2005 Alfa Romeo 166 Turismo review from UK and Ireland

Minor rattles.

Vibration of steering wheel when braking above 70mph.

The brakes judder when slowing.

I have just bought a black Alfa 166 2 litre Twinspark Turismo with 19k on the clock from an Alfa dealer.

This car looks a million dollars. But cost £8,500!

The Alfa 166 represents astounding value for money second hand. My car has a year's manufacturer warranty remaining.

Styling gorgeous, interior comfortable and distinctive.

Honed driving experience combined with generally sound, but occasionally flawed packaging- space in the rear is minimal, indicators are positioned too low and the 'Integrated Control System' is not as logical as it could be.

But the driving position is great and highly adjustable, the steering is beautifully weighted and precise and the engine is typical alfa.

The 166 is one of the few cars I can fit in- I'm 6ft5 and can get confortable- I have just enough leg room and head room.

The dealer is about to sort out the brakes (I picked up the issue on the test drive and they were meant to have sorted these before I picked the car up but hey ho).

I will provide a full review in a few months time once the brakes are fixed (suspect new discs needed) and I've done a few thousand miles.

But so far, love the car... have spent a long time trying to find a distinctive car thats great to drive that I can fit in, and the 166 certainly fits the bill.