Alfa Romeo Brera 1750 TBI - High Miler
Discussion
Introducing my 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera 1750 TBI purchased on something of a whim last Sunday.
I'd spotted this car on Auto Trader a couple of weeks ago and got in touch with the owner Alex who lived in Essex. I had good communication during the course of the week with Alex answering any questions I had and finally we'd agreed I would view the car last Sunday. I drove the 85 mile journey from my home in Leicestershire to view the car on the Essex/East London border. I found the car to be as described and after a test drive a price was agreed with a significant chunk of change out of £5K.
So, why the Brera? Well, to be truthful I hadn't planned to buy a Brera. I was attracted to this particular car because it's a very rare model one of only 65 Breras built in RHD with the 1750 Turbo engine similar to the later aluminium variant used in the 4C. I also happen to think Touring Grey suits the Brera so well. With the exception of traditional Alfa Red I personally think it's the best colour.
The 1742cc Turbo charged petrol engine produces 200bhp and propels the Brera from rest to 60 in 7.7 seconds. The performance is leisurely by modern standards and the Brera certainly can't be described as a sports car in my opinion. It's more along the lines of a grand tourer. However, it was the only true Alfa engine produced for the Brera and heralded the dawn of the latest range of petrol engines for Alfa.
Alfa launch the Brera TBI in late 2009 only for production of the Brera to cease all together in late 2010 although there were a handful of cars registered in 2011.
This particular car was supplied in July 2010 to a chap in Kent who kept the car for 6 years covering 110,000 miles in that time. The second owner Alex living in Essex owned the car for just short of 3 years and covered a further 16,000 miles in that time.
The car has a fully documented service history from new which came with the car detailing almost every penny spent on the car from new including the all important cambelt & water pump change which was completed in January 2018 at 119,000 miles.
Consummate with age and mileage the car has a very italian patina which kind of strangely adds to the charm of the car so my plans for the car include addressing the cosmetic appearance sympathetically. I will be changing the stock 17" castors to 18" 5-hole wheels as fitted to some late Breras and Giuliettas to improve the appearance without compromising the ride. 19" wheels were fitted to the Brera S special edition and I find they make the ride a little too firm.
There is a whine on occasion from cold which would suggest the the steering requires attention. This isn't uncommon on the Brera and 159 and given the bargain price paid for the car this doesn't concern me but will be addressed.
The rear parking sensors don't work and it may be cost effective just to replace the sensors rather than try to fix the issue with the existing equipment.
There is condensation in the drivers side rear tail light cluster. There is a known fix to this which involves removing the unit, drilling holes to enable the lense to be dried out before resealing and refitting the cluster.
Given the rarity of this model and even accounting for the mileage this car is something of a bargain. A low miles example was recently advertised for £15,000. I paid considerably less than a third of that for this car and given my Brera will only used at weekends as I have two other cars including an Alfa Giulietta I'm very happy with my purchase.
I will try to keep this thread updated as I work on the car provided there is interest. Here are some pictures of my car.
Thanks for reading.
I'd spotted this car on Auto Trader a couple of weeks ago and got in touch with the owner Alex who lived in Essex. I had good communication during the course of the week with Alex answering any questions I had and finally we'd agreed I would view the car last Sunday. I drove the 85 mile journey from my home in Leicestershire to view the car on the Essex/East London border. I found the car to be as described and after a test drive a price was agreed with a significant chunk of change out of £5K.
So, why the Brera? Well, to be truthful I hadn't planned to buy a Brera. I was attracted to this particular car because it's a very rare model one of only 65 Breras built in RHD with the 1750 Turbo engine similar to the later aluminium variant used in the 4C. I also happen to think Touring Grey suits the Brera so well. With the exception of traditional Alfa Red I personally think it's the best colour.
The 1742cc Turbo charged petrol engine produces 200bhp and propels the Brera from rest to 60 in 7.7 seconds. The performance is leisurely by modern standards and the Brera certainly can't be described as a sports car in my opinion. It's more along the lines of a grand tourer. However, it was the only true Alfa engine produced for the Brera and heralded the dawn of the latest range of petrol engines for Alfa.
Alfa launch the Brera TBI in late 2009 only for production of the Brera to cease all together in late 2010 although there were a handful of cars registered in 2011.
