Ducati Sporting Club UK > General > Idle Chat > Italian cars

[yeti]

Since 1978 I have had about 12 assorted Alfa's, and the only reason I stopped buying them was because I couldn't find a decent dealership.

Originally posted by MARTIN H
About 15 years ago I had a Alfa 164 3.0v6 I loved it but it nearly bankrupted me!

One of my last Alfa's was a 164 cloverleaf which chucked out over 200 bhp and was the original Q car. I ran this from new for 7 years putting 180,000 miles on it before selling it and believe it or not it NEVER let me down until I delivered it to it's new owner and it decided to blow an exhaust upon arrival! Cost me £500 off the deal, but the new owner loved it.

I still have a 145 cloverleaf which I don;t drive now, but that really is a racing car. 200 BHP in a tiny lightweight body and a quick steering rack (1.* turns lock to lock) Awesome fun and for sale if anybody interested.

[Monty]

I had a Alfa 1600cc Guilietta Sprint Green Cloverleaf-but that was in about 1972! From memory it was quite reliable, but then again it was an old nail-wish I had it now mind!
Drove down to Italy with some friends in a 1750 saloon in 1973-not a moments problem until the water pump seized about 20 miles from Calais on the way home. Slept in the car overnight and fixed it in the morning when the garage opened-those were the days when you could take a spanner to a car and fix most things.

John

[Ian Harris]

Originally posted by MARTIN H
About 15 years ago I had a Alfa 164 3.0v6 I loved it but it nearly bankrupted me! I ran it for 2 or 3 years and only about 30k miles and it went through either 5 or 6 clutches, just about everything electrical was replaced and then the cam belt snapped at 5pm on xmas eve and managed to bend everyone of the 12 valves (luckily this was before the 24valve engine) I remember the rebuild cost was astronomical even back then the valves were £60 each! It was a hoot to drive as it put all its power just through the front wheels and the torque steer was ridiculous it would pull the wheel out of your hands and veer from one side of the road to the other. It was so bad a mechanic friend who drove it proclaimed it to be the most dangerous car he had ever driven. What engine though I could not resist revving it to its limiter just to hear that howl.

As bad as it was I still get a little misty eyed when I see one on the road (rare)

Had a few classic italians in the past Lancia Fulvias and Alfa 2600 sprint, something quite special about them.

I have a 1994 164 24v Cloverleaf (240 BHP through the front wheels) Acceleration from a stand still is a bit like tacking in a sailing boat..as long as you know you are not going to go in the direction you're pointing in, its fine. Once you're motoring, its a sheer joy to drive , and as Martin says, the engine note is stunning, so tempting to take it up to 7,000 rpm in every gear . I budget about £1,000 a year for servicing and would not consider selling it for something newer. I have had 3 164s and a 24V GTV, and none of them have ever let me down. Interior build quality is a bit shonky, but bodywork / chassis / running gear is almost germainic in build quality and the best thing? They don't even make them in yellow !!!

[Derek]

I've had 10 Saabs over the past 25 years, the current one being a 9000 2.3 Turbo (built on the same floor pan as the Alfa 164 and one of the Lancias). I've owned that for more 5 years now and it's getting on a bit so for the next car I was considering an Alfa 156 2.0 but after reading the posts above maybe I'm not so sure now...

[rockhopper]

I've got a Fiat Marea 1.6 SX100.

Piece of ****.

[moto748]

I got a battered old Alfa 155 (same engine as the 156). It's been pretty good for me for the peanuts I paid for it. Thirsty, though, with such a high-revving engine and a heavy car.

One day I *will* have a 156!

[Twinfan]

The missus has got a Seicento Sporting Abarth - our only car now I've sold mine. VERY Italian and tempremental

[dukess1999]

Bought a '99 Alfa 156 2.5 in February, and so far it's been great (touch wood), if a bit thirsty. I get the impression that recent Alfas are generally pretty good, it's the dealer network that lets them down. Was in Rome a few months ago, and the 156 is indeed the cop car of choice, and just about everyone else as well (so much for exclusivity...). Some pretty horrible looking Lancias around as well, if that's not a contradiction in terms.

[dave996]

I had a 2000model 156, the alarm kept blowing the electrics, the doors kept unlocking during the night, windows stopped working, it would drink a litre of oil for every 1000-1500 miles, then the cam belt snapped and knackered the engine. Good job it was a company car

Fantastic to drive though

[Ian Harris]

Originally posted by dukess1999
...I get the impression that recent Alfas are generally pretty good, it's the dealer network that lets them down.

Rusper Alfa near Gatwick are bl00dy marvellous, they are a small specialist, so probably not so good for brand new cars, but if you have an older 156 / 147 / 164 etc, they are superb.