Faults:

Rear driver side door central locking failed

Fan belt disintegrated due to tensioner failing - quick and simple fix.

General Comments:

Fantastic car, beautiful to look at, lots of fun to drive, very reliable and well built - a dream. Great bargain second hand.

Fast and fun on open roads and motorway - around town the poor visibility, heavy clutch and too-high first gear mars the overall experience.

Faults:

Bought the car in April 2003. Had new cam belt fitted, 36k service, new brake cable, front pads all just after I bought it. Cost £500 from an Alfa specialist (not dealer). Covered 17,000 Miles in just 6 months. Only 2 faults squeaky steering and clutch pedal. Looks brand new inside and out.

General Comments:

Just changed the alloys from the standard 205 55 16 TO 225 45 17. Bad move I think they look fantastic, but road noise has increase more than I thought and don't feel that confident when driving.

Faults:

Bought second hand. Some minor niggles at time of sale, all fixed by the local (non-Alfa) dealer at no charge:

Both front sidelight bulbs were out and are an Alfa dealer-only item - Alfa dealer was very slow to supply.

Handbrake/brake fluid sensor faulty.

Heated seat switches broken.

Since then:

A very intermittent fault with central locking.

A part from the fuel management system went faulty and had to be ordered from Italy. We had a two week wait with the car off the road.

Squeaky steering column - still there.

General Comments:

Looks great, though I'm still not sure about the nose - it would look better with an Alfa 147 style front end. Even so, in the right colour (mine is metallic red), it looks stunning - much nicer than anything in its class. I must admit, though, I've seen it in blue and green and it doesn't look half as good.

Enough power for decent performance, though we'll definitely go for the 2.5 or 3.0 V6 next time.

Handles well, though not keen on speed bumps.

Brakes are fantastic.

Very comfortable and just sitting in it puts a smile on your face. Alfa have pretty much solved the quality issues of the past and the cabin just oozes style (I wish I'd got leather though).

Rare enough for exclusivity - you see people looking at it, obviously thinking, "What is that?". You don't get that with a Beemer!

Horrendous depreciation means it is not a good buy new, but makes it a great used buy. We got our two-year-old 166 for less than half the price when new.

Can we have it in rear-wheel drive next time!

Faults:

Faulty clutch: collapsed at 6,000km.

General Comments:

Apart form the collapsing clutch, this has been the most wonderful car to drive that I have owned.

The Integrated Control System, with 8cm monitor reduces clutter and provides wonderfully simple, yet elegant, access.

Interior is beautifully appointed, both luxurious and stylish.

The engine sings.

Exterior styling is typically Italian and exudes class and sophistication.

The reputation of Alfa, damaged in the bad old days of the 70's, should now be consigned to history.

Faults:

The automatic wind screen wipers failed.

Rear wheel bearings failed at 20000 miles.

Brake discs are beginning to wear.

Fuel gauge failed, but started working again.

General Comments:

The driving experience is superb for such a big car.

The engine sounds gorgeous, it's quite loud for a modern car - that's not a complaint though!

The interior is extremely comfortable.

The 166 is very well equipped.

The styling receives lots of positive comments.

The rain sensitive wipers are a useless gimmick.