"To be a true petrol head, first you must own an Alfa Romeo" - that's the view of a certain well known motoring journalist which happens to be shared by the majority of car nuts. An Alfa is not just a car, a tool to get to a destination; it's a piece of finely crafted Italian art, a close friend to accompany you on a journey. I would have said 'journeys', but let's not push our luck just yet.
After my first year of motoring I was in a position to upgrade. An Alfa 156 had recently joined our family and had me thoroughly impressed. When I discovered a 147 would be within my budget, I was convinced it would be the best move despite the large number of nay-sayers trying to convince me otherwise.
I would come to learn that there is a large amount of truth behind the vicious rumours of poor reliability; I don't remember the exact number of times the car had to visit a dealer during the time I had with it, but it was far more often than it should have been. It was usually just minor niggles and I got my money's worth from the warranty. However, I hadn't factored in the cost of tyres, or parts, or servicing, or labour; the car was costing me a fortune and something had to give. I was determined to soldier on but looking back, I don't think I could have managed for more than another 6 months.
In the end, the car and I were involved in an incident which led to it being written off. There was a very deep section of flooded road which I failed to notice and the car sailed across and into the barriers. It was a glancing blow so the damage was relatively minor, but it was significant enough to cost more to repair than the car was worth. So I walked away (somewhat shaken) with a cheque from the insurers and some important life lessons.
Before all of that though I had many happy months with the car. It was comfortable, pretty, good to drive and even quite nippy despite its 1200kg weight. I saw my first trip to Santa Pod with the car and recorded a 17 second run which is quite respectable for something with just 100hp/tn. I changed the exhaust for a Supersprint system which combined with the already evocative engine note which has long been an Alfa charm, sounded absolutely fantastic. I even had plans to change the wheels and the suspension (as you do at that age), before fate intervened.
The Alfa was wonderful car and I would definitely consider having another one in the future. I think my Alfa experience came too soon in life, but I learned many valuable lessons (the hard way).
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