1991 Alfa Romeo 75 Cloverleaf (QV) from UK and Ireland - Comments

The car has not left me stranded since I bought it 2 years ago.

There are some niggling problems. The most annoying is that the interior lights do not come on when the doors are opened (only when boot or bonnet are opened) and the headlamp warning pinger is not coming on - part of the same problem. I think I will need to replace the electronic brain to fix this.

The ventilation does not work very well, I can never get enough cold air into the car unless I open a window and this is too noisy on the motorway. This should only be an issue on cars without air conditioning.

There is one minor squeak from the dash sometimes and the central air vents to not stay properly in the dash, one side sticks out slightly.

The headlights are not very good. I need to replace one of the H4 connectors (slightly melted - previous owner must have used bulbs too strong).

The brakes are appalling on 75s. I hope to fit braided hoses and up-rated front discs/pads.

One of the rear petrol lines rusted through about a year ago. It was repaired cheaply by my mechanic.

The doors need to be slammed hard or the car thinks they have not been closed properly.

Previous owner had not wired the Momo steering wheel horn buttons properly. This took me 2 minutes to fix.

One door lock solenoid failed. Again, it cost about £5 to replace and took no more than 30 minutes to do myself.

I had replaced the driver's mirror because it was seized. This cost very little and took about 1 hour to do.

The plastic clips which hold the outer end of the rubber gaiters on the steering rack both broke. They are very easily replaced. I used zip ties.

Some of the bushes in the rear suspension have been replaced and some of the front ones will need replacing.

Replaced exhaust from the cat back to the tail, the old one was holed. The exausts on 75 3.0 cars sit very low and take a lot of bangs. Apparentl stainless steel ones don't last because the are too inflexible. I don't know if this is true.

The radiator has lost about 10 percent of the metal leaves but still works. This is going to need changing soon.

The hydraulic cam belt tensioner on these cars always goes wrong and leak oil down the front of the car. Apparently, there are some better, newer replacements available but I just had my mechanic fit a new hydraulic one.

The interior is very lightly-made and, though the fabric seems to wear well, some of the seams on mine have split and the foam is crumbling. This makes a mess under the seat.

This is my second 75 QV (see: http://www.carsurvey.org/review_4310.html).

I drive this one much more smoothly (though not more sensibly) than my first one and the brakes, clutch and gearbox are much happier as a result.

The biggest complaint is that you really need cruise control on these cars for long trips on the motorway. The extreme angle of your ankle at part throttle means that long trips on the motorway cause some pain in the ankle and leg. This is annoying as the car rides very well on the motorway and is a pretty good motorway car, even though it is quite noisy (well, compared to my friends' luxury MB and BMWs).

The chassis on these cars is awesome. Anybody who can't drift the tail under power shouldn't have a driving licence.

The brakes really need to be better and I need to fit cruise control. The rear parcel shelf and door cards are too flimsy for good stereo speakers but then, you only have to turn the radio off and listen to the noisy from the engine.

The petrol tank is too small and intrudes into the boot, so the boot is pitifully small and the distance you can travel on a tank is very poor. That's OK, though, because you will want a break to rest your foot/leg.

If you have decent shock absorbers, springs and tyres, you can drive around the outside of Imprezas unless they are well driven.

I love this car and never want to sell it. I would like, however, to build a much more tasty 75. Modify a 24v engine and fit it into a fully-restored shell with up-rated brakes etc.

You must change the cam-belt every 60k miles to avoid very expensive problems. Also, don't use modern very thin synthetic oils, get a good Millers or similar which is better for the engine.

Avoid the typical electrical gremlins by regularly cleaning and treating (copper grease or similar) every electrical connection you can find.

I drove a very recent BMW 330 and expected to come away wishing I had one. In fact, the Alfa is much better to drive except for the brakes.

The information about the cam belt is, I think, incorrect. They need changing every 36K or three years, whichever comes first.

Totally agree with the comments about the brakes and the pedal angle.

A former 75 3.0 owner.

I'm on my second Alfa 75 (fourth Alfa altogether) and agree with most of the other comments posted. Both of my 75s have been Australian-spec 2.5litre three-speed automatics and have generally been a pleasure to own and drive. The Alfa V6 is such a smooth, sweet engine with lots of usable torque.

Leaks from the cam-belt tensioner and leaking seals between the torque converter and transaxle seem to be the only major recurring mechanical issues. Replace cam belts religiously at recommended intervals. Use good quality lubricants and coolants and you will be rewarded with good reliability.

Suspension bushes and power-steering overhauls seem common for cars with reasonable mileage on the clock. (my current 1989 model just turned over 250,000klm) The autos were originally fitted with a hydraulic self-levelling rear suspension - usually these have bee retrofitted with conventional springs. There is a lot of low-hanging equipment on the 75s and heavy scars are typical on floor-pan rails and the exhaust system.

There are the usual niggling electrical problems, but much less than on previous Alfas. The ARC (Alfa Romeo Control) can be a bit temperamental, especially as electrical connections age and sensors seize. The air-conditioning just copes with Australian summers, but needs to be in peak condition. The summer heat also contributes to failure of the hood-lining adhesive, but re-lining is not a big problem. The velour seat material wears well, although 10 years seems about it for the seat foam.

All in all, the last rear-wheel drive touring saloon produced by Alfa Romeo lives up to its pedigree and increasingly deserves to be considered a classic.

Having owned an Impreza and an Alfa 75 3.0, I definitely cannot confirm that a 75 is anywhere as fast as a Scooby... Sorry.

An Impreza Turbo is in an altogether different performance league.

Having said that, performance isn't everything and the 75 is becoming something of a cult car.

The 3L 75 is phenomenal drivers car. The car is willing to keep going on and on. My other alfa is a 33 16V Boxer. Alfa knew what they were doing when they did not put in turbo like the other marques. My only complaint is the handling; V6 is nose heavy. The twinspark handles better. But what the heck, the grunt from the V6 is enough to make you forget about the car's perceived flaws. Sure to be a modern day classic.