1997 Alfa Romeo GTV TS review from Malaysia

Nothing is right.

I spend 1/2 of the car price on repairs.

Brake system has often gone wrong, and almost got me killed in a 90 degree corner with 70 km/h. It locked the four wheels and slid me into a bridge, and I could only helplessly stay in the car and see it crash. And the air bag didn't come out.

Many many more.

To be fair.

Sexy unique gorgeous design. Till 2009 I still think it is beautiful.

Purchasing an Alfa Romeo from that period of time (1980-1999) is like a lucky draw. Either you get something that's real good, or you get something real bad.

Their manufacturing skills are unstable. And they are in financial crisis. Everything is uncertain. And that is no longer the golden age of Alfa.

Anyway, we have a certain perception against Italian cars; some say it's a lady to be tamed, sometimes with a bad temper. Yes yes, I agree with that. That's the fun owning it, but, when you find that it is a beauty during in its PMS, and it threatens you with its endless bad temper, and almost gets you killed a few times, and her skills on bed totally suck, dead fish, would you still stand for it?

It is a FF car. Understeer is acceptable to certain limit. And it's over the limit.

It is not a performance car. It is not an Alfa that you knew, or your dad may know.

The 3.0 is also the same. The diff is faster, more powerful, and understeer, and the chances to lose control are much more higher. Please be very very careful when you are driving it. I tried both. And owned a 2.0 for around a year.

Highway is OK. Stable for cruising. Why not get a BMW or Benz, or even a Japanese saloon for cruising?

My suggestion is, if you want a beautiful Alfa, a 156 or 147 after 2002 is OK, fun and reliable. Be careful with the year of Selespeed. Early models it often had problems.

Or get the GTV from the 1970s.