Faults:

Where do I begin??

The day I bought the car the brake warning lights on the ARC (Alfa Romeo Control) flashed all the way home. Took it back to the dealer (a Volkswagen specialist) who kept for over a week. They replaced the pads and as I drove it out of the driveway, the lights came on. They kept another week, sent it to an Alfa dealer and the problem was fixed.

Since then I have had numerous electrical problems, including brake lights, central locking, indicators (stalk and light). All small, but irritating.

Center Exhaust replaced at 150,000 at a cost of $250 (custom made as genuine fit was $740)

Engine is strong and has given no problems.

General Comments:

This car is fantastic to drive, power is just effortless from the 3.0 V6 and steep hills in 5th gear are never a problem.

Acceleration is quick, but hampered by gearbox which is heavy and clunky. Needs overhaul, but very pricy...

Steering is well weighted and easy to use when parking, but wheel position is awkward.

Comfort is hampered by poor driving position (apparently the Italians are long of arm and short of leg, and bent in the middle!) and the accelerator is at a poor angle, proving uncomfortable after about 15 minutes of cruising. Seats are well padded and of a nice design.

Interior ergonomics are...interesting, but it's entertaining to watch passengers try and find the power window switches and the door handle!

Parts have proved difficult to source, regular mechanics are scared of it, and specialists cost a bomb. Please take into account maintenance costs when pricing this car!

Fuel economy is average, on the freeway at 110 km/h it is running at 3000 rpm which causes average highway mileage, and city driving makes it very thirsty. Expensive premium unleaded doesn't help its cause.

Faults:

A lot of noise in the car. But it is an Alfa...

Starter changed at 60 000 mks.

Brake disks veiled and changed at 50000.

Flight of oil around the motor (joints used).

General Comments:

This car "Scuderia" is a special serial (color red Alfa, rim aluminium, sports equipment...)

It is old (10 years), but it is still modern.

The cabin is comfortable (velvet seats).

Very correct performance, but a lot of noise.

Faults:

Wear and tear items.

General Comments:

Very fast car, quick responsive engine, high performance suspension set up.

Well, at Monza they use it as a Formula 3000 saftey car.

Faults:

Usual Alfa electrical gremlins, but more than made up for by the throaty rasp of the exhaust, sharp styling and F1 style handling (aftermarket springs, discs and struts).

General Comments:

"Poor man's Ferrari" it may be, but better than an Escort nobody.

Faults:

I owned the car from 56,000 miles to 64,000 miles. In that time it had an intermittent problem with the fuel pump which turned out to be a broken wire hidden away somewhere.

The gearbox jumped out of reverse and eventually needed re-building. The clutch slave cylinder blew.

Electrical faults are invariably due to poor ground connections somewhere.

General Comments:

Outstanding car which gives more driving bang for the buck than anything I know.

One of the best-sounding and driving engines ever combined with one of the best chassis ever.

The styling is an acquired and personal tase. I love it but many do not.

The rear-end is a little tail happy but with close to 200 hp and something like 125lb/ft torque what do you expect? The LSD helps make it extremely easy to hang the tail out.

If you cannot control a slide in this car, you need driving lessons.

The problems I experienced with the car could probably all be traced to poor maintenance by previous owners (6!) or my stupid hard and sometimes unsympathetic driving style.

Unless you have loads of money to spend, this is not a car for traffic light drag races. It relishes in 100+mph cruising (or so I am told ;->).

I loved it so much I am looking for another.

If you want to buy one, take time to find the best one available and have it thoroughly checked by an engineer. Once you have bought one, join the owners' club and look really hard for reliable mechanics and parts sources. If you can do some work yourself, it is worth it.