Faults:

So far nothing has gone wrong. Since I got it I have done oil changes every 1,000 miles (I'm a bit anal retentive) and changed all the filters. I have also done coolant, brakes, and transmission fluid.

General Comments:

I love this car. It has timeless looks, people don't believe me when I tell them it's an '87! It handles better than any other car I have ever driven including Porsche 944's, 928's and Audi A4's. I have taken quite a few victories on twisty mountain roads over cars like Subaru WRX's and BMW 330's. Its only got 160 horsepower, but in gear acceleration is very nice. Also, the engine note is so sweet it could bring a tear to your eye... The interior is also great; It comes equipped with Recaro sport seats which provide very good lateral support and are quite comfortable for long trips. The first time you take the 75 out on a curvy road, you will fall in love. You feel connected to it, and it responds to every steering input quickly and precisely. My only complaints are that the paint seems to chip very easily, and there are rust spots developing at the back of the rear wheel arches, but those are easy to fix. With regular maintenance and good car care habits, this is a vehicle that will provide years of driving excitement. The modifications I have done include installing Koni Yellow adjustable shocks on the rear (along with lowering springs) and Koni's on the front along with lowering the torsion bars. It also has an Ansa muffler system which adds a little power and a lot of deepness to the exhaust note.

Faults:

Rear brake discs and pads replaced.

Rear wheel bearing worn out.

Some rubbers replaced.

Water pump broke.

Steel leprosy in the trunk. Holts made a nice buck on me.

General Comments:

The car begs to be driven quickly, especially through corners.

When snowing or raining, the rear wheel drive is probably the greatest fun you'll ever have.

When dry, the rear wheel drive makes for razor sharp steering.

With the original exhaust, the car already turns heads when accelerating (4500 rpm-ish). No cheap boom-boom, but a nasty metallic kind of growl.

Don't buy one if you're not a real car-person. Expect to pay quite a lot for maintenance and fuel.

The crappy gearbox adds to the car's character.

Faults:

First of all: I drive the car like it is supposed to be driven: Fast and on high revs. The previous owners probably haven't done that. That means I got the bill!

Leak in the T-joint in the cooling system. Weird plastic-tube replaced by a copper tube.

Blown head gasket (water to exhaust) and O-rings (oil to water) in the bottom. This was costly to fix, but the car was a completely different animal afterwards! They also fixed the alternator while they were at it. When I sold it a short while afterwards, I just added the cost of the job and got the whole sum back!

Also fixed a tube in the brake system.

General Comments:

Great car! WOW! Despite all the large and little problems, I have never loved a car this much before. This was a classic Alfa. Rear wheel drive, leather interior, double DelOrto's, 15' wheels. The 136hp doesn't seem much, but in this car it was magic!

The down side of it is that you might be buying yourself a hobby as much as a car... most pre-156 Alfa-owners don't mind this.

Faults:

When I first got the car there were a few bugs to work out.

ABS brakes needed some sorting which turned out to be a wheel speed sensor.

The power steering pumped leaked but I was able to get a good used one.

Engine wouldn't start when cold, turned out to be a plugged cold start injector. :-)

It has helped that I tinker on the car myself as it really keep the cost down.

General Comments:

Once I got the initial bugs worked out the car has been great, nothing but gas and oil for the last two years.

Loves to go to redline as much as do I.

I am very happy with how this choice has turned out. People still say that I have a great looking car but they don't realise that it is a 15 year old family sedan, goes to show the styling has stood the test of time.