Diving into the world of Alfa's

[Sam3773]

So after many suggestions in a 'What car?' thread, none of which included an Alfa, I feel like now's a good time to get an Alfa. I've always loved the look of them and how well equipped they are for the cash and I wanted some opinions on some options..

I've had a look around and at the moment it's between a GT or 159 (I fancy something bigger a more 'grown up' than a 147). My budget is around £3K which looks like it will only net me a 1.9 JTDM 16v Turismo/Lusso or at a push a Cloverleaf. What I really want is a 159 TI, but that's gonna' be a stretch!

What's the 1.9 JTDM engine like? I want something that'll go when it needs to so I'll probably get a map on it after I purchase if I need to. I've heard the 2.0 JTS engines are the worst ones to go for?

I know there's a BlackLine model that's in budget, but ideally in a perfect world, i really want the red.. I'm in now rush so I can afford to wait for the right one.

Cheers!