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I've scratched the alfa itch twice and have a 50/50 success rate. Been looking at hybrids but the current situation means that bird may have flown for a few years.
I can't stop looking at breras, I know they're inpractical, will break down, no real rear seats and expensive to repair. But I just can't stop looking at them.
Has anyone lived with one? Will I die/go bankrupt?
Bloke down the road from me had one. It was a summer car and he left it outside on a tarp over winter. It made me sad to see it slowly rusting.
He sold it and bought a Honda e.
It was a lovely looking car though, deserved better treatment.
You know you want to...
The Brera does look good, really don't see a lot of them about. Go for it, what's the worst that can happen
Neighbour had a brera convertible.
We’re in Scotland, he worked in london, it only got used on a Saturday, so by the time it was a yr old it needed the AA to get it started (battery).
Best looking car in the street though.
Not a Breara, but I had a Giulietta and whilst it was a decent drive, I did suffer with some issues - battery would drain itself if left undriven for 3 days meaning you couldn't unlock the doors or deactivate the alarm (great during lockdown 1), would occasionally go into limp mode if it didn't like the weather, the blue and me connectivity worked for about 3 weeks before never connecting again. I then got the dreaded EML light and a suspected gear position sensor issue as the DNA also disconnected.
Thankfully it was written off when I got rear ended by a van.
I'd have another in a heart beat though. The Brera is based on the 159 so spares are pretty easy to get hold of, its just the odd mechanical issue that would annoy me like the Giulietta did.
Beautiful car though, and with the V6 it sounds awesome.
Yes, mad. Do it.
Do it. And make sure it's a V6.
WCA - is that one of yours? You've really captured how they react to water.
Go for it. I've had a 2007 159 3.2 Q4 for 10 years now and it's been fine. Don't go getting one of those diseasel versions though!
I should point out that I've had 7 Alfas in the last 35+ years - but I'm not biased in any way 😊 .
I think as long as you go into it with your eyes open, you won't regret it. Just don't treat it like it's a hyper-reliable German tank that's all. A friend of mine who had a succession of alphas sweared by keeping them as dry as possible and keeping them garaged when not being used was the one true way. His still went pear-shaped on a regular basis though...
I loved my V6 156 and am still in love with my 1973 2.0l Spider. It's almost exclusively used for day trips and weekends into the mountains in Southern Germany.
[i]WCA – is that one of yours? You’ve really captured how they react to water.[/i]
Yeah, I was trying to capture the moments when you watch the rally car approach and it passes. You see the car, recognise which one it is and then get drowned in a blur of sound and colour...
...or as you suggest, it is a normal Alfa dissolving as it hits a puddle 🙂
I've never been that brave.
For me, it would all depend on circumstances. If it's a weekend car, something to enjoy driving and working on, like a bike really, then I think it's a great idea.
If its something that HAS to get you to work at 07:30 on a cold, wet February morning, I wouldn't. That said, if it HAD to work in those circumstances and I was in the market for a 10-15 year old car, it wouldn't be an Alfa, or much else other than something that's a byword for reliability and long service, a Toyota basically, probably a Yaris because my Mum buys them, her last one went 15 years and 90k miles without a single fault, literally nothing and it's still going around now at 21 years old, well it's got an MOT anyway.
The later models 159’s etc are pretty decently screwed together. They do have the odd foible but by one that’s been maintained by a specialist who knows them and owned by an enthusiast and you’ll be fine.
I paid 8k for my 159 TI TBi 3 yrs back, it’s still worth a solid 6k. It’s cheap motoring.
I had a 156 for a few years. Never had any issues.
Buy a really high mileage one. Will be cheap and someone else will have fixed all the problems
Friend had a 159 Sportwagon and lived by the coast. The front subframe rusted so much that it almost disconnected from the car.
Not a Brera, but I like this. And the 159 is still a fine looking car.
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/12175244
The t-spark petrol engines are really nice, free revving and sound great for a 4 cylinder. I know this particular engine is not a t-spark.
What you want is a Merc.
I've had a 2014 Giulietta for 5 years and it's been trouble-free except for a new DAB radio base fitted under warranty, a cracked air con condenser and the external temperature sensor seems to tell me it's either +56 or -40 degrees C outside.
