Faults:

Strong smell of petrol led to two separate fuel hose leaks being found and repaired.

Suspected engine mount failure turned out to be just some loose bolts on the top, left hand side engine brace.

Various little electrical gremlins, i.e. sunroof tilting up and down by itself, wipers suffering from Parkinsons, but miraculously everything else works!

Gear knob loose, can be lifted off gearstick freely.

Flat spot in engine somewhere between 2000 and 3000rpm.

The driver's electric window decides about halfway up it's upwards journey to break free from the shackles of straightness and tilt itself towards the front of the car. Hasn't jumped out - yet.

General Comments:

The Alfa is like a beautiful woman - gorgeous and amazingly fun, but expensive tastes, unpredictable mood swings, and you've got to make sure her lubricant is nice and warm before you nail her =)

Bought this car just one week ago with full dealer service history. Very tidy all round.

The engine is just a masterpiece, and resents being subjected to urban stop-start motoring. I'm expecting my first speeding ticket in years any day now. It's impossible to stick with the speed limit without that snarling V6 just goading you to plant your shoe into the carpet with every gearchange.

Engine sound is unreal. There are plenty of V6 engines around, but none of them sound as dramatic, as eager, or as sexy as the Alfa.

Ride is harsh, but somewhat expected, considering the spirit of the car and the tune of the suspension.

Steering is wonderfully accurate with a satisfyingly meaty feel.

Driving position was uncomfortable at first, but now feels cosseting and supportive.

This is the only front-wheel drive car that I've ever managed to "cross up" on a tight corner - opposite-lock correcting and all! I had to check under the back to see if there was a diff! Don't ask me how that works, but I'm curious to experiment further...

Overall this car makes you feel like a hero every time you drive it. The delight of shifting at full noise from 3rd to 4th to 5th will stay with me until my last day. Innocuous to the uneducated, but fatally addictive to those of us who drive them.

It has plenty of niggly little problems. If they occured on my BMW or Audi I'd be quite annoyed, but in this car I just have to laugh. The Italians may not get the electrics right, or the build quality right, or the reliability right - but when it comes to delivering a raw, pure, soulful driving experience, nobody touches them.

No doubt in a couple of weeks I'll be having one of my kidneys removed to pay for the next round of repairs, but I'll die a happy man - so can't really call that a loss.

As long as servicing and repair costs don't get too out of hand (yeah I know, I'm asking a lot), I'm looking forward to a beautiful relationship with this car.

Faults:

Air conditioning has never worked properly. Re-kitted, and re-gassed twice - now use sun roof!

Top hose blew at 50,000 - no damage.

Cam belt replaced at 60,000 but tensioner became dodgy at 89,000, resulting in new tensioner and belt.

Sound of slight gearbox wear in 1st and 2nd, but will live with that.

Eats front tires when driven hard.

General Comments:

A wonderfully responsive and powerful engine, even if travelling 5 up and with a full load in boot. Excellent low down torque, but really starts to 'get up and go' at 4000 revs.

Heavier V6 engine makes for under-steer.

Taut suspension gives bumpy ride round down, but sits down and motors superbly on highway.

High regular and preventative maintenance costs - if you want economy, go Japanese.