1999 Alfa Romeo 156 2.0
Summary:
Love at first sight and so far a happy marriage
General Comments:
The car is beautiful stylistically and that was what sold me on it at first.
That said, it also drives extremely well, acceleration is very good, especially above the 3,000 rpms engine speed where you can have a lot of fun.
Steering also feels very tight and responsive, and the car feels extremely stable on curves.
The car's biggest weakness when driving is the gearbox, which is baulky sometimes, especially when you have to ram it into reverse.
The car is beautiful inside, with grey leather upholstery and wood on the steering wheel, which, if fake, is a very good fake.
The one drawback - quality. Having recently owned a late model Golf, I'm afraid the Italians still fall behind a bit on the fit and finish. Glove compartment and doors don't close so tightly. And you always wonder - based on the Fiat/Alfa reputation - when something will go wrong.
But so what. I love just looking at this car. I love driving it. And at about $16,000 used, it was truly a steal.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 13th February, 2001
27th Apr 2001, 05:36
Figures above are in miles. Recommended service intervals are fine for oil changes as long as decent (synthetic) oil is used. Vital to stick to service intervals with all Italian cars!
11th Jan 2002, 10:11
Hi my name is ROB. Is this beauty available in the USA or is it imported?
Many thanks.
29th Mar 2001, 01:47
Thanks much for comments from S. Harvey in Kent (only checked your response just now).
Just curious, I assume the distance measures you were using were kilometers and not miles, right? In terms of service, etc? Or maybe they were miles.
Any tips on how often to change the oil on the car?
That's interesting about the lack of a synchro mechanism on the reverse. Makes sense.