Alfa Romeo 147

ando

hi,

Whats people's general consensus of these cars, the Alfa Romeo 147 T spark lusso 1.6 hatchback? Anyone here have one, are they nippy enough? I've heard that reliability can be a problem on some of the Alfa models. I'd be looking at a 2001 model but some people have told me to stay clear of Alfa Romeo, which is a pity as the 147 is a nice car imo

OfflerCrocGod

I love Alfas, but don't they tend to blow up or at least fall apart with extreme prejudice?

impr0v

Aesthetically it's a stylish machine, but should you have any doubt about the hell that owning them can be, take a look at this section of the top gear website, where owners outline their problems with the car. To be fair to the Alfa, most car models have problems listed there, but the Alfa has definitely one of the more comprehensive fault lists.

There are some owner testimonials for other models worth looking and laughing at. Those deserving of special mention include this one from a BMW X5 owner, disappointed that his expensive 4x4 stalled and died in 8-9 inches of water that a mate in an Audi TT had just driven through (you can just feel the embarrassment), and this one, submitted by the not so proud owner of a Maserati 4200GT Cambiocorsa. His misfortunes include the wheel nuts rusting, and the small matter of all the lights suddenly failing at night while doing 70mph on the M11.

DivX

One of the guys at work has a red 147 from new at work, apparently never gave him a days trouble until last week when the timing belt went... at 38k with disastrous consequences... apparently the service life for the belt is 40k.

Check out http://www.carsurvey.org/model_Alfa+Romeo_147.html and it’ll show you that while some people are pleased with the carl, others are plagued with electrical problems and the likes.

Must agree the Alfa is a good looking car though, pity.

unkel

Beautiful car. Former European car of the year, but then again the Toyota Prius is the current one :rolleyes:

Have a look here for owners comments. Note: plenty more peaches than lemons

The 1.6 is a bit lacklustre. I'd advise the 1.9JTD, the best diesel in its class. At least you know the engine is not gonna give you any trouble

solas

sister has one, new in 2001 and although it is a beautiful car, very comfy and really nippy, I have to agree with what everyone says about the alfa. within the first two weeks of buying it it was back in the shop, recently had another service and it seems like when one thing goes wrong everything else does.
This hasn't prevented her from ordering the new t-spark though, which she will be receiving very shortly.

great fun to drive though.

trotter_inc

They're gorgeous cars but I was told that if anything does go wrong with them it costs an absolute fortune to fix!

Was looking at a 1.8 black 2000 147 back home, only 49k on the clock for only €8k. Rang the insurance company but they wouldnt even quote me on it =( Took it for a test drive and its a beauty to drive! Pity!

ando

Thanks for comments. I’ve been reading reviews about the car and it seems like a bit of a lottery, either you get a great car or you get one that is constantly giving trouble. I think I may have to give this one a miss unfortunately

ambro25

Friend of mine had a 2L 1-whatever (the one with the new style, saloon, with back door handles not where you expect them - you know...) 164?

Anyway - he had it from new in 2001, came to service in '03 at 2 years old/76k (heavy motorway miles) as he was feeling more & more 'vibrations' at 60-70 mph. Mecha had a look & told him he had to change virtually the entire rolling train: shocks, wheel attachments, struts, brakes - the lot :eek: . He ended up part-ex-ing it for the new larger one (ugly, that car is), bill would've been around £3,5-4k.

Italian cars (have had two: Lancia Delta, Fiat Brava) - you either get a 'good number' or a 'bad number'. And no, they haven't -generally- solved world renowned electric problems just yet