ALFA ROMEO GTV 3.0 V6 24V Lusso 2dr (1998)

Not just another A5 blah blah

I wanted something different and got bored of my old Audi when I saw more or less every other guy in the car park getting out of one in the morning. Alfas are a bit more of a driving enthusiast car anyway, which I would say I am.

The Alfa Romeo GTV does come with some nasty surprises in the shape of numerous little failures, but seldom things that will stop it from actually driving. That's the good thing about Alfas, they take a kicking and keep ticking, or they seem to give themselves a kicking. Anyway I got mine used in 2005 and had a fair bit of work done, but I would say it's reliable cos it doesn't just die. And this is an Alfa, you're not getting it for the reliability! It's mostly just electrical stuff anyway, cheap fixes, often don't even need a new part.

The engine itself in the Alfa Romeo GTV is completely flawless, shows no signs of age, always comes on with a pleasing roar, and shoots away from a standstill. Zero to 60 feels much faster than the 8 seconds or so that it's supposed to be.

The driving position probably has a lot to do with that. You're good and low down, the shocks are tweaked just to give you plenty of a sense of what's going on on the road, and although it's solid enough to let you feel what's going on and be close to the road, it's still actually really comfortable in the Alfa Romeo GTV. I've driven more or less the length of the country in it a couple of times and it's been a treat all the way.

It's not too snobby either. I especially like the way that in amongst all the fancy interior stuff (which is very fancy btw) there's a regular sized slot for the radio, not one of these ones that's completely designed into the car. I've changed it a couple of times and I love that it's adaptable like that.