Faults:

Welding needed on NSR seat belt mounts.

Lambda sensor not working.

Fuel tank leak.

Handbrake cables needed replacing - but one side was no longer available from dealer.

Terrible brakes.

Rust.

General Comments:

Better than the 1.ie that I had previously, but only slightly.

Awful brakes, in no way were they up to the performance of the car; think 15 cars ahead and use a crystal ball...

Handling was OK, less roll on the front than the 1.ie, but still not the crisp handling of the 'sud.

Terrible dealer service, she needed the handbrake adjusting for the MOT, so I inquired about parts at my local dealer, only to be told that older Alfas were no longer important to the company, so they had deleted all the parts!

Rust was creeping up, but I suppose she became quicker as she got older...

To give Alfa the credit, the 16 valve engine was a screamer. The first time I drove her any distance was a hoot; I managed to get worse fuel consumption than my 3 litre TVR, because I was driving her so hard. Oh for the days of cheap fuel.

Faults:

The drivers side window came into the cabin when I wound it up,£5 window bracket from Alfa dealer.

The cat and back box needed replacing, which cost me about £380 if I remember correctly.

Some of the usual dodgy Italian electrics, but nothing serious.

First and second gearbox synchros were a bit naff.

General Comments:

The boxer engine was brilliant, it pulled 90 mph in 3rd and I got 137mph out of it even though it was only rated at 120 mph.

Everyone who saw it remarked on how good it looked.

The pedals were a bit close knit, but after a while I got use to them.

It may have had its downsides, but the pro's far outweighed the con's, and I would say that it was the best car that I have ever owned.