Faults:

Electric starter problem at 130,000 km. Only time road assistance carried the car.

Manual shift lock problem - because on a long trip my uncle thought the gearbox worked like an old Nissan!

General Comments:

I own the 1.4 (103) Twinspark engine. Apart from being a thirsty inside town and motorway at speeds of 130 km and more, I have absolutely no problem with this car.

When it was newer (until 100k) I used to push this car far because of my work that had to travel daily about 340 km (that is why this car has the high mileage).

It is very comfortable, lots of space, big boot, absolutely no silly Italian noises, and no rust.

Lots of friends of mine had the same car, most of them sold it so far. Although it is not a japanese made car, it is definitely not a problematic car as most say. If you work it nice, it would be nice without any problems. If you think you own a rocket and drive like that, then...

Faults:

Lamda sensor on 30000km.

Clutch disk on 25000km (500euro)

Changing of rear disk pincer on 55000km.

Changing of clutch pump on 70000km.

Need of changing of all 8 spark plugs at 45000km (it supposed to be changed at 100000km)

My engine belt was broken while was driving at 65000km even though that it was changed on the last service.

Rear right window doesn’t work for 2 years now.

General Comments:

Something good that I have to say for this car is about its interior space. It is big inside and with big trunk which can fit whatever you want. A big disadvantage is the absence of cup holder for your coffee.

It is stylish, good handling, good acceleration and breaking but very bad on u-turns and parking due to big circle of turn.

The consumption is a bit high for its engine.

Very disappointed from the support and service of Alfa dealers and service places in Greece. Very difficult to find a good alfa technician, still haven’t one yet.

Bad quality of the paint.

Not many accessories for this model.

Alfa is charging like crazy for bad quality parts.

Faults:

Some small niggling problems like the rear washer becoming detached, but easy to fix.

Doors made horrible cracking noise on opening and closing, common problem on these cars.

Main problem was the clutch going at 60,000 miles. Made the mistake of taking it to a dealer so it was off the road for about 4-5 days and cost €650 in labour alone. Parts were only €200.

General Comments:

Great little car, the 1.4 engine gives enough power for what it is. The handling is nice and direct with lots of grip.

Its got more character then any other 5 door small family car I can think of.

Nice car to own just avoid main dealers for servicing and it should be just fine.

Faults:

Offside door stay problem.

General Comments:

Superb performance.

Outstanding Alfa looks. Is this one of the prettiest cars they have ever designed?

Mine is Maroon. What better colour?

Cabin comfortable and secure, but lacks class of 147 and 156.

I am getting heartily sick of every baseball capped owner of Volks GTI's or 1.2 Corsa's, with great big exhausts, trying to tailgate. Is it the badge that does it? I have seen most of them off with the outstanding mid range 5th to 3rd gear accelleration, but they still will not learn!!!

Faults:

Sometimes, when I slowdown and have first or second gear, the motor goes off. I read somewhere that maybe the lambda of exhaust maybe broken. I haven't go for service yet.

General Comments:

The design of this car, after 5 years, is still very attractive. Beautiful mask, spoilers and cabin.

Very comfortable seats for the driver and the passengers.

The air condition have got strong performance and the equipment is full.

Marvelous holds and great breaks.

Excellent sensation of steering and very predictable car.

And finally, the wonderful sound of the engine.