1999 Alfa Romeo 166 2.0 t spark from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Beautiful car if it had less problems

Faults:

Clutch collapsed at 60000 miles.

Rear wheel bearing failed shortly after.

Clutch slave cylinder leaked at 65000 miles.

MAF sensor faulty.

General Comments:

My problem with the car is that minor repairs tend to cost a lot of money e.g. replacing wheel bearing involves renewing a lot of rear hub. Also only available at main dealer.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 9th May, 2005

1999 Alfa Romeo 166 Twin Spark 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Fantastic value second hand 5k buys you a top car with good spec

Faults:

Bought the car in April 2003. Had new cam belt fitted, 36k service, new brake cable, front pads all just after I bought it. Cost £500 from an Alfa specialist (not dealer). Covered 17,000 Miles in just 6 months. Only 2 faults squeaky steering and clutch pedal. Looks brand new inside and out.

General Comments:

Just changed the alloys from the standard 205 55 16 TO 225 45 17. Bad move I think they look fantastic, but road noise has increase more than I thought and don't feel that confident when driving.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 31st October, 2003

1999 Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 V6 24v 166kW from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Comfortable and stylish, but fails to excite

Faults:

Brake Cable ruptured. The car has sports lowering and I scraped it on the driveway.

General Comments:

The car has a fair top speed, but slightly weak acceleration.

It has to be the most comfortable car I have ever owned.

Alfa has indeed changed since the days of the 70s.

The car purrs sweetly and runs smoothly.

The 8cm LCD screen looks impressive and the sat-navigation is a fantastic feature.

Alfa needs to up the power and performance on the car so it can compete with the top range Saab's and Beemers.

Fantastic to drive with great brakes.

This car is the single greatest vehicle I have ever owned.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th November, 2002

10th Dec 2005, 12:48

I recently purchased a 166 that also had a lowered 'sport' front end, and scraped mine too. It was also bumpy to drive and had worn out a CV joint and wishbone, so I immediately had the stock springs fitted and worn out suspension bits replaced. It drives like a completely different car now. Fantastic! The work cost 600 pounds, but it was the best 600 quid I ever spent. It helped that I had only paid 2,800 for the car to begin with. Best car I've ever driven. Used 166's are incredible value for money, and unique-I still haven't seen another one in the few weeks I've had mine.

1999 Alfa Romeo 166 2.0 TS 2.0 from UK and Ireland

Summary:

An Italian Thoroughbred

Faults:

Bought second hand. Some minor niggles at time of sale, all fixed by the local (non-Alfa) dealer at no charge:

Both front sidelight bulbs were out and are an Alfa dealer-only item - Alfa dealer was very slow to supply.

Handbrake/brake fluid sensor faulty.

Heated seat switches broken.

Since then:

A very intermittent fault with central locking.

A part from the fuel management system went faulty and had to be ordered from Italy. We had a two week wait with the car off the road.

Squeaky steering column - still there.

General Comments:

Looks great, though I'm still not sure about the nose - it would look better with an Alfa 147 style front end. Even so, in the right colour (mine is metallic red), it looks stunning - much nicer than anything in its class. I must admit, though, I've seen it in blue and green and it doesn't look half as good.

Enough power for decent performance, though we'll definitely go for the 2.5 or 3.0 V6 next time.

Handles well, though not keen on speed bumps.

Brakes are fantastic.

Very comfortable and just sitting in it puts a smile on your face. Alfa have pretty much solved the quality issues of the past and the cabin just oozes style (I wish I'd got leather though).

Rare enough for exclusivity - you see people looking at it, obviously thinking, "What is that?". You don't get that with a Beemer!

Horrendous depreciation means it is not a good buy new, but makes it a great used buy. We got our two-year-old 166 for less than half the price when new.

Can we have it in rear-wheel drive next time!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th September, 2002

1999 Alfa Romeo 166 Super 3.0 V6 24v from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A 4 door Ferrari!

Faults:

The automatic wind screen wipers failed.

Rear wheel bearings failed at 20000 miles.

Brake discs are beginning to wear.

Fuel gauge failed, but started working again.

General Comments:

The driving experience is superb for such a big car.

The engine sounds gorgeous, it's quite loud for a modern car - that's not a complaint though!

The interior is extremely comfortable.

The 166 is very well equipped.

The styling receives lots of positive comments.

The rain sensitive wipers are a useless gimmick.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th May, 2001

31st Jul 2001, 05:13

Finally I found someone who bought the 166. Shame on all people running to buy Mercedes and BMW, leaving a jewel like the 166 at the Alfa Romeo factory waiting for the Italian government or some bicycle races to take the unpopular, underrated, and one of the best cars around.

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