I test drove all the usual A3s, Golfs, 1-series, Leons and was bored stiff. I still turn round and look at mine after I've parked it. Do it!
Edit: I really wanted a Brera but went with my head and bought the Giulietta as a reasonable compromise :-D)
Title of thread "I keep looking at alfas. Am I mad?" No, they are meant to be looked at, many are gorgeous.
If you said "I keep owning alfas. Am I mad?" the answer is yes 😉
edit: also the Brera has the best looking rump of any car ever.
I had a 156 for a while. It was a disaster. They are just fiats with bonus snobbery and price hikes at the dealership and added (!) reliability issues. I loved mine - it looked lovely, was great to drive and to just be in. It always had a fault - mainly niggles until the engine just went. I hated it. Get the brera. Then enjoy regretting it.
If you said “I keep owning alfas. Am I mad?” the answer is yes 😉
I would tend to disagree 😂
My first car was an alfasud (Daffy might remember it). I loved driving it, but it almost fell apart far too many times. My favourite was probably the brakes failing on the way to my A-level Physics exam - I learnt a lot about engine braking very quickly. It eventually died when the battery exploded due to an alternator fault.
My brother had a 156 with a bonnet that came off on the motorway. I think the engine ate itself a few months later.
Buy a GT V6. 156 in a nicer body. I so wanted a new one but the depreciation was immense on the company scheme. The £340 annual tax might smart but a lovely car, which proved reliable. Brera is just lovely too, but GT much more practical.
What you want is a Merc.
Hmmm. I have questions...
A Guilia Quadrifoglio is a fine looking car...still not sure I'd buy one with my own money over a C63AMG estate.
My brother has a V6 Brera, it's going well on its second engine.
Reminded me - this came up on Facebook Marketplace. Yeah 2 weeks ago. Not the ideal place to sell such a car. Very perdy
Amateurs. If you're going to buy a money pit, buy a money pit:
https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/11482990
Had a late 156 SW for a few years and it was fine. Bit pricier for servicing but other than handbrake cables, front wishbones (bushes and wishbones are a single part) and a vacuum hose no extra bills, never broke down and I had it past 100k miles. Might think twice if I didn't have a good Alfa specialist nearby.
Brera's V6 isn't a Busso but a GM-derived unit. Have to go 156, GT, GTV for that. If you really want a Brera I wouldn't get too hung up on getting a V6 one, the 4-cylinder JTS is good too.
Sod it! Hope my mondeo hurries up and dies soon now!
I used to be in charge company cars at my old work and my office window overlooked the car park.
I once had a dream where I bought everyone Breras. They were not impressed, moaning about reliability and things, but I was dead chuffed, I'm the one who had to sit and look at them all day so I quite liked having them.
In real life, only as a second car
I do like the 4C Spider tbh.
Roofs are for losers…..
A Brera is a very nice place to be indeed. I nearly bought a 3.2 prodrive S a long time ago. Chassis was beautiful, great to look at and drive. Only issue was the engine which lacked soul. If you’re gonna have an Alfa, it has to have a proper heart. I reckon the 20v jtdm was actually a better work of art, though the mahoosive weight kind of kills the driving experience.
If it was me, I’d probably look at a 3.2 GT instead. The Busso is a different animal and though the platform is definitely a generation behind, with the q2 diff it handles sublimely. Avoid anything with a main dealer history. They haven’t a clue. A series of stamps from a specialist such as alfatech or AlfaAid is what you need. Change belts and idlers EARLY and it’ll be absolutely fine. You might even squeeze a bike in it.
The 2.4 20v diesel is a good motor. Lost of character and not short on grunt. I had it in a late 156.
Current squeeze is a 159 with the 1750 TBI motor. It replaced the 3.2v6 in the range, so don’t expect the fuel economy of a 1.7l it’s running about 26psi of boost 🙂
Maybe, but you have soul...
I have two Alfas, a 1976 GT Junior and a 2003 147 GTA. In 5 years only the Junior has broken down, once, when the japanese battery pegged out on a clifftop near Amalfi...
Having said that, Junior is going in for a full strip down and body attention this winter. It should then be ready for another 45 years.
I wouldn't hesitate to get an Alfa. But then I'm an old fart hanging onto my youth, to whom the idea of driving anything from VAG fills me with dread....