Faults:

Not much while I have had it as a second car to be used lightly this past year. The previous owner was very honest however and gave me the car's large history file which included;

New cam-belt.

New pistons.

Clutch.

Suspension and brakes all round.

Full exhaust system.

The list goes on, some are expected of age and mileage, others not so much in my opinion. It is running fine now however, and the car only has the odd minor electronic gremlin (lights on dash when no fault apparent, etc) and the climate control no longer works correctly.

General Comments:

Bought this 156 last year as I always liked the look of these cars growing up in the late 1990's/early 2000's , but was told to stay away due to poor reliability. I would never use this as a daily driver anyway, so right now it is a weekend/summer fun car.

Silver Veloce trim with red leather interior. The car looks as good up close as it did in magazine pictures I used to look at back in the day. Alloy wheels and look of the car overall are still stunning to this day, and everyone always comments on what a nice looking car it is. Very comfortable also.

To drive it is simply brilliant - the 1.8 petrol might not have a lot of power by today's standards, but in this car it pulls fine while doing about 35 mpg.

I'm glad the previous owner took care of a lot of mechanical work, as the car is perfect bodywork and interior wise, and I got a very good deal on this car, will definitely keep it as a future classic. Its value might not rise much, but you will always get a buyer for a good one that runs. Guy in my street used to have an older 155 (also a nice looking car) back in the day and already wants to buy this 156 off me!

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Ride and quality are superb compared to Alfas of old. Definitely better on the facelift over the older 156 too.

Dealer service pretty much spot on.

Amazing performance, especially after having it remapped up to 235bhp by Celtic Tuning www.celtictuning.co.uk

Looking forward to a 159 2.4 20v M-Jet 200bhp, so hopefully can get more power out of it...

Faults:

Remote boot release intermittent - replaced under warranty.

General Comments:

There seems to be 2 categories of Alfa owners, those that are very happy and those that have had a really bad time with dealers and vehicle unreliability.

I have to admit that after reading the various reviews scattered around the place that I was in two minds whether to go for an Alfa or opt for something else. Having test driven various Swedish & German machinery I took out a 156 for a spin. Twenty minutes later and very impressed a deal was struck and I was the proud owner of a black 156 JTD Lusso Multijet.

Working in automotive Quality Assurance means I know a thing or two about build quality - the Alfa does not disappoint its not quite up to the build quality of the premium marques, but is more than acceptable and as good as if not better better than most in this price range.

Driving the car is a dream, the engine is outstanding with an awesome blend of power, torque and economy. In practice this means that there is always enough power on hand for any occasion with fuel consumption in the forties.

Performance wise its not a sprinter, acceleration is adequate, along the lines of a Golf GTI, but its true forte is in the 60 - 120 MPH range where it is more than a match for most vehicles on the road. Comfort and handling are more adequate for my driving style, I reach my limit before the car does.

As far as dealer service goes I am more than happy with the PLC where I bought my Alfa. Service is efficient friendly and speedy, but expensive, but then if you want to run a car like an Alfa it is a small price to pay.

Would I buy another one? so far yes, it remains to be seen over the next two years how it measures up. My previous car was one of the first post VW Octavias. We all know how VW turned that Marque around. I suspect Fiat will do the same with Alfa Romeo.