1985 Alfa Romeo 33 Quadrifoglio Verde 1.5 twin carb boxer from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

It is a great little car for its era, and would be a perfect starter car for anyone new on the road

Faults:

I have only owned the car for 2 months now, and the only thing that has gone wrong with it is the alternator failing. So to be fair to say you can only expect that to happen on such an old car.

Other minor problems are:

Tiny amount of rust on the front of the bonnet.

The car seems to chew through a bit of oil (and petrol)

A couple of dash lights (power window controls) have failed.

Passenger side window motor is giving up slowly.

Missing original air filter upon purchase of the car.

Radiator had been replaced prior to my ownership.

General Comments:

This is definitely a beautiful little car, as they say passion on a budget. It's very nippy around the corners, holds to the road well, and although it handles well, the body roll is atrocious, and it has brand new shocks all round.

The motor sounds excellent and goes well for a 1.5. The exhaust is still a little too quiet for my liking, so a sports muffler will be going on to amplify that beautiful Alfa sound.

The interior is personally my favorite aspect of the car, the styling is simply amazing, the seats are quite comfortable. The only downside to it is its foot-well; the pedals are way too close together, it does take a little while to get used to. I do like the right foot rest for highway trips; resting your foot on it whilst maintaining a stable speed on the accelerator is almost like cruise control.

The exterior design is OK, but could have been better. The standard 14 inch alloys and the Alfasud's chassis are a plus.

As for safety, the Alfa 33 was rated average for any collision, and extremely above average safety when colliding with other cars.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th April, 2008

3rd May 2008, 16:29

Hope you have fun with your 33, I loved mine, drove through Europe in it etc but! If you haven't, you need to find a good mechanic asap so you can keep it going! And before you think the local Alfa/fiat garage is going to do you proud (assuming you can find one interested), just check if they've actually ever done any work on a boxer engine (and a 16v) at that. I kid you not!

1985 Alfa Romeo 33 Quatro Montecarlo 1.5 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Enthusiasts car only and not for the faint hearted

Faults:

Hahahahah. The car has had everything replaced at some point and is gently disintegrating.

Tail shaft need rebuilding now and then due to vibration.

Weak electrics.

Shakes and rattles mercilessly.

Rear hatch rattle drives me crazy.

Air conditioner is a complete waste of time.

General Comments:

This is the Australian modified 33 wagon with Ti trim and improved suspension of which only 200 were made. This one has been enhanced further and is absolutely sensational to drive. It goes hard, stops well, sounds great and handles like a dream.

The suspension is extremely firm and as a result trim bits keep falling off. I don't put them back on now for that reason.

Although this has been a daily driver in the past, it is now best kept for the odd Sunday drive.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 27th January, 2006

1985 Alfa Romeo 33 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

I wish my 1972 Celica hadn't died

Faults:

In one year of ownership the exhaust pipe has fallen off twice.

New clutch kit required.

None of the console controls work - i.e. odometer doesn't move (hence stationery 129,000 km reading as indicated below) ; speedometer and rev gauges stuck on zero; petrol and temperature gauges unreliable.

Engine leaks oil - needs a litre per fortnight.

Air conditioning doesn't work. Heating doesn't work. Horn doesn't work. Central locking doesn't work. Electric windows don't work. Cigarette lighter doesn't work.

By the way, all of the above (apart from the odometer) was working when I bought the car 12 months ago. Do you think I've put a curse on this car?

General Comments:

Even without all of the above, the main gripe I have with this car is the excessive fuel consumption - about 10 litres per 100 km.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 17th May, 2002

18th May 2002, 05:41

It seems to me like water has dropped into your electrical system and shortened the whole thing out - check it out.. fast :) A-R cars are _EXPENSIVE_ on the electrical side.

26th Nov 2002, 09:51

Serves you right for getting a poorly made Italian car rather than a strongly built, reliable, technically superior Japanese one. BTW, early 70s celicas are much rarer than Alfa 33s, and look better too. The only 'character' an Alfa has is that it breaks down often...