The car is beautiful stylistically and that was what sold me on it at first.
That said, it also drives extremely well, acceleration is very good, especially above the 3,000 rpms engine speed where you can have a lot of fun.
Steering also feels very tight and responsive, and the car feels extremely stable on curves.
The car's biggest weakness when driving is the gearbox, which is baulky sometimes, especially when you have to ram it into reverse.
The car is beautiful inside, with grey leather upholstery and wood on the steering wheel, which, if fake, is a very good fake.
The one drawback - quality. Having recently owned a late model Golf, I'm afraid the Italians still fall behind a bit on the fit and finish. Glove compartment and doors don't close so tightly. And you always wonder - based on the Fiat/Alfa reputation - when something will go wrong.
But so what. I love just looking at this car. I love driving it. And at about $16,000 used, it was truly a steal.
Happy motoring in your 156.
Gears should be very sweet on this car. However, reverse should not be slammed into. Remember the 2.0 Twin Spark doesn't have a syncro on reverse gear (unlike the 2.5 V6 model), so you should never slam or try to engage reverse when the car is still moving. If you find it baulks occasionally into reverse from a standstill, go into neutral, de-clutch and try again SLOWLY.
The glove box is a bit flimsy agreed, but the doors should shut with the same "kerthump" as any Golf. If not, check the striker plate adjustment (I'm assuming the car hasn't been involved in a smash...)
I have covered 90,000 in 18 months in one 156 and 60,000 to date in another - without the slightest mishap. My neighbour is an avid VW nut and his new Golf has returned home on the back of a trailor three times in the last 12 months. His previous one was no better!
Take comfort - have your Alfa serviced in strict accordance with the recommneded service intervals (12,000) by a qualified Alfa technician, using genuine Alfa spares and there is no reason to think that you will not have many long hours of immensely pleasurable motoring. The yawn-a-lot days of VWs will seem like a lifetime away!!
S. Harvey (Kent, UK)
Thanks much for comments from S. Harvey in Kent (only checked your response just now).
Just curious, I assume the distance measures you were using were kilometers and not miles, right? In terms of service, etc? Or maybe they were miles.
Any tips on how often to change the oil on the car?
That's interesting about the lack of a synchro mechanism on the reverse. Makes sense.
Figures above are in miles. Recommended service intervals are fine for oil changes as long as decent (synthetic) oil is used. Vital to stick to service intervals with all Italian cars!
Hi my name is ROB. Is this beauty available in the USA or is it imported?
Many thanks.
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