2005 Alfa Romeo 147 Selespeed 2.0 petrol

Summary:

An enjoyable little car to drive, but make sure you've got a good warranty

Faults:

Water leak into front passenger footwell - fixed under warranty.

Temperamental sunroof control.

Occasional random dashboard warnings about various system failures (selespeed, electronic stability control etc) with no cause found.

One or two other minor faults happily fixed under warranty by the dealership.

General Comments:

This was my first experience of owning an Alfa Romeo. Overall I really liked this vehicle, but I'm glad to have disposed of it before the end of the warranty period, because I suspect long term reliability could be an issue.

The black leather cabin interior was well styled and comfortable, and I also loved the exterior styling.

Factory Bose stereo on this model was outstanding.

Air conditioning struggled on hot Australian days.

Good performance from the 2 litre engine, seems to like being revved and sounds great when driven harder.

The selespeed gearbox adds to driving enjoyment, and also gives an automatic option which my wife usually enabled when driving. I had no problems with the selespeed, but any issues outside the warranty period would be likely very costly.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th August, 2009

2006 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA 3.2 V6 petrol

Summary:

Awesome!!!

Faults:

Nothing yet!!!

General Comments:

Sex on wheels. Corners so fast it makes your ears bleed. At 0-100 in 6.3 seconds it beat my husbands Falcon GT - in fact he was so upset he went and bought a S4 Audi.

Sounds absolutely gorgeous, just as a hot little Alfa Hatch should!

Fantastic driving position for a petite person like me. Body hugging seats. very stiff and hard riding especially on our shocking NZ Roads. Not much room in the back for passengers - but who cares - just turn the Bose sound up for company!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd June, 2006

2002 Alfa Romeo 147 Twin Spark 5 door 2.0 petrol

Summary:

Italian Passion with Reliability

Faults:

Plastic strip at front spoiler fell off.

Water in the Diesel Warning - I use Petrol! Fixed with a new 'upload' of software.

General Comments:

Gem to drive, don't need to turn on the stereo.. listen to the music of the engine.

Very Strong performance from the 2.0 L.

Beautiful looks, excellent handling if you enjoy driving a kart.

So far so good, very reliable.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 11th September, 2004

2002 Alfa Romeo 147 TS 2.0 petrol twin spark

Summary:

Don't believe the old Alfa reputation - this one is a cracker

Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong - so far absolute reliability.

General Comments:

Fantastic, communicative, tactile, satisfying drivers car that is surprisingly cheap to run and service.

Could do with stronger dampers, but that is my only (mild) complaint.

Love the engine note, and the fast that it is SO incredibly responsive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th June, 2004

15th Oct 2005, 04:04

Update - car has now travelled 27,000kms and is running like a dream. SO far absolutely nothing has gone wrong. Our other car, A Subaru Liberty RX, by contrast, continues to disappoint.

2004 Alfa Romeo 147 GTA

Summary:

Great car, personality, performance, practicality and not too costly

Faults:

Nothing, the car has been bulletproof so far.

General Comments:

Beautiful inside & out, lots of character and a wonderful burble from the 3.2ltr V6. Handling is very good indeed, even compared to rear drive opposition. A definite head turner.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 10th June, 2004

18th Apr 2005, 06:00

This is an update:

The V6 can be very thirsty - almost as bad as STI/Evo thirst in fact, just in everyday driving, but it has a wonderful burble and torque at low revs.

Interior plastics are cheap and appear to be quite brittle. Also the bodykit side skirts appear to be separating! unbelievable. Black met paint scratches easily.

Computer gives false alerts e.g. low battery voltage and oil pressure messages - checked out by dealer to be nothing!??

A seductive mistress, but I'm getting ready for the gremlins.

In reply to 18th Apr 2005, 06:00

3rd May 2011, 15:37

Strange, as the side skirts are part of the car NOT stuck on.

2002 Alfa Romeo 147 Selespeed 2.0TS

Summary:

Probably the best looking best equipped car for the money in this market .

Faults:

Update to an earlier review.

Still some annoying problems with the computers. Odometer flashes occasionally ( no explanation) and audio hunts for the changer (not fitted) Dealer seems reluctant to fix it, unable to decide whether the car needs new body computer or or radio head unit.

Noise from front suspension became quite alarming, but fixed over three days under warranty with new sway bars etc.

Climate control struggles in warm Australian weather and the car can get really stuffy

The "glovebox" is laughably small and so oddly shaped as to be useless.

General Comments:

The same old story with Euro cars in this country. Dealer always needs the car for the full day and parts always have to be "ordered" then "delivered" and the vehicle has to go in again. Courtesy cars are rarely available and then generally executive cars available for the day only and charged for!

Dealer attitude is polite, but ineffectual.

I think it took almost 10000km to get used to the Selespeed, I really like it now - very relaxing as a city commuter

Now the novelty has worn off my kids don't like the back seat - it is pretty tight and dark in there.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 4th November, 2003

15th Jan 2004, 18:20

I bought my Alfa 147 a month ago from Alfa Centro in Rushcutters Bay. I absolutely love my new acquisition.

However I am also experiencing all the problems you have outlined in your review, odometer flashing when I fail to start the engine on first attempt, audio systems looks for a changer out of the blue, clunky suspension noise (I was advised this was normal by the dealer!), climate control proves almost ineffective in some hot Australia days (At times I even thought I had forgotten to turn it on!). The "glovebox" is literally a "GLOVE BOX", impractical and awkwardly designed.

Despite what I hear about Selespeed issues, I have had a good run so far. I am dreading the embarrassing Selespeed failure right in the middle of a busy road!

On all other fronts, the car is an absolute pleasure to drive. I have been an Alfa fan from a very young age, but never mustered the courage to buy one. I am glad I finally did thought, great purchase.

13th May 2004, 19:55

Another follow up to my earlier. After three more visits and services the dealer has now "decided' that the cause of the electrical glitches is the use of recorded CDs. They gave me a1/2003 FIAT service bulletin to justify this position. I remain sceptical, the problem is still happening and I am religiously sticking with genuine CDs.

For the rest the car is a dream - bedded in nicely now, quite good economy and very easy to drive. I am looking for a new car for my wife and this 147 has set a high benchmark.