Faults:

Not a lot has gone wrong really, despite worries about Alfa Romeo's reliability record.

New driver's door handle was fitted after the push button stuck in and the door would not close.

The rear suspension has had new bushes fitted, but this is probably a reflection on the state of the roads in North East Scotland!

The brakes were awful until I had to seriously use them from high speed one night and since then they've been great! Probably glazed pads and the glaze was burnt off by the emergency stop.

The paintwork is fragile. Chips and scratches easily.

General Comments:

This car has one huge redeeming feature and that is its looks. It really is beautiful and attracts many admiring glances, especially as it's still a rare sight in this part of the country.

The handling is top notch, as are the brakes now (see problems comment).

The optional Recaro seats are very uncomfortable though. Too short a seat squab meaning all your weight is on your bottom instead of spread over the thighs as well.

The engine has fantastic top end power, but poor bottom end power. Definitely an open road car rather than a town car.

Faults:

Stuck button on the driver's door handle.

ABS warning light came on at 1500 km leading to the replacement of the ABS electronic head under the warranty after the dealer had failed to fix the problem in any other way.

Some strange air whistling sounds coming from the climate control gate, described by the dealer to be non significant.

A major accident lead to the replacement of the left front suspension system and alloy wheel, but this didn't affect the car in the slightest.

Car stayed at the dealer for about 50 days to be repaired.

General Comments:

Magnificent handling.

Quickest steering I've ever seen (2.1 turns lock to lock). Very important for real drivers.

In Egypt driving is very different from all world countries. We do not have lanes (that is not a joke). We only have dotted lines drawn on the ground which we will pass as much as four of them each time we decide to maneuver (that is five lanes at one time). Each day I race at least two times (on my way to college), once in the morning and once in the evening. I have raced my car against a BMW 523, Mercedes E240, BMW 320, Mitsubishi Gallant 2.0, Chrysler Neon 2.0, and Opel Vectra 2.0, just to name some. Every time I am easily the winner, although all the cars mentioned above have a better 0-100 km/h acceleration. The whole idea lies behind the great feeling of control and capability that this car gives you. Racing on Egyptian roads is very, very tight, actually sometimes you can lose some of your paint. The 156 gives you the ultimate control which will make you forget about your brain and start thinking with your heart. You do things you don't want to do and sometimes you thank Allah (God) that you're still alive. That's why I am able to overtake much bigger motors with my humble 1.6. Even at high speeds up to 180 kilometers, the car still handles so much better than many sports cars that I've driven.

The motor is very smooth up to 7000 RPM. It makes you want to just rev it and rev it.

The only problem is the low torque, but once you pass 3000 RPM, this problem is history (you can shift to the first gear at 3000 RPM and you won't notice that problem).

Huge turning circle (11.1 m) that can be tiring to get used to, but still, the steering is marvelous.

Don't buy this car if you are not interested in driving, if you don't understand how cars work, or if you just want 'nice' transport.

If you are looking for comfort and are very worried about depreciation and running costs, better buy a BMW or an Audi.

But if you want a car with an excellent engine, brakes, and handling, then buy a 156 at once.

Rest assured that every penny you pay will provide you with a great driving experience, and not some stupid 6 airbags, electrically adjustable seats, and right and left splitting climate control, or a $1500 Becker sound system.

By the way, my accident was due to trying to slow down from 120 km/h to enter a 90 degree bend. The car understeered and I hit the pavement. Oh, forget to tell you, the road was covered with sand (falling from a careless driver's truck), something not unusual in Egypt. So neither me nor the car are responsible.