This particular car was supplied in July 2010 to a chap in Kent who kept the car for 6 years covering 110,000 miles in that time. The second owner Alex living in Essex owned the car for just short of 3 years and covered a further 16,000 miles in that time.
The car has a fully documented service history from new which came with the car detailing almost every penny spent on the car from new including the all important cambelt & water pump change which was completed in January 2018 at 119,000 miles.
Consummate with age and mileage the car has a very italian patina which kind of strangely adds to the charm of the car so my plans for the car include addressing the cosmetic appearance sympathetically. I will be changing the stock 17" castors to 18" 5-hole wheels as fitted to some late Breras and Giuliettas to improve the appearance without compromising the ride. 19" wheels were fitted to the Brera S special edition and I find they make the ride a little too firm.
There is a whine on occasion from cold which would suggest the the steering requires attention. This isn't uncommon on the Brera and 159 and given the bargain price paid for the car this doesn't concern me but will be addressed.
The rear parking sensors don't work and it may be cost effective just to replace the sensors rather than try to fix the issue with the existing equipment.
There is condensation in the drivers side rear tail light cluster. There is a known fix to this which involves removing the unit, drilling holes to enable the lense to be dried out before resealing and refitting the cluster.
Given the rarity of this model and even accounting for the mileage this car is something of a bargain. A low miles example was recently advertised for £15,000. I paid considerably less than a third of that for this car and given my Brera will only used at weekends as I have two other cars including an Alfa Giulietta I'm very happy with my purchase.
I will try to keep this thread updated as I work on the car provided there is interest. Here are some pictures of my car.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by Alfahorn on Sunday 21st April 18:57
Edited by Alfahorn on Saturday 15th June 17:00
Alfahorn said:
Introducing my 2010 Alfa Romeo Brera 1750 TBI purchased on something of a whim last Sunday.
I'd spotted this car on Auto Trader a couple of weeks ago and got in touch with the owner Alex who lived in Essex. I had good communication during the course of the week with Alex answering any questions I had and finally we'd agreed I would view the car last Sunday. I drove the 85 mile journey from my home in Leicestershire to view the car on the Essex/East London border. I found the car to be as described and after a test drive a price was agreed with a significant chunk of change out of £5K.
So, why the Brera? Well, to be truthful I hadn't planned to buy a Brera. I was attracted to this particular car because it's a very rare model one of only 65 Breras built in RHD with the 1750 Turbo engine similar to the later aluminium variant used in the 4C. I also happen to think Touring Grey suits the Brera so well. With the exception of traditional Alfa Red I personally think it's the best colour.
The 1742cc Turbo charged petrol engine produces 200bhp and propels the Brera from rest to 60 in 7.7 seconds. The performance is leisurely by modern standards and the Brera certainly can't be described as a sports car in my opinion. It's more along the lines of a grand tourer. However, it was the only true Alfa engine produced for the Brera and heralded the dawn of the latest range of petrol engines for Alfa.
Alfa launch the Brera TBI in late 2009 only for production of the Brera to cease all together in late 2010 although there were a handful of cars registered in 2011.
This particular car was supplied in July 2010 to a chap in Kent who kept the car for 6 years covering 110,000 miles in that time. The second owner Alex living in Essex owned the car for just short of 3 years and covered a further 16,000 miles in that time.
The car has a fully documented service history from new which came with the car detailing almost every penny spent on the car from new including the all important cambelt & water pump change which was completed in January 2018 at 119,000 miles.
Consummate with age and mileage the car has a very italian patina which kind of strangely adds to the charm of the car so my plans for the car include addressing the cosmetic appearance sympathetically. I will be changing the stock 17" castors to 18" 5-hole wheels as fitted to some late Breras and Giuliettas to improve the appearance without compromising the ride. 19" wheels were fitted to the Brera S special edition and I find they make the ride a little too firm.
There is a whine on occasion from cold which would suggest the the steering requires attention. This isn't uncommon on the Brera and 159 and given the bargain price paid for the car this doesn't concern me but will be addressed.
The rear parking sensors don't work and it may be cost effective just to replace the sensors rather than try to fix the issue with the existing equipment.
There is condensation in the drivers side rear tail light cluster. There is a known fix to this which involves removing the unit, drilling holes to enable the lense to be dried out before resealing and refitting the cluster.
