USED Alfa Romeo 147 Hatchback (01 - 09)

My car

Being in the Alfa World for nearly 15 years I do everything not to buy it but after testing rivals like Audi's A3, BMW 1 which are overpriced by the way. I go to the showroom, test it and buy it where every part of me says no. I got all the staff plus leather seats and I am very pleased with material quality. Interior and ferrari style dials are amazing. It looks great sounds great handles great. 18,000 kms now nothing wrong happened apart from a couple of squeaks.

I fell in love with it and very happy for the purchase now. Comparing with the previous Alfas I owned, this is far far superior in terms of quality.

My car

The 147 turns heads, it looks classy and is so well equipped against other comparable cars. Behind the wheel, you feel confident, it grips the road really well and feels strudy. The layout of the cabin is superb and every need is catered for (air-con, electric everything, cd controls on steering wheel etc etc)The roar of the engine when accelerating is just soooooo sexy. The Audio equipment is high class and sounds great too. However.....In the 17 mths I have owned my car I have spent over 3000 on it. The cam belt snapped at 51000 miles (recommened change at 75,000 miles)I had to replace the whole engine. The water hose split, the windscreen wiper motor died, various electrical faults including break light failure and headlight bulbs blowing. The alarm will randomly go off for no appparent reason and the clutch is now slipping. I average 36mpg (motorway driving) and to tax it costs me 190.00 per year. Insurance group is high as are parts and servicing costs. Unfortunately this car is unreliable, as are many ALfa Romeos. I travel 60 mile round trip to work every day and I need to know that the car will get me there. Everytime I get in my car, I love the feel of it, love the look of it, love how it sounds and performs, but there is always the thought in the back of my head that SOMETHING is going to go wrong with it. Only buy one if you are prepared to fork out lots of money in keeping in on the road and like me you will end up loving and hating it all at the same time.

My car

I bought my 147 new 3 yrs ago. As soon as I saw it I fell in love.....however 3 yrs later I now loathe this car! Not only have I been made bankrupt by the cost, it seems to spend more time in my local garage than on the road! To name a few "problems", power steering failure, timing belt x 2! (33,000 miles first time and 27,000 second time) cam shaft failure, replacement gear box and clutch after only 23,000 miles! If you perfer to drive your car rather than wave to it on a forecourt then steer clear of an alfa!!!

My car

I bought a 6 month old Alfa 1.9 JTDM Lusso around 6 months ago and I have to say I am absolutely in love with it, despite a few trips back to the dealership! To cover the bad bits first, I have had a leak in my washer bottle for the wipers (twice), a recall (something to do with my brakes), and the air bag light came on so that had to be fixed too.

It is disappointing to take a car that is only 6 months old back to the garage, but the pros far outweigh the cons for me! I looked at golfs, audis, and even test drove mini, but the Alfa was funky and classy, which was a rare breed, and there isn't any other car on the road that offers all the extras for the same cash...I love all the gadgets in the cabin, and the heated seats are BLISS at this time of year.

It's amazing to drive, fast, cheeky, and exciting and the 150 bhp means I can zip and zoom around. When I first bought it I parked it in Halfords whilst I bought some accessories, and a guy who happened to be admiring it asked me 'Is this all yours love?' to which I took great pleasure in answering 'YES!' with a huge smile on my face.

Let's be realistic here, it's not a sensible car, but that wasn't what I wanted......it's a sexy, sultry, sleek number that makes heads turn. LOVE IT!!!!