New Job New Car

[Robert]

I'd recommend an ALFA 156 Sportswagon 2.4 JTD as I bought one a few months ago and it is a brilliant all round vehicle

- Great styling inside and out (mine has superb sports leather which is excellent and a very stylish interior dash Etc)

- Great engine very torquey and revs happily over 4.5k (without being chipped), also sounds very good being a 5 pot

- Good performance, just got an AP22 and measured the 0-60 as 9.1 on a wet day starting from a gravely lay by on the A453. It's very quick mid range and cruises really well.

- Great mix of handling and comfort, has a quick rack of 2.1 ish, small steering wheel and always feels composed and nimble at speed. You don't need to have lowered and stiff suspension to be fast on the road - a good balance is worth having. Previously owned a Saab 900 which was OK till it arrived at a corner then you had to slow to a virtual stop to go round, could not belive how bad it was for handling

- Great for towing a westie, my best surprise was that the suspension self levels (make sure you get the Bosal detachable tow bar as the Alfa one is fixed)

- Very good Bose sound system

- Get a good set of wheels it makes a big difference, I researched and bought mine with 205/50/17 T1-S tyres rather than the cheaper 215/45/17 - this is because the 205's have a 93 load index

- Relatively cheap insurance (group 13) for my 02 plate, newer ones are dearer tho.

- Oh yes, good economy I get consistent 42mpg and I enjoy using the engine fully. You would get better if you drive in economy mode (Not the main reason for purchase the other factors decided that).

- Another thing I like which was not obvious before purchase is the cruise control, it is easy to use and contrary to the instructions it works well at any speed and any gear. Even up a very rough steep farm track with big stones driving a steady 5mph is hard normally, but engage the cruise and it is a doddle. Really good for helping keep to speed limits too

- From a servicing point I found out that Guests in Birmingham are excellent, which is important as with other marques the dealers near by are less impressive.

- I prefer the sportwagon because they are smarter to look at than the saloon and there are fewer about. You feel as if you are in a club just owning an Alfa as other Alfa drivers acknowlege you and even park next to us in car parks to have a good look at ours. Three times in as many months 156's have found us in a near empty car park, got out and spoken to me/Wendy - two of them were 1.8 drivers who were envious of our much faster 2.4 JTD

Overall the car makes me feel very special when ever I - look at it, sit in it or drive it  

Tips to avoid - the twin spark engines have mixed reviews as they are good when running but tend to use oil and sometimes break down. Diesels are very good and have a good reliability record. If you do go for a petrol avoid the 1.8 as it is slow, also the fancy paddle shift on 2 litres could be troublesome (remember Italians love style more than they enjoy making ultimately reliability of electronic software).

I believe that 156's with lowered and stiffened springs are under damped, it is best to buy one with standard spring/dampers unless you go for a complete set of uprated shocks/springs. I include the factory lowering kit in this - don't bother with it.

Don't buy new unless it's a company car, unjustifiably the resale values are low - despite the cars being actually very solid and well built.