Faults:

Squeaky sounds at 100.000 kilometers.

Broken transmission leaver.

General Comments:

This car handles like no other with an excellent steering wheel that gives the driver a lot of information.

The interior is nice, but moderately comfortable.

The engine is very powerful and in normal conditions economical.

The overall quality is surprisingly good and way better than of an equivalent French made car.

It is a beauty to look at, even after 8 years.

Faults:

Everything is currently fine with the car.

General Comments:

The car I own has the optional 146ti body kit with GTV alloys. Which is very low to the ground resulting in having to take speed bumps at virtual standstill! Any faster will result in hitting the front splitter and damaging the fogs.

On the straight though the car is very fast and makes an amazing noise when in the high revs.

Only slight problem is the relatively high driving position although the Momo leather seats are more than enough to compensate for this minor niggle.

I have been challenged by various cars at the lights! These include Audi TT, BMW 330is and Subaru Impreza turbos!

For a car costing under 5k it's a bargain which gains respect on the road that no ford or vauxhall could!

Faults:

Windscreen wipers don't work very well.

Rear suspension gives noises; the Alfa garage is unable to tackle the problem.

General Comments:

The Alfa 146 combines a stylish design with superb road handling and corners like on rails on its 205/55 16" wheels. Due to the big wheels, however, the car is quite bumpy and uncomfortable when driving slowly, but on narrow winding country roads virtually no other car can beat the Alfa owing to its precise steering and good brakes. On motorways, however, one often has to clear the fast lane to allow the big Audis, Mercs and beamers, even their diesel cars, to overtake with ease. :- (

Yet another drawback: Reversing and parking the 146 is a nightmare on four wheels. With its high tail, there is practically no visibility to the rear as to see how much space is still left behind the car.

The 1.8 litre engine is very responsive at high revs, but a bit on the slow side when under 3,000 RPM, so it requires a bit more than the regular dose of changing gears, which thanks to the excellent manual gearbox is more fun than anything else. The acceleration is OK, but feels and sounds much better than it is in reality and also the top speed of nearly 210 km/h could be better for a 103 kW engine. To make up for that, the 146 offers a roaring, formula one-like sound right from the start. Ridiculous: the fuel consumption of 9-11 litres/100 km is too high for a car of that performance and size.

The seats are comfortable even on long-distance trips. The interior is well designed and the air-conditioning system second to none. The radio sits a bit too low for my liking and requires to look down and away from the road when changing CDs or tuning in a programme. The boot is reasonably large for a car of that size, but difficult to load and unload.

Faults:

Nothing in particular.

General Comments:

It's a great car with exciting performance, great reliability and a sporting design. I love Alfa's cars.

Faults:

It has an annoying fault when the steering wheel is turned to full lock either side, as the engine is liable to halt without any reason, but it only happens now and then, obviously only in the worst situation possible, as Murphy's law states.

The indicator/headlight stalk was originally defective, but was replaced at no cost.

General Comments:

It's reasonably fast, but I expected better acceleration from a 103 hp car.

The handling is simply perfect (for a front wheel car).

The fuel consumption is terrible and reaches easily more than 12l/100km in city traffic.

Of course the "Junior" specific 195/50 tires (excellent Michelin Pilot SX, by the way) do not do any good for the consumption (and for the performance).