1997 Alfa Romeo 155 review from UK and Ireland

CAM Variator. This is what causes the rattle at start-up and low revs. £400 to fix. Happens on all 155 twin sparks. Does not harm the engine, just annoying when people think you have a diesel.

Rear door solenoid broken. Have not fixed it yet.

Blown rear exhaust box. Lovely sound though!

Handbrake cable froze in the winter, locking the rear wheels. This is due to a U bend in the cable holder near the rear discs. A friend had the same problem.

Light behind the interior clock.

Wiring loom to tail lights. This twists every time you open the boot. Eventually the wire to the fog light broke.

An fantastic car with blistering performance and handling at a cheap price.

Have to rev it high to get the best results, but the result is amazing.

As an Alfa you get little annoying niggles such as rattles in the interior and electrics that don't always behave the way they are supposed to.

The wipers occasionally stick and judder, and only have one speed. This is also common to all 155's.

I would recommend buying one. Fast, handles like it's stuck to the road, amazing steering rack, close pedals, all round discs and anti-lock brakes means you can stop on a coin.

As Alfa said in the brochures "Alfa 155, the pleasure of driving".