1999 Alfa Romeo 156 Selespeed 2.0 Twin Spark from Malaysia

Summary:

Get one and you'll be thrilled

Faults:

Starter Issue, but a quick service cured the problem.

Gear Engagement Issue - resolved by rectification to the gearbox housing.

General Comments:

Absolute a smashing car to drive.

Handling is good, but can still be improved with some modifications to the anti roll bars and stiffer suspension.

Air Conditioning is adequate, but wished they would have gone with the 166 design on the center air condition vents for better ventilation.

The design is timeless... very attractive and a head turner eventhough after 8 years in production.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th February, 2006

1999 Alfa Romeo 156 2.5 V6 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

If only it was as reliable as it SHOULD BE

Faults:

Erratic revving a week ago perhaps due to air filter being faulty?

Injection system malfunction light intermittently on.

Rear left electric window failed.

General Comments:

I have only had this car for 2 weeks and already I pray I haven't bought a lemon.. Something tells me I have. It doesn't enjoy city driving, but eats the road up in the country which is amazingly fun. It goes to the garage tomorrow to have the problems addressed... I sure will miss my romeo (and my dollars?)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 25th December, 2005

28th Dec 2005, 05:54

Re the idling and injection light: Look for a faulty lambda sensor or a Mass Airflow Sensor (MAF)

1999 Alfa Romeo 156 Sport 1.8 TS from Portugal

Summary:

It's one of a kind!!

Faults:

The only problem was my fault.

The car had the oil warning light on, and still I drove for 300 Km at top speed because of the hurry. Result: a new engine.

General Comments:

It's a real Alfa!

The handling is perfect, whether it's a motorway or a mountain road.

The performance, amazing for a 1.8 litre engine. Embarrassed most Mercedes, BMW's, VW's and Audi's.

Because it was the sport version and Alfa Red, it was a head-turner wherever I went.

I can't seem to remember any complain about this car.

Recommend it to anyone!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th November, 2005

1999 Alfa Romeo 156 V6 24v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Powerful and enjoyable to drive, a lovely car

Faults:

Leaking power steering hose.

Leaking water hose.

Noisy aircon.

Weak paintwork.

General Comments:

When I was searching for a new car I decided to go for something with a little more charisma than my previous boring old Ford. As soon as I saw pics of the Alfa 156 I knew that was the one I wanted.

It's a lovely looking car and the reviews were good.

The second hand prices were cheap and so after searching the internet for things to look for when purchasing, I decided to push the boat out and go for the V6 variant. I read that so long as it had been well serviced and had the cam belts changed recently, I should be OK with a high mileage car.

I picked up one with well over 100,000 miles on the clock, but with new belts etc only 15k ago. It also had the alfa sportspack which included leather seats, bigger wheels, etc. I think that the sport pack models are the ones to go for. The interior is fantastic and the wheels and side skirts do suit the car very well.

The engine is just a dream. It goes like stink, makes a Ferrari type noise (I'm not even joking!) and doesn't use any oil. I've heard some of the v6's can use a little oil with no problems, but I'm glad I seem to have found one that doesn't.

So far the only problems have been leaking hoses and a slightly noisy aircon unit. I'm nitpicking really with the aircon as it does work, if not quite as effective as it could be. The paint work does seem to be a little weak on stone chips and such like marking quite easily too.

Overall, I love the car. It's quite thirsty, but it drives like a dream. If you can get a well looked after model with loads of history, I'd recommend one. If you're looking for a super drivers car that stands out from the crowd, look no further.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th April, 2005