25th Jul 2009, 02:48

Hello Irish Alfa person.

I had nightmares with my two 156s, but am sufficiently taken with the 159 to dare going back to the marque, preferably when the 1.8 turbo petrol arrives.

So, I must ask, how is your 159 holding up?

14th Oct 2009, 11:18

I have a 159 Lusso Sportwagon and love it to bits, much more individual than BMW or Audi. My second Alfa, and if they keep producing such great cars, I will have more in the future.

Happy motoring.

2nd Nov 2009, 12:00

Hello, Alfa Irish person here responding to an earlier comment.. :)

The 159 Ti is holding up quite well actually, thanks for asking... can't say the same for the depreciation value!... looks like I'm in it for the long haul...

It's Nov 2009 now, and I've owned the car for over 1.75 years now... I can honestly say I never get tired of walking up to her in the car park and getting in, which, I know it's an emotive thing. All cars have the potential to transport you from location A to B etc.. but if you can find a car that gets the proverbial juices flowing and excite when you get in, that is worth every penny you pay for her in my opinion.

On a practical note, she is going back to the garage for two more warranty issues this week. (1) Air con pump sounds like a bearing is gone and (2) a heated side mirror is still not de-misting. Hmmmm Alfa reliability? Maybe, or a supplier issue? Either way these need to be fixed, but not a show stopper!

The one gripe I would have with Alfa is the 2.2 petrol (185BHP) engine is about to be replaced with a 1.85 (200BHP) turbo petrol on the model line-up… I hope us naturally aspirated people won’t be left behind! :).. Looks like I’ll have to invest in the supercharge kit from Autodelta when the warranty is up on the car… After all, when the 1.85 comes out, the 2.2 will take another hit in depreciation etc. I guess that’s that same with all manufactures etc..

In short I’m personally extremely happy with this car.. it does cost lots for the four 19” tyres (Pirelli P Zero Neros) once a year, the fuel consumption is around 22MPG.. and other things will probably break when the warranty is up…. but show me a European manufacturer now that is clean from defects and reliability issues!

I still own my older 156 by the way… she is 9 years old now and all she needs is oil/filters/belts/pads and @ 154k miles she stills purrs and does NOT drink a single drop of oil! Emissions are still good too (and passing the National Car Test). When this car finally dies, she will be upgraded to a 1.9 petrol 159.

Cheers,

cherb@eircom.net

7th Nov 2009, 01:14

Hi all.

Reading all your comments, and I too am an Alfa owner from Sydney Australia. I used to be a B.M.W. man for a long time till I drove my first 156 in 2001. Loved it and never had a problem with it.

Got my 159 1.9 JTDM 2 years ago, also with no problems. Now waiting for my new 159 2.4 JYDM Ti next week and getting very excited.

I tested the audi A-4 1.8 t. Nice car, very well built, but does not come close to the driving experience of the Alfa. Just so happy with this car, and would recommend it all the time.

From down under.

13th Nov 2009, 04:01

Well I can only concur with everything said here - why on earth would anybody chose an A4 / 3 Series / Mondeo over the sumptuous 159ti is simply beyond me... still, while they do I'll be a very happy man as it keeps my 159ti as exclusive as it is. I love cruising past people driving dull German appliances who deep down want to own an Alfa, but listen too much to the biased media.

Check out the stunning interior on the 159ti (Natural leather is gorgeous) and tell me you'd rather go German... well you might like wearing lederhosens; me, I prefer my crafted Italian Armani suit ;-)

3rd Jun 2010, 17:14

Alfa romeos are great cars. Hope they make a multi air motor for the 159.

2nd Dec 2010, 07:39

My parents bought a 159 diesel at the start of the year, and love it to bits. It's more of their nice event car, but have had no issues with it, and I get to drive it a bit. It's surprising how much go it's got for a turbo diesel. Great cars.

12th Dec 2010, 21:49

They really seem like great cars. They are supposed to come back to the US in 2012. I can't wait.

29th Jul 2011, 10:50

You should upgrade to the 3.2 TI - a couple of years old - a bargain now in Ireland like everything else decent. No power issues then!

14th Nov 2013, 06:04

Hi... I'm the original poster here on the 2007 2.2 Ti. I posted here back in 2008, and I still own my 159 and still get a kick out of pressing the START button each day... honestly.

My wife also got a 159 1.9JTDm Lusso 2 years later (she was going for a 520, but then...).

Both cars are now 6/7 years old and kept near perfect. No major issues to date that I have not been able to fix/repair in my garage (now they are out of warranty).

I would love to buy a newer (or just new) car from Alfa Romeo, but there are no large saloons available right now. I've been tempted twice to just go and buy a Jaguar XF until the new Giulia comes along... but in the end I've kept my Ti... What to do... What to do...

I still enjoy driving them just for the sake of driving them.

The leather interiors have held up very well. I've only 56k miles, but my wife's car now has 135k miles. We've two kids and they fit just fine in the back too! Boot space is fine for buggies, shopping and tools! Of course the trick is to not allow kids to eat or drink in the car! Ha ha...

10th Feb 2017, 15:13

Original poster here checking in with 9 years of ownership on my wonderful 159 Ti.

Still have her, still love her.

Had a respray done last year due to the red paint suffering 'road rash' around the wheel arches and just general wear and tear.

Mechanically I've had the timing chain done at 17,500 and 85,000 miles.

Aside from regular servicing, nothing major came up.

The handbrake cable is a pig to replace... seats and carpet need to come out of the interior.

But yeah... after driving the newer Giulia etc it's a great car, but I prefer the styling of the 159. I'll probably keep this 159 Ti (I have a few other Alfa models) in storage when the time comes to retire her, and buy a new Jaguar XF for everyday use. I think the Jaguar looks more 'Alfa' than the Giulia... heresy I know saying that, but...

11th Feb 2017, 09:57

Hey, thanks for the updates! I enjoy reading them, does your wife still have the JTD?

11th Feb 2017, 16:48

Thanks...

No, my wife drives a new BMW F10 now... :( We sold her car to a fellow enthusiast who is delighted with the work we've done to it. He's racking up >400 miles a week on it now. And had some respray work done on it.

But here is the funny thing... when it comes to the weekend and my good wife wants to pop out to the shops, I notice the 159 ti keys go missing... and the BMW is left in the garage... ha ha ha... funny that.