A/C defunct. Apparently this is a known weakness of Siemens equipped A/Cs in BMWs, M-B, Alfas and some of the newer Fords etc.
Car is a Japanese import so still coming to grips with the ICU. Will need to attend to the cam belt and water pump soon.
Only just got the beast and love it. Great engine, exhaust note, steers well for a large and heavy FWD. Well assembled, no squeaks or rattles even at this age and mileage. There is a lot of fun to be had in this car but already I am wincing at the woeful fuel economy.
And given its size and general rating as the 'big' Alfa, there isn't a whole lot of space in the back. The Cefiro was definitely the better car to be a passenger in.
Update. On a long and fast, heavily laden cross-country run it returned just over 27mpg (~10l/100km) and a little better on the way back unladen. I can live with that. If anything it is a bit wasted in NZ as it only really gets into its stride once you are expensively past the speed limit (and the speed that our pathetic highways are engineered for). The cruise control is very welcome tool. The handling is very neutral.
The gearbox is an acquired taste. Drive is too sluggish for anything but gentle cruising and Sport mode has a logic which defies logic. Sometimes it intervenes and shifts for itself, sometimes it hangs on and you have to shift manually. Go figure...
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