A true petrol head has owned.......

[BTB 500]

Alfa Spider thread here

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=42853

 

[grober]

I think Alfa owner's experience is largely dictated by their access to a good dealer/Specialist as with all good thoroughbreds they need sympathetic looking after. Unfortunately even Alfa admitted their dealerships were not good enough altho they are trying to improve them- dealers and cars.

 

[R2D2]

I've owned two Alfas, a sud 1.5 Super and a sud 1.3 SC in Alfa red. Both were wonderful, both handled great, sounded great, both had good gearchanges and brakes. I will never forget them as they were great cars. Yes they rusted and had niggles but they never actually let me down.

I agree with the petrol head thing. The trouble is like the Sprintbooster threads, the people who don't get it haven't had one. i.e. Those whove never owned one say "I believe Sprintbooster doesn't work and that Alfas are rubbish" but they haven't owned one. Those who have actually owned an Alfa get it!

 

[st4]

What if you buy a diesel Alfa, does that count?

 

[nullogik]

The past gripes about poor build and reliability have made me fearful about buying an Alfa. And no, I don't think you have to own/love an Alfa to be a real petrol head.

Credit to Alfa, I love their styling. Its unique and original (in a good way). Just no sure about the mechanicals.

 

[Actdaft]

For me it was a quite a major problem.

Alfa GTV6, went like stink and broke down as fast.
Alfa 75, as above.
Alfa 156, destroyed engine.
Alfa Spider, beautiful until gear box went bang.

Loved them all when the going was good, but that was not all that often.

Then I moved from Italian stuff to German things, vast improvement.

 

[glojo]

Well I'm biased as I picked this up 2 weeks ago! Its the 3rd Alfa we've had in a row with only 1 breakdown so far which was in the 147 we had before when after 4 years of ownership the EGR value needed replacing.

The pictures of your Alfa makes me realise just how ugly.............






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BMW's really are

Beautiful looking car
Regards
John

 

[fyonn]

The pictures of your Alfa makes me realise just how ugly.............
BMW's really are

Hey, if RichardM wants to get rid of his BMW 335d coupe, then I'd be more than happy to take it off his hands

dave

 

[PAPA]

I have had 11 alfa's over the years, You have to have a alfa frame of mind to own them.

This may not be true of the new ones.....

You have to be able to laugh when it does not start, Go back to it ten mins later and it will roar into life, for no reason

You put up with the ruff running days for the days the car is spot on.

You often scare your self and wonder how the hell you just got round that last bend so fast

dont have the radio on as the v6 sound is just soooo damn sexy

You get to know your dealer really really well

All the parts you think are gona be pennys are really ££ and all the parts you think are gona be ££ ARE !

the brakes were crap, dealer says alfa dont care, they just want to go fast not stop

All the peddles are off set so you had to sit on a angle feet to the left, inboard brakes that you had to drop the rear axle to change, insane torque steer, Eats front tyres, bits of trim fall off, gearbox on a odd angle great for lhd sucked a little in rhd, Pull back from 1st into 4th, 2nd was away from you and back, wipers packed up in the rain, lights failed at night.

Would I have another alfa tomorrow YES!

 

[Colin_b]

I had an Alfasud many years ago, lovely when it went, which was all too infrequent

I had a look as a Spider last year. Looked lovely, but drove poorly. Bought an SLK instead, and don't regret it.

Alfa have made some truly horrible cars, this I suspect being the nadir.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfa_Romeo_Arna

 

[jeremytaylor]

I've never owned one but have driven a few. I think the 'petrolhead' comment applies to the older ones. The newer ones (like so many other mass produced cars these days) have a mixture of genes - except ALL Mercs! The 2.2 engine in the 159 etc. is a GM engine!

 

[RichardM]

Its funny the W211 E270 was absolutely the most unreliable car I have ever owned. If anyone comments about the Alfa and reliability I normally reply well at least it can't be as bad as the Mercedes I had. So many things went wrong with it but I guess that was a problem with having one of the first W211's built (mine was an Aug 2002). Its put me off buying another Mercedes which is a shame as it was a great car when it was running.

 

[RichardM]

Alfa Spider thread here

http://www.mbclub.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=42853

Thanks, the roof on ours has failed to properly open twice! The dealer assures me they have sorted it but it hasn't been the weather to try again recently.

I would have much prefered a new shape SLK320 but this is what she wanted

 

[andy_k]

I never really had an issue with Alfa reliability, if you kept them serviced, they worked. They went rusty but they worked

I still miss the Montreal and it's maybe the only car I've owned that I really wish I still had

I keep threatening to buy another Alfa, in particular a GTV6 but then I remember that for the time being, I have enough projects

Andy

 

[jdrrco]

I voted yes and yes - check my sig!!

Done 5,000 miles in it now in six weeks and smiled my way through every one of them.

My old 156SW never failed me either, although I was always expecting it to because of their reputation (I also owned a Triumph Stag at the same time, so you can imagine the comments I got!).

Having defected to the 159 from my E270CDI because I don't like the new C-class, I don't regret it at all - excellent build quality, superb handling, fantastic fun and the front end doesn't look like an Astra. (Handling makes it easier for me to avoid all the rotten tomatoes inevitably heading my way now!)

 

[jdrrco]

PS: The TG team actually say to be a true petrolhead you have to have owned an Alfa, not love them.

Although it's pretty-well impossible to do the first without the second.

 

[st4]

I never really had an issue with Alfa reliability, if you kept them serviced, they worked. They went rusty but they worked

I heard the Alfasaud described in Classic & Sports Car Magazine been referred to as an "Alfa Setzler". When placed in water it woud dissolve that fast.

Some Alfa's are okay looking and I am sure they are okay to drive, but a BMW will have a Alfa licked dynamically and it won't rust.

And as for that new Brera that the mags think is beautiful. It absolutely hideous. that bulbus rear, ugly profile and grill. Its not a nice looking car, sorry. The GT based on the 156 has a much nicer profile. But I'd rather have a used Audi A5 or CLK any day.

 

[jdrrco]

What if you buy a diesel Alfa, does that count?

Counts more so. As someone posted earlier the 2.2 petrol engine is a GM unit (substanitally re-worked by Alfa).

However, the diesel engine is an Alfa unit which they supply to GM for Astra, Vectra & Saab!

 

[jdrrco]

a BMW will have a Alfa licked dynamically

Not true, I'm afraid.

Auto Bild (German car mag) have a video on the 'net showing A4 & 3-series struggling round a slalem course. Alfa 159 sails through it, all cones still intact! And that was without the Q2 fitted on all MY08 models (like mine! )

 

[st4]

Counts more so. As someone posted earlier the 2.2 petrol engine is a GM unit (substanitally re-worked by Alfa).

However, the diesel engine is an Alfa unit which they supply to GM for Astra, Vectra & Saab!

Lets extend that. Can diesel car drivers be petrol heads?

And why aren't there stranded vectra's Saabs and Astra's everywhere if this is true.