1995 Alfa Romeo 164 Reviews

For a while, the car was running on 2 cylinders, the dealer failed to tell me this at 30,000kms. It progressed to 40,000kms. The cylinders where replaced for a total cost of $3000cdn.

All buttons in the car were replaced and re wired, for a total cost of 2800cdn.

Car was damaged slightly in the grille area, this was repaired perfectly for 3$3000cdn.

Scheduled tune ups are expensive, and oil changes cost $1200cdn. from Ferrari dealerships. (Alfa Romeo stopped bringing cars to Canada in 1995).

Electrical problems really are the worse part of this car.

Fuel economy is very poor. The tank is 78litres in size. Large, but you can only get 250 km out of that size.

I am sure I have spent more than $30,000 on the maintenance of this vehicle.

It is an excellent car, handling wise.

Seats are supportive, and comfortable.

Last year: water leaked from heating system, damaged the main CPU located under the radio. A second hand CPU (about 200 pounds) purchased from Australia through the Internet.

1999: Air flow meter malfunctioned (costly parts from Italy took four weeks to arrive).

1999: Safety button of the gearbox selector stuck.

Between 1996 to 1998: Engine overheated several times due to the failure of the high voltage relay (since then, I always keep a spare in the car); and the motor fan (I have been suspecting that the water leaking was the problem, I later experienced was the consequence of those overheat incidents).

Generally reliable, by Alfa standards. Routine maintenance is a must. Official dealer is un-trustworthy (the sole dealer in Hong Kong is just as bad as those in London). Finding a good mechanic who knows Alfa is therefore another must. Owners should also make the best use of the Internet for finding parts and seeking advice.

Auto gearbox is OK, but a manual gearbox is more suitable.

Because of its size, weight and auto gearbox, my 164 is not very suitable for fast A or B-road type driving, but doing a high speed on the motorway is very relaxed.

A lot rattling noises inside the car, indicating that the finish was not yet up to Japanese/German standards.

All in all, a good Alfa and a reasonable car. Looking forward to owning a 147 Selespeed.

Rear sidelight/brakelight.

Radiator sensor unit.

Make no mistake, this is no boring executive cruiser - this is the best car BMW never made! Firm suspension, taught handling, the engine sounds like a symphony. A true family size sports car with air con and all electric. A great looking car that will out-perform 95% of cars on the road. Galvanised body so rust shouldn't be a problem. Go for the facelift model post 1993 if possible. Just that bit better looking and with 24 valves.