For those thinking of a used Alpha

Alpha Romeo is known to not leave anyone indifferent. Given its rich racing and performance heritage, the traditional shades of red, shining so strikingly on the stylish Italian designed bodies it has a huge army of fans and adepts. And there are those who are quick to criticize Alpha for its reputation for mediocre reliability.

The truth lies probably somewhere in between – it’s a great car, and one may consider buying one in the second-hand market, just with some caution. In fact, taking into consideration the not so high values of used Alphas – it may be a great move to get into actually owning one of the pieces of the legendary marque.

So what are some of the pointers? I’d say some of the things common for used Alphas, whether you’re looking at 166, 147 Hatchback, 159, GT or GTV coupes, are listed below.

Choosing your ride, make sure the transmission is working probably – this goes both for the manual and automatic transmissions. Automatic transmission should work smoothly as a Swiss watch, with effortless changes in gears. Uneven tyre wear could possibly signal of possible malfunctions in the suspension. The engines, especially those utilizing twin spark technology need careful servicing, be sure to avoid cars without a full Alfa Romeo service history and those which obviously looked, as if they were not too well cared for.

It’s important to be prudent if looking at cars assembled between 1999 and March 2001, as they were recalled to be checked for problems with the power steering, and some built between May and September 2004 were also checked for possible fuel leaks; so in this case it’s worth paying a visit to the dealer.

Despite some of the people who experience some rattles and squeaks inside, the interiors appear pretty sturdy.

To sum it all up – dropping resale values of Alphas, make it a rather poor investment when bought brand new, but make it a real bargain if it is has some miles on it and is still in good condition. And not to forget – it will always stand out from the crowd, with its handsome styling and sporty-sounding engines, making Japanese and German rivals look so boring and uninspiring!