CarGuru\’s third car owned – 2003 Alfa Romeo 147 3-dr Selespeed
Many car enthusiasts or people in the know associate Alfa Romeos with passion, emotion, style personified and thrilling driving experiences. Unfortunately, they are also known (especially the earlier models) to be unreliable rust-buckets that go hand-in-hand with hefty and on-going maintenance and repair costs. Some would say that this would explain their below average resale values.
When I first saw the 2001 European Car of the Year on the internet – the Alfa Romeo 147 – I was seduced by its beautifully stylish lines, inside and out. My excitement and anticipation multiplied when the article stated that Ateco Automotive (Australian importer of a number of different cars including Alfa Romeos, Fiats etc.) was going to bring this car to Australia. The price was not revealed at that time but I had hoped that it wasn’t over the top.
This car eventually came to Australia in September 2001 and it wasn’t until September 2002 that I placed my order. Yes, the time had finally come for me to progress from the then 19 year old Ford Telstar TX5 Ghia. I ordered the top of the line model and I added nearly $10,000 worth of options – Sports Leather interior, Selespeed (clutchless manual) transmission, Sunroof, Factory alarm, Tinted Windows and Car Mats. I ordered what Alfa called the “Seagull Blue” colour. There were none available anywhere in Australia with this colour and the stated options so I had to wait 6 months for delivery. This was the longest 6 month period in my life…..
I picked up the car May 8th 2003, two months after it arrived (I couldn’t pick it up any earlier because I was away in the U.S. for work). Being the fussy individual that I am, my other car-nut buddy and I spent about 2 man hours checking over the car for faults. We did find a couple of quality issues (like a paint blotch on the roof just behind the sunroof) but overall, the car was pretty much faultless. After handing over the bank cheque and taking nearly 1,000 photos of the car, I drove back home. I was the happiest man on the planet.
I will say from the onset that over my 7 year ownership period of my baby Alfa, I found it to be anything but an “unreliable rust-bucket with hefty and on-going repair and maintenance costs”. Or should I say that they aren’t any more unreliable or expensive to maintain or repair than the French or German equivalents. As a matter of fact, if you compare the Alfa to the more exclusive German marques (BMW, Audi etc.), it is cheap.
During the first week of ownership, I did find some more quality issues with the car. The CD player was not working. This should have been picked up (and rectified) by the dealer during the pre-delivery inspection (especially when they charge the customer a few hundred dollars for it). This was rectified on the first (and complimentary) 1,000 km service. The next problem, which I later found out was a known (design) issue was the constant rattle of the front passenger seat. The rattle was constantly triggered when driving over mild bumps and when no-one was sitting in the seat. It got to the point where I was leaning my forearm against the seat to stop it from vibrating (and therefore rattling). I found this extremely annoying and questioned how this problem was not identified and rectified before the car was released. The Alfa dealership referred me to a local upholsterer who took the seat apart and applied some reinforcement. It was all to no avail, the rattle lived on right up until I sold the car.
The first of the other two issues that I experienced with the car was the front windscreen wiper motor failing. This set me back around $700-$800 to replace. This was totally unexpected especially with their infrequent use. The second was the manufacturer’s recommended replacement of the engine timing belt every 3 years or 60,000km (whichever came first). The total cost was approximately $1,000 each time. The question that I asked was why is it that most other cars have a lifespan for their timing belts of at least 80,000km (most are around 100,000km)? This amount does NOT include the cost of the regular service. A little unreasonable if you ask me.
However, there were so many other appealing features of this car that I will never forget. Firstly, it looked spectacular from every possible angle. I can’t count the number of times people checked the car out when it was parked or when I was driving past. It was a definite head-turner. There is absolutely no doubt that the Italians do this best. I loved the sports leather seats. They were extremely cosseting and designed fabulously – next best thing to actual Recaro seats. The car exuded class and sophistication, both inside and out. A very unique interior. The engine note that was emitted from the exhaust, especially from a four cylinder engine, was unparalleled. The sound just seduces you. Performance, although not exhilarating, was adequate. Engine was extremely free-revving. The exhaust note added to the experience. The sound system on the early model 147’s that were optioned up with the Selespeed transmission also came with BOSE speakers and Sub-Woofer as a bonus. The sound was superb.
I guess my praise for this car may be a little skewed given the previous car that I owned was a 19 yr old Ford. Nonetheless, it is CarGuru’s pick of the bunch.