DaveStorm 0 Posted May 13, 2004 Has anybody here ever driven one of these Alfas( 5 OR 6 speed) or had any experience of them? I really like the look of them and was just wondering if the Alfa could be considered as a worthy successor to the C as both cars appear to have quite a bit in common on paper. Heres what I reckon Both cars are small, good looking, front wheel drive coupes with the C having more luggage and passenger space and a better driving position. Both come with V6 engines and have an engine capacity of almost 3 litres. Although the Alfa has 220bhp against the VRs 190 they both seem fairly evenly matched on the road with 0-60 coming up in around 6.5 secs and top speed of both at close to 150mph. One is from a maker of cars whose engines are known for their brilliance but whose build quality leaves a lot to be desired. :lol: (You decide which one I mean LOL!) :) Both are fairly exclusive and not a *common* sight on British roads but... which one handles better and which would you prefer given the choice? Having only driven the VR im clearly biased towards it but I'd be keen to know your opinions as well. Cheers Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vr6storm 0 Posted May 13, 2004 i like them!...........damn sexy looking exterior and interior too......especially in red leather 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim 2 Posted May 14, 2004 My cousin has the GTV 2.0 Twin Spark, but it seems to be kitted out to look just like the V6 - and it is a very very nice looking car, especially with its red leather interior and metallic black paint. Well - as you say - its an Alfa Romeo, so it should match the Corrado's reliability.. you'd do good to hunt around on sites like http://www.carsurvey.org and see what they have to say about reliability on these cars though - I was reading information on the Alfa 146 and the reviewers panned it because of so many reliability issues, and a dealer network who just couldn't give a rats ass. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhatVR6 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Ever seen an alfa SZ? it has a corrado dashboard! well, it looks similar. The alfa V6, glorious engine, shame about the built quality of the rest of the car. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
vr6storm 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Ever seen an alfa SZ? it has a corrado dashboard! well, it looks similar. The alfa V6, glorious engine, shame about the built quality of the rest of the car. more straight angles than a box too :shock: .............and they still fetch decent money too :wink: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Bacon 5 Posted May 14, 2004 I personally think you'd be jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire if you buy an Alfa. Until the Italians get their act together with the build quality and also produce a chassis that can actually handle the V6 engine, I'm sticking with German cars. K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dubcharged 0 Posted May 14, 2004 My close friends are Alfa nuts, one of them put the 2.5 V6 (now swapped for the 3 litre V6) into the 145 hatchback! The Alfa V6 is probably the best V6 engine out there, it has an incredible power band from 5500rpm to 7500rpm. 0-60 isn't where this engine is at its best, from 70 - 130 is where the engine shows its true colours. Believe me, there are not many cars out there which can keep up with my mates 145 3litre V6 (throttle bodies, race cam etc). Build quality of the car itself is improving, slap a coilover set and brake upgrade on the car and it will handle the V6 nicely. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Unbelievably the insurance on the GTV is EVEN HIGHER than the Corrado VR6. Better make sure you're 30+ yrs old and have a million years no claims... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
coolrado 0 Posted May 14, 2004 have a look on peach or lemon alfas seem to do quite well about the same as corrados Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ice White Socks 0 Posted May 14, 2004 I have a mate who has the V6 Alfa GTV- lovely car cos its black with a red leather Momo interior 8) . Its a lovely drive but its always breaking down- and I am not talking door handles or headlight switches but £1200 ABS brains etc. I think that the corrado is probably a much better engineered car- Its lucky the guy had shelled out extra for a warranty otherwise he would literally be about £3K out of pocket. It could just be a bad example though- I suppose every make of car has its lemons :? Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Like the Corrado is for VW? ;) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
corozin 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Two thoughts to add to this: 1) The Alfa will be a little quicker in a straight line than the Corrado, a friend of mine who's driven both cars says the Corrado is much nicer under braking and through the bends. The Alfa is a little nose heavy by comparison. 2) If you think your Corrado is unreliable, try the Alfa. You won't complain about the Corrado ever again. John Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
aide 0 Posted May 14, 2004 If you think your Corrado is unreliable, try the Alfa. You won't complain about the Corrado ever again. John My boss has one of the T Spark jobbies, and it's in the garage every few months. As for after purchase sales - when raising a problem, he's frequently greeted with the response..... "errr.. that's an Alfa thing Sir, that's just the way they are" :!: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Italian cars. That's the way they are, unfortunately. A mate has a Cinquecento Sporting. Yes, a very cheap, small, easy to look after car? NO! Almost as expensive as my VR6 to run! He's had to have the gearbox rebuilt after 53,000 miles.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
crazymarcel 0 Posted May 14, 2004 Italian cars. That's the way they are, unfortunately. A mate has a Cinquecento Sporting. Yes, a very cheap, small, easy to look after car? NO! Almost as expensive as my VR6 to run! He's had to have the gearbox rebuilt after 53,000 miles.. Gotta agree with you there, I have a mate with a 2001 punto sporting quite good spec on it but has had to have amongst other things a new steering shaft aseembly £500, paintwork cracking in places, dash lights that come on and off, a cv joint, exhaust, windscreen wipers that judder on intermitant (known punto problem due to fiat "engineers" useing the wrong grease or somethin) It has more rattles then my ten year old lowered corrado. all these within the last year on a 30k mile model. ya gotta laugh :lol: Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DaveStorm 0 Posted May 14, 2004 So they are rather expensive and unreliable then, thanks for the opinions peeps, I wasn't thinking of changing my car for the Alfa, my Storm will be staying with me for a long time yet and it's never let me down thankfully! :wink: I love the C but also like the look of the Alfa too and know it has a cracking engine. Thanks anyway 8) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites