Things that should have lasted a lot longer
Bottom wishbones, front left and right (to replace brushes, apparently common problem).
Upper wishbone, one side.
Cam belt went 20K after change, snapping/bending all the valves.
Exhaust system – Front pipe went at flexible joint, catalytic converter collapsed.
Condensing coil (£120), a couple of HT leads (£20 each) and spark plugs (8 x £20!!)
Battery.
More obvious things
Brake pads and disks
Tyre's
Wheel bearings.
And the very expensive things
Replacement key.
The Alfa 156 is a great looking car both inside and out, it’s also excellent to drive, but is not worth the problems and cost of keeping it going. I own 1.8 with the sports pack and the problems I have had with this car are unbelievable. Before buying it I read all the reviews and knew that it had lower than average reliability, but that did not prepare me for the bills I got over the next couple of years, so far I have replaced:
Things that should have lasted a lot longer
Bottom wishbones, front left and right (to replace brushes, apparently common problem).
Upper wishbone, one side.
Cam belt went 20K after change, snapping/bending all the valves.
Exhaust system – Front pipe went at flexible joint, catalytic converter collapsed.
Condensing coil (£120), a couple of HT leads (£20 each) and spark plugs (8 x £20!!)
Battery.
More obvious things
Brake pads and disks
Tyre's
Wheel bearings.
And the very expensive things
Replacement key.
So if you want a good looking car that drives nicely and won’t annoy you by spending all the time in the garage, buy something else.
Oh boy, I did it!
Never regret when I moved from your now position to a Beauty.
Its called: Pug 406 1.8 executive
Oh boy, shes fantastic and costs pennies, to keep her running!!!
Try for yourshelf...
An Alfa 156 or a Peugeot 406 (see previous comment)? Hmmm, tough choice! Sorry to hear you had problems with your 156. Mine has been sublime for 3.5 years and 70,000 miles with nothing more than routine servicing. Peugeots certainly AREN'T known for their reliability, and they're certainly not in Alfa's league when it comes to looks. It seems you either get a good Alfa or a "Friday" Alfa plagued with problems. Sounds like you unfortunately got the latter... I certainly won't try to persuade you to buy another Alfa (if I'd had your experiences, I wouldn't buy another myself), but how about the Mazda6? Good looking, stylish, well priced, and Mazda reliability is second-to-none.
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