but it would probably be fair to expect some bad times....
...or buy a Lexus!
...or buy a Lexus!
Having run a collecion of Fiats over the last 6 years i found myself drooling over Alfa 156 Sportwagons and after some careful research bought 'Sophia' a Nero black 2001 2.4 JTD Veloce Sportpack 3.
The relationship so far is comparable to a high maintenance female - you have to be prepared to tolerate the odd hormonal moment and prepared to splash out occasionally - but the rewards are well worth it.
Depends on the sort of person you are and your outlook on life. Do you like Angelia Jolie or is Gwyneth Paltrow more your cup of tea?
I have replaced/upgraded the suspension and fitted new wheels and tyres, had it re-mapped and just bought a brembo big brake kit.
Issues? - of course the loose bits of trim as above plus an airflow meter, suspension arms and rear wheel bearing.
All the best
The relationship so far is comparable to a high maintenance female - you have to be prepared to tolerate the odd hormonal moment and prepared to splash out occasionally - but the rewards are well worth it.
Depends on the sort of person you are and your outlook on life. Do you like Angelia Jolie or is Gwyneth Paltrow more your cup of tea?
I have replaced/upgraded the suspension and fitted new wheels and tyres, had it re-mapped and just bought a brembo big brake kit.
Issues? - of course the loose bits of trim as above plus an airflow meter, suspension arms and rear wheel bearing.
All the best
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