Given the rarity of this model and even accounting for the mileage this car is something of a bargain. A low miles example was recently advertised for £15,000. I paid considerably less than a third of that for this car and given my Brera will only used at weekends as I have two other cars including an Alfa Giulietta I'm very happy with my purchase.
I will try to keep this thread updated as I work on the car provided there is interest. Here are some pictures of my car.
Thanks for reading.
Lovely looking car, sticky tyres too I'd spotted this car on Auto Trader a couple of weeks ago and got in touch with the owner Alex who lived in Essex. I had good communication during the course of the week with Alex answering any questions I had and finally we'd agreed I would view the car last Sunday. I drove the 85 mile journey from my home in Leicestershire to view the car on the Essex/East London border. I found the car to be as described and after a test drive a price was agreed with a significant chunk of change out of £5K.
So, why the Brera? Well, to be truthful I hadn't planned to buy a Brera. I was attracted to this particular car because it's a very rare model one of only 65 Breras built in RHD with the 1750 Turbo engine similar to the later aluminium variant used in the 4C. I also happen to think Touring Grey suits the Brera so well. With the exception of traditional Alfa Red I personally think it's the best colour.
The 1742cc Turbo charged petrol engine produces 200bhp and propels the Brera from rest to 60 in 7.7 seconds. The performance is leisurely by modern standards and the Brera certainly can't be described as a sports car in my opinion. It's more along the lines of a grand tourer. However, it was the only true Alfa engine produced for the Brera and heralded the dawn of the latest range of petrol engines for Alfa.
Alfa launch the Brera TBI in late 2009 only for production of the Brera to cease all together in late 2010 although there were a handful of cars registered in 2011.
This particular car was supplied in July 2010 to a chap in Kent who kept the car for 6 years covering 110,000 miles in that time. The second owner Alex living in Essex owned the car for just short of 3 years and covered a further 16,000 miles in that time.
The car has a fully documented service history from new which came with the car detailing almost every penny spent on the car from new including the all important cambelt & water pump change which was completed in January 2018 at 119,000 miles.
Consummate with age and mileage the car has a very italian patina which kind of strangely adds to the charm of the car so my plans for the car include addressing the cosmetic appearance sympathetically. I will be changing the stock 17" castors to 18" 5-hole wheels as fitted to some late Breras and Giuliettas to improve the appearance without compromising the ride. 19" wheels were fitted to the Brera S special edition and I find they make the ride a little too firm.
There is a whine on occasion from cold which would suggest the the steering requires attention. This isn't uncommon on the Brera and 159 and given the bargain price paid for the car this doesn't concern me but will be addressed.
The rear parking sensors don't work and it may be cost effective just to replace the sensors rather than try to fix the issue with the existing equipment.
There is condensation in the drivers side rear tail light cluster. There is a known fix to this which involves removing the unit, drilling holes to enable the lense to be dried out before resealing and refitting the cluster.
Given the rarity of this model and even accounting for the mileage this car is something of a bargain. A low miles example was recently advertised for £15,000. I paid considerably less than a third of that for this car and given my Brera will only used at weekends as I have two other cars including an Alfa Giulietta I'm very happy with my purchase.
I will try to keep this thread updated as I work on the car provided there is interest. Here are some pictures of my car.
Thanks for reading.
Edited by Alfahorn on Sunday 21st April 18:57
Mr Tidy said:
They've always looked fantastic! 
(Even down under). 
The 1750 TBI engine sounds like an interesting choice - presumably they can be re-mapped if more grunt is desired?
Yes. A friend has a 2012 Giulietta Cloverlesf with the same engine mapped to 280 hp. (Even down under). The 1750 TBI engine sounds like an interesting choice - presumably they can be re-mapped if more grunt is desired?
The TBI’s performance and characteristics are diesel like with peak power coming a much lower revs with the car developing 200 hp and 236lb of torque.
I've now run the Brera for 2 months and 1,200 miles.
Next week work starts on making some improvements and getting the car how I want it.
Job this week include;
Check power steering as we suspect the pump is faulty and may need replacement.
Rear Parking Sensors don't work it's likely to be more economical to replace the existing sensors.
Rear light cluster is misting so needs sorting and then resealing.
Nearside wing mirror housing is loose hopefully we can fix it alternatively I'll find a replacement unit.
I've purchased the carbon fibre console trim to replace the original black.
