Z4 from an Alfa?

M

MAT

Member
 Newport Beach LA; London
Having spent some time in Sicily I'm quite taken with the look of the Alfa Romeo Spider and Brera's, would love have one in my garage LA.

So, has anybody on here had/ has one on here and compare the ownership experience to that of the Z4? Are they reliable and comfortable most importantly?

Before anybody says it, I realise they are a completely different type of car, so the driving experience will differ...
 
They are amazing looking cars no doubt, the italians certainly know how to design, however they dont know how to engineer !.

My dad is a huge Alfa fan and had a Alfa GT, 156 etc both from new and they all suffered from reliability issues, not sure what they are like now on the newer models but i am sure somebody will be able to give you some further advise.

Good luck anyway.
 
I had an Alfa 147 from new - lost count of how many times that car was in the dealership(s) :( Such a shame as it was a lovely car which I would probably still have if it had been more reliable. Just had to get shot for my own sanity in the end :o The dealers also let the side down badly :cry: They just didn't seem to care or believe me :thumbsdown:

That said the newer ones are supposed to be better, remains to be seen if I end up back in one though.

Good Luck :D
 
Agree on the dealers. My ex used to have a Fiat and it was the same dealership as the Alfa. They were useless!! I'd never buy an Alfa on the strength of that dealership!! Nice looking cars though!
 
Alfas are one of the only cars that get faster as they get older - the reason for this is that they get lighter as pieces of the car fall off when you are driving...
 
Sojourn said:
Alfas are one of the only cars that get faster as they get older - the reason for this is that they get lighter as pieces of the car fall off when you are driving...
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:rofl: :rofl:
 
My friend has just bought a Spider (current shape, used thank god!) so I've had a bit of passenger experience in one.

First the plus points: - Build quality is definately up compared to the GT and older Alfa's, as I found out when I sat in the GT at the dealership expecting it to be on a par with the Spider and the Mito; boy was I disappointed. The ride is exceptionally smooth and comfortable (way nicer than in my Z) although this obviously comes at a cost to handling. That said the handling is still sporty, only it's more of a sledge hammer that needs wrestling than a lithe, sharp tool. There are also lots of toys available, and it's got quite a lot of storage space so it's marginally more practical than my Z. Also, he's got the 2.2 petrol four-pot, which is actually a really good engine. It sounds a lot more exotic than you'd expect and has lots of torque.

Now the bad points: - He's already encountered minor electrical niggles (roof-closed sensor) and there are still some bits of dodgy finish (only very minor though). The roof takes about a week to raise or lower, due to the beautiful but intricate tonneau cover. Most are also only front-drive, although they do feature an electronic trick diff so it's not really to the detriment of handling. Also, there are some slightly "eccentic" qualities to the functionality; for example the USB-in audio can be controlled (skipped, etc.) from the muti-function steering wheel but not from the head unit, even though the buttons have identical functionality in all other respects!

So in summary; still classy and characterful, and better than historic Alfa's but still not on a par with Germanic stuff in quality terms.
 
'minor electrical niggles' are what eventually did for mine. Italians just can't seem to get electrics right :? Mine always used to complain that the bulbs in the lights had blown when the hadnt - but of course never happened when at the dealer.
 
I had a 145 Cloverleaf and then a 2002 Spider Twinspark (Phase 2), loved them both.

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Unfortunately I blew up both, Twinspark engines need oil more than I need beer.

Loved the Spider and still miss it's looks - the //M doesn't win half as many friends for being German and agressive as the Spider did for being cute and pretty.

Mine were pretty reliable too, you accept some things and given the horrendous residuals you can get a lot of car for your money, but ultimately FWD and scuttle shake get tiring after a while.

If you mean the new Spider, not a fan at all. Like the styling (although more the Brera than the Spider) but they're heavy and underpowered these days.
 
I went from owning a Alfa Romeo GT to owning a BMW Z4. I didn't even have the GT a year, I bought it for £16,000 and traded it in less than a year later for £8,900 it lost silly amounts of money. Was in MINT! condition not a mark on it..... Low Mileage but unfortunately Alfa's lose money silly quick. I had to take it back to the dealership twice, first time was a for a 'Motor Control System Error' which was a flap needed replacing on the flow valve. When I picked it up after that drove it 2 minutes down the road to Sainsbury's parked up and just as I was about to switch off, BEEP BEEP 'Glow Plug Error' So I took it back and it had to have all new glow plugs. Luckily all this was done under warranty. When the service was due Alfa wanted £350 + VAT for a service. So I said bollocks to that, it then had to have new discs and pads at the front after 24,000 miles and I had only had it from 12,000 miles. And the reason that made me decide to change was the clutch was starting to slip so I had just had enough and had to change before it got too expensive.

Don't get me wrong though one of the best cars I have ever driven, comfortable, fun and just a pleasure to drive. Its a beautiful car to look at and in a way I do miss it because it was such a nice car. The only thing I would say is the Leather in the Alfa was second to none! Its a million times better than the leather in the Zed.

Here is some pics of my GT!

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Before I put the spoiler on:

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With Spoiler Fitted:

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Ricey said:
Were any of you a member on the Alfa Owner site?
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for a while - robbyfrog or gannet as I was registered twice. Wasn't nearly as active over there as I am here though...
 
I was 'Ricey13' and had about 300 odd posts but again wasn't that active. But I did pay the money to become a full member and never used any of the advantages but I did put the stickers on my car ;)
 
hehe i joined too, typically to find out how to fix something almost terminal. Got an email from them today actually about a COTY 8)
 
I had a bright yellow Alfasud 1.3 SC that was 18 months old in 1982 and it was starting to rust but still wish I had one now
 
Forgot to mention on my earlier post (as i have tried to erase this experience from my mind), my girlfriend had a company car for 6 months which was an Alfa 147, and it was the biggest bag of shi** i have ever driven.

Now i like driving different cars being a driving enthusiast (so to speak) and can find nearly anything fun to drive given a bit of spirited driving, however this thing wound me up everytime i sat in it to the point of i would have rather used public transport !, the controls were annoying, the turning circle was the same as a hgv, and at 70mph it had a high pitched squeak (imagine that over a distance of 50 miles to work, and then having it to look forward to on the way back home which was another 50 miles !....) :headbang:

Dont get me wrong, they are nicely designed, however i have to put the 147 down as my worst driving experience ever.. :fuelfire:

rant over - feel better.
 
I went from a Fiat (Coupe 20vt) to a Z4 and it was one of the best cars I've owned. Never gave me any trouble in the 4 years I owned it, sounded great and went like the clappers. I'd own an Alfa based on that seeing as they are basically the same company, and was looking a GT before I bought the Z4. The only reason I didn't buy one was because it was front wheel drive.
 
Avoid Alfa 2.2JTS engine at all costs. I ditched a brand new 2008 Spider within 4 months of purchase as these engines are major flawed and dangerous. Alfa are well aware of the hesitation / stuttering when pulling away but refuse to acknowledge, quoting "within acceptable parameters". There is a remap possible but costs £400 and could invalidate warranty?
Nice cars though, although they are not like the alfas of old... A little too much pasta me thinks.
 
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