Alfa Romeo 147 (2001 - 2009) 1.6 TS (120bhp) 3d (2008/08) Owner Review

What does this car say about you?

A person who wants to drive something a bit different. A peson who likes a stylish looking car that drives well.

What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?

They love it....always positive comments.

Would you buy this car again and why?

Sadly not now. I had always been a huge Alfa fan and was looking forward to trading my 147 in for it's replacement the Milano after it is launched next year. Sadly now out of principle I will not buy from Alfa / Fiat again. I hate feeling cheeted as a customer.

What are you likely to buy next?

Possibly a VW Scirocco.

Type of dealer you bought from?

Independent

Did you buy this car new?

No

What price did you pay?

£0

When did you buy the car?

January 2004

Did you get a good deal and why?

The car was good value at the time and was in mint condition.I was happy with the price I paid.

Is there any special reason why you bought this car?

Special reason for buying this car....I absolutely loved it!

What was the dealer like?

Dealer was fine.

What's it like to drive?

Steering is (was) fast and precise....it was a real joy to drive.

What's it like to park?

Not a massive view through the window and door mirrors are quite small, but never a problem to park.

Have you had any problems with the car?

In the time I've owned it almost nothing has gone wrong....I've been amazed...until recently and something catastrophic happened. The timing belt broke wrecking the engine. Alfa has had so many of these breaking, that they reduced the replacement interval to 60000km. I replaced mine on time at 60000km. The car was in again recently for it's 80000km service. 1 week later the belt broke. After weeks of letter-writing and phone calls, legal advice etc the final result is that Alfa will contribute nothing to the repair even though the belt has only lasted 20000km! Their reason is that the 1 year guarantee on the new belt had expired by around a month! Legally of course this is true, but some goodwill should be in order given that I had followed Alfa's own servicing advice.

What's most practical about your car?

The car was not really bought for practicality, more for it's design and driving.

Favourite gadget, option or accessory?