Probably what I love most about Alfas is that, unlike BMW etc, you never see young rich boys with them. So many silly boys who have come into some money somehow get these sports cars and think they look all clever, but actually they look stupid, and they also make the cars look stupid as a result. Never ever seen an Alfa driven by anyone who looked under 30.
I wouldn't say it's an old person's car either. I suppose I'm a bit old now and I think I can tell why. The ride is pretty uncomfy on the bumps and the pedals are in a slightly odd position. The head room isn't great and the back seats are really tight. It's not that bad! But really the Alfa Romeo 166 isn't all that smartly designed in terms of interior space. Having said that, if anyone is lacking space they can always sit in the boot, there's lots of space back there!
Lots of nice little luxuries in our Alfa Romeo 166, like the arm rest and climate control, and the powered electric movement of the driver and passenger seat. I came to this car from an old Zafira, and the difference was fantastic, no more messing around with that stupid dial that took forever to adjust the position.
Also, I never saw the point of cruise control until I tried it. It's amazing, really takes a lot of the effort out. On the motorways I basically just sit back and prod the steering wheel from time to time.
The only repair I've really had has been the radiator, that's it. It's still going strong after 100k miles, and I don't expect any problems anytime soon. I may look for another Alfa Romeo 166 when I sell this one on.
Needless to say my husband led the decision to buy our Alfa Romeo 166. In fairness though he made a good case. It's got a lot of gadgets and general stuff inside given the relatively low price (compared to BMW etc - he actually made me a spreadsheet to compare). This is used I'm talking about, don't know about new.
He's always going on about how great it is to drive, especially to his silly mates who all love cars. Sadly our little boy seems to be getting interested to, but I suppose it's something they can bond over. Anyway, from my point of view it's good in the sense that it's a reliable car, doesn't mess us about too much. The boot is a great size, much better than the Mazda we had before. The car is a saloon but the boot is really a lot bigger than you'd expect from that.
The problem is that the boot seems to have jutted into where the back seats should be, and the back seats are pretty pokey as a result. They don't fold either, so what you see is what you get. It's mostly just the kids in the back at the moment, and they're fairly small now, but that won't last. Still, our Alfa Romeo 166 is ten years old so we might sell it on at some point in the next few years.
I say my other half goes on about the car, but I have to admit the sound of the engine burbling and gurgling away is quite pleasing at times. The car is quite fancy all in all and feels like a bit of a exec car. I sometimes feel a bit daft getting out of it in Tesco. It make me laugh when boy racers eye it up then see a mum and kids get out, teehee.
What makes me dislike it the most is the cost of running. The repairs are few, thankfully, but the fuel is too much. It really drinks the stuff, and oil too, and I think hubby drives faster than me anyway so he must get through even more.
The comfiness doesn't bother me really, but I thought I should mention it. It's my mum who goes on about the seats being a bit stiff and getting jolted about, but you learn to either drive differently or tune out the complaining noise! Fair enough the Alfa Romeo 166 hasn't got armchairs inside, but it's a classy car, got an amazing look from all the way around, and that V6 is the business. RAAAHHHH!!
The engine has stayed in fine shape too. I think it had a bush need doing four years ago or so (my other half sorted it whilst I was away), but that's about it.
The biggest gripe I've got with the Alfa Romeo 166 is the seating position. I wouldn't say I'm that tall, but I have to recline the seat to keep from bumping my head on speed bumps, and that sort of means I have to get my legs a bit too close to the steering wheel just so that my arms can be close enough. It's sounds worse than it is, and it's more than made up for by the fun of that V6.
Having said that, the driving position itself is good in terms of visibility and having a sense of the dimensions of the car, and what's around you. The only down side there is the rear windscreen which is pretty piddly.
That's because of the high tailgate, and the bright side of that is the huge boot in the Alfa Romeo 166. It's massive, I've never managed to fill it completely.
We got the Alfa after an annoying experience with an Audi X5. I know some Alfas aren't worth looking at for reliability, but you just need to shop around. Some car makers don't know how to screw any cars together (Fiat for example) whereas Alfas problems are more piecemeal. The Alfa Romeo 166 is one of the more solid ones. I had seen a couple in the work car park and sent a round robin email on the staff discussion list to see if anyone had any thoughts, and both of them got back to me with positive stories.
Anyway, got our Alfa Romeo 166 second hand at a couple of years old. Seems not everyone is so discerning and Alfa have suffered at the hands of their less reliable models, so we got an excellent deal.
Perhaps the biggest downside is the fuel economy. Under 30 miles a gallon these days isn't amazing, and I'm slightly embarrassed to say that the wife's Skoda gets over double that. Time for a rethink perhaps. I hear some executive cars have upped their game here while not compromising on performance. My Alfa Romeo 166 is ten years old though, so it's to be expected.
I've had a couple of repairs since I got it (five years ago), apart from tyres etc. One was a fault with the aircon which turned out to be an electrical problem with the warning system, not an actual problem. The second was the tracking, but perhaps I should just file that along with tyres as something that just normally needs doing from time to time. I'm picking at things anyway, it's a fine car the Alfa Romeo 166, well worth a look on the second hand market. I imagine they're even more of a bargain these days.