1996 Alfa Romeo 146 ti review from UK and Ireland
"Sweet Engine, fantastic drive, iffy build"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
New sump - broke the old one on a metal post sticking out of the road - cost £400 after 2 weeks of owning car!
Electric window switches intermittent.
Sunroof sticks and the switch doesn't stop it in the right place - you have to stick your head out of the car to stop it in the right place!
Boot light comes on when light, stays off when dark.
Uses about 1 litre of oil every 1000 miles.
Car lost idle and would stall on 82,000 miles - cost £15 to have idle control valve cleaned up and put together again.
General comments?
This car drives fantastically - the 2.0 TS engine revs and revs and from about 4,000 it flies.
The engine note is superb - fit a K&N induction kit and it sounds like a V8 when on song.
It won't win a race with an Impreza, but you can see off most other GTis and any boy racer you choose at the lights.
The alfa logo cloth interior is nice, leather wheel/stick great main gripes are the radio is too low - you can't easily see past the gearstick when in 3rd or 5th, the clock is on the wrong side - fine for lhd, but hard to see for me. The glovebox is pathetic - holds about 4 CDs and an A-Z at a push.
The handling and feedback from the car is lovely, ride can be a bit noisy on long drives.
Headroom is poor - anyone around 6' has to cock their head to one side where the sunroof makes the roof lower.
Quite practical for a medium sized car and very quick.
Great value for money, fast and fun, but not for those seeking refinement and quiet.
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  | Hugely rewarding in good hands! |
| A sensible sports car |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2004 |
| Engine and transmission | 2.0 twin spark Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 7/10 |
| Comfort marks | 5/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 3/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 7/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 60000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 85000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Escort |
| Date of Entry | 17th September, 2004 |