A new grille badge to be fitted
New stainless steel kick plates to be fitted to replace the the scratched existing ones which are showing 127,000 miles worth of people getting in and out of the car.
The MOT is due at the end of the month so getting the car ready for that to ensure it passes first time.
I've allowed a budget of approx. £2,000-£2,500 to get the car spot on including cosmetics. I've spent £580.00 on parts so far having said that the original retail value of the parts purchased is in the region of £2,000 so I'm happy with that.
Lets see what this week brings.
Next week work starts on making some improvements and getting the car how I want it.
Job this week include;
Check power steering as we suspect the pump is faulty and may need replacement.
Rear Parking Sensors don't work it's likely to be more economical to replace the existing sensors.
Rear light cluster is misting so needs sorting and then resealing.
Nearside wing mirror housing is loose hopefully we can fix it alternatively I'll find a replacement unit.
I've purchased the carbon fibre console trim to replace the original black.
A new grille badge to be fitted
New stainless steel kick plates to be fitted to replace the the scratched existing ones which are showing 127,000 miles worth of people getting in and out of the car.
The MOT is due at the end of the month so getting the car ready for that to ensure it passes first time.
I've allowed a budget of approx. £2,000-£2,500 to get the car spot on including cosmetics. I've spent £580.00 on parts so far having said that the original retail value of the parts purchased is in the region of £2,000 so I'm happy with that.
Lets see what this week brings.
It’s been sometime since I’ve done an update on the Brera so here goes.
I’ve now had the car 18 months and the car is now on 135,000 miles so I’ve covered 8,500. A lot more miles than I thought I would do.
Reading back I note my comments about having a budget of £2500 to get this car spot on.
Well, it’s fair to say I’ve spent about that much already and it still hasn’t had any paint! Lol
What I can say is all the niggles I had with the car have been ironed out. The car has just passed the MOT with no advisories.
Overall I’m averaging 28.9 mpg. Not that I’m bothered as that’s not why I bought it. I have a Mito JTD for economy and a 147 2.0 shed I bought for hooning about in. The Brera is a
fast road cruiser. It’s definitely not a sports car!
I’ve added carbon fibre centre console and next I’m adding a refurbed 159 TI steering wheel which will be done by Royal Steering Wheels. I’ve already fitted 19s from a 159. I was worried that this would compromise the ride but not so.
I plan to get the car painted early next year. The car is great but the paint, which was never
best even new, is showing its miles.
One of 58 taxed Breras in the Uk and it’s a keeper.
I’ve now had the car 18 months and the car is now on 135,000 miles so I’ve covered 8,500. A lot more miles than I thought I would do.
Reading back I note my comments about having a budget of £2500 to get this car spot on.
Well, it’s fair to say I’ve spent about that much already and it still hasn’t had any paint! Lol
What I can say is all the niggles I had with the car have been ironed out. The car has just passed the MOT with no advisories.
Overall I’m averaging 28.9 mpg. Not that I’m bothered as that’s not why I bought it. I have a Mito JTD for economy and a 147 2.0 shed I bought for hooning about in. The Brera is a
fast road cruiser. It’s definitely not a sports car!
I’ve added carbon fibre centre console and next I’m adding a refurbed 159 TI steering wheel which will be done by Royal Steering Wheels. I’ve already fitted 19s from a 159. I was worried that this would compromise the ride but not so.
I plan to get the car painted early next year. The car is great but the paint, which was never
best even new, is showing its miles.
One of 58 taxed Breras in the Uk and it’s a keeper.
lockhart flawse said:
Much better with the new wheels. What's the interior like at 135,000 miles. Mines at 58k and still looks great - nothing dropped off or broken and no rattles. It's really just the driver's seat that shows any signs of use on mine.
No issues at all. The driver seat shows signs of wear as you'd expect for the miles. However, I've seen cars with similar and sometimes lower miles in a terrible state.
Everything still works as it should. All the switch gear is fine and when it's had a damn good clean it comes up a treat.
There are no rattles, bangs or squeaks from the car. It doesn't use any oil. It runs sweetly.
Like any car. If you care for it then it will last and the Brera is no different.
It's been a great buy despite being in some respects a bit of a brave pill purchase. All the other Brera and Spider TBI's I've seen are still under 100k.
When you consider you can pay between £10-£16,000 for a low mileage Brera or Spider and this car cost me £4600 it was a bargain.
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